Hard Water

[magictrailer]

Our well water is very hard and I'd like advice on the best portable water softener. If that doesn't also filter for taste, etc, I'd like advice on that type of filter too. We just got a 2019 FC19, and I want to start off right. Thanks!

[AtomicNo13]

On the go .com

[TheGreatleys]

My previous career is in water treatment, so I probably have more opinions than you care to hear. I'll confine my answer to your specific question.

I use an on the go portable softener. It's easy to maintain. Softener resin is softener resin for the most part, so the difference between brands amounts to the construction of the tank.

For drinking water, I use the zerowater pitcher. If all you care about is taste, any carbon filter on your drinking water only (like Brita) will do the job for cheaper.

[magictrailer]

Thank you, that is great news, I'll research a few brands before deciding, which softener do you have?

[AtomicNo13]

On the go, single size.

[SSquared]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

On the go, single size.

On The Go, smallest model.

We don't use it when stopping for a day or three, only when staying for weeks at a place with hard water.

[TheGreatleys]

I agree, the small on the go is best. We full time and I only have to regenerate it a few times a year. Unless you're parked with full hookups all the time and taking long luxurious showers, I don't see any benefit from the extra capacity in the larger tank.

[magictrailer]

This is all wonderful input, and I appreciate everyone's thoughts. We've ordered the smaller version as recommended. Living in the CA Sierra foothills water is very hard. We're not ready for extended travel yet, but want to have good water to take along boondocking. This is my first post, and I am so happy for the community spirit, thanks!

[kpm]

The On The Go softener looks pretty great. I have a couple of questions about it though.

The standard On The Go water softener has a published flow rate of 2 GPM. When filling your tank, do you limit the rate to just 2 GPM, and if so how? My 39 gallon tank would take about 20 minutes to fill. At a faucet where others are waiting to fill up, this might seem like a long time for them to wait.

As we travel around, some places have relatively soft water and other places have really hard water. Do you have to adjust the water softening process depending on hardness, if so how?

[TheGreatleys]

Originally Posted by kpm

The On The Go softener looks pretty great. I have a couple of questions about it though.

The standard On The Go water softener has a published flow rate of 2 GPM. When filling your tank, do you limit the rate to just 2 GPM, and if so how? My 39 gallon tank would take about 20 minutes to fill. At a faucet where others are waiting to fill up, this might seem like a long time for them to wait.

As we travel around, some places have relatively soft water and other places have really hard water. Do you have to adjust the water softening process depending on hardness, if so how?

I have never had any trouble opening the fill wide open through the softener. You might get some iron breakthrough if there's iron, but it hasn't even a problem for me. If the hardness is very high, and you're getting hardness breakthrough, you might benefit from slowing it down a bit, but I've never had to do so. You can use the included test strips to monitor your results and adjust accordingly.

If the water is already soft, the softener will do nothing. The harder it is, the more quickly the resin will be depleted of sodium. There's generally no need to adjust your fill technique for varying water supplies. Just check the harness coming out of the tank before or after each fill and regenerate as needed.