Forum Discussion

DeWat's avatar
DeWat
Explorer
Apr 19, 2013

Does This Sound Crazy... Water Softener

I would like to put a water softener in my coach sometime this season. The water/sewage service bay is too crowded and not tall enough for a water softener or even water filters. What I am thinking about doing is running a line from the water fill/city water input about 14 feet to a basement bay that has plenty of room for a water softener and water filters, and then back (return) to the location where the current water input connects to the plumbing. I've looked up under the coach, and none of the water lines are visible. My guess is because they run inside the coach to take advantage of the heating. Outside of quicker exposure to freezing temps, is there anything wrong with running a 14-foot line on the undercarriage to connect to a water softener/filter, then return the 14-feet to the plumbing? Are there any other cons that I might be missing? I probably won't do this job myself, but I would like to have a water softener for all incoming water.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Apr 19, 2013
    I think you would do better with filtration than a conventional resin tank. There is going to be a great deal of engineering and difficulty trying to orient a brine tank in the basement. Another issue might be that even if your coach was able to handle the electrical demand of the timer and valve motor, you would need to have a fairly good flow of water available at the softener. All of that would mean you need to be hooked up on a city supply. Depending on the quality of the city supply, you may need no treatment for that. The real killer of this would be having any water supply devices in an unheated bay while parked in below freezing weather.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Apr 19, 2013
    Why reinvent the wheel........??

    Get a RV portable water softener....self contained, no brine tank etc.
    Regen using regular table salt (1# box).

    Use a double filter set up (sediment/carbon) then softener......

    ON-THE-GO Model

    FlowPur Model

    Been using one for over 5 yrs.
  • Thunder_Mountai's avatar
    Thunder_Mountai
    Explorer II
    Apr 19, 2013
    Pure Flow 8000 or 10000 is a great softener for RVers. Routinely camp in Four Corners where the water in "chewable" because of the minerals. Pure Flow recharges with a box of table salt. Water tastes great. Because salt water doesn't freeze at 32 degrees, you've got less worries about freezing. If in is going to get real cold, I just disconnect it and bring it in for the night.
  • DeWat's avatar
    DeWat
    Explorer
    Apr 19, 2013
    The FlowPur 8000 & 10000 are what I am looking at. The problem is that I only have an available water bay height of approximately 15 inches due to the black/grey/fresh water tanks above. By mounting it in the first available forward bay, I've got something like a 30 inch height available. So if I'm not being very clear (the DW tells me this often), I'm just wondering about the impact of running some piping (possibly outside along the undercarriage) about 14 feet to the mentioned bay, then 14 feet back to where it was diverted from. As for winter, I'm not too worried about this as I always blow my lines out with air prior to the pink stuff, and I would be bring the unit inside. Of traveling in below freezing conditions might present an "exterior problem", but we *normally* button the coach down for the winter.
  • blangen's avatar
    blangen
    Explorer
    Apr 19, 2013
    X2 (or is it X3?) on the FlowPur Mark 8000. I just set it outside by the city water supply. In California, for example, the water is very hard and I regenerate about once a week for just two of us. (Now, before anyone says that's too often, there is also the washer/dryer, dishwasher, ice maker.) Anyway, the point is that I like the softener outside for ease of use. During times of freezing or traveling, I fill my fresh water tank with the softened water and put the FlowPure inside a bay but that's the only time it's inside.

    Personally, I would not consider running piping outside of the heated bays. That's just making one more thing to remember when you enter freezing temps. There's enough to do without creating more.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Apr 19, 2013
    They are 'portable'....

    No need to mount them.

    Hook up hose from CG water spigot.......then filter(s)...then water softener...then connect to rig.
    Even use set-up to fill fresh water tank.

    When you tear down and travel you just cap the ends and store it (if you are going to use at next place). If done with it you drain it and blow it out with air then store.
  • ktmrfs's avatar
    ktmrfs
    Explorer II
    Apr 19, 2013
    DeWat wrote:
    The FlowPur 8000 & 10000 are what I am looking at. The problem is that I only have an available water bay height of approximately 15 inches due to the black/grey/fresh water tanks above. By mounting it in the first available forward bay, I've got something like a 30 inch height available. So if I'm not being very clear (the DW tells me this often), I'm just wondering about the impact of running some piping (possibly outside along the undercarriage) about 14 feet to the mentioned bay, then 14 feet back to where it was diverted from. As for winter, I'm not too worried about this as I always blow my lines out with air prior to the pink stuff, and I would be bring the unit inside. Of traveling in below freezing conditions might present an "exterior problem", but we *normally* button the coach down for the winter.


    If height is a problem look into the "waterstick" resin/brine water softeners. they lay horizontal, we have one and it works great and is easy to recharge. The disadvantage is capacity in grains. Less than the ones others have mentioned, so it will need more frequent recharging, but it only takes about 15 minutes to recharge and uses less water during recharge. They also make a unit with iron control.

    http://www.watersticks.com/p.htm
  • DeWat's avatar
    DeWat
    Explorer
    Apr 20, 2013
    ktmrfs wrote:
    If height is a problem look into the "waterstick" resin/brine water softeners. they lay horizontal, we have one and it works great and is easy to recharge. The disadvantage is capacity in grains. Less than the ones others have mentioned, so it will need more frequent recharging, but it only takes about 15 minutes to recharge and uses less water during recharge. They also make a unit with iron control.

    http://www.watersticks.com/p.htm


    Thanks much! From what I have seen thus far, I thought that all the water softeners were upright units. This certainly looks like an answer where I don't have to run the extra piping.

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