If you are paying $530 for what you describe, you are getting snookered. They probably just cleaned the tank out and flushed the HW & CW lines out. Less than an hour's work including a new anode...
Rmack1 wrote:
I just got the bill for servicing my hot water heater, replacing the anode rod and cleaning out all of the calcium (or whatever) build-up in my cold water lines; $530!
I have a filter, but I don't think it filters out calcium or other minerals from the water.
My question; will the standard water softener and freshener devices sold by Camping World help much?
What makes you think it might be calcium? A wild guess? If you have calcium in you system, you will see it precipitating out at the ends of faucets and will be really stuck on. We have high calcium level in our well water at home. Once a year or so we take all the faucet screen/outlet assemblies off and soak them in CLR because they can get really encrusted and plugged up. Have not had a problem with calcium deposits in the HW tank yet. You will not have calcium deposits inside your PEX lines.
If you are convinced you have a calcium problem, you could consider a water softening cartridge like this one. I couldn't find tech. specs. on it.
water softening cartridgeI would be more inclined to suspect sediment deposits. A common problem. That can build up inside faucet valves and plug them up. It can also deposit in the HW tank and in PEX lines. Not likely to be an issue in your lines though. Sediment level and particle size can vary a lot in different CGs. Some may be supplied by municipal water systems and have good water quality.
PEX is made from polyethylene and one of it's properties is that pretty much nothing sticks to it, even almost all glues. There won't be a buildup of deposits inside it. Maybe - if anything - something could settle on the bottom side of it on the inside from gravity. But you will never have much volume of water going through an RV to have that happen unless you are sucking up water from a river bottom.
Unless you take a water sample to a testing lab, there's no point in installing a fancy and costly water softener. Besides, if you are travelling around to different CGs, the mineral content in your will vary along with possible contaminants, micro-organisms, etc. There are pros and cons to using a water softener and you should research them if you think you want one.
If you were staying at the same CG a lot or in the same area/region with known poor or suspect water quality, it *might* be worth considering getting a water sample tested. Well water is more likely to have problems. There is a whole range of specialty filters you can get for various things like lead, MTBE, iron, etc., but it is very unlikely you would need one. Be wary of using a carbon filter on the outside of an RV. If you remove chlorine, that can leave the system inside your unit unprotected against micro-organisms and bacteria. If you want to remove/reduce chlorine for better taste, use one at the point of use for the drinking water (at kitchen sink). Keep in mind that chlorine concentration in water dissipates over time and it can be lower or non-existent in some CGs. If you're concerned about things like micro-organisms, there's filters for that too.
What is the filter you have now? When was the last time you changed it? What is the micron rating? If you are using an exterior inline filter, they typically only have a 100 micron rating. At home, we use a dual gradient 50/5 micron sediment filter and it gets changed at least once a year. The exterior inline filters also have low flow rate compared to others and as they plug up with sediment, they can really slow down.
Sediment is not good on ceramic cartridges and if anything is likely to plug up, it will be those. You need to replace the whole cartridge in that case.
If it were me, I would have removed material from your HWT and examined it yourself first to see what it might be. Sediment looks like really fine silt. Calcium will be obvious what it is. You could take a sample to a lab, but again, if you are camping at different CGs, it won't do you much good.
If sediment buildup is problem for you, I would recommend that you use a smaller micron rating sediment filter. You should use a 10 inch "whole house" filter cartridge so you get decent flow rate and install it so the entire unit gets filtered water for sediment. Make sure it is the type that does not promote bacteria growth (string-wound is good). If you want a small micron rating like 5 microns, you will need a filter ahead of it like say, 50 or so microns, to prevent it from plugging up too quickly
I am about to install a filter system in our new TT. I will be using what's called a "spin-down" sediment filter (Rusco) first with a 61 micron rating followed by a 5 micron string-wound 10" cartridge. The spin-down filter can be cleaned out when dirty. If you use a clear housing for the 5 micron cartridge, you can see when it looks dirty or you can tell when the flow rate gets slow. The string-wound cartridges are pretty inexpensive and you would replace it away once a year or when the flow rate gets slow. I am also installing 2 more filters after that, but that's another discussion..
I'd also buy one a wand for flushing out an RV HW tank. Available from RV parts vendors.
If you boondock and use full hook-up CGs, you will need to figure out how filtration would work for both since they have different inlet locations.
When researching filters, be wary of ones that do not have any tech. specs. that cover removed contaminants, flow rate, etc. Reading material on different filter cartridge types here:
waterfilters.netrvwaterfilterstore.comfiltersfast.com
