Water saver for shower.

[Ron_Schulz]

Some time ago, maybe a few years, there was a series of posts about saving water when running hot water for a shower. Someone had made up a system whereby hot water would divert back into the fresh water tank until it got hot than you could open the faucet and get hot water right away. Part of the system had a piece of tubing that would change color when the hot water went thru it alerting you to the fact the shower was ready.
Any chance someone remembers this and can suggest who made the kit? Any info would be helpful.
Thanks.

[ktmrfs]

JBarca wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:
John:
Looks like watersticks has discontinued the larger RV water softeners and only sells the shower kit. I shot them an email and they said they are having trouble keeping up with shower demand and RV filters have been discontinued. But the shower one is just a smaller version of the RV and likely could be used as a small RV unit, just would need more often recharging. I like the waterstick versions because they are small and so easy to recharge, fill with salt water, roll around on the ground and let sit, flush.

Thanks for checking; bummer on being discontinued.

The "On the Go" unit I bought is good, just larger. It also uses table salt for regeneration. These fit more on full hook-ups as they are larger and last longer, but they are good units. They just take up more room in the truck bed, heavier but still manageable, and due to the size and weight, a little more to deal with to fill 34-gallon fresh water for onboard tank camping. https://www.portablewatersoftener.com

When we were looking, it was a choice between the "on the go" and "waterstick". Waterstick was smaller and lighter and easier to handle, On the go higher capacity and heavier. Wanting something that would easily lay down in the pass through the water stick won. Glad my brother and I got them a few years ago before they were discontinued. IIRC the larger waterstick and on the go were comparabily priced so on softening capacity the on the go also wins.

[JBarca]

ktmrfs wrote:
John:
Looks like watersticks has discontinued the larger RV water softeners and only sells the shower kit. I shot them an email and they said they are having trouble keeping up with shower demand and RV filters have been discontinued. But the shower one is just a smaller version of the RV and likely could be used as a small RV unit, just would need more often recharging. I like the waterstick versions because they are small and so easy to recharge, fill with salt water, roll around on the ground and let sit, flush.

Thanks for checking; bummer on being discontinued.

The "On the Go" unit I bought is good, just larger. It also uses table salt for regeneration. These fit more on full hook-ups as they are larger and last longer, but they are good units. They just take up more room in the truck bed, heavier but still manageable, and due to the size and weight, a little more to deal with to fill 34-gallon fresh water for onboard tank camping. https://www.portablewatersoftener.com

[ktmrfs]

John:
Looks like watersticks has discontinued the larger RV water softeners and only sells the shower kit. I shot them an email and they said they are having trouble keeping up with shower demand and RV filters have been discontinued. But the shower one is just a smaller version of the RV and likely could be used as a small RV unit, just would need more often recharging. I like the waterstick versions because they are small and so easy to recharge, fill with salt water, roll around on the ground and let sit, flush.

[JBarca]

ktmrfs wrote:

We just plan on leaving home with a full water tank, and then fill as needed. Carry along a portable "water stick" water softener for those places with water as hard as nails.

To add to the list of those carrying water, we also carry full water from home. It starts here from our well and then through our softener from a water source I know and trust. Since I'm on well water, I do add my own chlorine to the fresh tank to low levels to keep the water clean, not like a swimming pool. I target 0.3 - 0.5 ppm chlorine and measure to confirm. When we go on 4 days trips, we have our own water. We do not go to many full hookup camps, so onboard tanks with electric or full boon-docking are most of our camping.

When we are on the road and have to fill up, I filter every ounce put into the camper. Seen too many campgrounds with excess dirt and rust in the water, not to mention other things.

I know some folks do not like to carry the extra weight, but the 350# of added weight on a 10,000# loaded camper pulled by an adequate truck does not know the difference. Our fresh tank is over the trailer axles, so it does not add or subtract from tongue weight, and I have a heavily built cage to support the tank for towing.

For this season, I bought an "On the Go" water softener as we will move more camps, and the hard water in the water heater is not great.

I see you found a mini one. Is this the one you have adapted to fill the fresh tank? https://watersticks.com/. I wish we had discussed this 5 months ago; I would have considered it. I also see they have KDF filters, h'mm may be a new source for me when I run out of current KDF/ceramic carbon filters.

Thanks

John

[ktmrfs]

2oldman wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:
At Great Basin NP, the water system was shut off due to some sort of emergency repair. All of that happened on the same camping trip.

Lotta bad luck there!

It's common for almost any RV park or campground to have water problems.. much more than any other utility. Old rotten pipes, shifting ground, dry wells, pollution...

For that reason I always keep my tank well-filled and use it exclusively.

I've known quite a few campers who thought we were out of our minds traveling with a full fresh water tank, and never filled even at a campground. for all of them that ended when they were at a campground that (a) lost power and water, (b) at a campground that didn't have water for some reason when they got their (c) had potable water, but being potable doesn't necessarily mean you want to use it for anything. T

We just plan on leaving home with a full water tank, and then fill as needed. Carry along a portable "water stick" water softener for those places with water as hard as nails.

[pianotuna]

Any trip where you don't end up cold and hungry is a GREAT one.

[2oldman]

JimK-NY wrote:
At Great Basin NP, the water system was shut off due to some sort of emergency repair. All of that happened on the same camping trip.

Lotta bad luck there!

It's common for almost any RV park or campground to have water problems.. much more than any other utility. Old rotten pipes, shifting ground, dry wells, pollution...

For that reason I always keep my tank well-filled and use it exclusively.

[JimK-NY]

You do not have to be in the middle of nowhere to have issues with water. The last time I visited the Cutbank campground in Glacier National Park, the water had been shut off for a couple of years. I visited another campground in Canyonlands NP and even at the end of September the water had been shut off until next season. At Great Basin NP, the water system was shut off due to some sort of emergency repair. All of that happened on the same camping trip.

Addendum: Oops I forgot about Mesa Verde NP. Campground was still open and due to close for the season in another week. Water was shut off.

[profdant139]

Lou, I agree with you completely -- there is no one right way to camp. It depends on what motivates you. For us, our goal is just being in the middle of nowhere, with no sound except the wind in the trees:


Click For Full-Size Image.

But there are costs to remote boondocking -- we have to be careful about water and electricity and so forth.

[LouLawrence]

I said applauded, not appalled! I also enjoy BLM camping, I just might not go as far out off the road as you do. Nothing like the stars at night in a dark sky area.

[JimK-NY]

LouLawrence wrote:
Our bus carries 147 usable gallons of fresh and that will last 5-7 days depending upon how many nice long hot showers we take that week. I'm OK not being out there in the middle of nowhere for an unknown amount of time.
Those who enjoy squeezing the last drop of water out of a thimble should be applauded (I suppose) but it does make interesting reading.

I am not appalled at all. Having a big bus with 147 gallons of water goes perfectly with your desire not to be in "the middle of nowhere".

In fact I am very glad there are places for you big rig guys to stay leaving some of the great background areas less crowded.

[LouLawrence]

Our bus carries 147 usable gallons of fresh and that will last 5-7 days depending upon how many nice long hot showers we take that week. I'm OK not being out there in the middle of nowhere for an unknown amount of time.
Those who enjoy squeezing the last drop of water out of a thimble should be applauded (I suppose) but it does make interesting reading.

[ktmrfs]

Looks like John and I have similar approach to water when boondocking. As mentioned, dish washing is a once a day at most, sometimes even go another 1/2 day, We have two 32 gallon grey and a 32 gallon black tank and DW and I can easily go 10+ days before those fill up. Our fresh tank is shy of 40 gallons, but I carry the 7 gallon blue jugs with us. Fresh water lasts us about 5 days, then I either pull out 4 full 7 gallon jugs, or fill at the campground. I have an extra onboard water pump with outlet plumbed into fresh water fill, inlet is a SS dip tube on hose, stuff the dip tube into the jug, flip the "fill" switch on the extra pump and fill fresh tank.

John's ball valves on bath sink is now on my "to do" list.

[JimK-NY]

profdant139 wrote:
John, that was a great write-up -- lots of good ideas. Thanks for posting that!

I agree. His approach and goals are very close to mine.