Need water softener in Sw?

[RVcrazy]

Do we need a water softener in the SW? We will be spending a month in Desert Hot Springs and 2 months in Bullhead City. I see a new double capacity that looks simple. Is it good enough? We can buy it at camping world, otherwise we will be without until we can make other arrangements. Does the water softener replace the water filter, or do you need both. We are recent full timers and have not yet been to the SW. Thanks!

[Clay_L]

In AZ I had to recharge my 8000 grain unit every 10 days (50 grain per gallon hardness) In CO every 30 days or so (20 grains per gallon hardness)
I would get the bigger unit if you have room to carry it. My 8000 grain unit would sit just underneath the service bay. A bigger one would have had to sit next to the motor home.

[RVcrazy]

Is the small 8000 size on-the-go unit enough for FTuse, or should we go with the double size? Size vs ease of use. We have a w/d in our unit if it makes a difference in your recommendation. Thanks!

[Clay_L]

rockhillmanor wrote:
I've seen all kinds of filtration units on RV's. From the sophisticated built in ones to real simple portables.

The best one I saw was a top of the line filtration/softener unit but simply put together as a portable. Guy next to me pulled in and brought out a relatively small unit and put it in line within two pieces of hose. Set up time 2 minutes! I asked him about it and was really amazed all the functions that set up provided him for water filtration/softener for the RV.

So it doesn't necessarily have to be an expensive built in one. Lots of options out there.

True.
I had a sediment filter before the water softener. It was in the service bay and connected to the water softener and house water input with quick connects. There was a quick connect on the end of my water hose. When I was ready to hook up the water softener, a couple of quick connects later I was up and running.

[rockhillmanor]

I've seen all kinds of filtration units on RV's. From the sophisticated built in ones to real simple portables.

The best one I saw was a top of the line filtration/softener unit but simply put together as a portable. Guy next to me pulled in and brought out a relatively small unit and put it in line within two pieces of hose. Set up time 2 minutes! I asked him about it and was really amazed all the functions that set up provided him for water filtration/softener for the RV.

So it doesn't necessarily have to be an expensive built in one. Lots of options out there.

[TechWriter]

Besides a softener (which I suggest you get), I'd also recommend an under-the-sink RO (Reverse Osmosis) system.

You'll find hard, bad tasting, and questionable water everywhere.

For example, I carry a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter and check TDS levels as we travel. High TDS levels (> 100) can mean hard or bad tasting water.

The highest TDS levels I ever measured (about 700) were in Lake Havasu City, AZ.

After running this stuff through my RV's RO system, the TDS level dropped to 24 -- and the RO water tasted much better.

[2gypsies1]

We full-timed for 16 years and the majority was in the West. We used a quality filter coming into our RV and another at the kitchen faucet. Our fixtures were just fine and we didn't experience hard water problems. Especially since you seem to be only in the West for a few months I certainly wouldn't go through a lot of expense with a softener. Go to the RV Water Filter Store for your needs and give him a call for any questions. He's awesome to deal with.

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/

[ncrowley]

The water out west is generally very hard so we purchased a water softener. It keeps everything clean without all the water spots and scale. yes, you still want a water filter before the softener. A sediment filter before the softener works well.

[down_home]

From Ga and everywhere west south of Missouri we have found tremendously hard water. Some places good though. Good filters will get sulfur, iron and nasties but many but maybe not most are using water softeners too.
In La our ceramic filter was turned brown and yellow and the preliminary filter was go awful.
Austin area city water is great. Feet Worth municipal water is good.
In country need filters and or water softener, in most places.
New Mexico water was better in areas we were in but much of the country is like Tx and Az.
In Az water was real bad. .5 Micron 10 in Cannister Filters and ceramic filters worked for us. Most in the Park has softeners. Around Decatur Indiana and most farming country in the Midwest, wash your coach and it will be white with minerals. Upper Midwest, Michigan the same unless they use wells and then mud or sediment along with it. Filters will get most but not dissolved calcium.
The bigger the water softener the better especially if you wash clothes in the coach. Some use potassium chloride as opposed to sodium chloride or salt.
The resin beads are the thing now.

[Clay_L]

We got one because of the very hard water in AZ (50 grains per gallon) where we spent the winter and not quite so hard water in CO (20 grains per gallon) where we spent a couple of months in the spring and fall was clogging the faucet aerators, shower head and input filters on the Moen kitchen faucet with pull out spray wand. White crud was also building up in the plumbing.
For a year or more after we started using it we were still getting pieces of it breaking off from the PEX tubing walls and collecting in the faucets.

[Old-Biscuit]

We have a 8000 grain single canister On-The-Go water softener.
We use it when in West TX, NM, AZ, Southern CA etc. where we encounter hard water.

It is easy to use, easy to regen and goes roughly 10 days between regens

No hard water build up in water heater, in toilet bowl, on faucets, in shower etc.

We also use an in-line charcoal filer

[2oldman]

darsben wrote:
Why would you need a water softener even if you go to a place with hard water?

To get soft water.

[The_Texan]

The big problem with water in the SW is salt water intrusion. In some areas, the salinity is so bad that there are not enough softners or filters to do the job and folks use bottled water for drinking and cooking. We bought a 5 gallon water cooler and that is what we use now for drinking and cooking. Everywhere you go has the ability to refill the 5G containers and it is good cold or hot water.

[darsben]

Why would you need a water softener even if you go to a place with hard water?

Water filter well maybe

[rockhillmanor]

Depends on the wells in the CG's.

I ran into Sulfur water where I was in the SW.

Sulfur water stinks to high heaven and leaves rust stains all over your toilet and sinks...but sulfur water is so soft there is NO need for water softener just an inline cheap water filter to keep most of the rust out of your RV.