RV water softener

KampingKris wrote:
Getting ready to order a water softner for our trip to AZ...
The on the go models have plastic fittings... there's one on ebay which is similar from a place in Phoenix and it has metal fittings which seem like they would work better...

Anyone have trouble with the on the go plastic ones?

Having a good water softener in AZ is a wise choice. Make sure you get a high capacity one. Without one, the hard water there will quickly overwhelm the little portable RV water softeners you may have and damage the plumbing and appliances in your RV.

Fittings? Kind of a moot point. The plastic ones leak and the metal ones corrode. I do new metal ones each year. YMMV

Here's something else to consider. There are several water softener service companies that rent water softeners that are specific to the area needs. They look like a #100 propane tank and stand up next to your hydrant. Just like the propane guy, the water softener guy comes by every so often and switches out the tank, no muss, no fuss and you don't have to carry the thing around with you when you travel.

Actually I have had more trouble with metal fittings on my water softener than with plastic ones. I had metal quick disconnects screwed on it and a couple of the hoses and they seized on the threads. I don't know if was salt residue or some some sort of galvanic action.I am now using plastic disconnects and so far they are working great.

Getting ready to order a water softner for our trip to AZ...
The on the go models have plastic fittings... there's one on ebay which is similar from a place in Phoenix and it has metal fittings which seem like they would work better...

Anyone have trouble with the on the go plastic ones?

I use the on the go double. Our summer spot has extreme hard water, and it does a above excellent job. We wash our car/boat/fifth all spot free. Spend the extra money and you will be happy in the long run.

There has been a lot of discussion over the years concerning that type of filter in several RV forums. The consensus of opinion seems to be that they are snake oil. No one has produced a properly designed independent study that indicates that they work that I have seen.
I would not buy one.
I do use a salt regeneration type.I have the FloPure Mark 8000.
Cost is $240 and includes shipping. Regeneration is done with a box of common table salt.
It is similar to others like the "On-The-Go" water softener which is the one Camping World sells I believe.

Both are 8000 grain units which means they will last longer without requiring regeneration. Some folks use "Water Sticks" but the biggest one of those I have seen is only 1500 grains.

In AZ where we spend most of the winter the water hardness is about 50 grains per gallon. That means that an 8000 grain unit will soften about 160 gallons before needing to be regenerated. Since we use about 13 gallons of water per day we have to regenerate every 12 days or so.

In another place we stay with a water hardness of 20 GPG, the softener will last about a month.

I have one of these ((Waterstick) and it seems to do the job. It is a bit of a pain to lug and I'm now looking at the ministick version as where we winter we generally use the shower facilities.

I have the Standard one of these. I used it extensively during our 3.5 month stay in Alaska and was quite impressed with it. Not only did it soften the water, but the anode rod showed limited erosion. And, it is very easy to regenerate and only takes a $0.75 box of table salt once a month to do so.

Have not used this one, have a softner that uses salt and works very well.