Best Portable Water Softeners for RV Use

Clean drinking water remains a dream for most of the population. There had been cases where the highest number of fatalities occurred due to polluted drinking water. Globally, it’s a concern for many economies, and they are still looking for better ways to provide this luxury to the population. 

Researchers and innovators have spent many sleepless nights developing water softeners to solve this problem at a major level. Water softeners have significantly helped millions since decades to consume clean water with minimum bacterial indulgence. Water softeners remove magnesium, calcium, and other heavy metals from water. This unique formula makes sure safe drinking water without any impurities. 

One such innovation in water softener technology is the introduction of RV use softeners. It works on a unique formula that replaces impurities like calcium, magnesium, and others with sodium ions. They are used widely in many industries for multi-purposes. It is considered a cutting-edge technology to solve many industrial problems related to hard water.

Best Portable Water Softeners for RV Use 

1. Portable RV Water Softener by SoftPro 

It is considered the best portable water softener, and it truly wins its statement. It’s quick to get started and move. It protects the plumbing system and delivers soft, rich drinking water. It functions on ion-exchange technology. 

They are assembled in the USA and offer excellent customer support. They help you get rid of skin and hair dryness. 

This Portable RV Water Softener by SoftPro is the best available. It has everything one needs for healthy drinking water. Its pocket-friendly and offers lifetime service. 

2. Watts RV Portable Water Softener 

This model is designed for RVs/ Boat systems. It is held amongst top water softeners. It is handy for globe trotters and frequent travelers. It will make your daily chores easy and satisfactory. It effectively reduces the build-ups in pipes and tanks. The built-in drain line assures an efficient regeneration cycle. This enhances the water flow capacity by almost 55%. 

3. On The Go OTG3NTP3M Portable Water Softener 

It is a perfect fit for any RV system or Marine model. On The Go OTG3NTP3, M Portable Water Softener is an excellent option for small families. Despite its size, it is amazing to use and an ideal option for an RV. It is quick at its regeneration process and doesn’t need too much salt for recharging. It efficiently improves the taste and odor and avoids any kind of scale-up. The company offers a 1-year limited warranty.

4. Pro + Aqua Portable RV Water Softener 

Portability and durability are the main features of this amazing outdoor RV water softener. It effectively enhances the water quality, not affecting its flow.

It has a broad base that keeps it stable and moving. It allows 40 days of softened water with 16000 grains capacity. It comes with a 5GPM water flow rate. It works on ion-exchange technology and is ready to go in only 5 minutes.

5. Camco TastePURE Portable Water Softener 

This particular water softener provides softer and richer water quality. It is a ready-to-use product that helps reduce the hardness of the water in your RV or boat. The regeneration process needs at least two boxes of salt. It is helpful for marine purposes and suited for external uses only. You can directly contact the manufacturer through their customer service and request a product warranty.

6. Portable Essential RV Water Softener 

It indeed is a leading-edge gem. It is easily regenerated using normal table salt. Portable Essential RV Water Softener helps improve skin conditions such as dryness, itching, dry scalp, and eczema. In addition, it tends to increase your dish-washing or machine-washing performance. It is a custom-built RV with no kink water hose assembled in the USA.

Portable Water Softeners for RV Use Buying Guide

Buying a suitable water softener for your RV use is a sure big deal. One needs to sort many things out for a perfect and useful buy. Especially when the market is flooded with such products, it needs more attention and concern. This sure demands intensive research from your end. 

Here are a few factors that may help you buy a suitable product meeting your demands:

Type: salt-based water softeners are considered the best and most functional camper softener systems. It is fine to buy any of these three types but rate your purchase entirely on your preference and situation. Self-assess the pros and cons neatly and look for your requirements matching the best with that one type.

Weight and size: choose something daunting, sure t[dosent make any sense. Look out for space-saving designs. It does sound great to have a large-size tank for soft water. But do you need that? Think wisely. Consider your strength of people traveling and make an intelligent decision. Buying anything that gives you at least three days of drinkable water before its regeneration process is a good deal.

User-friendly: Remember, with an RV water softener system, it is just you and him. You can’t jump for instant help on your day out. So make sure it is easy to install and use.

Brand/manufacturer: some brands are trustworthy for their quality. Search for a manufacturer that promises honest, reliable services. Reach out for genuine reviews because they are a great source to help you buy the suitable and desired product. Research well and make a satisfying decision.

Stress-free regeneration: this is an essential aspect while you make your decision, and it amounts the most to the smooth functioning of your water softener for RV use. The regeneration time depends on the size of the water softener and the salt doses. Look for wide-mouth openings that allow easy access to refill salt. Else, you may end up wasting your material. Make sure it doesn’t ask for any disassembly during the opening and closing of the system. It needs to breathe well!

False advertisement: don’t fall victim to inaccurate advertisements. Always research for your needs and pocket-friendly option. You definitely will get one deserved!

What is a Portable Water Softener?

A portable water softener is a game-changer in clean drinking water innovations. This miraculous product has shown a significant result in removing hard particles from the water and making it safe for drinking. They are easy to carry along on short trips and have a carry handle for comfort. These portable water softeners are leakproof and have been the first choice for many travelers. They contain beads that attract magnesium, calcium, and other complex substances from water and filter clean water. When the dots seize harmful solvents in water, sodium ions are released simultaneously. These portable water softeners have an opening to add salt mixture. The salt is formulated especially for the ion exchange process. The exchange process successfully removes the harmful ions that are supposed to be replaced and filter clean water. This technology has a high success rate. The ions are released to the limits considered safe drinking.

How Do Portable Water Softeners Work?

Portable water softener RV is a miraculous product with significant uses in many industries. This softener has a unique formula that works well and helps filter clean water efficiently. We all had user magnets while we were kids, and we know that it works on a fundamental principle of negative and positive poles. This principle is richly engraved in Water softeners for RV. Hard substances in water like magnesium, calcium, and other impurities have positively charged molecules. This hard water is filtered through the water softener unit, and the resin beads engraved in the filter are negatively charged. These resin beads attract all the hard substances in water and make them metal-free and pleasing to use. There is another process termed as regeneration process, where the resin beads are looked upon closely and recharged or frequently replaced to get regular soft water for multi-use. Salt is the primary substance added to many RV vehicle tanks where it is termed a brine tank to expedite the process.

Types of Portable Water Softeners

Portable water softeners come with different technology backgrounds. Some of them are mentioned below.

Salt-free Type:

This technology does not support chemicals to remove impurities like calcium magnesium. This technology is called nanotechnology, where the molecule structure found in water is changed. The molecule structure is regenerated from scale to in scale structure. The filtration medium supports quick molecular changes as the water flows through the softener.

Ion exchange hard water:

This is the most popular form of technology used in water softeners. The basic principle is substituting sodium or salt for hard substances like calcium, magnesium, iron, and many more impurities. Potassium and hydrogen are also used to substitute these hard substances in water. The whole technology is called Ion exchange technology which simply changes the ions for efficient filtration.

Magnetic Water Softener System:

This technology is also popular and offers successful clean water solutions. A magnetic field is created amongst the pipes and around. This has a direct impact on the flowing water within the device. The carbonate’s electromagnetic properties are altered whenever the magnetic field is activated, and this innovation is an excellent benchmark in the water purifier industry. This system works on all pipe materials like copper, steel, aluminum, and plastic.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using A Portable Water Softener For RV

Water softeners are becoming the need for every household today. They have geared up with their usability and functions across the globe. Be that homes or RVs, they are famous for their abilities. They are designed to replace the hard minerals from hard water because the side-effects of hard water are read far devastating.

Here are a few advantages of owning a portable water softener for RV use:

• First, it is means low maintenance costs for your pipelines and sinks.
• The mineral build-up is a significant concern for RVs, and water softeners help endure such fixes.  It effectively softens down the water replacing the calcium, magnesium, lead, and other hard minerals, and lets your fixtures last longer.
• It helps your dishes, glassware, cutlery, tubes, and sink shine bright all day and for long. Soft water doesn’t cause any stains, and hence you easily keep them stain-free and strikingly clean.
• It gets tough to lather soap or clean detergents with hard water. So one ends up using more detergents which eventually degrades washing quality. Water softeners solve this for us. You achieve satisfactory gleam with minimum detergents and save more on them.
• You save both your money and time with water softeners.
• It helps treat your skin for dryness and itching; you feel bright, fresh, and revitalized.
• They cause lesser damage to your clothes. You don’t have to worry anymore about the quality and color of your fabric washed. It’s been looked after well with the water softener.

Since there always are two sides to a coin, water softeners do have some disadvantages:

• They make the water too soft. You may find it slimy or slippery. Many people aren’t used to this softness.
• This is specifically for salt-free or salt-based RV softening systems since regeneration is carried out with salt to increase sodium or potassium intake. Certainly, it is not found healthy. 
• Soft water lacks calcium and magnesium; hence it is not suitable for irrigation. It will make the soil alkali and does not support irrigation.
• Soft water is harder to recycle. It loses its worth to get added back into our freshwater systems and is unsuitable for aquatic life.
• It gets an additional cost of salt to your budget. Salt is a must and constant supply after every prescribed time. Backwashing and system maintenance further add more. Hence, be prepared for extra operational costs.

What To Consider Before Buying RV Water Softener

It is important to analyze our needs on the following basis before actually jumping to purchase. 

1. 1. Type– they are three types of water softeners, and the most common is salt-based. But it has its shortcomings, as discussed. If it bothers you, then choose from magnetic-based and salt-free softeners. They do come with some price as lack of salt needs some compensation. But, most importantly, they are equally 100% effective.
   2. Capacity– this should be the main determining factor for your purchase. It usually comes in increments of 8000 grains like 8000, 16000 and 24000, etc.
   3. Weight And Portability– they are usually compact designs suiting small spaces. They fall in a diameter of 10 to 12 inches. 
   4. Ease of Use– it is pertinent that you are well versed with the water softening system for RV use because you may not find an expert at your doorsteps all time. Hence, choose the model that is easy to install, ready to use, and hassle-free.
   5. Maintenance– everything needs care, and so does the water softener. It comes with a specific cost, an add-on, as discussed above. Therefore, we better be prepared for extra shots.

People Also Ask

Can an RV water softener be used in freezing temperatures?

Keeping softeners in freezing temperatures may cause the tank or the distribution pipes to crack down. This causes the resin to escape from the water softener system. Few people have been found putting their softeners in an insulated box to avoid such damages with heat tape. It keeps the tank away from freezing.

How do you soften water in an RV?

The best way to soften water in an RV is through water softeners. They are abundantly available in the market. You can choose according to your need, size, and storage capacity. Watch out for your budget and perfect fit according to your desire. Choose wisely and don’t follow the herd.

Do portable water softeners work?

Yes, they work wonders. They help you with a luxury soft water supply. You can easily clean the dishes and tanks, and sinks. You can effortlessly maintain the look of your kitchen and bathroom. It will always be stain-free and shining. You will be blessed be healthy skin. It’s a big yes!

How long do RV water softeners last?

They effortlessly last between 5-15 years. It all depends on how hard the water is and how much water is used. For more prolonged use, make sure you backflush the softener machine every few months and remove the accumulated hard minerals.

How do I regenerate my RV water softener?

It is an easy regeneration process with salt-based water softeners for RVs. They have an opening to the tank that allows you to insert the salt inside in the appropriate amount, as guided in the product manual. It may take 15 to 30 minutes to follow the regeneration process, and you are just through with it.

Final Word

Water softeners are bliss to those who keep moving out and about. All you need is to figure out your genuine needs for having a softener installed with your system, and it sorts out the rest. You have so many models available in the market which can suit your specifications. Always look within your pocket and not your desires. 

I wish you a happy and healthy traveling!