Hard water

[denverpilot]

Just tossing this out there... See if others have thought of things I haven't...

We have very hard (well) water at home. We notice it at faucets and coffee pots and what-not de-scaling them fairly regularly.

If we decided to go somewhere without water hookups we would likely need to partially or fully fill the freshwater tank from this hard water source.

Any thoughts on avoiding problems other than the usual de-scaling of faucet and shower head, etc., more often... Just like at home?

We're thinking we will have carbon filter on any city water connection plus bottled stuff which is pretty typical. This is more a question about dissolved mineral solids in the home water supply and what to watch out for.

Anyone have really hard water and run into any problems over time with your rig?

[JRTJH]

We have a well, hard water and "HAD" the same issues you describe. When we built the new house, we installed a self cleaning water filter and a water softener. I ran a water line to the outside with softened water. We use that faucet to fill the trailer, wash cars, etc. We have three other faucets that are straight from the well, are not filtered or softened and we use them for lawn/garden watering.

If you don't want to install in your house, you can buy an "RV sized" water softener to protect your RV from the hard water.

[denverpilot]

I'd ask a couple of questions about your home system, but that'd get a bit off-topic. Heh. I'm very used to hard water for drinking and what not, and don't really like it when someone has a salt-based softener, water that's that soft feels odd to me in the shower and don't like the taste much. The self-cleaning filter setup would be nice.

I was talking to one of the local well maintenance companies run by a local here and he went off on a tirade when I asked him about "I don't touch or service anything related to water quality," and proceeded to share a few nightmare stories of crazy people who want their water "just so" and would waste his time for days messing with softener settings and filters and constantly calling him back to their houses in our rural area, where drive times between jobs are measured in hours.

He just stopped messing with it, cold turkey, and refers people elsewhere. He just services wells, pumps, well heads, piping from wells, pressure tanks, meters, etc. Once the water is past the pressure tank, he won't touch it anymore, due to the number of crazy demanding idiots. Haha.

[JRTJH]

So what's your point? I don't understand how any of your last post has anything to do with your initial questions regarding RV use with hard water.....

[Javi]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

So what's your point? I don't understand how any of your last post has anything to do with your initial questions regarding RV use with hard water.....

Sounds like he's saying he likes his water without the slightly salty taste and can't seem to get all the soap off feeling of soft water. Can't say I disagree, especially about the slick feeling after a shower.
And he has a buddy who is a plumber that has "HAD IT" with folks who are picky about soft water but don't like the scale problem with hard water. There are systems that hit a happy medium and take most of the "HARD" out of the water without adding the salty taste and the slick feeling.

But I could be wrong....

[therink]

If using hard water in your RV, I recommend draining and flushing the water heater on a frequent basis.
Steve

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by therink

If using hard water in your RV, I recommend draining and flushing the water heater on a frequent basis.
Steve

In addition to doing this, I'd also keep a close eye on the anode. Depending upon the type and amount mineral content, the anode may be "eaten away" faster.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Festus2

In addition to doing this, I'd also keep a close eye on the anode. Depending upon the type and amount mineral content, the anode may be "eaten away" faster.

It WILL be eaten away faster. On our Springdale, I went through 2 anode rods the first full camping season. And, if you remember, camping season in northern Michigan is from mid May through October. Hard water with a high iron content is "death" on anode rods.

[denverpilot]

Good reminder. Thanks.

[theeyres]

You can contact www.RVwaterfilterstore.com and they will set you up with a one or two filter set-up that will stop any hard water from getting into your rig. Just hook it up between the hose and trailer or between the tap and water inlet. The guy that runs it is a full-timer and knows all the ins and outs of water. He will reply very fast to any emails or phone calls.

[denverpilot]

Will check into that. Thanks.

[mikell]

Yes check your anode a lot. I didn't and the heater blew out on the ^$#(*$$ COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR. Learned the hard way and still haven't got everything back together right.

[geo]

Originally Posted by theeyres

You can contact www.RVwaterfilterstore.com and they will set you up with a one or two filter set-up that will stop any hard water from getting into your rig. Just hook it up between the hose and trailer or between the tap and water inlet. The guy that runs it is a full-timer and knows all the ins and outs of water. He will reply very fast to any emails or phone calls.

X2 on Earl's suggestion. Richard Dahl knows about RV water! The ultimate fix would be a whole RV reverse osmosis system - where one stores the RO water (permeate) in the fresh water tank and draws all RV water used from the FW tank and pump. Personally, I have purchased three reverse osmosis drinking water units from Rich, and have found him always helpful, quick to respond, and his units are fairly priced.

Just a note of warning - there are some parts of eastern Oregon and eastern Washington that prohibit the use of reverse osmosis due to water restrictions.

Ron