Water softener

[Nikki]

Living in the New forest the water is extremely hard, has any one used a water softener in their motorhome? Looking for suggestions or recomended products. Many thanks

 

[scotjimland]

Personally never seen a proper water softer fitted to a motorhome, they are quite expensive and rather bulky.. even ones designed for boats..

I suggest you descale the boiler once a year with citric acid or white wine vinegar.. as per Truma instructions, but if it's for making tea and coffee perhaps bottled would be the answer?

Most people are moving around the country and get a mix of soft and hard which sort of evens it out..

There are filters on the market that help with taste and some remove bacteria, but none actually remove the mineral content that makes the water hard.

to give an idea of size and cost, this softener is designed for boats ... but overkill for a solo person in a motorhome..

Truma advice:

“For hygienic reasons you should decalcify the water container occasionally. Use special decalcification products from camping specialists or conventional vinegar essence or citric acid, for example. Fill the decalcifying product in the recommended ratio into the appliance via the water system, allow it to work and then rinse the Combi heater thoroughly with fresh water. “

Method.
Dilute 2 litres of white wine vinegar into 10/12 litres of fresh water, introduce into your water system via your water inlet, (removing the filter if one is fitted for this process) open the taps to pull through to the heater and then leave the solution in the heater for 4 to 5 hours and then flush through with fresh water”.

or

Citric acid:
the ratio Truma recommend is 1 tablespoon of citric acid to 1 litre of water”.

Make up the solution of Citric Acid,
I used an 11lt watering can and poured the solution into the fresh tank, then pumped through all taps, hot and cold, including shower head, and toilet flush.

Leave solution for a few hours,
Drain down and flush system with plenty of fresh water..

Citric acid from here, fast and free delivery

also useful for descaling kettle etc

Amazon product ASIN B0057WGZVE

 

[Nikki]

Yes your right, it is a bit overkill, I do the boiler every year and there is such a huge amount of scale in there ( I take it apart and scoop it all out ).
Interesting about the citric acid, maybe that would stop the need for emptying the boiler every year?
Thank you for a very informative post

 

[scotjimland]

Interesting about the citric acid, maybe that would stop the need for emptying the boiler every year?

done regularly it would certainly stop the build up.. and it's inexpensive.. so yes .. more frequently than once a year..

 

[Ridgeway]

If you're filling up in your hard water area and then only using that fill (unlike most that would refill with what ever water they can find on route) then you only need a water softening solution at your house ie the source you fill from.

It might be easier to install a simple reverse osmosis system at the house but they have a very low output. How do you manage it for your house water ?

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[DangerMousy]

We have a water softener in the house (and it's great), but I'm not sure its a practical solution for a motorhome. Its not just about the size and weight of the machine itself, you also need to allow for the weight of the salt (ours takes about 25kg of salt when full) and be aware that they use anything from 20 to 120 litres of water depending on the model during their regular regeneration cycle.

 

[two]

Remember that you should not drink the water from a water softener (I think because it contains excess Sodium). That aside, fill up with soft water whenever you can and with as little as necessary from sources where it's hard.
Here's a tip:
Some sites in hard water areas soften the water for use in the toilet block. If you want soft water (not for drinking) don't fill up from the standpipe but take a watering can and fill up from the toilet block (or the washing-up area).
I fill a filter jug from the water tap for drinking and keep it in the fridge.

 

[PP Bear]

Yes your right, it is a bit overkill, I do the boiler every year and there is such a huge amount of scale in there ( I take it apart and scoop it all out ).
Interesting about the citric acid, maybe that would stop the need for emptying the boiler every year?
Thank you for a very informative post

Just been through the descaling process.

Added this 1kg bag (from fleabay) to the fresh tank (diluted first in warm water) and filled to full. Ran through all pipes and taps, running both hot and cold to ensure the heaters filled.

I left mine for 2 days as I couldn’t get to rinse until then.

Nice clean and sparkly water and both fresh and grey gauges working again.

 

[Nikki]

If you're filling up in your hard water area and then only using that fill (unlike most that would refill with what ever water they can find on route) then you only need a water softening solution at your house ie the source you fill from.

It might be easier to install a simple reverse osmosis system at the house but they have a very low output. How do you manage it for your house water ?

I full-time in the van

 

[Nikki]

Just been through the descaling process.

Added this 1kg bag (from fleabay) to the fresh tank (diluted first in warm water) and filled to full. Ran through all pipes and taps, running both hot and cold to ensure the heaters filled.

I left mine for 2 days as I couldn’t get to rinse until then.

Nice clean and sparkly water and both fresh and grey gauges working again.
View attachment 250544
View attachment 250545

I am definitely going to try this, I could leave overnight and then drive down to the water and waste area and flush through a couple of times

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[Nikki]

Ps what is a bath bomb ( on instruction leaflet) ?!!!

 

[Ridgeway]

I full-time in the van

Then the smallest solution i can suggest is a 3 stage reverse osmosis system with under sink pressure vessel, someone like Osmotics UK can help you with that. It's not as efficient as a salt based water softener for pure water softening but it will do a good job and also remove many other elements if their presence is too high, also they are small and easy to install.

 

[two]

Reverse Osmosis will produce soft potable water but will need occasional back-washing.

Hard water is better than soft, for drinking, because it contains more minerals. It’s said to make better coffee, but it also produces scum in tea.

I suppose you could add a softening agent (like Calgol) to the tank if you’re not going to drink it.

 

[Nikki]

Thanks to everyone
As I am mainly worried about the water heater I will try the cheapest option first and see how it goes, otherwise I may be trying to solve a small problem with a sledgehammer!

 

[two]

It's always easier to provide an answer when you understand what the aim is.

In that case, flush the boiler with Citric Acid every so often. The frequency will depend on how much hot water you use (maybe the Truma help desk can provide a figure for you).

I'd do it from an empty tank (with pump off). Dump the boiler contents into a watering can (and close the dump valve again). I'm assuming a clean can and the water is warm. If you can't catch the warm water from the boiler, just fill the can with some. Add Citric Acid crystals/powder to the can and stir until dissolved. Tip that into the tank, followed by another can full of water. There should be enough strong solution to fill the boiler again. Turn a hot tap and the pump on, switching them off when water is flowing. Wait for 30min to an hour with the water heater on (I should have started with "make a cup of tea"). Dump the boiler and the remaining contents of the tank, again. Flush a bit of water through the tank if you want. Close the dump valves and re-fill the water tank. Put a hot tap and the pump on. Wait until there is a steady flow of water through the hot tap (it will be cold) then turn the tap off. Make another cuppa.

I'd better go and do it, myself, now!

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[Nikki]

Brilliant, thanks Rogher!

 

[two]

That should do it OK. I thought you might have been looking for more lather in the shower (or something) but, if you're full-timing, why not move further away (Scotland's nice, I'm told)?
Happy travels...

 

[PP Bear]

Ps what is a bath bomb ( on instruction leaflet) ?!!!

Those fizzy thing-a-ma-jigs that you can buy (usually in a compressed ball shape) and throw in the bathtub when the taps running. They then fizz and dissolve leaving the bath full of citric acid to remove any scale you may have accumulated in those oftern hard to reach places

They also soften the water too