Use your softened home water to fill your Ollie’s tank, to stop mineral scale

[John E Davies]

I installed a Rheem Preferred Platinum 42,000 Grain Water Softener with Wi-Fi Technology last spring, and after a few months the spots and scale in the house plumbing are gone. The shower and inside of the dishwasher looks terrific.  I had not thought about filling the Ollie tank, but decided to give it a try. Obviously I can’t do this on extended road trips, but for short ones  and during the off season this makes great sense. I drained the hot water heater (ran about 6 gallons into a bucket using the outside shower) and flushed all the inside lines with soft water. I hope that keeping them treated for months at a time will be enough to clean out the existing scale so I don’t have to do a regular vinegar flush.

https://rayneofsantamaria.com/blog/how-do-water-softeners-affect-mineral-deposits/

BTW I also teed it into my garden hose bibb that I use to wash cars, I can flip a couple of ball valves and finish the wash with soft water. It greatly reduces water spots and the cars look better too.

Comments? How common are water softeners in small trailers?

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Katjo]

10 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

I installed a Rheem Preferred Platinum 42,000 Grain Water Softener with Wi-Fi Technology last spring, and after a few months the spots and scale in the house plumbing are gone. The shower and inside of the dishwasher looks terrific.  I had not thought about filling the Ollie tank, but decided to give it a try. Obviously I can’t do this on extended road trips, but for short ones  and during the off season this makes great sense. I drained the hot water heater (ran about 6 gallons into a bucket using the outside shower) and flushed all the inside lines with soft water. I hope that keeping them treated for months at a time will be enough to clean out the existing scale so I don’t have to do a regular vinegar flush.

https://rayneofsantamaria.com/blog/how-do-water-softeners-affect-mineral-deposits/

BTW I also teed it into my garden hose bibb that I use to wash cars, I can flip a couple of ball valves and finish the wash with soft water. It greatly reduces water spots and the cars look better too.

Comments? How common are water softeners in small trailers?

John Davies

Spokane WA

I think this is a clever idea. We are considering a water softener for our home presently. We have very hard water and it’s a constant battle with the calcium build up. I’m sure running softener water in the camper would have the same helpful effect to reduce build up. 

[Mike and Carol]

We’ve had a water softener in our current house since we built it 17 years ago.  Last year we replaced the original softener with a new model.

We’ve also been using a portable softener in the trailer since 2018.  I originally bought a 16K grain softener.  While it works well, it was very heavy.  A couple of years ago I got a 3.2K grain softener, much small and lighter, fits in the basement and will last about a month before needing a recharge.  They make a 8K grain that is probably the best solution.  All on Amazon.  I kept the 16K grain and use it for car/truck/trailer washing.  They both recharge easily with plain table salt.  Mike

[BBL]

@John E Davies  John - I use one when we travel, especially out west. After a week in Yuma, my hose connectors were showing calcium build up and a friend in Lake Havasu referred me to the one he uses. It works great though it is not small.  Uses standard table salt and it is easy to flush and recharge.

Here is the link to the one I have.  I plan to have it ready to go when my LE II gets delivered.

Brian