I am considering purchasing the On The Go water softener. Am I correct in that you use it to fill your tank and then put it away? I have no place to actually set it up for constant use.

OldHiker,

We have an On-the-Go water softener in our Dutch Star. Initially we set it outside next to our "dual filters in a Rubbermaid Box" while using. This last winter we moved all that to an inside permanent setup. This was to both provide protection from freezing and from theft and exterior contamination.

We used to load it into the basement or back of the car after use, but that was a chore that soon got old. There is a picture of our install on our website under our motor home page if you follow down for upgrades & changes. For the permanent install, Don moved the hose take-up reel over to the left to make room for the softener unit and trimmed away some of the panel that sits behind the water softener in the wet bay to make a better fit.

The water softener is first in line from the water feed, which then flows into the filters and then to the pressure reg. Note that if connecting this way the hoses should be able to take pressure as the regulator is downstream.

I set my softner just outside the plumbing bay. I leave it on all the time that I am somewhere there is hard water. I generally taste the water when I am hooking up and if it is hard, I put out the softner. If not, I don't bother. Water tends to be hard in the Southern US and soft up North where the water comes from snow melt.

I fill up my tank when I have the softner hooked up or when the water is good quality. I tend to save the soft water in the tank until we are boondocking or I need to wash the windshield, etc.

We made some adjustment in our plumbing bay and mounted the softner, but ours is set up to run through sediment filter first then into softner, then into charcoal filter and then into coach.

Buy it at camp world believe it or not cheapest place we found including those to advertise on this site. Tried to buy direct from On the Go in Ft. Wayne, IN and they were way high and hard to get a hold of.

No more spots in shower, on fixtures, and most of time no more spots on coach when I wash it.

We have been using this system for a while now and wouldn't be without it.

Check out our blog for use and setup, with pictures. There is some info I got from the manufacturer, it might help you out in the use of the unit.

I don't know the cost at CW but, the company that makes the water softener for On The Go is APlus Water Softener. Their web site is www.apluswater.net . If you go up there, under products, select the portable -- last one in the product area -- go look at it -- same as the On The Go -- just no sticker on it. Works the same using the same salt, etc. The biggest difference is the price --- $179.00 including the delivery to you. I have one of them and works like a champ.

There are no instructions that come with it but, you can go up to On The Go's site and print out their instructions for installing and regenerating.

I have one and have it located outside in the wheel well area, with the hoses run sorta under the coach so it looks better.

The system is great, especially when in HARD water areas. I only use it in hard water areas as I have a pretty good water filter system for the entire coach and a reverse osmosis system for drinking water.

One thing I have really noticed though, don't know of other people, but now that I have it, it is definitely cleaning out accumulated deposits in my hoses. I keep finding my sink filter filling up the the deposits that are slowly being loosen from the plumbing. This is a good thing and I am glad to see it. So I know the softener is working! I just have to remember to clean out the sink filters, that is all.

We bought one last summer and now won't be without it. Currently I carry it in the basement and then push it back in the opening created when the slide is open so it's pretty much out of sight.

Like others on this thread, I fill my holding tank with soft water and use that if we're only overnighting. Permant mounting is on my list of things to do.