Pt 18 Softeners, RO's & A Tech named Joe
From flux capacitors to RO’s thank goodness for Joe-He just gets me. But I think I will never get why we oozed sludgy toxic brown stuff..all that and some wacky-doodle thoughts
So we have been yanked out by our butt and survived the rain and flooding. Now that we have hit higher ground, it’s time to get down and dirty (well, Joe, not me) and get shit done.
Need to catch up?
On Joe’s recommendation and making it easier for him to reach us, we moved north to Cherry Hill Manufactured Home Community in Tulsa.
This park was much larger, with over 600 lots mostly filled with mobile homes, with a sprinkling of RV sites. The nice bonus was being away from the highway. However it was odd to have an RV park split in half by train tracks. Luckily the train that did go through was at snails pace no horn blowing and half the time you didn’t know it was there. Annoying though if you happen to live on the other side of the tracks while a long-boxcar train was slinking along with only one way out of the park. We backed into site 204 on Lemon Street, got set up, and immediately appreciated how spacious the sites were. Each came with a concrete patio slab and lots and lots of thick luscious grass—a rarity in the RV world.
The park itself is vast, with streets charmingly named after orchards. We entered on Orchard Lane where the main office is located, then took a scenic detour down Grove Drive, a quick right onto Peach Tree, back to Orchard Lane, and finally right again on Lemon Drive to reach our spot. It felt like navigating a board game, but we made it.
It’s a quiet park, tucked in with industrial companies and nature, including the Arkansas River. A perfect setting for getting the bikes out, thanks to nearby recreational hotspots like the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area, River Parks, and further along the Arkansas River near Zinc Lake, Sky Garden, Willow Beach, and The Gathering Place.
More on adventuring later, we were here to tackle some much-needed repairs and tick off a few wish-list items. That’s where Joe came in. Naturally curious (sometimes a bit too curious), I peppered him with questions and learned he is an Oklahoma native who grew up in the RV industry. After climbing the ladder in manufacturing, repairing, and managing, he decided to go solo. In RV terms, we had struck gold.
Joe tackled our kitchen pipes and really cleaned them up right and took out all that ABS pipe and put in the flexible hose. I think I could feel a sigh of relief from our coach; especially the slide.
After the repairs were done, I had one more request. One that seemed to strike terror into the hearts of every technician I asked. It was as if I’d handed them Doc’s flux capacitor from Back to the Future and said, “Here, install this!” You could almost see their eyes darting around, searching for Doc Brown to swoop in and explain how it worked. What was this seemingly sci-fi-level challenge? A simple, uncomplicated reverse osmosis (RO) system. I was not asking for 1.21 gigawatts of power. No, just a mere stream of water. Apparently, asking for one in an RV is like asking them to power up a DeLorean for time travel.
As a holistic practitioner, I live a little differently than most. For the last 30-ish years, wherever I’ve lived, an inexpensive RO system has been non-negotiable. Even in rentals, I’d install one and leave it behind for the next tenant. Water filtration is my thing.
Let me explain what it is in case you are new to the whole thing. A reverse osmosis (RO) system is a water purification method that removes contaminants from water by forcing it through a special filter called a semi-permeable membrane. Think of it like a super-fine sieve that only lets pure water molecules through while blocking larger particles like dirt, chemicals, and harmful substances including microbes.
Here’s how it works in simple terms:
Pre-Filtration: Before the water reaches the RO membrane, it goes through 2 filters removing big stuff like dirt, sand, and chlorine, which can damage the system (and us) and the little things like amebas, and microbes.
RO Membrane: The water is then pushed through the membrane using pressure. This step traps tiny impurities like salts, bacteria, and heavy metals, leaving cleaner water on the other side.
Storage Tank: The purified water is collected in a tank for later use.
Post-Filtration: Before you use the water, it might go through another small filter to make sure it tastes and smells good, just depend on the what you purchase.
Reverse osmosis systems are perfect for providing clean, safe drinking water because they get rid of things you can't see or taste, like lead, arsenic, and other contaminants, including nasty bugs, parasites, bacteria, and fungi.
Now, you might have just flashed an image in your mind’s eye, if you have an RV, of your 2-4 filtration system, either hooked on the wall in the basement or outside attached to your hose. It’s a little different. It has the same pre-filtering sediment filter suspending solids greater than 1 micron and a second activated charcoal filter. The third filter is the charm. It’s a semi-permeable membrane made of spiral-wound sheets of semi-permeable material: a thin polyamide layer, a polysulfone porous layer, and a non-woven fabric that brings the pore size to about 0.0001 microns. This captures dissolved contaminants while allowing only water molecules to pass through, using pressure and force.
For years I had the common three-filter style. However, I upgraded my system from the basic model to a fancy setup in our Arizona home that included a UV light and a coconut charcoal remineralizing filter. The water tasted so good! In my coach, I was missing great-tasting, safer water.
No matter what or how, I wanted one in my coach. Having one installed turned out to be an adventure. Every technician, the moment I said “filter,” my voice turned into Charlie Brown’s teacher, “I would like to have this reverse osmosis filter whwah-wah-wah-wah-wah…” Like the other techs, Joe was under the impression I wanted this onboard as the main house system. Why on earth would I want a dribble for water? I’ll admit I am a bit wacky-doodles for most, but not ridiculous.
You see, the RO membrane system can slow down water pressure, which is why it would never work as the main onboard water system. Well, technically, it could, and I have seen it when I worked at an integrative hospital in Mexico who had an entire 3-story building reserved just for the RO equipment that pumped water to the entire 8 floor hospital. But it required a setup so elaborate it might as well have involved an actual flux capacitor. Just like in a home, a RV RO system is meant to go under the sink and work at the source. So, I only wanted it installed at the kitchen sink with its own faucet. Once Joe understood, he reluctantly agreed to install it under the condition that I tell no one (so keep this under your hat, OK?).
Fast forward five years, and I’m happy to report the WECO Tiny Series Reverse Osmosis Water Filter system Joe installed has been leak proof and flawless. I went with a compact two-gallon tank instead of the standard bulky 10-gallon residential tank for weight purposes (not me, the coach). The filters are smaller too, but they work just fine. Sure, someday when we remodel the kitchen, I’ll upgrade to the full UV light and remineralizing setup. But, for now, this basic model is a champ. Flux capacitor and all.
We’ve never had a problem running out of water, even while boondocking. There have been no leaks, and swapping out the filters is relatively easy (so my husband has reported).
Now, don’t get me wrong: you still need an onboard water filtration system, for the rest of the RV, and we use ours religiously. I just like the added security of having extra-clean, filtered water right at my kitchen sink for drinking and cooking. The filters used in most RV’s just aren’t fine enough to clean water to my liking. With the onboard house filters working as backup, the 2 RO filters only need changing about every 6 to 12 months, depending on how gnarly the water is where we’ve stayed. The membrane filter lasts 3-5 years.
If you’ve ever stayed at a state park or used well water, you’ll know what I’m talking about. That water can be loaded with heavy minerals, evidenced by the sludgy, reddish-to-black residue left behind in filters. Once you’ve seen that, it’s easy to understand why I insisted on the RO machine.
Today there are different types of RO machines on the market including tankless. I like the idea of a tank for when we are traveling or boondocking as there is less wasted water . If we switch it off, we have access to 2 gallons of stored water. Not much, but enough in an emergency. I have been thinking a tankless RO machine might be cool in the bathroom. I told you, wacky-doodles!
Since we are on the subject of water, and this did not happen until we hit Florida, however, I think it makes more sense to add it here. When we left Arizona, we were gifted a portable water softener. I had never used one before. Ironic, since they are super popular in Arizona due to the hard water table.
We were at Lazy Days RV park in Tampa Florida. Parked at the back we were fortunate to overlook a giant catch basin typically filled with water and nature adapted to its ebb and flow. Springtime brought a symphony of frogs chirping at dusk—a sound so joyous, it felt like nature’s version of a rave.
On one of those symphony-filled evenings, serenaded by the joyous chirping of frogs, a conversation with my father-in-law revealed the mysteries of using our new to us portable water softener. That’s when things got real.
In a home, water softener regeneration happens out of sight, tucked neatly into the built-in system. The main pipes handle the messy job of flushing away the spent salt and minerals. It’s the kind of invisible magic you don’t think twice about, kind of like when you flush a toilet; out of sight, out of mind.
An RV water softener? Oh no, this process is manual. The owner gets to play chemist, adding salt to the reservoir, then cleaning it by adding water to flush out the spent salt. It’s an up-close and personal operation.
Regeneration involves releasing the spent salt from the tank. As I watched the rusty colored salty sludge ooze into the surrounding grass, I didn’t feel good, I mean deep in the seat of my root chakra which was screaming this is not right. On paper, it doesn’t sound too bad, but when you’re standing there watching rusty, briny sludge ooze out, I quickly realized why home systems are designed to keep this process hidden away like a dirty secret.
And then I thought of those joyous, symphony-singing frogs, and my stomach twisted into a guilt-ridden knot. The thought of this toxic briny, brown sludge creeping down the hill and into their watery haven made me feel downright queasy. I started to feel really sick.
I sprang into action, scrubbing and rinsing the area to prevent any of the salty mess from reaching their chorus pit. But as I cleaned, my thoughts swirled. How was this impacting not just the frogs, but the entire environment? What about our health? This rusty, oozing mess wasn’t just gross, it felt like a wake-up call. I realized I needed to dig deeper to truly understand the implications of this process. And, since I needed an article for the Arizona Green Living Magazine I wrote for, it seemed the perfect opportunity to dig in on the 5 W’s. You know, what journalist are supposed to use; Who, What Where, When and Why.
If you’re unfamiliar with what a water softener does, it’s essentially a system that strips water of its minerals—like calcium and magnesium—to make it gentler on your skin, hair, and appliances. And how does it achieve this? With salt.
Ever boiled water in a kettle and noticed that white or yellowish flaky buildup inside? That’s the kind of mineral buildup we’re talking about. While it’s harmless in small amounts, it can wreak havoc on pipes, appliances, and even your morning coffee maker over time. A water softener steps in to solve the problem by swapping out those hard minerals for sodium, leaving you with water that’s softer, slicker, and easier on your household or RV appliances including the water heater.
Whether in a home or an RV, most water softeners use traditional salt in a process called Ion Exchange. Here’s how it works: small resin beads in the system are loaded with sodium. As water flows through the resin tank, hard minerals like calcium, magnesium, manganese, and iron cling to the beads, and in exchange, sodium is released into the water. The result? A Softer water that flows into your residence. You can even feel the difference as the softened water has a subtle slickness to it that’s hard to miss.
In a home, when the resin beads become saturated with hard minerals, the system regenerates automatically by flushing the beads saturated with salt and minerals sending the waste down the drain. Unfortunately, in an RV, this waste often ends up on the surrounding campsite.
I get the appeal of water softeners, they reduce limescale buildup on pipes and appliances, making them last longer. They also prevent water spots on dishes and reduce the amount of soap you need to use. But at what cost?
And this is where my holistic side takes the wheel. I make no apologies for saying it, there’s more to consider here than just convenience. Beyond the environmental impact, there are also significant health concerns that shouldn’t be ignored.
Ion exchange water softeners deplete some of the most important minerals we need to stay healthy, such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and even iron. Mineral deficiencies can lead to issues like eczema, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Epidemiological studies have also linked demineralized water to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, fractures, neurodegenerative diseases, pre-term births, low birth weights, certain types of cancer, and even sudden infant death.
For individuals following a low-sodium diet, water softeners can pose additional risks. The exchange of hard minerals for sodium adds about 7.5 milligrams per quart for each grain per gallon of hardness removed, which can be concerning if you’re using the softened water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.
Water softeners can also harbor bacteria and mold due to organic matter entering the reservoir, combined with moisture, heat, and poor sanitation. The salt itself can feed microbes, which can lead to infections affecting the skin, joints, lungs, and immune system.
This may sound far-fetched, but many home and RV water softener tanks are dark-colored, sitting in direct sunlight. The perfect breeding ground for microbes. And if you’ve seen the conditions at some campsites, it’s not hard to imagine how bacteria could sneak into the system.
Some ion exchange systems for homes use potassium chloride instead of salt, but these can still pose risks for individuals with kidney disorders, hypertension, or diabetes. In general, softened water also dissolves heavy metals more easily, including lead, due to the materials found in plumbing. Most RV plumbing involves PVC pipes and copper, which can lead to increased copper levels in the water. High copper levels displace zinc in the body, potentially causing physical and mental health issues. Low zinc and high copper have been linked to conditions such as enlarged prostate and cancer, schizophrenia, and other behavioral disorders. Unplasticized PVC pipes can also leach lead, and when combined with a water softener, the result can be concerning.
Ion exchange softeners are also an environmental disaster. In fact, some states have banned the use of sodium-based water softeners due to their detrimental effects on the water table and surrounding ecosystems. These systems waste an incredible amount of water. According to the EPA, a typical home ion exchange softener can use about 25 gallons of water a day, or up to 10,000 gallons per year.
Sewage treatment plants aren’t equipped to remove excessive amounts of salt from wastewater. To put this into perspective for you, just one teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute five gallons of water, and there’s no easy way to remove it. This problem isn’t limited to home water softeners; portable RV water softeners also contribute to the issue albeit on a smaller scale since there is not as many being used. However, if in an affected area we are still adding to the problem.
Once dispersed into the ground, salty sludge alters soil structure and permeability, effectively poisoning and killing plants while rendering the soil useless for future growth. It’s also toxic to houseplants, fish, aquatic life, and amphibians.
This is why I was desperate to clean up that sludgy mess before it could harm the frogs in the nearby basin. You might be laughing at me right now, but frogs are the unsung heroes of the campsite. Frogs and toads eat mosquitoes and other bugs that would otherwise make your camping experience miserable. You’ve got to love those little frogs!
Think about the parks, lakes, and farms trying to grow food in these areas. Some municipalities are spending millions of dollars installing equipment to mitigate the problem. States like Arizona, Nevada, and California are working to address these issues while simultaneously battling extreme drought conditions. They can’t afford to waste water flushing excess salt into an already strained environment.
In our homes, the solution could be as simple as swapping out a salt-based softener for a water conditioner. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found an RV-sized water conditioner—but a girl can dream!
These systems work by altering the chemical structure of minerals so they don’t stick to your pipes. They keep your water mineralized and don’t pollute the surrounding watersheds. Best of all, you still get all the perks: softer water, spotless dishes, and longer-lasting appliances.
Germany uses a technology called Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC) studied extensively by Arizona State University. This salt-free conditioning method uses a specially treated resin bead catching calcium and magnesium and converts them into microscopic crystals that reduces 90% of scale formation. The equipment involves one tank which is easy to install in an RV or boat (or your home) if the room is available, and requires no programming or setup, works with your (RV) house filters, is salt free, no electrical hookup and there is no regeneration waste
An Electronic Descaler or Magnetic Descaler, is a device that wraps around water pipes sending electric impulses into the water disrupting hard water minerals which drain without attaching to plumbing. It does this by creating a strong electromagnetic field, changing the composition of mineral ions, preventing them from being able to form scale. It’s the cheapest option, no upkeep, no media to replace or tank. It is easy to install the magnets around your incoming pipes and won’t affect the flow of water. When I first wrote my article 5 years ago, there was not a device for RV’s. And, now there is. We have just ordered one.
Another type of water conditioner uses food-grade polyphosphate crystals, which break down hard water minerals through a catalytic action, converting them into calcite and aragonite. I did some research to see if calcite and aragonite could harm the ecosystem, and so far, I haven’t found any evidence suggesting they pose a risk. While this system may not fit every RV, it could be a great option for residential use.
Aragonite and calcite are forms of calcium that closely resemble the structure of the calcium used by sea creatures to build their shells and skeletons. Interestingly, with global warming affecting water pH levels, aragonite might even help maintain alkalinity in the water—a small but fascinating potential bonus.
The advantages of this type of water conditioner include spot-free dishes, no mineral buildup on appliances and pipes, and its RV- and boat-friendly design. It comes as a small, portable unit that attaches to your water spigot and inlet hose. The beads inside the system typically last 6–9 months, depending on the water quality, and are incredibly easy to replace. Just remove the small cartridge, swap out the spent beads for new ones, and you’re good to go. Best of all, this system doesn’t produce waste, require regeneration, or leach chemicals into the water supply or surrounding soil.
As an RVer and outdoor enthusiast, I feel honored to have the privilege of exploring cities and natural wonders across North America. With that privilege comes responsibility, and I always try to embrace the “leave no trace” motto:
Plan ahead and prepare
Travel and camp on designated surfaces
Dispose of waste properly; pack it in, pack it out
Preserve the past
Shoot only photographs
Minimize campfire impact and leave the ring clean
Respect wildlife
Be considerate of others
Leave your campsite cleaner than you found it
But shouldn’t “leave no trace” also include avoiding the dumping of toxic chemicals, salty sludge and messy remnants that can lead to bigger problems long after we’ve moved on to our next adventure? I think so.
I get it—this might sound like a bit of a downer. But, like every great adventure, there are ups and downs. I’ve been sharing the ups so far, but as we all know, what goes up must eventually come down. And trust me, it does. In fact, it gets worse—and not just for campers like us, but for the entire world.
I’ll share that part next week. Stay tuned.
Question for you,
when wanting something really badly, and no one gets your vision, do you keep trying until you find the right person? Or do you just give up? Would love to hear all about it.
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Once you do that and are feeling all kinds of fuzzy feels, how about buying me a tea or a gallon of diesel, I don’t judge—just grateful :).
If my adventures and stories are bringing a smile to your face, why not throw a little fuel in my tank to keep the wheels turning —literally! How about a tea to keep the ideas brewing. Even creativity needs a top-up now and then! Your support keeps me inspired, decaffeinated, and rolling down the road. Thanks for being part of the journey!
Need to catch up?
Pt 16 2 amateurs at the helm and a GPS with an attitude; admit it or pay the consequences
Pt 14 The worlds largest little skyscraper awaits..this is Wichita Falls
Thank you for reading I appreciate you!
~Karen