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How Does an RV Water Softener Work?

A portable RV water softener is simply a smaller version of a residential water softener system. The softener tank is filled with beads made of a special type of resin. Water enters the top of the softener tank and moves through the resin beads. The beads hold a negative electrical charge, which attracts the positive charge of the dissolved minerals in the source water. This process is known as ion exchange. 

After using the Pro+Aqua RV Portable Water Softener, you’ll need to regenerate the resin bed inside the tank. To do this you’ll need the Regen Kit and some salt, but what kind of salt should you use? There are a variety of salts available in most grocery stores, these include table salt, Himalayan pink salt, kosher salt, and sea salt, just to name a few. Not only do they differ in taste and texture, but also in mineral and sodium content. Don’t forget that the price of salt can range from a few cents per pound all the way up to $10 per pound. The Pro+Aqua staff decided to test out 3 different types of salt to regenerate the Travel Series Portable Water Softener and see which is the best type of salt to use on an RV Water Softener.

In previous articles, we’ve talked about how soft water is superior to tap water in many ways, especially with cleaning. The main reason why is because it is devoid of any calcium and magnesium. Those minerals cause scale build-up, soap scum, and prevent soaps and detergents from creating a lather. Additionally, when there is an abundance of minerals within the water, there isn’t much room for soap molecules to travel to their destination to clean. This means people are likely to keep adding more soap just to make sure something is relatively clean. The leftover soap ends up becoming scum, and that’s what you’ll see around the tub or on the walls of a shower.