When you go to wash your RV, it can be a time consuming effort, especially if you have to towel dry it afterward. Of course, you can skip that step, but unless you have an RV de-ionizing system, not drying your motorhome can leave spots behind. That defeats the whole purpose of washing your RV in the first place! If you are in an area with particularly hard water, such as the Southwest or Great Lakes region, the advantage of having a de-ionizer for your RV becomes clear. But even if you are in an area with softer water, you still can't always be certain of your water source.

Hard water occurs as rain collects minerals as it flows over the land. If you don't dry your RV after rinsing it, these minerals are left behind once the water evaporates. While this may not be concerning, water spots can potentially be damaging to the surface of your RV. It's important to keep in mind that water softening and water de-ionizing are not the same thing. Water softening removes minerals but not anything that has been dissolved in the water, therefore you would still be left with water spots. De-ionizing systems use resin that replaces hydrogen and hydroxide ions for the dissolved mineral ions in the water, such as calcium and magnesium. Unlike a water softener, the resin needs to be replaced once it has reached its capacity limit. The number of gallons an RV de-ionizing system can handle before needing resin replacement depends on the hardness of the water. Keep in mind that while it is unlikely to be harmful to your health, de-ionized water is not intended to be used as regular drinking water. It will have a different taste from regular drinking water and de-ionized water is not the same as filtered water, so anything typically removed by a filtration system would still be present. It is recommended that de-ionized water be kept strictly for rinsing an RV or other vehicle after washing.

RV de-ionizing systems are currently available from CR Spotless, On the Go, and Simple Chuck. Capacity typically varies between 100 to 450 gallons, depending on the size of the system. Two On The Go units can potentially handle up to 1150 gallons if the water has a low level of dissolved solids. CR Spotless has systems that can be free standing, wall mounted, or come with a cart for transport. As their name suggests, On The Go de-ionizers are made with portability in mind. Simple Chuck is a free-standing unit with wheels on the bottom to it can be easily taken to a site. Both CR Spotless and On The Go have dual or single bed units, while the Simple Chuck is a dual bed system. In dual bed systems, the first tank removes cations like calcium and magnesium, while the second tank removes anions such as fluoride and sulfate. Single bed, or mixed bed, systems have both resins in the same tank to remove both types of ions at the same time. When you need to use a larger amount of water, it is best to go with a dual bed de-ionizer, as they can typically handle larger capacities.

The Benefits of RV De-ionizers