Water -- be it from the tap, the ocean, any lake, river, or even the clearest stream -- is contaminated. While there can be a multitude of different types of contaminants in water, for the purpose of this conversation we’ll look at contamination that comes in the form of suspended minerals and other particulate. This contamination is suspended in the water, normally unseen by the naked eye but becomes extremely easy to see after washing your RV or really anything at all, in the form of water spots. These water spots are left behind once the pure water has evaporated. Removing these contaminants will result in many benefits, especially when it comes time to wash your rig. This filtered and softened water allows for soap to lather easier, meaning less soap used; it’s less harsh on fiberglass, metal, painted, and other surfaces; it tastes better and has reduced smell; plus it leaves behind little to no contaminants when it dries, meaning no more water spots. The reduced amount of minerals in the water is also much easier on your RV’s plumbing -- no more clogged, tarnished, or stained fittings/faucets.
The Stain-Less Filter removes theses minerals in two ways: first with a carbon filter to remove the larger particles, mostly organic, and then with a second filter known as an Ion Exchange filter, which uses smaller resin beads that work like a magnet to grab the smaller particles. While the first step in the process requires a new carbon filter element from time to time (they’re cheap and readily available), this Ion Exchange portion of the filter is rechargeable. By taking salt tablets and inserting them in the carbon filter housing (sans carbon filter), the process takes only a few minutes of washing plain tap water through the element, flushing all the unwanted particles away.
The Stain-Less Water Filter is portable and lightweight, allowing for use on multiple rigs at different locations but can also be plumbed into an RV. It can be mounted permanently for softened onboard water, whether you’re hooked up or dry camping, all while still having the convenience of spot-less water available for washing.
| The Stain-Less Filter is a two-part kit with a small carbon filter for the big stuff and a larger Ion Exchange type for small, fine particle filtration.
| All soaped and scrubbed up, this is where the Stain-Less Filter really goes to work; washing down is, for the most part, all that is needed. Outside drying the chrome and the windows, we did not need to dry the rest of our Carson Trailer at all. One tip: Hold the hose without a nozzle close to the surface of the RV when rinsing. This will create a sheet of water that will in turn reduce the amount of water drops left on the rig. This trick will lessen water spots and dry times substantially.
| Here we did half of one window with unfiltered water and the other half with Stain-Less filtered water. The unfiltered on the left is horrible. The right is much better but, while it’s hard to see in the photo, there are actually a few small spots on the Stain-Less Filter’s side. Water filtration and spot-less kits should be thought of as “less spots” systems, not “spot-less” products. They only lessen the spots, but the Stain-Less Water Filter really did amaze us. It worked extremely well and that’s not something we say too often. It cut down our wash time by at least half and the proof is very evident here. Check back on this one in a future issue of RV Magazine -- we’re gonna give the Stain-Less Water Filter a tough, long-term test.
| This filter hooks up at the source (spigot or whatever you’ve got), and then just wash like you normally would. We should note, ’cause we found out the hard way, you will not need to use much soap with filtered/softened water. The filtered water tends to help soap work better; it lathers quicker and cleans more efficiently.
