About Us

On The Go® Portable Water Softener, LLC is the leading developer of water softening products for the recreational vehicle (RV) market, and water deionization products that produce laboratory grade deionized water used in everything from auto detailing and manufacturing to kidney dialysis.

On The Go® was founded in 2004 by Bruce Everson, a fifteen-year veteran of the water softening industry, and two executives from the auto-parts manufacturing and high-tech industry. On The Go®'s flagship product, the Portable Water Softener, is an easy-to-use water softener designed for RV owners who need a simple and affordable way to eliminate harmful hard water for plumbing fixtures, sinks, toilets, water heaters, and soap that in't easily rinsed or cleaned off.

We provide three basic models and various sizes of deionization units to produce DI water to remove solids with the end result of producing purified water for numerous applications including RVs, autos, motorcycles, yachts, airplanes, windows, and many other manufacturing processes. Currently based in Bloomington, Indiana, On The Go® has attained "TRADE MARK REGISTRATION AND PATENT PENDING STATUS" for its flagship product and our DEIONIZATION units, and have plans to introduce several more new water products in the future.

Headquarters

On The Go® Portable Water Softeners, LLC
3905 W Roll Ave. Bloomington, IN 47403

Contact Information

Toll Free: 1-866-482-9614

Local: 260-482-9614

Fax: 260-482-9613

Industry Background

First... The Portable Water Softener

As avid RVers travel throughout the United States, they discover several campgrounds and RV parks have hard water. The Sun Belt States, such as Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California, can have extremely hard water. With more than 8 million RVs in the U.S. today, and more than 200,000 RVs made each year, most RVers don't realize they are damaging their investment with hard water. Sinks, toilets, and showers with hard water damage can make it difficult to resell an RV, and hard water will greatly reduce the life of hot water heaters.

Bruce Everson, an avid camper himself, invented the Portable Water Softener after interacting with RVers in Northern Indiana to find the ideal solution to remove hard water minerals. The challenge was to find an extremely simple way for RVers to hook-up, tear-down, and regenerate the Portable Water Softener. The softener could not be too heavy in weight for easy handling, small enough to fit into RV compartments, and require no water testing accessories to determine whether or not regeneration was needed. Furthermore, the solution could not require electricity or moving parts, tools to open and close a cap, and salt holding accessories that could be lost during long road trips. This was a tall order, but Bruce delivered with the Portable Water Softener which received high marks in the May 2005 edition of the "Highway Magazine."

Next... the Portable Water Deionizer

In the early 1800s, several scientists discovered the ion exchange process. The ion exchange industry in the United States was born in the early 1900s when cation exchangers were first synthesized.

All naturally-occurring water contains dissolved mineral salts. In solution, salts separate into positively-charged cations and negativity-charged anions. Deionization can reduce the amount of these ions to very low levels through the process of ion exchange.

We invented our Portable Water Deionizer units, which produce laboratory grade deionized (DI) water, are used in everything from auto detailing and manufacturing to kidney dialysis. Deionization is a method used by laboratories to produce purified water. The definition of pure is: "REMOVAL OF IONS." The term is generally used in relation to the removal of ions from water. Deionization is commonly achieved by passing the water through successive ion exchange columns. In one column, ions are exchanged for H+ ions. In another column, anions are exchanged for OH- ions. Following a reaction of H+ with OH- ions, no ions remain in solution. It is produced through ion exchange. Simply said, water flows over porous beads that are positively and negatively charged and the minerals, or Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), are removed. These ion exchange columns are porous beads called exchange resins.

The Portable Water Softener

The On The Go® Portable Water Softener is a low cost and portable solution to soft water provided on-the-go! The easy to use unit provides soft water for 7-14 days and costs only pennies a day to operate for 2 people. Compact and lightweight, it softens 300 to 700 gallons per cycle and regenerates in 15 minutes with one box of common table salt. The unique, patent-pending design includes a back-flush adapter, handle, hardness test strips, inlet Hi-flow shut off valve, inlet and outlet hose adapters with cap and plug for storage, and a high pressure 4' white drinking hose. Because softened water leaves virtually no mineral residue, RVers can now enjoy cleaner dishes and softer clothes, and prevent rusting and scaling in appliances such as showers, sinks, and dishwashers, and greatly extend the life of the hot water heater. And most importantly, it can increase the resale value of the RV. The unit is only 22" in height and 6 ¾" in diameter, and weighs only 18 lbs.

The Portable Water Softener... Eliminates Harmful Minerals

A water softener removes harmful minerals such as calcium, magnesium, lime, and iron from water supplies. By removing these minerals, water softeners eliminate scaling -- or mineral deposits -- in pipes, fixtures, and water heaters. RVs, mobile homes, boats, and campers are particularly susceptible to damage from hard water because they are often used at locations such as campgrounds, mobile parks, and marinas that supply mineral-rich water from wells or similar sources. Outdoor spigots often used to fill up water tanks in RVs or to wash cars also supply hard water. Hard water from these sources significantly reduces the life of water heaters and plumbing.

On The Go® Portable Water Softener owners are praising the groundbreaking product. Says one RV owner, "If we bought the water softener when we bought our motor home, we would have saved the money we spent on the chemicals to remove spots on the glass and time actually scraping off the calcium with a razor-type device." A live-aboard boat owner adds, "I have used the water softener for approximately a month now and can really tell a difference in the water. What a great idea!"

RV and boat dealers agree. "I purchased the RV portable water softener for my own use in my RV, and it's fantastic," says Rick Corcimiglia, Customer Service Manager at Barton Lake RV Sales and Service in Northern Indiana. "We have since stocked them at our RV center and we have incredible success selling them right along with fifth-wheel RVs. This is a fantastic extra revenue generator for our company."(*)

The Portable Water Softener... Simple Regeneration

A water softener removes damaging minerals from water by replacing the ions of those minerals with the ions of others, such as salt (the amount of salt ions that remain is so small that people cannot taste the difference between softened and unsoftened water).

The ion exchange process requires salt to be added periodically to the softener unit, a step called "regeneration." While most water softeners require owners to add large bags of rock salt for regeneration, the On The Go® Portable Water Softener regenerates using only a pound of common table salt. Table salt dissolves quickly compared to rock salt, regenerating the water softener in only 15 minutes compared to more than an hour for other units. 

The softener provides clean water with the turn of a handle and is easy to fill and install. Clearly marked inlets and outlets use quick connects for connection to incoming water supplies and vehicle water supply inlets. The On The Go® Softeners are lightweight and compact, measuring 22" in height and 6 ¾" in diameter. A convenient handle makes it easy to move the 18-pound unit. The units are made in the United States and have a patent pending.

The Portable Water Deionizer

The On The Go® Portable Water Deionizer product family is a low cost, simple way to DI water! These units are easy to hook up or remove depending on your application. Works great in the garage, laboratory, on the road or anywhere you need DI water. All compact and lightweight, we provide three models and multiple sizes to meet all the markets demands. Each unit contains premium high grade virgin resin. Unique, patent-pending design comes complete with the Deionizer, 4' high pressure hose, hand-held TDS meter, shut-off valve and a cap/plug for the inlet/outlet.

The Portable Water Deionizer... Refill Kits

A fast, simple, and convenient refilling process is only offered by On The Go®! Only premium high grade virgin resin is used! These high grade resins meet the specifications required by major engineering companies. These products are used in the production of ultra pure water, preparation of condensate, radiation waste treatment, and in the manufacture and purification of pharmaceutical products. Choose either one refill, 1 cu ft box providing four refills for the smaller size units, or our larger capacity order quantities available including 5 CF fiberboard drums, 20 or 40 CF Gaylord boxes, and even 35 CF supersacks. Each kit includes the resin, funnel, silicone lubricant, distributor cap, and instructions, making a quick and very simple 10-minute job on our mixed bed system design.

Availability

Today, On The Go® is distributing its SOFTENER product line throughout the U.S. at popular RV Dealerships and online stores. On The Go® is currently signing on more dealerships and is in the process of expanding to several stores across the nation. If you are an interested dealership or would like your RV dealership to carry our product, please contact us. We'd be happy to talk.

Today, On The Go® is distributing its DEIONIZER product models through our newly designed web site and other online stores. If you are an interested distributor/dealership, please contact us. We'd be happy to talk.

Management Team

Ben Scherschel, Managing Partner
Before forming On The Go® Portable Water Softener, LLC, Mr. Scherschel held senior executive positions at several manufacturing and automotive parts supplier companies. Mr. Scherschel was President/COO of Defiance Precision Products with more than 500 employees and $55M in revenue. Before Defiance, he was Chief Operating Officer of the Toledo/Defiance Group at Gentek, a $300M revenue auto parts supplier. Prior to Gentek, Mr. Scherschel was the Plant Manager of Delphi with 3700 employees and $750M in revenue. And before Delphi, he was Plant Manager at GM Power Train with over 1000 employees and more than $400M in sales. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a Masters in Management from the University of Pittsburgh.

Bruce Everson, Founding Partner
Bruce Everson has held technical sales positions in the water softener business for more than fifteen years. He is certified with the Water Quality Association (WQA) and is an expert in water systems for commercial, industrial, and medical applications. Bruce is an inventor at heart, with one patent pending and several new water product concepts in the works.

Brian Underwood, Consulting Partner Brian has held leadership positions in a number of new successful ventures. He recently served as Vice President of Marketing at SignalWorks, a communication software company, where he played an instrumental role in growing the business and in the acquisition of the company by Cisco in May 2003. Before SignalWorks, Brian co-founded and served as Vice President of Corporate Development for SideStep. Prior to SideStep, Brian co-founded and served as Vice President of Marketing for Silicon Image, which held its initial public offering in October 1999. Early in Brian's career, he worked at Fortune 500 companies such as National Semiconductor, Chips & Technologies, and General Electric. Brian currently serves on the board of directors of Jigsaw Technologies, a productivity-optimization software company for the mining industry. He holds an M.S. in Materials Engineering from UC Davis and a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University.