Spot Free Water

M

Mark Waldron

Professional Detailer
I just ordered this system after talking to the owner of the company, and I can't wait to start using it. He says if it doesn't produce a 100% spot free rinse, just send it back for a full refund. He says he started this division of his company two years ago, and word is getting out fast. I'll keep you posted on my results. http://www.crspotless.com/
 
Looks like something to aspire to if those filters that attach to a hose don't cut it. I've bookmarked this site for sure!
 
Hmmm. I wonder if there's a way to open those filter cartridges up and "recharge" them, as was mentioned in the other DI filter thread?



And .... about how many gallons of water do you suppose it takes to wash a full-size four door sedan?

- at your house w/ hose and bucket?



- mobile with a pressure washer?
 
Mark Waldron said:
I just ordered this system after talking to the owner of the company, and I can't wait to start using it. He says if it doesn't produce a 100% spot free rinse, just send it back for a full refund. He says he started this division of his company two years ago, and word is getting out fast. I'll keep you posted on my results. http://www.crspotless.com/
Click to expand...

Mark I'm a huge fan of DI Water! :xyxthumbs



The company you are referring to CRSpotless.com charges anywhere from $83 to $100 for new cartridge exchange. This yields 300 gallons of DI filtered water. Thatâ€â„¢s a bit higher than what I currently pay for $45 per tank exchange that yields also 300 gallons of filtered water. Have you checked to see if any DI regenerators in your area? Most hospitals require DI water, you could check with their purchasing department.



One tip: I recently bought an electric Karcher pressure washer I found at Costco. It seemed perfect for a home DI system. No messing with gas or high pressure that could damage your cars paint. The key for this unit is it only puts out 1.6 gpm vs. most homes push around 6 to 7+ gallons per minute. This will give you more rinses for sure. My tank usually lasts three months or so before needing to change out.



I washed my Black H2 this morning in the direct sunlight at 71 degrees SPOT FREE. In fact, one half of my car was completly dry before I finished the other half. Wind was blown, and was a dry warm air (San Diego).





Hope this helps. Good Luck



Frank Hahn (HumSki)
 
HumSki,



I searched high and low for a reasonably priced unit that truly will produce a spot free rinse. I had Culligan come over to my place to provide me with a quote and they never got back to me. I already have a water softening system but it doesn't give me the true spot free rinse. I figured that using the larger replaceable cartridges cost me about .34 cents per gallon, including delivery. I will probably use about 2-3 gallons for my final rinse, which will cost me about a dollar per vehicle. I'm currently using the Karcher 2500 psi pressure washer that has a 2.4 gallon per minute flow rate, which is within the guidelines of water flow to use with these units. I considered a RO unit but I didn't like the fact that it would take up to four gallons of water to make one spot free gallon. It seemed very wasteful to me. I'll let you know how the system performs. I just ordered it yesterday so it should be here by the end of the week. Take Care!



Mark
 
To address some of the points and questions, try this thread: http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53431



But in the meantime, DI and RO are great ways to reduce the levels of dissolved solids in your water, resulting in a spot-free finish--which ends up reducing any marring/scratching when you don't have to dry. Simple enough.



The units listed at the beginning of this thread I'm sure will do a great job, but they are a bit pricey. RO units will produce better water, albeit without the pressure, at roughly a similar price. If you can put the water up high (for a gravity feed) or add a booster pump, you'll get good pressure.



RO membranes will last much longer than either of those units--if you're worried about waste, imagine what it takes to produce the resins in those cartridges, as well as when you throw them out. If you try to recharge them (a process that takes very strong acids), consider that waste as well.



At least with RO, you can direct the waste water either down the drain or out onto the lawn/garden, whatever, so something else can use it.



Just my $.02...
 
Mark, we rent a DI system at work...that's a pretty high regen cost on the CR...I'm not sure that the best way isn't to buy a couple of DI tanks and just pay to have them recharged (if you could get Culligan to respond)...but I'll admit I am looking pretty closely at that CR system now...I was wrestling with changing over my driveway faucet outside to my soft water for the rest of the house (presently the outside faucets are hard). I guess those DI cartridges would last a long time sending soft water thru them....do you really think you'd only use 2-3 gallons per wash?
 
Mike,

At full pressure, my pressure washer will push 2.4 gallons per minute. I figure if I put the pressure washer at half power, I will be pushing about 1.2 gpm, which gives me about 2-3 minutes to do the final rinse on the vehicle. I'm also going to swap a wider spray tip for the final rinse, which should help with covering a larger area in a shorter time.



Mark
 
I'm wondering what , if any performance differences there are between the mid priced CRSpotless model which I understand filters up to 100 gallons and the simple in line hose filter with a rechargeable filter that can filter up to 90 gallons.



ExplorerXLT95 said:
I would have posted this last night when I first saw the thread, but we lost internet from our cable last night for some reason. Still hasn't been restored yet. Anyways....



I have well water (hard water) at my house and I was having the same problem you are. I'd always get nasty white spots on the car when they dried, no matter how fast I dried it.



Now the problem with that is, let's say you do get all the water dried off before it turns into that chalky white spot. You're still leaving hard minerals on the surface of your paint, right before you polish/seal/wax. Not the best situation at all. So basically, I did a LOT of searching (both here and on the internet) and found something that looked like it would work perfectly.



I wanted an in-line hose filter that I could quickly connect and disconnect from the hose. Well, I found it:



ghclear.jpg


Pure Water Gazette's In-Line Hose Filters (ask for Gene Franks; great guy)



It basically works just like your in-home water filtration system (if you have well water). It can be re-charged (by submerging the filter in a vat of solar salt with a little water for 24 hours) when necessary (they claim after 90 gallons, though mine is still working like a champ).



It works very, very well and I have NEVER seen any white, chalky residue left over after washing and drying. I would buy it again in a heartbeat and I really think that it's one of the best investments I've made yet for my detailing.



Let me know what you think and I hope this helps!! :xyxthumbs
Click to expand...



It seems that if the filtering ability between this and the mid priced CR rolling filter unit which requires replaceable filters,costs can add up, are fairly similar it makes more sense to just get the in line hose filter. :confused: :nixweiss:
 
Bill, I believe there is a major difference between the CR and in-line hose filter systems even though the filter costs appear approximately equal for 100 gal. of ouput water. With the CR, you are actually getting deionized water and the in-line hose filter is just giving you "soft" water. Soft water does not equal spot free. But, both systems ultimate output quality will be based on your water's current state (pH, hardness, total dissolved solids, etc.).



I currently have a soft water filter system from http://www.bojifilters.com/. It is just a larger version of the in-line hose system which uses the resin based filter that can be regenerated with a brine solution. It provides me with about a 90% decrease in water spotting when drying my black Audi vs. my standard tap water. But, I rinse and follow with a leaf blower for drying.



The CR system will definitely give you closer to a spot-free rinse than any soft water system. :xyxthumbs The CR system is probably more attractive to someone who values their time over the cost of replacement filters.
 
I've just realized using both products could be beneficial, the CR system and the inline filter hooked up to a 2 hose setup.
 
I don't think you need a two hose set up, unless you want one. Just by adding any inexpensive pre filter media in front of the CR system is going to extend the life of the DI resin cartridges. You can get 5 micron 10 micron or any number of differant filters from your local hardware store.



The cleaner the water is going into the system the less junk there is for the resin to remove and the longer it will last. DI water and RO water are truly the only types of water that are spot free.
 
after reading the info on the filter sysyem from Bills post, I would lean toward that system using



(PW-SOF. A water softening cartridge that contains standard softener resin. Its lifespan depends on how hard your water is. But, the good news is, you can renew it and reuse it indefinitely. If you're looking for a cartridge to prevent spotting when you wash your cart, this is your most likely choice.)
 
And, ultimately, if you already have soft but crappy quality water, hook up that filter with the deionizing cartridge up to your CRSpotless :D
 
Aloha all,

I am a newbie to the forum. Between weekend washings, can I simply rinse the car off with a pressure washer and this CR spotless water system and get good results?
 
I will post my full review on this system tomorrow. I've been using it for almost two weeks but haven't had time to sit down and write the review. I just got back from a dance recital and before that I was at soccor practice. Today, I detailed a Ford F250 crew cab with a full enclosed cap and a ladder rack and I'm beat.

I'll post the review tomorrow.
 
I too just ordered the CR system and am very anxious to try it. I think UPS is due to bring it this coming Monday.



After speaking with two folks at CR, they really seem to have a great thing here.



Once I try mine out, I too will give a review.
 
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