Washing with city water?

D

DetailnByDustn

New member
Looking for a cheap way to filter city water so it wont leave spots all over the paint after washing. The water here on base has chlorine in it.
 
I don't think it's the chlorine, sounds more like a mineral problem. Check with you municiple water department and ask (or look on-line) for the analysis of your water quality and what the particulate counts are. Here in Green Bay, WI we get our water from Lake Michigan, but because we are located on the Niagara Escarpment (think BIG limestone formation underground) our water is harder than most. Yes, they do chlorinate the water here. And yes, if I do a wash in the sun, it will waterspot. (Humm, maybe it IS the chlorine!!) Can someone else with more experience verify this??



The other is the staining from rain-driven wet leaves in the fall. Certain trees around here (like red maples and red and white oaks) leave (no pun intended!) nasty stains that if not addressed in a few days can embed into the clearcoat from the chemical reaction between the decaying leaf material, moisture, and sun's heat.
 
I want to buy a CRspotles but want to also do reverse osmosis before it as my tap is at 300PPM. Does anyone in here do this?
 
"cheap way"

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Many detailers don’t have a water filtration installed so washing the vehicle with ordinary tap water and a garden hose is the only option. Here’s a way to minimize the effects of hard water when washing your vehicle.



If you are using tap water that contains high levels of minerals such as calcium hydroxide or silicates, some of the polymers will bond to these minerals and take them out of solution therefore more product might be necessary to compensate for this effect.



By adding Optimum (OPT) No Rinse Wash™ & Shine New Formula (ONR).to a regular car wash soap will improves the results when using tap water (0.5 oz / gallon) always add it to the water to remove the minerals before adding your soap. This will maximize the benefits of using No Rinse in this manner.



By washing after the sun has set, the air has cooled, the dew point has risen (more moisture in the air means water evaporates more slowly), and an added advantage is that the bombers of the air have flown home to roost.
 
This subject has been discussed at great length around here but as usual, if you don't know the history it's hard to do a search for it.



A good place to start is: *Cheap* replacement for CRSpotless



SuperBee364 really put a lot of effort into it. If you search for "spotless" posts by SuperBee364 you'll find some stuff.



The bottom line is that there is no such thing as cheap, easy water demineralization. But there are some savings to be found if you do your homework and are willing to make some trade-offs.







pc.
 
Yeah I agree with the poster above that there just isn't a cheap solution if you still want good water pressure coming out and you want it purified.
 
TOGWT said:
By adding Optimum (OPT) No Rinse Wash™ & Shine New Formula (ONR).to a regular car wash soap will improves the results when using tap water (0.5 oz / gallon) always add it to the water to remove the minerals before adding your soap. This will maximize the benefits of using No Rinse in this manner.
Click to expand...



As I am using city water too without filtration at the moment, the idea of ONR induced neutralization sounds interesting. Would the normal shampoo be used in the normal dilution or would the 0,5oz be taken out?
 
1BADTUNDRA said:
I want to buy a CRspotles but want to also do reverse osmosis before it as my tap is at 300PPM. Does anyone in here do this?
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I dunno about ROing the water first. All the RO systems I've seen a) have a low output that takes forever to produce a large enough quantity (not nearly enough output to supply a CRS unit) and b) waste a *LOT* of water in the process. I'm not down on RO systems, I have two for drinking water here at the house, but IMO it's not a solution for this problem.



Sounds to me like you need a softner and maybe then a CRS. With maybe a prefilter or two upstream from the softener. That's what I use- two prefilters, a softener, and then a CRS (which I only use now and then).
 
Griots Garage and others have a filter that attaches to the hose that I have used for a couple years, mainly in winter when I want a quick wash but want to skip a proper drying. Not as good as a CR Spotless but cheaper and gets the job done.
 
I am looking to try out the water filtration method for my hose water because I believe it is awfully hard here at my apartment compared to home. I live in San Luis Obispo, and they say the water hardness here is around 200-370 mg/l. I noticed on the website that they have kits for different types of minerals in the water. I looked at the chart for my area, but I'm kinda confused on how to read it. Can someone recommend the proper kit I should buy for my area? Thanks.



Garden Hose Filters – Pure Water Products, LLC





I've been using ONR here, but the water is still very hard. I'm going to try to up the ONR concentration, but the water softener is my main priority since it will be more effective.
 
Accumulator said:
I dunno about ROing the water first. All the RO systems I've seen a) have a low output that takes forever to produce a large enough quantity (not nearly enough output to supply a CRS unit)....
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Well you just haven't been looking at the right systems. :boink:



J/K. On a practical level, you're absolutely right. RO by it's very nature is a slow process. It would take a pretty large commercial system to produce enough of a continuous flow of water for car washing.



But you generally don't need that kind of flow continuously. So as long as you have a storage tank with enough capacity to make up for it, the RO can have a lower output.



A home RO unit might produce 50 gallons per day, enough to do a couple cars. you just need a big enough holding tank and a pressure washer with reasonably low flow.





Accumulator said:
.... and b) waste a *LOT* of water in the process...
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Yes. They do. But even just flushing it down the drain, water is cheaper than mixed-bed DI resin.



And if you can route the flush water somewhere useful, the lawn or what have you, it's much less wasteful.



Commercially produced DI water starts with RO. In volume, It's the most cost-effective way to go.





Brad B. said:
Griots Garage and others have a filter that attaches to the hose that I have used for a couple years, mainly in winter when I want a quick wash but want to skip a proper drying. Not as good as a CR Spotless but cheaper and gets the job done.
Click to expand...

Initial purchase price may be cheaper, but if you use a lot of DI water you need to figure the cost per gallon over the long haul.







pc
 
The other pc- Heh heh, my plumbing contractor would probably love it if I wanted to really go off the deep end RO-wise :D I sometimes think I keep their lights on as it is!



Yeah...I do wish I had a practical way of putting all the waste water to use, but it's just not feasible with my the locations of my systems, ditto with another holding tank (already have one for the pressure-boosting pump). Coulda/woulda/shoulda, there are a few things I'd do differently if building this place over again :( :nixweiss
 
Rx8 Fanatic said:
I am looking to try out the water filtration method for my hose water because I believe it is awfully hard here at my apartment compared to home. I live in San Luis Obispo, and they say the water hardness here is around 200-370 mg/l. I noticed on the website that they have kits for different types of minerals in the water. I looked at the chart for my area, but I'm kinda confused on how to read it. Can someone recommend the proper kit I should buy for my area? Thanks.



Garden Hose Filters – Pure Water Products, LLC





I've been using ONR here, but the water is still very hard. I'm going to try to up the ONR concentration, but the water softener is my main priority since it will be more effective.
Click to expand...



Bump. Anyone?
 
Rx8 Fanatic said:
Bump. Anyone?
Click to expand...



Looking at their chart, the FC024 looks like it'd be best for what you're after as it'd most closely mimic the treatment provided by a regular water softener.



Disclaimer: BUT I'M NO EXPERT so my advice is worth what you paid for it ;)



I'm looking at it this way- sediment filters catch "big stuff", but the softener oughta help deal with the mineral content that makes you water "very hard".



I wouldn't expect much relief from upping the ONR concentration as you'll still be getting the "mineral film from the hard water". Replacing that with the much lighter film that "soft water" leaves behind might be the next best thing to using RO/DI water.



[Repeat disclaimer...]
 
One day ... one day ... I would love to install a demineralization system ... but until then, I almost always wipe down my car with a quick detailer after I wash it. It's the only way I can eliminate the water spotting. If I don't use a quick detailer, experience tells me that I will regret it. Water spots are the bane of my black S2K.
 
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