*Cheap* replacement for CRSpotless

[ProStreetCamaro]

Local resin. Which one of these would be best with the cr spotless? This place is pretty local to me and I could make a short trip a year to pick up enough for a years supply but not sure which one is the best resin to get?





Resintech - Innovations In Ion Exchange

 

[AGBM]

You will never need to buy resin again, but have enough for one change out on hand. Basically you have a small water softening unit. Just as you see house units like ECO, SEARS, CULLIGAN, etc. water softeners. As with the CR Spotless units which have cartridges which can be unscrewed to replace resin. Just take the resin once it is dirty and clean it, a TDS meter is the easy way to tell when dirty. All you need to do is soak your resin in a brine solution of salt or potassium overnightfor about six hours and rinse with clean De-ionized water. You can visit home depot or lowes for water softener salt or potassium. The resin will last for years!!!!

 

[Greg Nichols]

You will never need to buy resin again, but have enough for one change out on hand. Basically you have a small water softening unit. Just as you see house units like ECO, SEARS, CULLIGAN, etc. water softeners. As with the CR Spotless units which have cartridges which can be unscrewed to replace resin. Just take the resin once it is dirty and clean it, a TDS meter is the easy way to tell when dirty. All you need to do is soak your resin in a brine solution of salt or potassium overnightfor about six hours and rinse with clean De-ionized water. You can visit home depot or lowes for water softener salt or potassium. The resin will last for years!!!!

So what is the ratio mixtures for this "simple" process? So you are saying you don't need a mild acid or alkaline base to recharge this mixed bed media?



What are the details?



GREG

 

[Kean]

You will never need to buy resin again, but have enough for one change out on hand. Basically you have a small water softening unit. Just as you see house units like ECO, SEARS, CULLIGAN, etc. water softeners. As with the CR Spotless units which have cartridges which can be unscrewed to replace resin. Just take the resin once it is dirty and clean it, a TDS meter is the easy way to tell when dirty. All you need to do is soak your resin in a brine solution of salt or potassium overnightfor about six hours and rinse with clean De-ionized water. You can visit home depot or lowes for water softener salt or potassium. The resin will last for years!!!!

....this works for water softening media (and is what I use for my pre-filter) but DI is a different ballgame involving chemicals like lye and muriatic acid to successfully "recharge".

 

[Eliot Ness]

....this works for water softening media (and is what I use for my pre-filter) but DI is a different ballgame involving chemicals like lye and muriatic acid to successfully "recharge".

That's the same info that I've always read, that the DI resin is not a simple recharge by soaking in a salt solution.



The following article shows how one person recharges their DI resin on a small scale (and yes, it involves lye and muratic acid):



How to Recharge DI Resin by David Sanders - Reefkeeping.com

 

[Accumulator]

Eliot Ness- OMG, howdy, stranger! :wavey

 

[Eliot Ness]

Eliot Ness- OMG, howdy, stranger! :wavey

Thanks and Hello!



Been looking up old threads for your wisdom on Rubber Prep vs Rubber Clean :wink1:



To keep from taking this thread too far OT, if I had it to do all over again I would just buy a CRS and be done with it. Larger canisters= more gpm and less messing around with resin changes.

 

[Accumulator]

.. if I had it to do all over again I would just buy a CRS and be done with it. Larger canisters= more gpm and less messing around with resin changes.

Yeah, I sometimes feel jaded saying stuff like this, but every time I consider threads like this (i.e., the regenerating resin, DIYing systems, stuff like that) I think "oh sheesh, life's too short and mine's hard enough!" I find it enough of a hassle just changing the resin every now and then (currently about to be due, that's after 19 rinses...might stretch it to 21 if I'm lucky).



Guess different people see the time/money trade-off differently :nixweiss



And yeah, I'm still crazy about Griot's Rubber Prep, and I see they now offer it in larger bottles. Just used some this afternoon

 

[Dan]

I've been watching these threads here and other forums, and it really does seem the CR kit from Costco is the best bang for the $, especially if you value your time.

 

[Greg Nichols]

I've been watching these threads here and other forums, and it really does seem the CR kit from Costco is the best bang for the $, especially if you value your time.

I would have thought you would be on your 3 total resin change by now?????



Cheers,

GREG

 

[Dan]

I would have thought you would be on your 3 total resin change by now?????



Cheers,

GREG

Lol. It's been on my amazon wishlist for long enough. I think my family doesn't want to be a detailing enabler. I'm going to end up buying it soon enough. The prospect of quick rinses has me drooling.

 

[Accumulator]

... I'm going to end up buying it soon enough. The prospect of quick rinses has me drooling.

Reading this right after your "FK425, I don't get it..." thread, I can't help but wonder if the CRS will be as big a help as you're expecting :think: I mean...yeah, I like it. But I dunno just how much of a game-changer it really is. Guess it might depend on your water and what you plan to do with the CRS (rinse after a regular wash? wash/rinse after correction? use to mix up ONR/etc.?). I'm not convinced that it really makes drying unecessary unless you use it for all stages of the wash/dry. And even then it might not work 100% on certain vehicles.

 

[Dan]

Reading this right after your "FK425, I don't get it..." thread, I can't help but wonder if the CRS will be as big a help as you're expecting :think: I mean...yeah, I like it. But I dunno just how much of a game-changer it really is. Guess it might depend on your water and what you plan to do with the CRS (rinse after a regular wash? wash/rinse after correction? use to mix up ONR/etc.?). I'm not convinced that it really makes drying unecessary unless you use it for all stages of the wash/dry. And even then it might not work 100% on certain vehicles.

I was hoping to be able to avoid using towels to dry. Both for regular washes and for just hosing a dusty car down, instead of QD'ing.

 

[Bill D]

I was hoping to be able to avoid using towels to dry. Both for regular washes and for just hosing a dusty car down, instead of QD'ing.

Depends on what residue might have been washed out by the CR water and left to dry on the finish. If the car is only mildly dirty,and then washed with the CR, I'd say then you might have a better chance at totally touch free drying.



It's pretty difficult to get though. Not using a CR and even with an Air wand and a mini blower, that still gets up to 95% but not *all* of the water off the car, still gota dry a tiny bit with towels. it's the wet season here in Flrida so this is going to have to be my procedure for a while this time of year.

 

[Accumulator]

I was hoping to be able to avoid using towels to dry. Both for regular washes and for just hosing a dusty car down, instead of QD'ing.

I guess it depends on how, uhm...Autopian you want to be about it. I've done the "just rinse it" thing on some vehicles, blown the water off, and been satisfied.



BUT...that was on something where, uhm...imperfection...was OK and I was using a fresh, "self-cleaning" LSP too.

 

[Dan]

I guess it depends on how, uhm...Autopian you want to be about it. I've done the "just rinse it" thing on some vehicles, blown the water off, and been satisfied.



BUT...that was on something where, uhm...imperfection...was OK and I was using a fresh, "self-cleaning" LSP too.

Yeah, I don't need it too look perfect at all, I just would like to not get hard water etching from a simple rinse. It would also be nice to knock of the dust/dirt with the powerwasher and then QD afterwards.

 

[Kean]

I was hoping to be able to avoid using towels to dry. Both for regular washes and for just hosing a dusty car down, instead of QD'ing.

I agree with the others about potential residue/spotting from "untreated" water hiding in crevices. I also think Accum made a important point that it can really depend on the particular vehicle as to just how bad this sort of issue can be. For example, my wife's Forester has many more "problem areas" I have to deal with compared to my Challenger. Water continually leaks from sections of the tailgate trim, roof rails, etc. On my Dodge, the tail lights/front grille can be a bit of a challenge and the typical mirror area(s).



Personally, I have switched to doing my all of my rinsing with the DI water in most cases (unless the car is really filthy) and using tap (filtered through soft water and sediment filters) for the soap solution/rinse buckets. I also pay particular attention to stubborn nook and crannies that tend to hold soap/rinse water by flushing them as thoroughly as possible (mirrors, grille, body seams, roof seams, door handles, etc.).



Admittedly, I am not as Autopian as some others are here but once my cars get the final rinse, I typically dry with an electric blower and that usually provides me with a spot free result overall (at least to my satisfaction). Any dribbles and/or residue left from them coming out of crevices I will take care of with a QD and MF towel as I do my walk-around. I usually find any residue quite soft and easy to remove likely due whatever it is (wash water, mixed in dust/dirt, etc) having been diluted with the DI water. Over 95% of the exterior painted panels I won't touch after using forced air.



It's just my own preference but I don't rinse my vehicles for the purpose of removing dust. I usually use forced air (either with a blower or air compressor) and live with what's left until the next wash. ....although I will clean the glass as I regularly do and perhaps the wheels using ONR.



In my case, I consider my CRS DIC-20 as one of the most useful and valuable tools I have purchased to date.

 

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I don't need it too look perfect at all, I just would like to not get hard water etching from a simple rinse...

Yeah, if your water is that bad then..sure!

It would also be nice to knock of the dust/dirt with the powerwasher and then QD afterwards.

Eh, if I tried QDing after that I'd mar things up something awful, but then I guess I always say stuff like that.

 

[Nopstnz8]

Will this work with only one FC006 cartridge inside one filter connected directly to the hose? I'm currently using just the one filter I ordered a while back, but just realized the reason I'm getting bad window spotting is due to the fact I ordered a water softener, not the Dionizing cartridge. I'm hoping to be able to get away with just the one cartridge in order to save money and not have to pay another $75, but if anyone could help me with this I'd greatly appreciate it because I need to place an order ASAP for a detail I'm doing later in the week. Thanks.

 

[SuperBee364]

Will this work with only one FC006 cartridge inside one filter connected directly to the hose? I'm currently using just the one filter I ordered a while back, but just realized the reason I'm getting bad window spotting is due to the fact I ordered a water softener, not the Dionizing cartridge. I'm hoping to be able to get away with just the one cartridge in order to save money and not have to pay another $75, but if anyone could help me with this I'd greatly appreciate it because I need to place an order ASAP for a detail I'm doing later in the week. Thanks.

Yes, but it comes with a big "but(t)"... That being the amount of de-ionizing capacity will be greatly reduced in two ways: 1. The amount of water you can flow through the hose (gallons per minute) and still get 0 TDS (Total Desolved Solids) will be greatly reduced. Without a TDS meter, it'll be impossible to know for sure if, at whatever flow rate you have, you are getting 0 TDS. 2. The total amount of water you can flow through the resin before the resin is depleted will also be greatly reduced. Once again, without a TDS meter, it'll be impossible to know when your resin is shot.



It's a big initial investment (with the continuing expense of resin) to do DI water right, but, IMO, it's worth it.



Edit: Just re-read your post. Didn't realize you bought the water softening cartridge and not the DI cartridge. I've used the water softening cartridge before. In fact, that's what I started with. Do yourself a favor, and get a true DI cartridge. You'll end up getting white sodium spots all over the place if the water you're running through the water softening cartridge is really hard.



In an attempt to save money, I went the water softener cartridge route first, and ended up spending more than if I had gotten a true DI solution to begin with.