Spot Free Water

IMHO, the de-ionizer is overkill for a vehicle cleaning operation of any kind. Deinonizing is used in industrial applications in which the mineral content of the water is a contaminant during some critical process. Applying or removing soap, rinsing prior to polishing/waxing/sealing is hardly demanding enough to require such chemically pure water.... Mentioned in several posts, is the notion that the filter "softens" the water, which is untrue, unless the filter changes the PH of the water.... Filtration only removes the particulate material from the water, leaving in solution all mineral content. Treating the water requires far more technology than any simple filter element.... Also, softening the water requires MORE chemicals be added to change the chemical balance. So, if you have rust and sand or other solids in your piping, (you would have massive swirling due to the abrasiveness of the particles) the filter will help you, if not, you still have the same stuff that causes the spotting when it dries. The real trick is to remove the water before it dries. I, IMO, would think a leaf blower the more effective way to prevent spotting on a car. It removes the water before it can dry and deposit any mineral content. Of course, I always say "If it feels good ,do it!", but I think that the money is better spent on products, and MF towels myself.:nixweiss :xyxthumbs :nixweiss
 
mochamanz...I used to feel the same way.



However, two of my vehicles, the Excursion and Viper, are absolute projects to just dry. It takes much longer to simply dry them than to do the rest of the wash job. I can't even finish washing the Ex before the rinsed water is drying to spots...regardless of time of day.



As I understand it, de-ionizing makes the water "clean", removing the minerals and such that cause spotting. Water softeners only give you a bit more time to dry..before the water spots.



Again...it's just my understanding...that the CR system is not a softener, but a real de-ionizer. I plan on using it for the final rinse on my drivers....but full use on the Viper where the water gets everywhere.



In the end, I agree..."if it feels good, do it"....and at least for, not having to dry will feel great!
 
Matt M said:
mochamanz...I used to feel the same way.



However, two of my vehicles, the Excursion and Viper, are absolute projects to just dry. It takes much longer to simply dry them than to do the rest of the wash job. I can't even finish washing the Ex before the rinsed water is drying to spots...regardless of time of day.



As I understand it, de-ionizing makes the water "clean", removing the minerals and such that cause spotting. Water softeners only give you a bit more time to dry..before the water spots.



Again...it's just my understanding...that the CR system is not a softener, but a real de-ionizer. I plan on using it for the final rinse on my drivers....but full use on the Viper where the water gets everywhere.



In the end, I agree..."if it feels good, do it"....and at least for, not having to dry will feel great!
Click to expand...



If it works for you, then by all means install the DI unit. I have a Cadillac that is a real pain to get dry. For some reason, it retains water in the trim and releases it a bit at a time :( I have had fits with this car), almost giving it the boot more than once due to having water drip out long after it should have stopped. (LOL, my car retains water !)



Seriously, I bought an electric leaf blower from Sears for about $60.00 and it greatly decreased the problem. In my neck of the woods, the water is incredibly soft, with little mineral content, so, to be fair, I guess the need to de-ionize depends on your local mineral content in the water supply. In my work, (9 -5 ) the minute mineral content is still too much for some fabrication processes, and so, DI water is used. I apologize for seeming not to consider the local (potable water) conditions of other Autopians in my remarks. I still feel like removing the water rapidly might be worth consideration, however to minimize the sedimentation deposits left by the evaporation of water on your vehicle/s/.:bounce
 
I think the in-line filter then DI filter system is quite appealing. And as far as the life-span of the filters goes... Just hook up the filters when you're done washing. I can't imagine you'd use more than 2 gallons in a once over on even an SUV. My $.02
 
Once the correctly assembled cap gets here, I'll see if I can get by just with the inline filter for use strictly with the final rinse.
 
mochamanz...my Viper does the same thing. Maybe it's reptile dysfunction! Water seems to run out of that car for days.



Just yesterday I did a quickie wash on the Cobra. By the time we got to our destination, I actually took some ribbing from her family as on the doors there were water spots where the water had run out of the mirrors as I drove. (Yes, they know about me and my car care rituals.)
 
I just moved into a house with a well...yuck. Florida water is bad bad bad.



I had installed a complete home water system. One tank chlorinates, another one removes something, and another one removes something else.



Under the sink is an osmosis thing.



If i wash my truck and dont dry, i get a very small amount of spotting, really small.



This system would be excellent in conjuction with the one i have, and might last longer before the cartridges need replacing.
 
Bill D said:
Once the correctly assembled cap gets here, I'll see if I can get by just with the inline filter for use strictly with the final rinse.
Click to expand...



Bill, did you get anything yet? I'm very curious to know how this works out for you.



Where I live, we have extremely hard water and spotting is a problem I've always had to deal with. Even if it doesn't *soften* the water, if it reduces the spotting at all I will be happy.
 
Hey Guys,



I was over at John's place to help detail two M3s for the Zaino treatment. We washed two cars twice each (total of four washes) with the CRspotless filter, and did some WW MF blotting to save time so we could move on to the next step.



Basically I did not see a single water spot all day. We would wash one car, then start washing the other, and then not start blot drying until both were ready.



Usually the water the drips down from the cracks and crevices is what gets you. Since we only had two or three waffle weaves and did four washes, the MF towels were starting to lose their effectiveness by the end of the day. Usually we use an air compressor to blow water out of tight spaces, but this time, it wasn't necessary.



I'd recommend this unit if you find the cost acceptable. If you do a lot of cars, it certainly saves time, but mostly effort.
 
I have been using my CR system for a couple weeks.



I have washed my well waxed Excursion (dark blue), well waxed Cobra (silver), well waxed Mother's CL (gold), and G/Fs Jetta (silver...no wax at all)..and each one dried without spots.



On the Cobra, even the chrome wheels dry fine. It is tough to stand there while you car dries by itself in the sun....too many years worrying about spots is hard to overcome.



The only place I have noticed spots are on the Ex, on a corner where I am sure it was a matter of not rinsing quite enough.



In the end, I think the CR system is a great investment. Besides saving the time and aggravation of drying...especially on a car like the Viper where water goes everywhere....it also reduces the chance of micro-marring with towelling.



One more note. I rinse with the filtered water, fill my bucket with non-filtered water...then rinse with the filtered water. I used a bunch of quick connects so that set-up is a breeze.
 
One thing I noticed is that the DI water seeks out dirt, so if it gets into an area with a lot of dirt, it can still leave a water spot apparently. Did not witness this in my experience, but I'm sure it could happen.



So this is not something you could use to rinse off your car and walk away if you don't wash, most likely. This is my guess, haven't tried it.
 
I had excellent results with my first hasty use with the crspotless so far. I used regular water for the rinse, di water for the soap bucket and final rinse. I don't think I saw a single spot and I did a quick wipe down, TONS less effort than me drying it normally and no spots when I drive off which is my biggest problem since the m3 has so many hiding spots. I found myself constantly rinsing to ensure a spot-free finish that now I am going to use the di water for the initial rinse as well. I figure I will be using only marginally more water. We will see later today.
 
I did a lot of reading on deionized water yesterday. di water is very corosive on exposed metals. Does anyone think that there is a chance of the water getting into the nooks and crannies where it can damage anything? How about the brake assembly unit when rinsing wheels?
 
I don't see how pure water free of any ions would accelerate corrosion? If so, what are defined as exposed metals and is it all of them or some? I don't buy it.
 
NESLAB, cooling systems manufacture, writes in the Instruction and Operation Manual: "Higly distilled/deionized water, above the 3 megohm-cm region, may become aggressive and is not recommended for use with units with wetted parts other than stainless steel. Distiled/deionized water in the 15 megohm-cm region is definitely aggressive and should not be used."
 
De-ionized water can be aggressive to exposed (bare) metal, other than stainless, if it remains in constant continuous contact for long extended periods of time. Meaning do not run DI water into your copper pipes at home where the water is in constant continuous contact. For a rinsing operation where the water is allowed to evaporate in a matter of minuets is will pose no problem. I have been using DI water supplied to me at home by Ionics for many years and have not experianced any such problem. DI water is what is used by car washes, mobile detailers, car dealerships ect... just my .02 cents
 
I found this intruging so Googled for some info. Apparently, de-ionised water will leach ions out of metals thus accelerating corrosion. :shrug:
 
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