So happy to finally be back using 0ppm water for final rinses (fairly recently we had a topic on drying) so I finally found my solution for 0ppm water - a DI vessel as usual with a twist.
Usually DI vessels look similar to scuba tanks (I actually own one of 11 litre ones already, but back in Chester). Main problem for me is I have no where to change the resin without annoying people and changing the resin in normal filters is messy - so a “normal” DI resin filter is out of the question.
So meet my most recent purchase, the unger DI resin filter, I have purchased the smallest which is 6 litres:
Overall these are up to 30% more efficient than a standard filter, plus resin is bagged (£30 a bag already to be slotted in place) and changes take about a minute.
End result:
Standard tap water:
Brita Filtered water:
Unger DI Filtered water:
Even when it does not quite do 0 ppm it at least means I can remove the water spots with quick detailer and a fluffy MF. At the tap water level 20 minutes in reasonable sun would see it etch, which then means claying, water spot remover or polishing.
Second week using it did a small amount drying to polish some areas, not one spot formed happy days.
Final result (still rocking Zymol Vintage, but I have been round and reapplied without Raceglaze Signature Glaze in honesty I can barely notice a difference, there is some RDS and the odd swirl around but not major swirlage!):
Chris if you have the space then I think a standard DI vessel is much much cheaper - 11 litre normal vessels complete are about £100. One 6 litre Unger is £180.
From my point of view though the mess and time saved is worth it (so is the small amount of extra cost for the bag).
Eventually once I have bought somewhere with suitable space I will be daisy chaining my DI vessels together to make the resin last longer.
Cannot complain though the service from Cleaning Spot getting it to me was spot on!
But if you live in a hard water area they are a saving grace even not running 0 ppm.
Another way to look at it on Amazon per litre you are looking cheapest £1.40 a litre, making it with a DI is between I think 50 and 70 pence a litre.
Or using quite costly water spot remover such as carpro spotless.
I am slightly more wasteful as I also use it in my buckets but it saves shampoo at the ppm’s above my average caps is 4 caps at normal tap, I can get away with 1 or 2 at 0ppm to give me the same suds level using the same shampoo.
Trouble is the rainwater I get can often be like wet sanding and I wouldn’t trust it without filtering. I’ve recently been trialing a 30 ppm AquaGleam filter for the final rinse and have been very impressed with the result one can virtually leave it to dry as is. It’s not a cheap option but does save a lot of extra labour to remove dried on water deposits. My water supply is very hard so the 0ppm is really not a viable option although I could put one in series after the 30 ppm to prolong its live. Thanks for the Unger DI alternative
I never said ppm basis I said “contamination” as in from foreign objects without filtering you cannot be certain of what is actually coming out from the water ■■■■, additionally if looking into the detailing side of it many that run with a rainwater setup have multiple water butts in series with each one reducing the level of contamination.
The other inherent set of issues with using rainwater comes from supply which is by it’s very nature unpredictable and when you need it more so in Summer there is somewhat less rain for proportions of the country to make it a sensible solution the other element if needed is actually pumping it out of the ■■■■ via hose should you wish to use a hose pipe or PW.
I am not against the idea of rainwater but you have to be sensible and understand the source and risks of using it. More so if substantial time, blood, sweat (and money) has been involved in getting a vehicle to a good standard when one bad wash can virtually undo all that work.
I did debate one of these myself for here, having been already aware of the benefits of lower ppm water but the costs involved were mad. The final nail in the coffin as it were is lobbing the thing away after!
The AquaGleam is going to cost me around £1-£2 per final rinse, which with the hassle it saves after rinsing with tap water especially this time of year I’m not too hurt by the cost. Often this time of year I would be using a quick detailing to aid the drying process so that cost has been offset , I will price up the Unger DI system though.
Just to explain my position. I wash and preserve my beloved MX5 (Cariad) about once a fortnight when the weather is conducive. I use Diamondbrite shampoo and conserver.
I installed a 1000Litre water tank which takes rain water off the roof , It’s mainly used for the garden but I also use it for the final rinse using 3x2gallon watering cans kept specially for Cariad.
The tap water is very hard, it leaves a film on the car so it’s only used as a first jet wash through a hose pipe to get the crud off it.
After shampooing, I wash the suds off with the watering cans which have been pre filled from the big tank through a large plastic funnel lined with muslin cloth to take out any particulates that may be suspended in the big tank. Similarly after Conserving.
Although I havn’t measured the TDS in the water from the tank, I’m pretty sure that it’s quite low as it doesn’t leave any sign of a deposit on the car when allowing a droplet to evaporate when left in the sun.
In pursuance of my earlier comments I now realise that others are using water on a much larger scale than myself so my simple but effective little solution is not applicable for their needs, however I’ve described my system for domestic situations in the hope it help someone else.
Gales
Edit Addition :-- Will measure my TDS ASAP, and report Here.
Waterlesscar wash works on polymers to give extra lubrication during the wash process for any real dirt they are pretty useles. Additionally if using a dedicated protection product you will end up layering polymers on top of it. The same goes for limited water wash products such as optimium no rinse (onr) and the others on the market.
Certainly it looks like for my final rinse I need to think about about filtered rainwater, however the main focus for me is saving time on car washing and at the same time producing an acceptable finish hence the AquaGleam canister, perhaps I need to chat to the window cleaner , he has the same issues he may have some more economical ideas.
I purchased a cheap TDS Chinese meter (Mudder) from Amazon , it arrived this morning, I checked Mains water (MW), rain Water (RW)from 1000L tank, and some RO water at least I think it is. It was bought from Wilko and is marketed as Top up water etc I took a few samples , made sure they were the same temp,i.e between 21 & 22 degC the standard temp should be 25 but as I’m doing comparisons and I guess the meter is not very accurate so results are good enough I think and were reasonably repeatable.
I don’t claim much accuracy for the above, however, I think it gives an indication at least.
Interestingly I also tested Rain water from another source, a water butt that takes water from another part of the house roof and that gave me a higher reading, approx 80 ppm. The 1000Litre tank is suitable for potable water when I bought it, some 5 years ago it was the same price as a standard non-potable one. It may be that the water butt is made from a lower grade plastic which leaches into the water contained.? (pure supposition of course)
The rainwater is off a roof, yes? What is the covering? Clay tiles? Concrete tiles? Slates? Cement pointing on the ridges? Lead? Felt & bitumen? Fibreglass? Plastic? It makes a difference.
We have three different types of roof (clay tiles, polycarbonate, lead), each of which goes into a different water ■■■■ and each of which has a different pH, SWMBO needs this for the various plants (apparently). I’ve never measured the hardness, although I do know our tap water is rated at 313.
Yes, all of the roof is covered in concrete tiles, well weathered, they have been up there for 30+ years. I don’t have a pH meter but assume that the rainfall here is slightly acidic pH 5 -7 (carbonic acid), Mind you we have quite a few birds in the garden some of which enjoy perching on the roof and their droppings tend to be limey so that could affect the discrepancy between the tank and the water butt perhaps. My recently acquired meter does not read hardness, just Total Dissolved Solids expressed in PPM or mGms/Litre. The large tank was originally installed to water ericaceous plants such as Azaleas and Rhododendrons which SWMBO is very fond of. Regards Gales.
ADDENDUM.
Discussing the above with SWMBO , she thought we had some pH indicator strips which she had squireld away a few years ago.
She found them and we tested the three water sources.pH as follows:- Mains water=7.5. Water butt = 6. water tank= 5.5
