Deionized (DI) Water

[Dadillac]

Ok, I ordered one of these since there's a 20% off sale today:
https://windowcleaner.com/products/xero-di-tank?variant=43287792386199

Spoke with the folks on the phone -- they're very knowledgeable, even by my unrealistic standards. I should get 1000 gals out of the 1 cu-ft DI tank. Worse case scenario, which is a year of car washing for me; I am estimating 5 cars per month and 15 gals/car.

The resin refill is $173 shipped when on sale; I will gladly pay $173/yr (or under $3/car) to wash without spotting.

The Xero tank doesn't have a bypass valve, but I can just add some quick connects to the hose adapters to swap hoses.

Bought the smaller 1/2 cubic foot model as the 1 cu/ft model is sold out. Tested my waters TDS today and came up with 245 to 252. So I should get about 600 gallons or so from the smaller unit. Should last almost a year I figure. But even if I have to charge the tank twice a year it will be worth it. Can't wait for it to get here. Thanks for the heads up

Don

 

[Dadillac]

Got my DI unit Saturday after Thanksgiving. Been really cold and crappy since then. So Yesterday I decided I am going to try it out. Washed the car, blew it dry with the leaf blower, and wiped the remainder of the water with a microfiber. No water spots. Zero. So I am pleased so far. I installed a water meter on it and I used 30 gallons. So at that rate I will be using resin at least twice a year. A bit expensive but worth every penny to me

Don

 

[Tempest1]

I'm going to have to look into one of these. Been trying to find a good system for awhile.

It makes sense for a final rinse, but I don't see any advantage to using it in a bucket as the soap/rinseless should see the hard water minerals as "dirt" and surround them. Once the soap goes in, it isn't DI any longer...

 

[gasman556]

I'm going to have to look into one of these. Been trying to find a good system for awhile.

It makes sense for a final rinse, but I don't see any advantage to using it in a bucket as the soap/rinseless should see the hard water minerals as "dirt" and surround them. Once the soap goes in, it isn't DI any longer...

Try it for your whole wash. If your water is hard like mine, you will notice a difference.

Nothing we are doing is happening in a lab. There’s going to be contamination. But mineral reduction is what we are driving for.

 

[Dadillac]

I'm going to have to look into one of these. Been trying to find a good system for awhile.

It makes sense for a final rinse, but I don't see any advantage to using it in a bucket as the soap/rinseless should see the hard water minerals as "dirt" and surround them. Once the soap goes in, it isn't DI any longer...

I use a pressure washer and foam cannons. I know that while I am washing the cars that the water is drying before I can finish. So made the decision to run it for the whole wash instead of the final rinse. If the hard water is drying before the final rinse then you will still have water spotting

Don

 

[Fordiesel69]

I'm sure there are some great tips in this thread but I cannot read them all so apologies if this is a duplicate.

-everyone like water beading hydrophobic properties to their ceramic / graphene Coatings. Use a water sheeting coating topper instead.
-pre rinse the vehicle with cold water to cool the surface before doing any washing.
-rinse the wash soap off with ro water instead of tap water and use a drying aid (your topper reduced down) plus a large clean microfiber.

With a proper decontamination wash with an iron remover you shouldnt put too many love marks in the paint. You can also use a blower instead of towel drying.

 

[LavaRand]

I'm sure the deionizer units work, but they are expensive and have a limited lifetime.

It's going to be a lot cheaper to outsource your pure water generation. You've seen those pressurized tanks that they used for watering indoor plants? Those are basically the same thing the mobile car detailers use. You could even use a big pump sprayer instead, which you might already have. Get that filled up with RO water at your local Glacier water machine and you can have pure rinse water for $2.

 

[gasman556]

I'm sure the deionizer units work, but they are expensive and have a limited lifetime.

It's going to be a lot cheaper to outsource your pure water generation. You've seen those pressurized tanks that they used for watering indoor plants? Those are basically the same thing the mobile car detailers use. You could even use a big pump sprayer instead, which you might already have. Get that filled up with RO water at your local Glacier water machine and you can have pure rinse water for $2.

This might be true if you have a HUGE use case, but the trailer, storage vessel, pump, etc is going to cost more than the tank and media I currently have and plan to use.

 

[Dadillac]

Washed the cars today and have so far ran 100 gallons through the DI tank. Tested the water and I am still at 0ppm. so far so good

Don

 

[cammyfive79]

I've used DI water systems over the years (CR Spotless being the most often used). I think for what you're describing, you would only need to switch over to DI water for the final rinse. To avoid spots use a good ph-neutral car soap which can "dry" but comes off spotless with a strong final rinse. Using a pressure washer with a foam cannon makes this more fun/time efficient.

 

[gasman556]

Used this tank again this weekend. It creates a legit foam cannon when I use it as such! Otherwise, my water is too hard and doesn’t allow for as great of an amount of foam.