Water purification...

[Paul S4]

I am relatively new on here, although not on other PH fora.

I have just changed my car from a silver Alfa to a dark blue metallic. After washing it seems much more prone to water marks etc, presumably due to minerals in the mains water.
I seem to recall a few years ago there was an adaptor that you could use on your hosepipe that de-ionised the water ( sold in supermarkets . Halfords etc ) but that seems to have disappeared from the shelves.
Is there a simpler way to achieve this...apart from collecting pure rainwater in a barrel !

[GingerWizard]

Some nutters only use evian or buxton straight from the bottle.... you are delving into the world of the perverse.....

[iwanna]

Ebay is your friend, a few can be found on it. You can buy 25L plus from various aquatic places.

However, wash as normal (snow foam, rinse, shampoo etc) and then for the final rinse use the "pure" water rather than waste it all in the wash process.

If you want to save money in the long run, 3 water butts (£20 from argos) in a row, the 3rd water butt with be "pure" water.

To set up a water filter system your looking at a few hundred to set up, then running costs of around £60 a year plus water rates.

Rain butts is £60 (ish) and then nothing their after.

[jagnet]

iwanna said:

Rain butts is £60 (ish) and then nothing their after.

With the added bonus of paying for themselves over time if you're on a water meter.

I much prefer using rainwater to wash the car now - it makes drying it much easier, whatever method you use.

[Mutton]

I live in an area with very hard water so I purchased the same type of equipment that professional window cleaners use. Not sure where I purchased from but there's loads of options if you google the following:

First you'll need a water vessel, something like these: http://www.daqua.co.uk/divessels.htm

Then fill it with DI resin like this: http://www.daqua.co.uk/resins.htm

I run my hose pipe into the vessel and connect the output to my Karcher.

I also purchased a water test meter and before purification the PPM (amount of contaminants) was very high (in the 100's). After running through the vessel the PPM was 0.

It works really well and leaves no spots on the car after rinsing.

I find the resin lasts about 6 months before having to replace (a large bag of resin should last 2-3 times). Only use for rinsing otherwise the resin won't last anywhere near as long.

[JulesB]

Might have something to do with all the sun we are having lately causing the water to dry out quicker, and you will notice it more on darker colours, I suggest investing in a chamois and drying your car quickly after cleaning

[Mr2Mike]

I wonder why the Flash car wash system stopped being made? I still use mine and find it vastly better than messing around with buckets, but the filters for the rinsing stage are getting difficult to find.

[mrloudly]

Wife reckons I need help LOL

Here's mine awaiting the 500ltr holding tank

[mrloudly]

mrloudly said:

Wife reckons I need help LOL

Here's mine awaiting the 500ltr holding tank

I have to say, I'm amazed... Gave it a proper runout tonight and what a difference! Crystal clear windows and
no marks on the paint with no Chammy either! Well chuffed!

Really made a difference on the blacked out rear windows of a RRS which are normally a pain!

[OldSkoolRS]

GingerWizard said:

Some nutters only use evian or buxton straight from the bottle.... you are delving into the world of the perverse.....

<pedant mode> Bottled mineral water is often higher in minerals (and therefore will still cause water marks) compared to tap water.</pedant mode>

I fitted a water softener last year and one of our outdoor taps is fed from this supply. I use it to wash my car with and don't suffer with water spots compared to using the 'garden' tap which is unsoftened and our water is very hard in Berkshire. The inline DI treatment filters are supposedly even better, but as I already have installed the softener, I won't bother buying one now...