The Importance and Value of Weekly Maintenance Customers

Coach Steve said:
None. There is a slight reduction in flow but not significant enough to be concerned about. I'm very fortunate in that I live literally less than 1000 yds from the water distribution plant here in Chandler so my water pressure is phenomenal! I'm talking about pressure so good that it pins me against the back wall of the shower in the morning! :props:
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It sounds like you love water pressure so I hate to be the wet blanket, but if you're getting more than 75 psi it's just not good for your house at all. It's hard on the toilets, washing machine, mixer valve seals, etc. Even 75 is probably max, most people recommend in the neighborhood of 60.

Super high water pressure can be the sign of a bad pressure regulator. They typically only last about 10 years.
 
sudsmobile said:
It sounds like you love water pressure so I hate to be the wet blanket, but if you're getting more than 75 psi it's just not good for your house at all. It's hard on the toilets, washing machine, mixer valve seals, etc. Even 75 is probably max, most people recommend in the neighborhood of 60.

Super high water pressure can be the sign of a bad pressure regulator. They typically only last about 10 years.
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Oh man, I was exaggerating about that. Yes, the pressure is awesome, there's no doubt about that but, the reality is it's only 70 psi. The biggest and most noticeable benefit of living so close to the plant is there's never a drop in pressure at peak usage times city-wide. We used to live right on the northern border of the city and the pressure would be horrible sometimes with no explanation from the city.
The statement I made was meant to be more humorous than fact.
That said, I appreciate your concern and your genuine attempt to educate me about the possible damages.
 
Coach Steve said:
Truer words have never been spoken. The biggest reality check I ever got was when I was contacted via email by someone wanting a quote and during our conversation, I learned that he was browsing this forum and saw in one of my posts that I'm in the same town as him. Every post I've ever made here flashed through my mind all at once trying to think if I'd ever written anything.... ahem.... unprofessional or sophomoric and at the same time, I could feel the color draining from my face. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about.
And regarding Paul's demeanor and overall character, he's as genuine and honest as they come.
(is that how you wanted it worded, Paul?):laughing::joking:
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LOL, I was going to say pointy headed solutions engineer/detailer who is OCD, but yeah you got it. LOL

A number of us here in the Valley use Puretek Industrial Water systems. There is a quarter lease and a charge for pickup of a spent tank and drop off a new one. The 14” x 5’ tank can process about 800 gallons depending on temperature. The higher the temps the harder the resins have to work. But water quality here in the valley is awful.

The huge tanks Puretek have are impressive. as they have to provided water to Intel and other large semi-conductor companies around that need pristine water during the chip making process.
Puretec Industrial Water | Demineralized / Deionized Water


My setup:


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Wknd Dtlr said:
It works great with a a pressure washer.

I just got my Puretec tank set up over the weekend. What a game changer! It was actually enjoyable/relaxing to wash my wife's black car on Saturday. No foot race to dry it before the water spots dried.

I'm in the process of re-configuring my PW set up with a new hose reel, gun/wand/cannon and separate supply hoses with QD's so there is no set up time to use the PW. When I want to use it I'll basically snap the gun on the hose and go.

BTW, huge thanks to Wills, Paul and Steve for answering all my questions and convincing me to switch to DI water. Only wish I had done it years ago!
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The first couple of months I had it, I was using a garden hose attached to a Y fitting at my spiggot which was just a pain to have to constantly connect and disconnect and coil up the hoses, etc. I knew I had a day off coming up that I had purposely scheduled to do a bunch of shop maintenance and some much needed deep cleaning, so I measured and sketched out what I would need to run a line from the supply line going to the water heater which was also in the garage then priced everything out and it ended up costing so little using PVC. The biggest expense of the whole thing which included the threaded disconnect, a shutoff valve and all the fittings and lengths of pvc, was the SharkBite coupler that attaches to copper on one end and pvc on the other. It was $14.00! But, I had to have it.
So nice having the dedicated supply line! And yes, it's on the same level of game changer as the DA was to the industry! It also greatly reduces the stress associated with trying to get the car dried before the water evaporates and leaves the dreaded water spots. No, seriously, for those of you who have not been to AZ in the summer, it's hot. We all know that. But along with the heat is the super low humidity, like 7-15% on the hottest days which adds to the speed at which the water evaporates leaving the detailer frantically trying to dry the car in a race against the elements. It's a serious issue due to how ridiculously hard the water is here. Like I said in a reply above, the water here averages between 750-800 PPM on any given day so you not only get water spots, you get thick, mineralized spots that are difficult, at best, to remove even if they've only been there for a few mins.
Congrats on the new install.
Here's a cool tip for you:
Put a gal or so of DI water in a clean bucket and grab a glass MF towel. Next time you're doing the final wipe down, dip the glass towel in the bucket and wring it out thoroughly then hit all the glass one last time. They will literally be sparkling when you deliver the vehicle to the customer.
 
Steve has a good point. When I moved here I asked Dani and Wills what they use. I didn’t even bother cleaning my cars until the Puretek showed up first week we moved in.

After that, I realized I could use the heat and sun to my advantage!! The water is so pure it just evaporates without a trace. Being that my cars and most clients are ceramic coated, it’s wash and blow dry in minutes. The heat and low humidity do the work for me.

Where is see a change in having to use the blower more is in the winter. While still warm, it’s enough where the dry time on the blower goes up. But I literally do not need to use drying media.


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Coach Steve said:
Here's a cool tip for you:
Put a gal or so of DI water in a clean bucket and grab a glass MF towel. Next time you're doing the final wipe down, dip the glass towel in the bucket and wring it out thoroughly then hit all the glass one last time. They will literally be sparkling when you deliver the vehicle to the customer.
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Hey Steve! - thanks for that tip, I'll try it this weekend. I don't do this professionally so no customers to impress ( except friends and family who beg me to occasionally wash/detail their car!)

I had to get over the perceived cost factor of incorporating DI water into routine. I'm a business owner with very little free time so for me it was all about being able to eliminate any/all barriers to being able to to quickly and efficiently keep my rides clean to the levels we all like. When I looked at all of the money I've spent on detailing products over the years the price of DI water in reality wasn't all that much.

Between the DI water and PW reconfiguration, I actually look forward, not dread, the ritual of washing my ( or family members) vehicles again.

Thanks again for the tip.
 
While not as hot as AZ, we live and work in CA's high desert (and wine country). I worked several full days this summer in 115+ temps. I couldn't work without 0PPM water. We tried it when we were first in business for less than a week. What a nightmare and it wasn't even summer.
 
Coach Steve, ballpark what are you paying per gallon for water from Puretec? Our water is around 400ppm average and I use about 200 gallons per week. That costs me about $25 but it's the convenience factor I'm looking for more than savings. The one place that's close to my house doesn't self vend and the place that does is a much longer round trip and really out of the way. Plus, we're in a mini feud with those guys so I haven't used them in months.
 
Wknd Dtlr said:
It works great with a a pressure washer.

I just got my Puretec tank set up over the weekend. What a game changer! It was actually enjoyable/relaxing to wash my wife's black car on Saturday. No foot race to dry it before the water spots dried.

I'm in the process of re-configuring my PW set up with a new hose reel, gun/wand/cannon and separate supply hoses with QD's so there is no set up time to use the PW. When I want to use it I'll basically snap the gun on the hose and go.

BTW, huge thanks to Wills, Paul and Steve for answering all my questions and convincing me to switch to DI water. Only wish I had done it years ago!
Click to expand...

I'll be giving them a call on Monday. I can't wait to not have to worry about drying a car ever again.

I have a gun setup as well too, got rid of the wand when I first got the pressure washer and it sure makes life easier. But yes, the process of setting up the PW and putting it away is something I'm still trying to figure out.
 
Duy said:
But yes, the process of setting up the PW and putting it away is something I'm still trying to figure out.
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Duy - feel free to PM me if you ever want to hear how I'm configuring mine. It's really going to remove the mental barrier associated formerly associated with dragging the PW out and setting it up for a quick wash.
 
Coach Steve said:
The first couple of months I had it, I was using a garden hose attached to a Y fitting at my spiggot which was just a pain to have to constantly connect and disconnect and coil up the hoses, etc. I knew I had a day off coming up that I had purposely scheduled to do a bunch of shop maintenance and some much needed deep cleaning, so I measured and sketched out what I would need to run a line from the supply line going to the water heater which was also in the garage then priced everything out and it ended up costing so little using PVC. The biggest expense of the whole thing which included the threaded disconnect, a shutoff valve and all the fittings and lengths of pvc, was the SharkBite coupler that attaches to copper on one end and pvc on the other. It was $14.00! But, I had to have it.
So nice having the dedicated supply line! And yes, it's on the same level of game changer as the DA was to the industry! It also greatly reduces the stress associated with trying to get the car dried before the water evaporates and leaves the dreaded water spots. No, seriously, for those of you who have not been to AZ in the summer, it's hot. We all know that. But along with the heat is the super low humidity, like 7-15% on the hottest days which adds to the speed at which the water evaporates leaving the detailer frantically trying to dry the car in a race against the elements. It's a serious issue due to how ridiculously hard the water is here. Like I said in a reply above, the water here averages between 750-800 PPM on any given day so you not only get water spots, you get thick, mineralized spots that are difficult, at best, to remove even if they've only been there for a few mins.
Congrats on the new install.
Here's a cool tip for you:
Put a gal or so of DI water in a clean bucket and grab a glass MF towel. Next time you're doing the final wipe down, dip the glass towel in the bucket and wring it out thoroughly then hit all the glass one last time. They will literally be sparkling when you deliver the vehicle to the customer.
Click to expand...

Sorry to ask but do you have pictures of tapping into the water heater for the dedicated line? That sounds like it would make my life easier with this setup!
 
sudsmobile said:
Coach Steve, ballpark what are you paying per gallon for water from Puretec? Our water is around 400ppm average and I use about 200 gallons per week. That costs me about $25 but it's the convenience factor I'm looking for more than savings. The one place that's close to my house doesn't self vend and the place that does is a much longer round trip and really out of the way. Plus, we're in a mini feud with those guys so I haven't used them in months.
Click to expand...

It works out to about $.15 per gal based on my TDS content.
 
Duy said:
Sorry to ask but do you have pictures of tapping into the water heater for the dedicated line? That sounds like it would make my life easier with this setup!
Click to expand...

I'll take a couple of pics later today and post them.
 
Duy said:
Sorry to ask but do you have pictures of tapping into the water heater for the dedicated line? That sounds like it would make my life easier with this setup!
Click to expand...
Here ya go.
The parts used are a 3/4" Tee Sharkbite, a 3/4" Sharkbite Copper to Threaded PVC Coupler (the part in the square) and a 3/4" Threaded to Slip Adapter.
Be sure to run 3/4" line all the way to the tank otherwise you'll reduce the flow significantly. Also be sure to install a shutoff valve somewhere close to where it attaches to the tank.
 
Called Purtec. Waiting on the proposal now to establish service. I plan on going with the smaller tank since I reserve my weekends to work on cars. Unless there's an advantage of going with the larger tank?
 
Duy said:
Called Purtec. Waiting on the proposal now to establish service. I plan on going with the smaller tank since I reserve my weekends to work on cars. Unless there's an advantage of going with the larger tank?
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Bigger tank = more water created between replacement tanks and a bit lower overall cost per gallon. Other than that, not much.
If you tell them you aren't a mobil detailer and that you own your home and the tank will never be moved, they will wave the deposit. can't remember what it is for the smaller tank but for the tank Paul, Wills and I use, they wanted a $250 deposit.
 
Duy said:
Called Purtec. Waiting on the proposal now to establish service. I plan on going with the smaller tank since I reserve my weekends to work on cars. Unless there's an advantage of going with the larger tank?
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I had the exact same thought as you but let me tell you why you should consider the larger tank ( 14' vs 10' ).
1. larger tank has roughly 2.5x resin of the 10" tank
2. larger tank is only $25 more so resin unit cost is much less
3. you're paying the same monthly rental for either one.
4. larger tank will last longer, which means less hassle and the extra fuel surcharge associated with each delivery.

When I got the tank I was a little shocked that is was larger than I thought but I have it settled in a certain section of my garage and it's fine now. Plus, with this size tank I don't have to worry about being frugal with my DI water usage.
 
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