CR Spotless Water Systems

[Cruzscarwash]

those of you that are using this system, how many details do you think you are getting per refill?

im trying to decide if I should get this or try some sort of pump sprayer with distilled water in it.

I really just want a way to remove most surface dust and dirt before I start my washes on client cars. its so hot where im at that straight from the tap spots almost instantly, shade is not always an option for me.

 

[oldmodman]

Life span of the resins is determined by how "dirty" your water is. If your raw water has very low dissolved solids you may get 50 washes (or more) on a pair of resin cartridges. But with very high dissolved solid numbers you may start showing high numbers on the post filter water after just a few washes.

I have been using a sacrificial pre filter with my CR filters. It has greatly increased the life of my main big cartridges.

I went with the clear garden hose filter gh102 and the filter that says it is for car washing fc024. I replace the small filter cartridge filter medium every five washes. It holds about 1/5 the amount in the big CR filters.
Garden Hose Filters ? Pure Water Products, LLC

Several people on here have actually made their own, quite elaborate non mixed resin filters with separate anion and cation filter tubes. By splitting the filter media it is actually possible to re-energize the material. But it's not very safe to do at home. You need a laboratory rubber smock, rubber acid proof gloves, a facemask. And someplace your wife won't catch you doing it.

The best way to save money on the filter media refills sold here by AG is to wait for the best sale of the year and stock up.
CR Spotless Replacement Resin, deionization resin, di system resin

 

[zmcgovern45]

Buy an inexpensive TDS meter on Amazon (they're <$15) and test your water supply to see what your reading is.

Then use this chart provided by CR Spotless to estimate the amount of treated water you can produce based on the quality of the water source. Obviously the dirtier your water is to begin with, the quicker the resin will wear out.

 

[Jaddie]

The TDS meter I bought from Amazon says our water is 34 ppm, which means we have very clean water.

But it's over the limit of 20 ppm for spotless water, so I bought a CR Spotless system a couple of years ago. I replaced the resin after a year, but only because the replacement resin had an expiration date. I was at 0.04 on the CR Spotless TDS meter. CR Spotless says to wait until the reading is above 0.19 before replacing the resin. I estimate that I could get 18–24 months of service from one resin refill if I waited that long, which I plan to do now.

A CR Spotless system absolutely is the best drying aid, but it can't absolutely guarantee a spot-free finish. If there's a lot of dust or pollen in the air, those particles can land in the water droplets left on the car and leave spots. Also, if there's someone nearby using a blower to manage leaves and grass clippings, there'll be airborne dust and debris that can land into the remaining water droplets and leave spots.

So leaf-blowing in the fall and heavy pollen in the spring can sabotage what the CR Spotless system is all about. An enclosed garage is one of the best detailing tools ever invented, so if you'll just scoot your vehicle inside after rinsing it with a CR Spotless system, you should be left with a spotless finish without having to do any drying with a towel or blower.

I don't believe you need a CR Spotless system for prewashing. Consider prewashing with a rinseless or waterless wash.

 

[FrankS]

those of you that are using this system, how many details do you think you are getting per refill?

im trying to decide if I should get this or try some sort of pump sprayer with distilled water in it.

I really just want a way to remove most surface dust and dirt before I start my washes on client cars. its so hot where im at that straight from the tap spots almost instantly, shade is not always an option for me.

You will get more washes if you just use the CR Spotless for the final rinse.

 

[MTCarNut]

I have well water which is very high in Iron. I get around 120 PPM on the TDS meter. I use my CR unit from beginning to end of the wash, not just the rinse like many people do. I was surprised to get close to 20 complete washes out of a new resin pack. I won't wash a vehicle without it. Even at $150 for resin refills, it is worth it for the benefits of zero spots and no drying.

 

[zmcgovern45]

I have well water which is very high in Iron. I get around 120 PPM on the TDS meter. I use my CR unit from beginning to end of the wash, not just the rinse like many people do. I was surprised to get close to 20 complete washes out of a new resin pack. I won't wash a vehicle without it. Even at $150 for resin refills, it is worth it for the benefits of zero spots and no drying.

120 ppm TDS is quite low.

According to this chart...

... you should get around 300 gallons of treated water from the 100 gallon CR Spotless Unit and 700 gallons of treated water from the 300 Gallon CR Spotless Unit.

If you have the 300 Gallon unit, and you get 20 washes out of your resin, that would be 35 gallons of water per wash. That seems high to me, but I have never really thought about how much water I might be using, so perhaps it is right?

I mean I guess when I think about it, there is a lot of time spent pre-rinsing, rinsing away soap as I am working, and final rinse. My pressure washer claims 2 GPM, so that would be 17.5 minutes of rinsing... which still feels high... but maybe it isn't too far off.

That means you could get a TON of use out of your resin if you were only doing a final rinse which lasted say, 5 minutes (10 gallons) or less.

 

[Dandy98]

Great advice. I had been using it for prewash and rinse. Going to employee this idea on my next job. Thanks

 

[oldmodman]

To elaborate on my previous post.

I only use the filtered water for the final rinse. And even then it is hooked up to an electric pressure washer with the wide fan nozzle. And I do a plain hose water rinse first to wash all the residual soap off the car. The pressure washer CR filtered water final rinse just lets me take my time drying if it a hot dry day.

 

[MTCarNut]

120 ppm TDS is quite low.

According to this chart...

... you should get around 300 gallons of treated water from the 100 gallon CR Spotless Unit and 700 gallons of treated water from the 300 Gallon CR Spotless Unit.

If you have the 300 Gallon unit, and you get 20 washes out of your resin, that would be 35 gallons of water per wash. That seems high to me, but I have never really thought about how much water I might be using, so perhaps it is right?

I mean I guess when I think about it, there is a lot of time spent pre-rinsing, rinsing away soap as I am working, and final rinse. My pressure washer claims 2 GPM, so that would be 17.5 minutes of rinsing... which still feels high... but maybe it isn't too far off.

That means you could get a TON of use out of your resin if you were only doing a final rinse which lasted say, 5 minutes (10 gallons) or less.

I've seen that chart and originally was using the unit for the final rinse only. Problem I was having, especially on my Tundra which is huge and takes a while to wash, is that the unfiltered water would dry before I could finish. I would then be left with spots, especially on the glass. I live at 4K feet elevation and the sun gets pretty intense and doesn't leave much work time before the water evaporates. I may start doing the wash in the evenings when the sun is starting to set and that may leave me enough time to use the DI unit for final rinse only. Either way, for me it is money well spent.

 

[zmcgovern45]

That makes a lot of sense... we usually work with small cars, so keeping them wet isn't an issue. I also wash indoors, which makes a huge difference.

 

[Bobbykart]

Because Iam a tad bit AR(yes) I added a 3rd cartridge to my CR spotless system. I am just a hobbyist, wash my car maybe two or three times a year.i have only changed the resin one time. I believe that if you don't purge all the water out of the cartridge, it will break. Down faster. The system is a great one, I followed someone else's advice and just use it for my final rinse. Hope this helps...