Hard Water

blacknblu

blacknblu

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Hello All – it’s been a very long time since I’ve posted, but I’ve recently acquired a new Tahoe (black), and this new acquisition has posed new obstacles in my detailing regime. Until now, I haven’t owned a black vehicle, and the challenges associated are bringing me back for the expert advice of this forum.


My first issue is that I have hard water, and if I don’t get the vehicle dried almost immediately after a wash, spots appear very quick. In the past, I’ve been able to get the vehicle dried in time, but this black Tahoe is proving to be a challenge. I also have 3 kids (and a wife who is in school full time), so time is of the essence. 14 hour weekends devoted to car care are a thing of the past, so I’m searching for some tips and tricks on how to reduce the time needed to remove these spots (hopefully by preventing their creation). What are some (inexpensive) effective solutions you have discovered?


Feed back please
 
A leaf blower works wonders for getting water off of a car. Outside of that, a giant waffle weave guzzler towel.
 
First and most obvious is to use a rinseless or waterless product which by their application method alone generally prevents drying on the car, and encapsulates and/or sequesters the hardness ions to some extent (I think) beyond that. (mix with distilled water from the supermarket for even more foolproof results)

The other is to get a CR Spotless Water Systems, deionization system, water de-ionizer, purified water systems, cr-spotless, spot free rinse, spot free car washing which can be a pain and used in a number of ways--for rinsing only, for washing and rinsing, or to provide DI water for the above rinseless/waterless.

JBL said:
A leaf blower works wonders for getting water off of a car. Outside of that, a giant waffle weave guzzler towel.
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Although I use a blower, I find that depending on vehicle color, temperature, wind, etc., it can still be easy to dry water on the car before you are done with washing.
 
use a quick detailer after the wash/blow dry with leaf blower it will take off all of your water spots. i love using optimum car wax sometimes it will be finicky and streak a bit make sure you do it out of the sun. another quick detailer i like is griots garage speed shine. its great! i usually wash the car, use a leaf blower to get as much water as possible off and go over the car with opt spray wax and boom, no water spots and a great finish.
 
Same problem, same post. My end result, I've moved almost exclusively to rinseless washes with my car. Currently using UWW+.
 
A few of the people that I did mobile details for had such hard water that there was a rusty color in the water in the wash buckets. The next time I took care of their vehicle I would get permission to drive it to the automatic touchless car wash as a first step in the process or ask them to run it through the day before I came to do the job. Most had no problem with this as I explained why and they know I worked on an hourly basis so a little time would save them some money. I then used ONR on the day of the detail with water that I would bring from home in gallon jugs.

For me, to prevent the associated problems with hard water is to not use hard water or to polish afterwards.
 
What about the “in line” filters for the hose. Has anyone tried those? Or would money be best spent elsewhere?
 
NoleFan said:
What about the “in line” filters for the hose. Has anyone tried those? Or would money be best spent elsewhere?
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Inline filters will only remove solids and if using charcoal filter it will remove smell and chlorine.
Only way to remove minerals is through water softener and RO system. One way is to buy cheap bottle water in gallons and use hand sprayer for final rinse wit about a cup of distilled white vinegar per gallon.
 
The best cheapest and easiest advice I have is get your wife to help you!:D
 
BMW said:
AG has an inline softening kit that works reasonably well...takes a lot of the hardness out, but will not allow you to let the water dry in place or it will leave some residue (most likely the salt ions that have been exchanged within the canister)

Clean Water Filter Kit, clear inline hose filter, car wash filter kit
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I really liked the looks of this at first glance, but if salt deposits are left behind instead of the usual mineral deposits, you still forced to make sure you either dry quickly or go back over with a QD etc? Yes? I would think that kind of defeats the purpose? Is there an advantage to leaving salt behind opposed to the typical residue should you not dry in time?
 
courtdale said:
I really liked the looks of this at first glance, but if salt deposits are left behind instead of the usual mineral deposits, you still forced to make sure you either dry quickly or go back over with a QD etc? Yes? I would think that kind of defeats the purpose? Is there an advantage to leaving salt behind opposed to the typical residue should you not dry in time?
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The salt residue seems to be easier to wipe off, and AFAIK, will not etch the surface if you leave it there. I'm not sure that this residue is actually salt, because it is only the sodium ions that are being exchanged, I think.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
The salt residue seems to be easier to wipe off, and AFAIK, will not etch the surface if you leave it there. I'm not sure that this residue is actually salt, because it is only the sodium ions that are being exchanged, I think.
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I agree with "Too Many Secrets"...I believe the Sodium residue is much much easier to wipe off and does not etch. True...the Chlorine may no longer be there and only the Sodium is left...not NaCL just Na...
 
I have used the inline softener for about 2 years now and it works great. I put some quick connects on it and use a lenght of hose from the hose bib to the softener and then a longer hose from there and just lay the softener on the driveway.

I recharge it with Potassium Chloride instead of Sodium Chloride because I didn't want salt sitting in the crevices etc that may not get dried although it is a very small amount. Potassium Chloride is used in water softeners all the time and works just as well. It will still spot if left to dry but the Potassium (or salt) does not have the scaling of the Calcium in hard water and wipes off easily once the towel gets damp.

Potassium Chloride cost a little more but a bag lasts a long time because you can re-use the tub of water and potassium to recharge the resin cartridges many times. Ace Hardware carries it. I use a larger plastic food storage container with a lid and leave my cartridges (2) sitting in the solution when not in use. I only need one cartridge to complete a wash but my water is medium hard. Very hard water may take two. Here is a capacity chart if you know the hardness of your water. Softener Cartridge Capacity – Pure Water Products, LLC

Here is a brief article that talks about using softened water for washing cars. Spot-Free Car Wash – Pure Water Products, LLC
 
Just purchase a whole house RO filtration system and plumb it in. Just make sure the spigot you use for car wash water is run through the house plumbing, and not straight from the street water main.
I takes chlorine out of the water so you don't have to worry it affecting you or your detailing equipment. It will also save the plumbing of the whole house, including your water heater. And a whole house system regenerates itself so all you do is add salt, if that for some newer systems. I am glad I got mine, just wish I had shopped around so I wouldn't have paid so much. If I buy another system in about 10 years when the filter median needs replacing, I will probably get a Kinetico system. Have thought about getting a DI filter for detailing but never have issues with my water to make it worth it.
 
buddhadog said:
The best cheapest and easiest advice I have is get your wife to help you!:D
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:iagree:

Thank you all for your advice! I would love to get a filtration system, but that'll take some time. I currently employ a leaf blower to dry the car (on of the best tips I ever picked up on the forum), but on warmer days, I'm just not quick enough to get the whole car done in time. Therefore, I've been following up my work with a QD before applying my sealant.

I've been a little apprehensive about using waterless cleaners due to the nature of the black paint. Doesn't it swirl the paint if there's a lot of dirt?

Thank you all for the feedback!!!
 
A couple ideas that come into my head are . . .
  • CR Spotlesswater
  • Leaf Blower
  • Metro Master Blaster
  • Dodo Time to Dry
  • Rinseless Wash
 
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