Foam Cannon - Deionized Water or Not??

[Daniellane]

Recently bought a Spottless Double Chuck Deionized water filter system.
Very pleased with the performance and ease of use.
My question is for those who use foam cannons.
Is it ok to use the ionized water for the rinse only?
Is their a significant advantage of running deionized water through the foam cannon?

 

[David.85D]

I would think about this the other way. You want the purest water for the rinse so you avoid mineral deposits (hard water spots).

If you are trying to save on deionizing costs, maybe use regular water for the initial rinse and foam and then the best water for rinse?

Of course, using the best water for everything would be superior

P.s. reading the post again, did you really mean “use ionized water for rinse” or deionized?

 

[boaterva]

I would think if you dry the car properly, with microfiber towels and all that, there’s little/no water left to spot. So the minerals or lack of same doesn’t matter. Perhaps in a car wash it matters?

I can’t see this for doing one car. And I thought yours was wrapped, like mine. Even easier to get water off, no?

 

[charlie755]

Made my own DI system & use it only during rinse. Normally use rinseless Garry Dean method but when car is really dirty & need to spray caked on dirt use the pressure washer & foam cannon with regular water & use DI rinse as last step. Nice to be able to walk away after the rinse. I don't have any ppf, just Collinite on top.

 

[Daniellane]

I would think about this the other way. You want the purest water for the rinse so you avoid mineral deposits (hard water spots).

If you are trying to save on deionizing costs, maybe use regular water for the initial rinse and foam and then the best water for rinse?

Of course, using the best water for everything would be superior

P.s. reading the post again, did you really mean “use ionized water for rinse” or deionized?

Typo: god catch. “Deionized”

 

[Brettski]

As @David.85D said, the purist approach would be to use the deionized water for each rinse, and that's what a pro-detailer would do on a high-end car. However, I've been getting away with using it for the last rinse only. We have exceptionally hard water in my area, and just doing the one DI rinse saves me from having spots, and also makes the resin in the filter last a lot longer. (I have a "Spotless" system).

@boaterva, the general principle is that you want to avoid rubbing your paint with anything at all. The less the water sticks and pools, the less you have to touch it to dry, and the less likely you are to have swirls and scratches.

 

[FlyF4]

As @David.85D said, the purist approach would be to use the deionized water for each rinse, and that's what a pro-detailer would do on a high-end car. However, I've been getting away with using it for the last rinse only. We have exceptionally hard water in my area, and just doing the one DI rinse saves me from having spots, and also makes the resin in the filter last a lot longer. (I have a "Spotless" system).

@boaterva, the general principle is that you want to avoid rubbing your paint with anything at all. The less the water sticks and pools, the less you have to touch it to dry, and the less likely you are to have swirls and scratches.

I guess we agree, yet by using microfiber towels, we have never gotten any swirls on any of our cars. We also don't use commercial car washes.

 

[boaterva]

As @David.85D said, the purist approach would be to use the deionized water for each rinse, and that's what a pro-detailer would do on a high-end car. However, I've been getting away with using it for the last rinse only. We have exceptionally hard water in my area, and just doing the one DI rinse saves me from having spots, and also makes the resin in the filter last a lot longer. (I have a "Spotless" system).

@boaterva, the general principle is that you want to avoid rubbing your paint with anything at all. The less the water sticks and pools, the less you have to touch it to dry, and the less likely you are to have swirls and scratches.

So you want to semi air dry it? Never heard of that, but if the water will evaporate more quickly without spots, I see the point. And if you have hard water, that’s definitely a factor.

 

[Brettski]

So you want to semi air dry it? Never heard of that, but if the water will evaporate more quickly without spots, I see the point. And if you have hard water, that’s definitely a factor.

I could have been much more clear.... sorry. Part of my comment reflects that I live in a warm climate, and half the battle is avoiding spots because the car tends to dry so quickly from the sun/heat. It literally dries before you want it to. That’s were the Di systems come in handy - any water that dries before you can get to it is at least low in minerals and doesn’t spot. It would only be in the winter that I’d have to do much towel drying and @boaterva and @FlyF4 are correct, a good microfiber can be used to dry without much concern for swirls. (It’s best not to use regular laundry detergent or softener on these towels - they lose their ability to absorb water)

There’s a technique the pros use where you basically use a “sheet” of DI water for the final rinse - you put your thumb against the end of the hose and put the water on low. If the paint is in good shape and has some good wax, you can basically sweep away large water deposits and leave very little.

Disclaimer - I’m not a pro, but I’ve read a lot, and enjoy keeping my cars like new. If you have the same disease as me, I feel sorry for you. If you can be carefree and use the car wash or other less-intense methods - consider yourself fortunate!!

 

[boaterva]

I could have been much more clear.... sorry. Part of my comment reflects that I live in a warm climate, and half the battle is avoiding spots because the car tends to dry so quickly from the sun/heat. It literally dries before you want it to. That’s were the Di systems come in handy - any water that dries before you can get to it is at least low in minerals and doesn’t spot. It would only be in the winter that I’d have to do much towel drying and @boaterva and @FlyF4 are correct, a good microfiber can be used to dry without much concern for swirls. (It’s best not to use regular laundry detergent or softener on these towels - they lose their ability to absorb water)

There’s a technique the pros use where you basically use a “sheet” of DI water for the final rinse - you put your thumb against the end of the hose and put the water on low. If the paint is in good shape and has some good wax, you can basically sweep away large water deposits and leave very little.

Disclaimer - I’m not a pro, but I’ve read a lot, and enjoy keeping my cars like new. If you have the same disease as me, I feel sorry for you. If you can be carefree and use the car wash or other less-intense methods - consider yourself fortunate!!

Sounds like a plan and I do understand the issue when you are where water almost jumps off the car after washing. In Virginia in the summer, no such problem.

 

[jmoran92]

what is the effect of deionized water to the motor/engine of the car?

 

[Daniellane]

what is the effect of deionized water to the motor/engine of the car?

Deionized water has no solids (salts, minerals...) which allows spot free drying.
It is possible that mineral thirsty water can damage some metals if left standing.
For example I had an RO filter system attached to a instant hot water dispenser that had a copper tank. It leached out a hole in the tank. Replaced it with a stainless steel tank to eliminate the issue.

 

[David.85D]

As an aside, most car makers want you to use deionized water when mixing with coolant for the engine internals - this avoids the minerals from tap water that would deposit on the internal surfaces and plug up narrow channels. In that case, there are enough other ingredients in the bottle of coolant (corrosion inhibits, water pump lubricants, etc) that you don't have to worry about the lack of ions causing metal dissolution.

In the summer, when I mix windshield washer fluid myself (without deicer), I also use deionized water to help dissolve minerals from road grime. For that, I add some appropriate soap (Nextzett Kristall Klar, at reduced concentration with deionized water).

 

[Buster1]

Just ordered a Double Chuck. I’m excited to try it! Lots of hard water here in Vegas and drying the car as fast as I can is always a chore.

I don’t use a foam cannon, but if I did I would still just use the DI H2O for the final rinse.

@Daniellane do you have any tips on using the Double Chuck, or storage? Do you have to drain it for storage, or anything else? Thanks.

 

[Silicon Desert]

I would think if you dry the car properly, with microfiber towels and all that, there’s little/no water left to spot. So the minerals or lack of same doesn’t matter. Perhaps in a car wash it matters?

I can’t see this for doing one car. And I thought yours was wrapped, like mine. Even easier to get water off, no?

Yup, my thought as well. Personally, I simply use one of those in-line mineral water filters on my hose for washing and rinsing and I don't get any spots during the process. Same filter I use to fill my hot tub with.

 

[bnsfengineer]

Just ordered a Double Chuck. I’m excited to try it! Lots of hard water here in Vegas and drying the car as fast as I can is always a chore.

I don’t use a foam cannon, but if I did I would still just use the DI H2O for the final rinse.

@Daniellane do you have any tips on using the Double Chuck, or storage? Do you have to drain it for storage, or anything else? Thanks.

I'm wondering how many washes you think 400 gallons would get out of each cartridge? $90 each time you have to purchase could add up but if you only wash once a week use 7 gallons it could last a year? Can you really just walk away after rinsing?

 

[Buster1]

Final rinse only, so about 2 gallons, maybe 3 tops. I expect to get a lot of final rinses with the Double Chuck.

 

[bnsfengineer]

Final rinse only, so about 2 gallons, maybe 3 tops. I expect to get a lot of final rinses with the Double Chuck.

Wow thanks for fast response can you really just walk away and not dry?

 

[Daniellane]

Wow thanks for fast response can you really just walk away and not dry?

Fantastic product!
I use it for the initial rinse, the foam cannon and the final using a using a pressure washer. Still on initial set of cartridges. So I have yet to learn how many washes I will get. I suspect plenty. Washing a Model S & a Model 3 almost weekly.
It takes a long time to fill a gallon jug with the pressure washer. So it really stretches the consumption. Don’t recommend using it without one.

 

[charlie755]

I'm wondering how many washes you think 400 gallons would get out of each cartridge? $90 each time you have to purchase could add up but if you only wash once a week use 7 gallons it could last a year? Can you really just walk away after rinsing?

Just a reminder you will likely not get 400 gal of DI water. You could get more or less depending on the hardness of your source water. The formula is 235,000 / Total Dissolved Solids(in ppm) X Volume of resin(in cubic ft) = Gallons of DI H20.

I've had my homemade system for over a year and have yet to change the resin, but I only use for final rinse and wash when necessary not on a schedule.