Moe recommended that when I wash my car, I should use a DI (deionized) water filter system. This way I can wash and walk away without worrying about hand drying and water spots. I ended up buying this cheap system at http://www.clear-rinse.com it was $80 so I figured what the hell might as well give it a shot...

they shipped it out very fast and i had in my hands within 3 days after placing the order. I just put it to the test today on my black 996tt. The photos below are after the washing stage. These pics are with NO wax, sealer, polish , etc. All I did was use a bottle of sonus car shampoo and a wash mitt. Then sprayed the entire car with the filtered water. No hand drying... this was on a hot day and the sun was beating down on the car. After about 15 min of air drying, I snapped these pics:

 

How the water flow through that unit?

So as I understand it, you washed it with regular water and rinsed with DI water?

I use a double DI unit on my reef tank.

So, do you just hook a garden hose to one side of the DI unit and the sprayer to the other side?

 

I'm interested to know the answers too. What system did you get?

 

its called the Clear-Rinse System. I bought it from the website I posted above. water flow was unchanged with the filter attached. Basically I rinsed the car down initially with the filter in bypass mode. Then washed the car with soap, mitt and regular water. Then as a final step, I turned the filter on and rinsed the car off one last time. I did pat down a few areas where water had collected very lightly with a microfiber towel. I then waited for about 15-20 minutes and snapped the pics. There were a few spots here and there, but more than 95% of the surface dried clear.

I needed two hoses. One from the house to the IN side of filter. Then another hose from the OUT to my sprayer. My only complaint is that the seals on the unit tend to leak and water occasionally sprays out where the hoses attach. Other than that, it seemed like a great system. Cheap, compact and effective. Next few washes will determine how long each filter lasts.

 

The car looks really good kayman. I'm curious to see how long the filter will last. Please keep us posted.

 

Teflon tape will fix your leak. Just wind a couple strands in the opposite direction of the threads and that will seal it up.

For those that are interested, you could probably build one of these for less than $40. I'm going to explore it this week. I have a water treatment store near my house and I'm going to check with them on prices. Based on what I spend on my fish tank DI units (which are price jacked because they say "reef" on them ), it should be pretty cheap. If you really want to save money, get a cartridge with replaceable resin. That is what I'm using now. If you can find a good medium size cannister with the medium serviceable cartridge, it should be even more economical. The trick is getting the right top with the hose bib fittings. I have the smallest twin units on my fish tank setup, and I don't think that would give enough flow or last long enough between resin changes. It would work, just would require more maintenance.

I always get a kick out of that really expensive version of this. Those guys are making a fortune. They do have a great marketing scheme though. The parts to make these are very very cheap. I have a big bag of DI resin sitting in my tank room looking for a project anyway

 

Another +1 for DI water!!

Is there a gauge on that unit that tells you when it's time to replace the cartridge?

Here's the one I use:



I got the DIC-20 (Moe sells them) which is mounted on a hand cart for portability. There's also a handy meter which shows the water quality and lets you know when the resin is no longer doing its job.

Moe also sold me full drum of replacement resin. Refilling the cartridges are a snap.

Since car washing is part of my weekly therapy, last thing I hate is having to wiat for the right time of day to be able to do it, and worse having to rush the drying process just to avoid water spots.

The unit is not exactly cheap, but for this obsessive fanatic well worth it!

Thanks again MOE!

 

That gauge you're talking about is a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter. It's about $20. They cheap. You can get them online or at your local high end salt water fish store. It's not necessary on the smaller clear cannisters as the resin changes color when it's exhausted. I use it on my reef setup as it's somewhat critical with what I'm doing.

 

theres no gauge on the one I got. But like deputydog said, the cartridge is supposed to change color once it's spent.

 

Hey dog, would love to see pics of your reef tank when you get a chance. I had a 150gl way back when; was thinking about starting one up using the newest filtration methods.

 

Sorry to take this slightly off topic, but DD you are into Reef Tanks also... PM me so am I...

 

I just ordered one of these. I will report back what I think.

 

I just ordered one of these also, we have three black cars with fairly soft water. I am excited about never having to dry my car again. It is like the Mr. Clean auto dry thing except it will not be a pain in the *** to use.

 

You guys are going to love using DI water and will never go back to normal tap or soft water. I'm just curious if the clear rinse system will perform over time. I've heard mixed reviews that it only lasts a few times. Curious to see the response from you guys.

 

the cartidge seems small so it will probably need replacing rather quickly. However, you can just recharge the unit or buy a replacement cartridge for fairly cheap.

I live in memphis why some say has the best water in the country. We have very few minerals in our water so i should get a good 15-20 washes out of one cartridge.