# Spotless Water Resin Vessel Review cw Photos



## PaulN

*Resin Update on page 4*

Hi All,

I finally took the plunge and got myself an 11l Resin filled vessel form Cleaningspot to help reduce or remove the water marking caused by our hard water. They have suggested as little as 500l per refill or as much as 5000l. With my water being hardesh its likely to be 1500 to 2000l of pure water.

Firstly thanks to Little John and Epoch for the advice over the past few days. :thumb:










Heres the 11 litre vessel which is about the size of a decent fire extinguisher, i would guess it weighs about 12-15kg when filled with resin. I also ordered a TDS Meter to see what my water actually was in terms of PPM or Parts per Million which is 1 Milogram per litre of contaminate.










I first took a reading of our water straight out the tap which gave a measurement of 305 ppm










Then with a Brita filter which was 240ppm not that great but tastes fine.



















Heres the cars prior to being snow foamed










One of my new toys.....










Just a little foam on the lower section, nothing less than full foam doesn't seem to cut it...










Thats better 

Now to pressure off the snow foam










Looks good Supernatural doing its job










Not so good, Possibly the snow foam not thick enough or the winter weather is playing its part on the LSP.

Anyway I give both cars a good wash using CG Maxi Suds and wash Mitt..... time to hook up the Vessel to the Pressure washer.










I gave it a chance to fill the vessel then put the jet on low but it dribbled out..... I was a little gutted to say the least Returns forms did cross my mind..










Not one to give up and remembering what Little John said about not hooking it up first :wall: i simply ran it into a bucket.. and took a reading.










The holy Grail! As Epoch calls it 0ppm..... So back up to the Pressure washer and all is well both low pressure and high pressure now produces plenty of streak free water...










After final rinse...........










Bit later 










Much Later :wall:but its looking good..










Boxster is tucked up in bed wet......... I nearly dried it off but thought think of the test!










The next day.










Now over night we had frost so not an ideal night to try this but ignoring the water marks caused by either the frost melting or me missing bits the overal finish was 90-95% streak free with the Boxster around 99% streak free.

Overal Thoughts:

The difference between rinsing with plain water and through the resin is gob smacking.... I will never worry about doing a quick evening wash or even a foam and rinse again.

Depending on the useful life of the resin and the fact it could still be good as much as 10ppm and give good rinsing this seems a great little system. I think it will actually help me as much in the summer than the winter. One thing i will say is i dont like walking away from the car wet, it was hard more so seeing the water freeze over which could and would have been removed normally.

Im going to keep track of how many uses it lasts and weather its for foaming and rinsing or just final rinising.

Hope this helps im not too great at write ups but fingers crossed it got the point across.

*NOTE: FIRST USE LEAVING WATER MARKS WAS A ONE OFF ISSUE...... NO PROBLEMS SINCE. I PUT IT DOWN TO BEING TIGHT RINSING OFF*

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Epoch

Proper write up Paul

Glad to see it worked out fine for you.

Water traps like mirror housings and boot gullies can often let the side down if not flushed through fully, but in this case as you say it may well have just been the overnight dew.


----------



## S63

Did you like me get a good soaking the first time you disconnected your hose from the vessel?


----------



## little john

The other thing to remember is that you didn't remove all the dirt from the car with a foam and rinse so anything that runs down the car in the rinse water will still spot but for a car that gets a mitt wash as well it will be left spotless.

A little trick I have used a few times when I just have low mains pressure use a short hose 1.5m at most, fill a few buckets with filtered water then fill the hose connect one end to the pw and leave the other end in the bucket, the pw will suck the water through from the bucket and you can see how little water you use for a rinse. I use about 20 litres or 2 buckets on a rinse.



S500 said:


> Did you like me get a good soaking the first time you disconnected your hose from the vessel?


YES! LOL I point it at others now or ask others to disconnect it.


----------



## PaulN

S500 said:


> Did you like me get a good soaking the first time you disconnected your hose from the vessel?


lol No someone warned me first but it did scare the hell out of me with the pressure when i took it off.........


----------



## ahaydock

Nice one - thanks for sharing.


----------



## hallett

looks like money well spent

quick question for you, is the fitting for the pressure washer kew/alto as i am looking to upgrade my kew washer to a nilfisk


----------



## PaulN

hallett said:


> looks like money well spent
> 
> quick question for you, is the fitting for the pressure washer kew/alto as i am looking to upgrade my kew washer to a nilfisk


Yes mate,

I believe it is the Kew/Alto as the pressure washer is Nilfisk-Alto

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## PaulN

Ongoing Update:

Seeing as theres been a few people buying these and others asking about them i kept a record and still will of every use.

So its the end of July and 4-5 ish months on.

I dont use the vessel every wash but sometimes use it for a pre-rinse and well as a final due to the heat and water marks.

Currently its still producing 0ppm and ive now plumbed it up out of the way. Im planning 2 3 ways valves to bypass the vessel when needed but currently i un hook the connectors and use a male-male adaptor.

Anyway like i said originally i think its just as important maybe more in the summer than winter!

Will update in aonther 4-5 months. with readings

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## ianFRST

thanks for the update 

i just need to find some spare cash to get a couple of these


----------



## Rob_Quads

Where did you get the filter from and what was the total cost?


----------



## PaulN

I got mine from here

http://www.cleaningspot.co.uk/acatalog/De-Ionising_resin_and_water_softener_resin.html

11l full is £105.80

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Christian6984

looks good, now with a black car gonna have to get one of these, does it just get attached after the tap and then run another lenght of hose on the other side, and take it from the pics it can be attached after a PW?


----------



## imattersuk

I've got one of these and it works really well but I found one problem, if you don't turn it upside down and empty any residual water out of it then it stinks, like rotten fish, must admit that was with the first few uses and since then it's been ok.

Don't know if the problem has gone because i'm emptying it every time now or because the resin is starting to go off ?

Anyone else had a similar experience ?


----------



## minimadgriff

I find its best to empty it anyway and it makes the resin last longer 

The ONLY time I dry my car now is if im going to be apply something to the paint, other than that its just rinsed with the vessle


----------



## Rundie

minimadgriff said:


> I find its best to empty it anyway and it makes the resin last longer
> 
> The ONLY time I dry my car now is if im going to be apply something to the paint, other than that its just rinsed with the vessle


What length time, how many rinses before they need refilling?


----------



## PaulN

Christian6984 said:


> looks good, now with a black car gonna have to get one of these, does it just get attached after the tap and then run another lenght of hose on the other side, and take it from the pics it can be attached after a PW?


It should be attached after the tap but before the PW. Dont have to too far away from the PW or you will be wasting filtered water.

Funny enough ive just noticed a slight fishy smell, but nothing before and ive never drained it off at all.

Have to say im using it more and more now with the full sun it gives me some extra time to dry the car off. I do think washing in full sun will always lead to slight water marks but drying the car is a dream after rinsing with the filtered water.

Have to admit got lazy and with rushing to get the 2nd car done i pressure and foamed the boxster via the vessel! Filtered water for the arches too lol

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Perfezione

whatwould be the advantages of getting the more expensive 11l vessel over the 4.6l one? is it just that as it has more substrate inside it will last longer?


----------



## PaulN

Yeah 11l is recommended if you cant stretch to 16l.

IMO 11 is just right.


----------



## Perfezione

11 it is then!


----------



## PaulN

Update 18-12-09

Been using the filter recently with switching from ONR back to a standard shampoo and as I said before am keeping track of everytime i use it.

Checked the PPM last week and its still 0ppm! So people worried about leaving water in the vessel when not in use dont it doesnt seem to effect the life.

Well Anyway Yesterday ... my birthday :thumb: the freelander was pretty dirty and i thought a quick wash was in order. So pressured the car down with normal water washed with BTBM and the heavens opened and im in a snow storm.!! Quickly switched over to the vessel and rinsed the car down. 

I checked the car later and all was well with no water marks and only the roof frozen! 

When I get a chance Ill try and measure the amount of water used on one car via the vessel so I can work out how many litres ish ive just with it.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Ebbe J

Thanks for sharing! *Mods, how about moving this one to the review section?*

Would like one of those too, we have extremely hard water in my area. You really have to either blow or dry everything off, or else it would leave marks.


Kind regards,

Ebbe Jørgensen


----------



## PaulN

*22-02-10 Over a Year on update*

Well Ive been keeping track of every time ive used the vessel since new!!!! Wife thinks im mad neighbours already think im mad but its interesting to see how long the resin lasts.

Now bear in mind i didnt use the vessel too much to start with fearing the resin would be dead pretty quick... Then came the summer and ONR and less need to use it.

Ive recently been battering, many times in the past few months have i washed the cars over only for it to start freezing so decided to quickly rinse off and leave. Also a mid week wash is possible as who wants to dry the car off in the dark and cold...

So Friday I timed all the different processes to work out how much water has passed through the resin so far.

Snow Foaming = 30 seconds of constant use
Pressuring off (including arches) = 2 Minutes of constant use
Final Rinsing = 1 Minute of constant use.

The Nilfisk E140 has a flow rate of 500 litres per hour so thats 8.33 (call it 8.5) per minute. Im going to double check this by timing filling a 12 litre bucket, but it seems about right.

Bit scary thinking i use 30 litres of water min to foam, pressure and rinse not including buckets!!!!

Anyway ive checked and the resin is still reading 0ppm and ive use *530 litres* of water through my 11 Litre Vessel so far. 500 litres is the worst case i was told for hard water of around 350-400ppm so im just past worst case.

Hope someone finds this of help... lol

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## ads2k

Thanks for taking the time to update the thread Paul :thumb:, possibly looking to take the plunge this year on one of these to replace my soon to be done Aquagleam. It's done a great job over the last 16 mths (the larger 30ppm one, which I measured is putting out 25ppm). 

So was interested to see how you've got on.


----------



## GlynRS2

That is pretty impressive that it is still putting out 0ppm. It will be interesting to know when the ppm start to rise.


----------



## estoril

I have just bought an 11l vessel to replace my aqua gleam which dissapointingly is now showing 79ppm and it's showing (byt the colour change) that's half used.

What I have done to make best use of both (I was tempted to throw the aqua gleam away) is to connect the aqua gleam in front of the 11l vessel so that it pre-filters the water and hence I'll get most use out of both!

I only use mine for the final rinse, our tap water is in the 380ppm range :-(


----------



## PaulN

estoril said:


> I have just bought an 11l vessel to replace my aqua gleam which dissapointingly is now showing 79ppm and it's showing (byt the colour change) that's half used.
> 
> What I have done to make best use of both (I was tempted to throw the aqua gleam away) is to connect the aqua gleam in front of the 11l vessel so that it pre-filters the water and hence I'll get most use out of both!
> 
> I only use mine for the final rinse, our tap water is in the 380ppm range :-(


That is a great plan, hope it doesnt hurt the flow rate though.

Trust me in time you will be using it for more the final rinse if its via your Pressure Washer.

Cheers

PauLN


----------



## estoril

Paul,
Doesn't seem to affect the flow rate at all, there's enough capacity in the vessel and AG to cpe with the relatively low flow rate demands of the pressure washer.

Cheers,
Darren.


----------



## estoril

It's also worth mentioning that if anyone uses a dehumidifier in their garage for their pride and joy that it's worth collecting the water for rinsing purposes if you don't have a filter beacuse the water derived from these is only about 010ppm which is very low.........


----------



## estoril

Quick update, I have been using the aqua gleam in front of the DI Polisher to get the most out of the filtering before throwing away the aqua gleam. I tested the TDS of the aqua gleam yesterday and it's showing 574!!!

Thats 200 over the tap water going in!

I re-tested it today and its the same.....

This seems weird to me, the solids must be getting "re-dissoved" and going back into the water coming out.....anyway, it's going in the bin today.


----------



## GlynRS2

estoril said:


> It's also worth mentioning that if anyone uses a dehumidifier in their garage for their pride and joy that it's worth collecting the water for rinsing purposes if you don't have a filter beacuse the water derived from these is only about 010ppm which is very low.........


This is what I do. I am able to keep a 25l plastic jerry can topped up quite easily. :thumb:


----------



## PaulN

*UPDATE 21-06-10*

Well ive been using the resin vessel more and more and knowing Ive got a fresh batch of resin ready to replace my existing stuff has made me a little lazy while using it.....

I have to say ive been using the water for wash buckets recently as it more or less removes most streaking. Im also using it for pre-rinse and post-rinse.

since the last update ive used another 306 litres and started to notice a slight fishy smell!!!! Ive taken readings and its now 10-12ppm with the TDI so its now come to the end of its usefull life. The fact im drying with a towel sometimes means I can still use it for a little longer!!

*Total Usage: 836 litres*

Ill keep you updated when i finally change the resin.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Ebbe J

Thanks for the update Paul, very useful.


Kind regards,

Ebbe


----------



## Guest

How do you refill the resisn?


----------



## WashMitt

beutifull really nice


----------



## estoril

matt1263 said:


> How do you refill the resisn?


You just buy a bag of resin (approx £65 and does about 2 and a half refils I think), empty out the old resin and refill it....simples....


----------



## PaulN

*30-07-10 Update!*

Thats it folks, the resin smells very fishy when i use it now, the wife was a little concerned the other day and came out to see what the smell was!:wall:

Ive gone halfs with a mate and im picking my new resin up later today.

Im also going to sort the 3 way valves either side of the vessel to make changing over from filtered to regular water easier.

Ill take to final PPM readings and post them up when i get a chance.

Hope this has been interesting to people thing about getting a vessel and the costs involved.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## PaulN

Right then cant leave this alone...... lol

I replaced the resin at the weekend so thought it might be interesting to post some photos and a quick how to.

So thinking ahead i decided to drain the vessel as my mate said the resin goes everywhere and you need to drain it anyway....

Finally reading, no wonder it was marking!!!










Got the top unscrewed..










Heres the resin..... its like sand when spent, the new ones were more like tiny balls going everywhere!!!



















Now i soon found filling the vessel with water and tipping the resin into a couple of pastic bags work well, my mate used an old towel though.

3 washes later....










The resin was a mare to get in. I would suggest a large funnel and a plastic cup with a handle...... Thin gloves too as it gets everywhere.

Finally let it run a bit and there we go....










Good for another 18 months.....


----------



## robertbentley

That's really interesting reading.
I've always fancied one of these, but I've never taken the plunge. BUT the other day I spotted one of these vessels in the doorway of a shop, and the owner told me it was heading for the bin, so £5 later and it was mine. She told me it was used to stop their coffee machine scaling up, and it was 2/3rds through it's usual life, so it may last a while before I need to refill it. I'll buy a TDS meter and see what the readings are.
Can you please let me know how you plumbed it in ? I currently have my pressure washer inside the garage (thread here)

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=86007&page=3

but I'd like to be able to switch the existing outside tap to "normal" or "0ppm water" - any tips ?

Cheers
bob


----------



## PaulN

*Update 31-01-11*

Second Batch was not great, started showing signs of degrading around November and for what ever reason Is now about dead. My mate thinks its purley down to the weather and stupid low temps even effecting it in the garage but i think the quality wasnt great from the start.

Anyway Last week i ordered the resin from cleaningspot who first supplied the filled vessel and will be changing it over in the next week.

Cant wait to use the vessel with new resin in!

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Ebbe J

Hi PaulN,

Thanks for the updates. Could you tell me what make the last batch you got is?

I've been trying to make a choice when it comes to these filtration systems.. Can't make up my mind though. You wouldn't happen to know anything about those Carbon/sediment filters, I've seen a 'kit' at cleaningspot where it's mated with a filter like yours. I think they don't need replacements, the filter element can be re-used again and again. As far as I'm told, they can't do 0ppm water, but using one with a filter like yours should make it an easier job for the ion-exchange resin in the vessel, which 'should' make it last quite a bit longer. 


Kind regards,

Ebbe


----------



## PaulN

Ebbe J said:


> Hi PaulN,
> 
> Thanks for the updates. Could you tell me what make the last batch you got is?
> 
> I've been trying to make a choice when it comes to these filtration systems.. Can't make up my mind though. You wouldn't happen to know anything about those Carbon/sediment filters, I've seen a 'kit' at cleaningspot where it's mated with a filter like yours. I think they don't need replacements, the filter element can be re-used again and again. As far as I'm told, they can't do 0ppm water, but using one with a filter like yours should make it an easier job for the ion-exchange resin in the vessel, which 'should' make it last quite a bit longer.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Ebbe


Your right about putting a pre filter in the line to make the resin last longer but i run mine through my Pressurewasher so additional filters will only reduce the mains pressure.

Its their own 25L Cedelite highest grade Virgin mixed bed DI resin. If its as good as the stuff they prefill i will be very happy.

My adivce simply get the vessel and resin and see how long the first batch lasts. You can always add extra filters but i think replacing the resin is the most cost effective.

PaulN


----------



## npinks

Read this report with great interest last night:thumb: Come the summer i might be investing in one

what i can't work out from your picture is what is the silver fat tube with red ends on the pressure washer tube in this picture


----------



## PaulN

npinks said:


> Read this report with great interest last night:thumb: Come the summer i might be investing in one
> 
> what i can't work out from your picture is what is the silver fat tube with red ends on the pressure washer tube in this picture


lol I had the original standard hose on the E140 which was getting marked up on the edge of the garage wall.....

The Silver pipe was just to protect the hose!!!! I finally upgraded to a superflex braided hose.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## npinks

Thanks

Could you PM me the details of the superflex hose? I have the same PW and this could be useful to me too


----------



## Richf

Just taken the plunge myself , same set up as you did (thanks for the thread)

Water marks are a real problem for me in the summer 

Water reading out of the tap was 360ppm 

After the resin vessel its down to 006ppm

I will test again after a bit of use


----------



## PaulN

npinks said:


> Thanks
> 
> Could you PM me the details of the superflex hose? I have the same PW and this could be useful to me too


You have to purchase them from Nilfisk direct and the process wasnt quick... lol


----------



## Reflectology

I had one of these and no issues with it whatsoever, I loved it, until Mr Frosty caught hold and it cracked, so new one needed but these are so much better than RO systems in the way that there is no waste and are portable.....


----------



## Richf

Update after the first use its dropped to 0ppm

Washed my race blue octy and BMP Superb and left them to dry , felt very wrong but not a mark , top product


----------



## PaulN

Resin Update 04-04-11: 

Second batch of replacement Resin changed at the weekend. And not a moment too soon. Suns was out most of my wash day friday and it started getting tricky.


----------



## robertbentley

I still haven't bought any resin for my vessel, I'm gonna stick it on ebay in a minute.


----------



## Ebbe J

I finally bought an 11 ltr vessel, 25 ltr bag of Tulsion resin and a TDS meter, cleaningspot.co.uk say that I'll receive it in the middle of the coming week. 
Looking foreward to trying it. 

Kind regards,

Ebbe


----------



## Ronnie

just wondering the cost on these!


----------



## robertbentley

Vessel is about £70, and a bag of resin is another £80 which will fill it twice.
Then you need a TDI meter to measure your water, so you can tell when it is working well, or not, approx £15 on ebay.


----------



## Ronnie

cool many thanks!!


----------



## carlblakemore

Paul,
Which is the right resin to buy when getting it then so it is the same great results you had with the first lot of resin it came prefilled with? Hoping to order on this week
Thanks
Carl


----------



## Spoony

Wonder how hard my water is in bonnie scotland. I don't seem to suffer from water spotting.


----------



## PaulN

carlblakemore said:


> Paul,
> Which is the right resin to buy when getting it then so it is the same great results you had with the first lot of resin it came prefilled with? Hoping to order on this week
> Thanks
> Carl


Best thing to do is ring up and speak to them. But i was told to get this which is cheaper than some of the others.

25L Cedelite highest grade Virgin mixed bed DI resin
RRP £69 - you save 11%

Price: (1 item) £61.19 (£73.43 Inc VAT)

25L Cedelite highest grade Virgin mixed bed DI resin

Let us know how you go on.


----------



## paulmc08

Ronnie said:


> just wondering the cost on these!


A company called "Sure Clean" in Omagh,will sort you out Ronnie


----------



## ozzy

Question for you all, why don't you wash out the resin with a saline solution to remove the collected hardness! i don't want to advertise here but i sell and install water softeners, what you are using is a part of one, it just needs manually regenerating!
Better still why not install a softener into your house and have the benefit of soft water 24/7, if you need help :thumb:


----------



## Audriulis

OZZY, I think we need a bit more info about how to wash out the resin with a saline solution to remove the collected hardness, and first how to make that solution, is it salt and water only or something else, and how much it would cost to install a softener into hose, and how long it would last if you would wash your car once a week?


----------



## The Cueball

Spoony said:


> Wonder how hard my water is in bonnie scotland. I don't seem to suffer from water spotting.


It's more a Southern England thing IIRC....



> In the Lake District and most areas of Scotland, the water is soft because it is mainly drawn out of surface water and the contact time between water and earth is short. Additionally, there is not much chalk in the soil to be dissolved. In the South East of England, there is a lot of chalk and much of the water is pumped from underground where there has been a longer contact time, hence, the water is hard.


Looks like a nice set up and solution you have there Paul....

:thumb:


----------



## ozzy

Here is a map of the hard areas. :thumb:
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/_assets/media/Hard_Water_Bro_16-3-09_12PP.pdf


----------



## carlblakemore

will give them a call next week and have a chat, but interested to hear about recharging the media before i buy the filter and a huge bag when i dont need it!!!


----------



## james_death

Most of our water is bore holes so very very very hard...:lol:


----------



## carlblakemore

Have ordered an 11l unit tonight, from discussions with them over the past few days i am going to be running my water through the unit at low pressure into some 25l containers and then using the pressure washer to draw the water from them. The slower the water runs through the unit the better the results will be according to them. Cant wait to have a play with it next week now!!!


----------



## PaulN

carlblakemore said:


> Have ordered an 11l unit tonight, from discussions with them over the past few days i am going to be running my water through the unit at low pressure into some 25l containers and then using the pressure washer to draw the water from them. The slower the water runs through the unit the better the results will be according to them. Cant wait to have a play with it next week now!!!


Good plan, a 25l should get you through one wash if you used it like me. In the summer i use it for the whole wash routine as water mark reduction is more important than the cost of resin. I even use it for the wash and rinse water.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## carlblakemore

I have 3 25l containers here anyway so could use it for everything if i needed to!
Just had an email, its with the couriers and will be delivered by 1600 tomorrow! Just need to wait for the TDS meter before i start playing with it!
Streak free washing here we come!!!


----------



## Ninja59

had mine for 2 weeks now and it erm is excellent i did get soaked by the pressure the first time though i wont be repeating it....got it down between 0-2 ppm now reg. also found everything with a lot more suds :lol: could not resist using it for filling buckets once :lol:

also totally refilled my washer bottle with DI and washer fluid found it far more effective and no streaks! now i can use the washer fluid without a heart attack of do i don't i :lol:


----------



## carlblakemore

never throught of washer bottle, good call will be flushing mine and refilling with DI water!!


----------



## Ninja59

carlblakemore said:


> never throught of washer bottle, good call will be flushing mine and refilling with DI water!!


i just thought what an ace idea one morning only downside is you have to keep a bottle big enough you look like dope filling it otherwise....but have a spare 5ltr one hanging round cleaned it all up refilled 0 ppm and another at 2 ppm :lol:

had a great laugh emptying mine as i was re doing the car so just held the lever for 20 secs at every possible angle car covered in washer fluid :lol: what a mess but worth it...i was re doing it anyway :lol:


----------



## carlblakemore

Have tested the tap water and it's 333ppm here!! This resin filter will have it's work cut out!!


----------



## ozzy

Audriulis said:


> OZZY, I think we need a bit more info about how to wash out the resin with a saline solution to remove the collected hardness, and first how to make that solution, is it salt and water only or something else, and how much it would cost to install a softener into hose, and how long it would last if you would wash your car once a week?


Sorry guys i missed this this post :tumbleweed: if you can imagine now a water softener works, it draws brine and passes it through the resin, then rinses it self through with clean water. This removes all the hardness collected! 
Now if you can do that your self with your cylinders, you will extend the life of the resin, de-solve some softener block or tablet salt in water and some how pass it through the inlet, via gravity? then rinse it through, job done.
Resin in a water softener will last 20 years and will have thousands of gallons of water passed through it, as it is just washed through! so is you can do it have a go :thumb: or better still i will sell you a softener instead :detailer: job done.


----------



## PaulN

Hi All,

Well Im either using my resin vessel too much or our hard water is killing my resin as im at 120ppm since last changing the resin.

I thought stuff it try the salt water and mixed up a 9 litre bucket with dishwasher salt and warm water and filled the vessel with dying resin and lfet for a few hours.

I spoke to Ozzy and he suggested rinsing rather than leaving over night but my readings were still 440ppm.

Tried again to rinse out the vessel and im still getting around the 400ppm but will draw larger amounts of water through the vessel via my pressure washer.

It does look like this resin cant be recharged though. Ill keep the resin and do a full bucket and proper rinse at a later date.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## PaulN

PaulN said:


> Resin Update 04-04-11:
> 
> Second batch of replacement Resin changed at the weekend. And not a moment too soon. Suns was out most of my wash day friday and it started getting tricky.


4 months only out of my resin......... IMO Still worth the cost even if i get through 2 batches of resin in 12 months thats about £6 a month.....


----------



## carlblakemore

has anyone successfully recharged these resin units yet??


----------



## Gizmo68

ozzy said:


> Question for you all, why don't you wash out the resin with a saline solution to remove the collected hardness! i don't want to advertise here but i sell and install water softeners, what you are using is a part of one, it just needs manually regenerating!
> Better still why not install a softener into your house and have the benefit of soft water 24/7, if you need help :thumb:


Sorry to go OT but we had a Harvey's softener fitted at the beginning of the year, however it was installed AFTER the outside tap (so outside tap is un-softened water) if I re-plumbed it to include the outside tap then how much extra salt would it use running a typical jet wash once a week on two cars?
Currently we use 2 Harvey salt blocks every month / 5 weeks.


----------



## Lemongrab

Erm, please excuse me, but...


----------



## PaulN

MitsuHonda said:


> Erm, please excuse me, but...


I got the wife to take the photos... i was naked behind her! :doublesho


----------



## pvr

If I am going to use this for final rinse only, is there a benefit in buying a bigger unit over a smaller one?


----------



## ozzy

Gizmo68 said:


> Sorry to go OT but we had a Harvey's softener fitted at the beginning of the year, however it was installed AFTER the outside tap (so outside tap is un-softened water) if I re-plumbed it to include the outside tap then how much extra salt would it use running a typical jet wash once a week on two cars?
> Currently we use 2 Harvey salt blocks every month / 5 weeks.


Hi Gizmo, do you know what capacity softener you have? Is it an 800 ? 
As a rule of thumb you will use 1 block per person per month.
If it is an 800, it will regenerate every 400L of water used and every regen will use 300g of salt. 
If you do the sums you will get 26 regens out of a pair of blocks and that works out at 19p per regen. 
So if you look at that you could use 400L per wash it will only cost only 19p!
I have used a softener for years on the outside tap and sometimes I do hear mine regenerate twice on a Sunday :detailer:
If I can be of any more help let me know.


----------



## pvr

Does the water softener generate the 0 ppm?


----------



## Richf

Richf said:


> Just taken the plunge myself , same set up as you did (thanks for the thread)
> 
> Water marks are a real problem for me in the summer
> 
> Water reading out of the tap was 360ppm
> 
> After the resin vessel its down to 006ppm
> 
> I will test again after a bit of use


Fishy smell has started so will change the resin thats almost 12mths exactly


----------



## Richf

FWIW we used to have a water softener and it wasnt up to much


----------



## pvr

12 months sounds like good value for the product. 

How much water have you used - at a guess? Or how many washes did you manage etc.


----------



## atomicfan

Paul, how does your resin last?

Mine died after 4months and probably less then 500l.

Whilst filling a bucket the resin came out. It was very strange.

Iam now to buy some new resin and want to know which i should take.


----------



## PaulN

Hi,

I got Total Usage: 836 litres from the first batch which was maybe 16 months. Next batch died fast id say yours has been hit by the bad weather and would suggest the next refill would see you alot longer. btw 500l in 4 months?? You not watering the plants with it are you?

Also the resin coming out isnt right, id guess the shaft or end top hat inside the vessel may have come lose as the resin souldnt beable to come out.

Paul


----------



## Richf

pvr said:


> 12 months sounds like good value for the product.
> 
> How much water have you used - at a guess? Or how many washes did you manage etc.


We have 3 cars and I do another 3 on a fairly regular basis so i expect it works out to 50 or 60 washes


----------



## Winston

Does anyone with a 11L vessel need any new resin soon? I have just got a 16L vessel and would like to split a 25L bag, 10/15 to help save costs...

Anyone interested?


----------



## DavidN

How much are you all paying for resin? Cos 60quid a bag is roughly the going rate.25l that is.

Im a window cleaner so i produces 1000s of litres of pure water a week. my resin lasts me 6months on average, but i pass water through a 10" carbon filter a 10" sediment filter the a 40" industrial RO unit. then its down to about 25ppm before it hits the 25l resin vessel so it lasts longer considering 25l gets me about 52,000l of water. if any one lives in the north east i sell water if you have the means to transport and store it. 

Pure water is the bees knees. when snow foaming the purer the water the batter the foam as the minerals and particals inhibit bubbles forming. plus if you can afford to i would use it at every stage of the detailing process.


----------



## Winston

About £75 for 25L - http://www.*****.co.uk/resins.htm


----------



## carlblakemore

where abouts in the north east mate?


----------



## Diaspora

Hi, I've been reading this thread and others about water filtering/purifying and at risk of asking a silly question, I just want to make sure....

Does this remove the need to use drying towels? So, no streaking, no inflicting swirls etc? Just rinse and leave it? If so, I'm ordering today!


----------



## nortonski

Diaspora said:


> Hi, I've been reading this thread and others about water filtering/purifying and at risk of asking a silly question, I just want to make sure....
> 
> Does this remove the need to use drying towels? So, no streaking, no inflicting swirls etc? Just rinse and leave it? If so, I'm ordering today!


That's just about it fella, it's awesome!

Mines just given up the ghost with a high TDS reading, lasted 3 years though & never touched the cars with a towel in that time! I find it great, rinse & leave to dry spot free...can't beat it! I bought my refill from *****

This is one of THE detailing products I couldn't be without!


----------



## pvr

Agreed, having tried other products that lasted about 5 washes, the DI resin vessel has been by far the best one. Great to just rinse (sheet the water, not spray) the car and let it dry by itself or use a blow dryer on it.

It is amazing to see that despite best careful efforts, you still see bits that you have missed whilst washing. If you had used a drying cloth, those bits would have become scratches.


----------



## Steve964

pvr said:


> Does the water softener generate the 0 ppm?


As above, does a water softener generate this?


----------



## DAQUA

Steve964 said:


> As above, does a water softener generate this?


A Water Softener will not generate pure water as all it is doing is softening water. It replaces Calcium with Sodium.


----------



## DAQUA

To any of those who have sent us a pm , sorry cannot read them as receiving a message saying I need to post more posts before I can view them !!!!!


----------



## pvr

With the refills of the sand, what exactly is the function of the filter that can be bought as part of the "refill package" ?


----------



## SAMBA VAN MAN

I live in Manchester

Is it worth me getting one of these vessels, We don't have hard water but i guess there are minerals in the water that leave spots if not dried. Whats your thoughts? I wonder if there is a group buy for these?


----------



## sunilbass

i got a slightly biger one last year...


----------



## nortonski

pvr said:


> With the refills of the sand, what exactly is the function of the filter that can be bought as part of the "refill package" ?


The refill is just the DI Resin, I'm just about to go through the refill process myself after about 3 years of spot free drying


----------



## SAMBA VAN MAN

So can i use this di vessel with my pressure washer and snow foam lance so it will be washed with snow and de ionized water?


----------



## SAMBA VAN MAN

Is it worth getting one for Manchester water? It is soft water but not sure to what degree?


----------



## SAMBA VAN MAN

Is there any particular end of the hose to put the bottle? Should it be tap, short hose, bottle, long hose.


Or Tap, long Hose, bottle on the end? 

I guess there it could be either way.


----------



## craigeh123

i like the wood on the garage floor !


----------



## Nally

love the floor in the garage


----------



## SAMBA VAN MAN

Well my bottle and meter arrived this morning. I have dipped my tap water and the reading is 036ppm so thats a good start.


----------



## craigblues

If you have high TDS you ideally should use a RO before the DI, otherwise the DI is working really hard and won't last very long.


----------



## trv8

There is no need to use purified water when using snow foam, or at the shampoo stage, as you are adding chemicals to purified water and defeating the object of using purified water in the first place.

You only need to use the purified water at the final rinse stage using a normal garden hose directly from the DI Vessel. 
Also, your resin will last much longer as you only need to rinse.


----------



## chowy

I live in Middlesbrough which I have looked up to have "moderately soft" water on the Northumbrian Water website. Still, if I don't dry the car using my mammoth I will get water spots, not helped by having a black car! I plan to go back to leaving the car after final rinse rather than using drying towels.

I used to use an Aqua Gleam in the past which lasted a good year before the crystals turned colour. Don't have a TDS meter so can't say how much it deteriated but I didn't notice water spots when car was dry after using an open hose.

Anyhow, I like the idea of re-fillable resins rather than replacing the whole unit with the Aqua Gleam and was thinking about using the Resin Vessels mentioned here and also get myself a TDS meter in the process.

As mentioned I will only use an open hose to do a final rinse and do not use a pressure washer so wondering if the 11 litre vessell is a bit over the top for using an open hose just for final rinsing?

PS I have 2 cars which I wash once a week on average


----------



## pvr

I have the 11 litres one and it lasts me between 6 - 9 months with a full load in there. Only used for final rinse and I would certainly not go for a smaller vessel.


----------



## Andyuk911

I have mine up and running now ... 19l used vessel from ebay and DI Resin MB115 from http://www.*****.co.uk/resins.htm

:thumb:


----------



## Andyuk911

TDS readings

Tap v bucket


----------



## Ducky

Finally got myself one of these (MB115 resin) - takes my water from 350ppm to 0ppm!

Washed and rinsed the car off today in direct sunlight, then left to dry - bingo no spots! (black car too)

Awesome! 

P.S. 11 litre is a good size, a smaller one means the water can pass through too quickly, and so not filter enough!


----------



## Andyuk911

For today .. I think one is essential ... I found the guy on ebay sold a 19 litre for the same price as the 11 Litre ... since I bought 25 litre of MB115 .. thought might as well go with the larger ... only downside is the weight .. but I only have to move it about 10 feet to the outside tap.:thumb:


----------



## davrob

Any of you guys that have a high tap water tds reading and use the di vessel alot you could buy another vessel so the tap water goes through 2 vessels.

Once you start getting readings above 10ppm you change the resin in the first vessel (the one that your tap water goes through first),you then make the vessel that was originally your second vessel the first 
vessel for the tap water,
so even though this vessel is reading 10ppm it will still be bringing the tds down alot from the tap water tds level.

So when the water goes into your second vessel it has had the tds lowered greatly so when the water goes through your second freshly changed resin vessel its going to last alot longer.

So every time your tds rises say above 10ppm you only change the resin in one vessel but swap over the vessels :thumb:

Hope this makes sense,this is what we do at work with a water fed pole system we have.


----------



## Andyuk911

Good idea ... now what might be interesting is to dump the spent resin in a salt 'bath' I wonder if that will regenerate it ??

We have the block salt for our water Softener .. which only costs £5 for two large blocks


----------



## N.wessie

Basically I bought a 11litre DI vessel, I tried it and when I check my car windows I get a lot of little water spots. This is with the final rinse, and I don't notice any spots on my paint (white and other car grey). Am I not using enough water on the windows to get rid of car shampoo? Shampoo seems to be gone, but, does it need more water? I even tried pre rinse and bucket full of DI water, with car shampoo and final rinse, still seem to get spots on car windows only? Btw it reads 0ppm. What am I doing wrong? water here is about 205ppm. Can anyone help, maybe it's the shampoo( kind of cheap one). any suggestions please. :newbie:

Oh and it's not connected to a pressure washer, should it be for better results? I now use a long hose that connected to the vessel.


----------



## PaulN

Im guessing your using it in this hot weather and finding slight marks on the windows?

I get this on the windows but a quick wipe and its fine, just imagine if you washed and rinsed your car with non filtered water... the water marks really dont come off!!!

If your resin is reading 0ppm i would worry too much and just you its as an excusse to QD the car after its dried.


----------



## N.wessie

PaulN you're correct, I live in southern Spain, so yes, it's hot. haha. Thanks, It was really annoying to still see water spots, even on 0ppm, now I know it's because of the hot weather. and should I just use a soft microfiber towel to wipe off the little spots on the window? Or some type of product? On the rest of the car if i notice any just quick detailer?


----------



## PaulN

If you can, just wipe over the windows with a microfibre while they are wet, if not just spritz a little QD.

Btw if you connect an open hose to your resin vessel and final rinse that way you may find little to no water marks even on your windows.


----------



## N.wessie

The hose is directly connected to the vessel, not using the pressure washer with it. Or would it be better to use the pressure washer? The hose that's connected to the vessel is quiet long(15 meters) does that matter, should be shorter?


----------



## Kevster184

Just had my 11litre vessel and resin delivered today.

Been following this thread for a while with interest.
Thanks Paul. I have OCD too!

Before I have a go, a few questions

1) The art of disconnecting without getting soaked?

2) Once wash complete, empty or leave water in? Who I bought from said leave in and just plug a hose from inlet to outlet.

3) I intend to use with my nilfisk C125.3 pressure washer. It says on it Q 5.8l/min min to Q 8.6l/min max. Assume this is water in. Will this be ok?

My relatives have a water softener in their house and we're told dont wash any car with it. It will strip any protection off, you might as well use fairy liquid!


----------



## fatdazza

Kevster184 said:


> Just had my 11litre vessel and resin delivered today.
> 
> Been following this thread for a while with interest.
> Thanks Paul. I have OCD too!
> 
> Before I have a go, a few questions
> 
> 1) The art of disconnecting without getting soaked?
> 
> Turn off feed tap into vessel
> turn on hose attached to outlet of vessel to allow pressure to release
> Disconnect hose from inlet
> 
> 2) Once wash complete, empty or leave water in? Who I bought from said leave in and just plug a hose from inlet to outlet.
> 
> Leave water in
> 
> 3) I intend to use with my nilfisk C125.3 pressure washer. It says on it Q 5.8l/min min to Q 8.6l/min max. Assume this is water in. Will this be ok?
> 
> not a great deal of need to use DI thru pressure washer. Just use hose for final rinse
> 
> My relatives have a water softener in their house and we're told dont wash any car with it. It will strip any protection off, you might as well use fairy liquid!
> 
> B/S


Answers in Red


----------



## Andy from Sandy

Once the main has been turned off I release the pressure by collecting the water into a container for use in the iron and other things.

As my vessel is in the garage I have bought a tank jacket and wrapped it up so it hopefully will not freeze in the winter.


----------



## Kevster184

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies guys!


----------



## Kevster184

So just gave my new 11litre vessel a go. Very impressed went from 265ppm to 001, that will do.

Only thing I found I got some resin come through on to the car.... god knows how it goes through the tiny slots.

I have high water pressure and had the tap on full and it comes out DI end under quite a strong pressure. 

Tried with the PW too, which put more resin on the car. So back to hose, I get some come through with a large bore setting on the hose spray. With the fine spray much less.... almost none now 

I'm thinking the pressure vs flow is forcing the resin through. ...????


----------



## uberbmw

how long does it last if you did a car a day?


----------



## fatdazza

Kevster184 said:


> So just gave my new 11litre vessel a go. Very impressed went from 265ppm to 001, that will do.
> 
> Only thing I found I got some resin come through on to the car.... god knows how it goes through the tiny slots.
> 
> I have high water pressure and had the tap on full and it comes out DI end under quite a strong pressure.
> 
> Tried with the PW too, which put more resin on the car. So back to hose, I get some come through with a large bore setting on the hose spray. With the fine spray much less.... almost none now
> 
> I'm thinking the pressure vs flow is forcing the resin through. ...????


High flow will not get the most from your DI vessel. The resin needs contact time with the water. Lower flow = more contact time = better removal of dissolved solids = longer life of resin.

A low flow from an open hose for the final rinse is all that is usually required :thumb:


----------



## fatdazza

uberbmw said:


> how long does it last if you did a car a day?


Depends on hardness of water and how careful you are with final rinse.

I have seen figures that an 11 litre vessel (containing 10 l of resin) can give about 500 litres with an input of 300ppm.


----------



## Kevster184

fatdazza said:


> High flow will not get the most from your DI vessel. The resin needs contact time with the water. Lower flow = more contact time = better removal of dissolved solids = longer life of resin.
> 
> A low flow from an open hose for the final rinse is all that is usually required :thumb:


Ok thanks. I'll turn the tap down next time and try it :thumb:


----------

