This issue comes up from time to time in most detailing forums. So lets discuss the topic here, which covers amounts used, how water is dispensed, kinds of equipment used, no water washes...etc. I'll start. Richard (OctaneGuy) sells a battery operated, portable water sprayer. I wonder if something hand pumped could work for rinsing off soap? Mark
I've used a normal hand pumped garden sprayer many times to rinse. Slower than the nomad but works in a pinch. I use it when we have water restrictions so I can use rainwater from my rain barrel.
Paul, what kind of roof does your rain barrel get water from? I ask this because I worry about grit from asphalt shingles. I like the idea of using rainwater for rinsing though. You don't need high pressure to rinse, and a simple line filter would be all that is needed. Now if we could get Kenchan from that other site here, he could tells us about how rain washes his daily drivers:rolleyes5:ut::smilewinkgrin: Anyone though about using a distiller, no wipe drying Mark
Not just grit from shingles-what about the dust/dirt and other stuff that seems to end up on flat surfaces sitting outside. The grit from shingles might be heavy enough to sink in the barrel, but other dust and grit might not.
I have a nomad and love it since I live in an apartment and have no outside water access. For rain water collection I think something to trap grit in the bottom of the container like the dirtguard would help keep settled dirt from being mixed back up into the water and then an inline filter would make it clean enough for rinsing. I think it's a great idea, especially for when there's water restrictions. I've also heard good things about ONR (Optimum No-Rinse) but haven't tried it myself yet, maybe this winter.
My rain barrel has a tap that draws water from a few inches up off the bottom. I hear you guys' concerns... but in practice, the water is CLEAN. Never seen anything suspended in it. Stuff either floats or sinks. Has a fine screen on top to catch all the big stuff. The sprayer I use isn't gonna let anything pass big enough to matter for rinsing. And I use grit guards in the buckets. And, in practice, anything suspended in the rainwater is gonna be WAY less abrasive than the grit on my boot from driving, and the mitt has to wipe that off somehow with the help of the soap for lubricity... if the grit doesn't swirl my car, a little pollen in my water won't, either. IMHO. But, yep, you could always filter the water if you were REALLY nuts about it... I hate swirls... but I'm confident rainwater isn't causing them...
I guess your right, if your tap is not right at the bottom of the barrel, and you don't stir up the water, it should be OK. As I understand how soap works, it not only lubricates a surface, but it helps lift dust/dirt from the surface by attracting dirt, then suspending it off the surface. Maybe a chemist type could explain this better. Mark
as far as carwashing for me and the use of water, i rarely use enough water to have run-off go into the street curb. my driveway's not that long either... the trick is to use the proper nozzles that you can shut-off the water when not in use. For my dd's, I use the Griot's 9 position spray head with the soap dispenser built in. i can skip the shampoo bucket. For my hobby cars, I use a normal fireman's hose nozzle. i use a one-bucket method...(griot's bucket). the reason why i can get away with a one bucket method is... well, my cars are garage queens so they're not THAT dirty. :lol: For the most part Ive been using the Griot's SprayOn CarWash on my hobby cars the last several months. it's been great! now i dont need to worry about water left in the nooks and crannies...and it's rather difficult to swirl the finish if you use the right technique. it has super lubricity; so much safer than using just SprayOn wax or Hydro while you dry after, say a rain storm... or even the morning dew.