I'm interested in getting set up with a pressure washer for my car, but I have hard water at home. As a result, I normally experience water spots when I wash the car. Is there some sort of solution I can use that will address the hard water issue and is safe for pressure washers?
Pressure washer recommendations would also be appreciated.
You can get demineralizers (I think that's what they're called) you run a hose into and out of that "softens" the water before it goes into the pressure washer. I'm not sure how much they cost, but people have asked I use theirs when I detail their car and they seem to work. Or just wash your car in the shade, keep it wet until your done and dry it with a shammy or microfiber cloths. Sorry I'm not really an expert on water quality but I hope I could help.
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Last edited by Bairdogg; 02-28-2017 at 08:53 AM. Reason: Typos
For post rinsing, you can try buckets of bottled water at those coin vending machines at only 25-30 cents per gallon, 5 gallons should be sufficient.
I have one of those mineral testers, only $10 off Amazon. Vending machine bottled water tests around 20 ppm (part per million) while my faucet water is about 450 ppm.
I would not pressure wash the BMW it forces water in to many areas that don't need it
Never used them but Griot's Garage has a few items to help with hard water
https://www.griotsgarage.com/search....d+water+filter
--Ken
Do you have a house water softener? I run my garage water through the softener and sediment filter.
ALL water can leave spots, unless you are running pure perfect water. Even then, if you are washing on a hot surface or in the sun, evidence of water droplets drying on the surface (aka water spot) will persist. The easiest way to avoid this is not to change the water, but to change the location and process of washing. Wash cold, indoors, out of the sun. Wash the paint last. Dry promptly. There are instances of extremely hard water, but you would have more issues than just water spots if that were the case. 90% of the time a change in regimen will reuce the potential for water spotting with no changes to the water.
Once the car is waxed, drying will go much faster. I'd recommend some good microfiber drying towels, use at least two, then use a leaf blower for crevices.
Pressure washing is fine. Electric pressure washers around 1800 psi and 3-5 gpm suffice for car wash duty. No need for excessive power (like a gas powered pressure washer). I have a Karcher from Amazon, nothing special.
Use the pressure washer for foaming (with a cannon), washing, rinsing, wheels, wells, etc. But I'd use the sheeting method for a final rinse to aide the water spotting with just the garden hose.
Sometimes a sprints of a quick detailer during drying helps clear up the paint.
Again I believe that there is no need for a pressure washer, it is to strong a pressure. Washs lube off brake calipers, gets in under body seals. As far as water a mobile detailed I heard on the radio used treated water
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