Product Review: CR Spotless Water De-ionizer System (Long Term Review)
by Greg Nichols
If time is money and/or water spots drive you nuts you need the CR Spotless Water De-ionizer System. I’ve had this system for 5 years now and it felt it was time for a quick update on the system. I previously did an article here on the system and you can refer to that for a quick overview of how to use this system and my thoughts on the initial use. Please refer to these articles before reading my update.
Questions Answered Directly From The Owner:
Early this summer I was in San Diego California for a quick trip with the family and drove out to the CR Spotless factory. I missed seeing the owner but wanted to get some questions answered that people often ask me. I’ve been chatting with the owner via email and got some questions answered that I would like to share.
- Can I run soft water though the system to help conserve my media?
- Most water softeners are sodium-based; therefore, they add more salts into the water, making it harder for the system to be used.
- What is the ideal PPM to change the Media?
- You should change the resin when the meter reaches 020.
- Can the media be recharged?
- We are looking into regenerating the resin in the near future; however, we currently do not have a way of doing so.
- Are all mix bed medias okay use in this?
- Although mix bed medias will work, they will not perform the same. Our medias are designed specifically for our use and provides the greatest yield.
- Is DI water harmful to metals? That might be in my pressure washer
- DI water is harmful to all metals that are not protected, meaning they have a coating or stainless steel. However, they are only harmful if they are in constant contact with that metal. Pressure washer pumps use the minerals in the water as a lubricating agent. If you run DI water and do not follow up with raw water for about 30 seconds to a minute, that pump will dry up and seize.
Changes In The Tanks Design:
The clear tanks inside the blue cylinders have been altered so you don’t have to use the metal washer inside. So if you get a new cylinder take out the metal washer before use. I’ve had some issues with the round filter inside the clear tanks breaking off, the new design was to address this and other minor concerns as well. In short, like the new tanks!
My Opinion After 5 Years Of Use:
I just love my system! When I get a chance to wash my cars its usually in full sun in less than ideal conditions. CR Spotless allows me to wash in these conditions and I don’t get spots. On mobile jobs I load up the tanks on wheels and go. I can wash 2-3 cars at once and don’t have to dry them because there is NO fear of spotting. My soap use is down as the DI water increases the effectiveness of the soaps also. My per use cost is like 1$ a wash now as I only have to pay for media! Again, I really enjoy the CR Spotless Water De-ionizer System and highly recommend it to anyone!
How many washes until you have to change the resin? Thats my only concern with this system. I dont want to be spending too much money on the resin. I wash my car 3-5 times per month. Thanks
Daniel,
The amount of output depends on the mineral content going in. With high mineral (TDS) you can still get 200 gallons a change. I use about 5 gallons per wash.
Cheers,
G
If I am using four 5-gallon buckets (2 rinse, 1 wash solution, 1 wheel) and a final rinse, it sounds like I’ll be going through a lot of resin quickly.
Mark,
You really only need the DI water for the rinse phase, unless you are working in direct sun I can see your point. I usually don’t fill my buckets full, 1 wash solution (3gal) 1 rinse (3 gal), and wheels I do with my left over wash water. I like my foam cannon because I use A LOT less water than what I stated here.
Hope this helps!
GREG
I was thinking of buying a spotless washer but no way will I guess what kind of water I am using and it sounds like the resin will be expensive to buy. To many things to think about as we travel in our motorhome and the water is different all over the country.
3 full refills for 155$ which is about 600gallons. That is time well spent
Greg
How many washes can you get with 600 gallons, about?
I should back up some.
The actual number of gallons you get depends on the starting hardness of your water. Mine is fairly hard so I get about 200 gallons per refill.
I use about 8 gallons per car wash but I’m triple washing and using it for pre-rinse, soap foaming, and final rinse.
Hope this helps.
I would guess that would be about 80 cents per car wash. That has changed my mind about the product.
Can you hot water through these?
I wash outside in the winter and then drive the car back inside because I do not have a floor drain.
I would not use hot hot water, warm should be fine.
OK, I learned a lesson! I did not replace the media last summer, but removed the 2 containers and ran without. Well, I spent most of today cleaning the swamp cooler! That was not fun! I am really sold on your product. Gonna order media today!
Rocky Bayless – Bishop, CA
No Nasties? What’s that white stuff I spent most of the day removing from my swamp cooler? That is NASTIES!
Rocky Bayless – Bishop, CA
I live in the mid west buying this was great till I realized the expensive the filters are, and they last maybe a year with light use.And can’t get a hold of any one from the no. on unit.Liked it for a while and now I would not recommend it to anyone.Buy a water softener and be done.
Thanks for sharing these articles, Keep publishing your content and publish new content for good readers.
When using the provided nozzle, I do not have real good pressure. Can I use a generic nozzle with the same result? Thanks
Thanks for reaching out! I recommend giving CR Spotless a call and their experts can help not only troubleshoot your unit, but suggest a new nozzle if that is needed. You can contact them here (https://crspotless.com/contact-us/).