After doing much research and reading on various forums and car detailing websites, I concluded the CR Spotless Water System has to be what I was looking for. So off I went to order a system.
So you know what this is, it is a water de-ionizer. What that means in simple terms is that as the water passes through special resin, everything other than the H2O molecules are attracted to the resin and held. What comes out is mineral free water that won’t spot. It is the minerals in the water that will leave the water spots, so without minerals, no spots. No chemicals are involved.
Two of several CR Spotless models.
Hard Water Spot and Marks
So then becomes the issue…which one? They have a number of models and on some of the sites the information was different then it was on the manufacturers own site. (BTW…Made in the USA.) The information that was different was the number of gallons of water you could expect to be able to run through it before needing to replace the resin. Some sites state 200 gallons while another said 150 gallons for the same model.
Be it 150 or 200 gallons it is VERY important to note that this number is surely not an exact thing as that all depends on your waters current hardness. If you travel you surely know that water out west in places like Utah and Arizona is very, very hard. As such, you will go through the resin quickly. But in a place like upstate NY, it will last much longer as the water is great. (Though it surly still spots.)
I of course wanted to get the best use I could for such a large coach and ended up with the top model, the CR20. However, after receiving it, I quickly realized it is not something I can carry with us full time in the coach. (Oops!) As such, this CR20 unit will need to stay here at Southwoods RV Resort where we are most of the summer as we visit family and doctors. (We have a seasonal site we go and come from as we travel the upper areas.) As such, I am now going to need another smaller unit to travel with, for after using it, I know I can not be without it.
So, how well did it work? As I just mentioned, I now can not be without one when we travel. I knew it would work, but WOW did it work. On our coach it is easy to see spots seeing we are on the darker side. But by the time we were done washing the driver side of the coach and walked back around to the passenger side that was in the sun, it was already dry, and better yet, it was spotless! We had not touched it with a towel, squeegee or anything. Not even the windows had spots. It was great for it would have been at that time we would have started to dry it and spent at least another 1.5 hours on it.
Spry Wands
Now it is good to note a few things on how we wash our Tiffin Allegro Bus 45LP…
1) We use ONLY lambs wool pads on the coach when washing. Never a brush.
2) We use a mixture of 1 oz Baby Shampoo and 1/2 cup Food Grade Vinegar to 5 gallons of water.
3) Wet the coach with standard water a section at a time and then wash that section.
4) Rinse the section with the CR Spotless System. If you use it to wet it down, it runs through the resin and thus shortens the life of it. You only use it for the final rinse!!!
5) You will want a spray wand to help reach up as it will help greatly to get the upper areas rinsed.
6) If the TDS meter on it reads 20, stop rinsing as it is time to replace the resin. (It is good to keep some on hand.)
And last but not least, watch it dry. Really, I bet you will the first time. I admit, I kept checking. ;)
So, want to hear about this in a video? Well ok, twist my arm, here you go…
ALERT – 10% SPECIAL DISCOUNT
CR Spotless contacted us and offered our readers a 10% Discount until July 31st!!! At checkout use Coupon Code OOB15 (We DO NOT profit from your purchase.)
Thanks CR Spotless!
Website —> CR Spotless Water Systems
Hello,
Enjoyed the video, great job! Wondering what type of wax or polish you are using on your “Bus”. Our Tiffin Red is only about 3 months old now and Tiffin seems to like the paint to really set up prior to using any wax and only use water for the first 9 weeks. I’ve always used a Carnauba wax on all our cars but they mention not to use a petroleum product on the Tiffin, the Carnauba wax that I have does not list ingredients on the label. I’m anxious to shine her up now that her paint has been on there a couple of months. Thanks for the help!.
Hi…I use Malco – Cherry Flash Liquid Paste Wax.
Hi David,
What brand Sheepskin head assembly and extension pole do you use?
Hi… See here… https://goclean.com/
You can use a brush on the RV, but no ordinary brush. Look at the Montana Boars hair brush. Used by many detailers. It will last a lifetime. Just remember to soak it before using it. The lambs wool is expensive and will need to be replaced every year or so. The boar hair brush will probably out live you.
If we had an RV you would certainly be our daily guide on what to do.
Great review! How many motorcoach washes until the resin needs to be replaced?
Also wanted to ask if you have used a foam cannon. Works great.
Hi…Never even heard of it. Looking at an on-line YouTube video, I think a couch our size would go through a lot of it. :) But it looks like a lot of fun! (I really would want to spray Brenda with it.) :)
I use a foam cannon on my coach and it really speeds up the cleaning. I’m only 40ft long and I can easily do a side with 2 oz. of soap. Mequiars gold can be used in a foam cannon and is cheap.
Issue is, I personally don’t know of anyone who travels full time with a pressure washer. :)
Been traveling with one for years. Electric pressure washers are mostly plastic housings. Remove the housing and it’s about the size of a football and can be mounted anywhere. Easily put in a different sized housing to be smaller. I saw one guy who had it mounted to the underside of his front generator compartment and bought a longer hose to reach the entire Coach. There are also several very small electric pressure washers that can power a foam cannon. The Greenworks 1500 at lowes is about $100 and is VERY small. Probably smaller then your water softener. I Soaped the the back and entire one side with 2 oz of shampoo is about 3 minutes today and knocked off the mud on the mud laps and wheel wells. The plus side to having a pressure washer besides using a foam canon is to get that dang Mississippi mud off the undercarriage, I carried that stuff for 2 states in a rain storm. It’s like glue. :)
What’s being discussed here is not a “water softener”. Softened water is chock-full of disolved solids, which leave lots of deposits when it dries. DEIONIZED water is very different; all disolved solids are gone, and so are the unwanted deposits. That’s the point of using deionized water.
He only mentioned the softener because he knows I have one and was using that as a size example of the small pressure washer.
That depends on a number of factors such as how hard the water is in the area and how much water you run through it. My guess, where we are located in upstate NY seeing the water is not hard would be 10 washes. So far on 4th wash.
You are almost there, but you’re washing it wrong. SUDS is what will lubricate the surface and float away dirt. I suggest you go with a quality PH balance washing shampoo. Mequiars gold on the cheap side and something like Chemical Guys Mr. Pink or Citrus and gloss. Now you’re fatal error is using only one bucket to wash which equals swirls. You’re creating swirls and don’t even know it. Use 2 5 gallon buckets both with grit guards in them ( they don’t take up much room), one with rinse water and one with suds. Go the rinse bucket to get grit out of your wash mitt ( nice choice by the way) and then get your suds, then repeat repeat repeat. BIG thumbs up on the ionizer.
Thanks for the info Curtis. Two buckets are of course a great way to go as mentioned.
You had your system for a while now. Can you tell us how many washes you would get out of a bag of resin and how many pounds
Hi…That is a loaded question as it depends on where you are in the country and how hard the water is. We are in Upstate NY and thus far I am on out 6th wash and I am still at zero on the TTL mounter. Not sure on the pounds, as I would get them premeasured in bags from the company for the model I need to refill.
Ok
Thanks
David, what foam cannon and foam do you prefer?
Hi…Here is the one I use and the soap. It uses 2oz of soap, add water, and then you are ready. I can do the entire 45 foot coach on that 2oz. Here is the link… http://amzn.to/2wi7PX0
David- what are your thoughts on washing with microfiber vs. lambs wool?
Always Lambs Wool as it is much softer. It is actually the only item referenced by Tiffin for washing the coach.
David, thanks to you I am now using the deionized water system and it is great Both the cars and my Tiffin Phaeton look like they were just waxed!,
Sorry… Late to the party and I am confused. Reading down, I assume David decided that a power washer was good. I like that since I already bought one that fits easily into the coach in one of the narrow storage bays (Yay!)… it’s 1600 psi. It has a soap attachment, but my understanding is that doesn’t do much. So, reading about the foaming attachment makes it sound like you don’t need a brush. SO, are we abandoning the need for a lambs wool brush? ALSO… on top of everything as I prepare to go full time, how do I justify the cost of the deionizer? Yikes!!
Nope…Still need the lambs wool. The foam canon is only a way to get the soap onto the rig. If if rig is not all that dirty, you could just foam and rinse with the Di water. See here for the new system… https://outsideourbubble.com/new-product-alert-simple-chuck-water-deionizer/