Rinse water & power for the DA

[Sprzout]

So I was thinking about starting up a detailing business (I've been thinking about it for quite some time, actually - I know of a large client base that I could work for here in SD, thanks to networking at an office building) but herein lies the problem. I don't have a readily available source of running water when I go to these sites, so I'd have to take my own water. Buying a trailer to haul a water tank isn't feasible, since I don't have a couple grand available to buy one (not to mention that the area where I'd be doing the detailing isn't exactly the friendliest for parking a car with a trailer).

Also, there's an issue with power. I was thinking about using a power inverter, but that gets down to how quickly that's going to drain the battery of my car to do so, AND what wattage power inverter I'd need to get the job done with a G100, should I do any polishing/machine waxing...

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can get this done? I was thinking about buying one of those bug sprayer buckets that you can pressurize the liquid in the container and then pull the trigger to squirt out the water onto the car, but I don't think that's going to be effective enough to rinse off the car, nor is it going to hold enough water to do it. Oh, and there's one other requirement for this water container: It's got to fit in the trunk of a Mustang. That's what I've got to get from point A to point B, and I can't afford to buy a truck to replace it yet...

[Derrick]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

Well i know what you are talking about because i do details working out of a trans am but i always require they have a running water sorce and electricity. as far as electricity goes you can use a power convertor but you will have to leave your car running because it will drain your batery in minutes. the water is a hard one, i have seen a few smaller electric and gas pressuer washers at walmart that look like they come with a little container for its own water supply but even those are only 2 gallons so you will need and aditional container to fill that one back up and then refill both before each job. oh and invest in one of those easy up canopies. thats the best advice i can give you but maybe someone else has some better ideas with i would like to hear to since i have run into alot of the same problems

[Mort Corey]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

Another thing you might want to check into are the regulations of the area you're going to be working in. My town requires detailers to reclaim their water and there's a hefty fine for runoff. The detailers around here travel with de-ionized water (at least a hundred gallons) to avoid water spotting. Then there's the matter of finding a shady area to work.

Mort

[BlueZero]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

Check out a product called ONR or any other brand of rinseless wash. You can wash a car with only a few gallons of water. Just get a 5 gallon pail with a cover and your all set on that end. No run off to worry about either.

I only dream that someday Meguiar's will make a similar product.

[CleanGSR]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

I agree. While ONR (Optimum No Rinse) is not my favorite for washing my cars....it works great for situations where you can't use the regular hose method. This would be your best bet.

Regarding the G100....I'd price some small generator's and see if that will get the job done. Polishing takes awhile so using a convertor with your car running would eat a lot of your vehicle's gas.

[Sprzout]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

Well i know what you are talking about because i do details working out of a trans am but i always require they have a running water sorce and electricity. as far as electricity goes you can use a power convertor but you will have to leave your car running because it will drain your batery in minutes. the water is a hard one, i have seen a few smaller electric and gas pressuer washers at walmart that look like they come with a little container for its own water supply but even those are only 2 gallons so you will need and aditional container to fill that one back up and then refill both before each job. oh and invest in one of those easy up canopies. thats the best advice i can give you but maybe someone else has some better ideas with i would like to hear to since i have run into alot of the same problems

I've got the EZ Up, so that's not a problem... And right now, those things are fairly inexpensive at places like Costco & Walmart, so I may have to pick up a second one. People are picking them up for kids' soccer/Little League, as well as summertime events, and most sporting goods/camping stores are having sales on them.

I might have to price out a small generator to do the polishing, as was suggested...And I may have to just start out doing some "mobile to your home" detailing until I can put together enough money for a generator and small tank for water. I've got a feeling that I can MacGyver a pressure washer/tank system together that'll work for me to clean off a car or two before I have to fill it up again.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

Another thing you might want to check into are the regulations of the area you're going to be working in. My town requires detailers to reclaim their water and there's a hefty fine for runoff. The detailers around here travel with de-ionized water (at least a hundred gallons) to avoid water spotting. Then there's the matter of finding a shady area to work.

Mort

How does one get de-ionized water?

[sstg]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

How does one get de-ionized water?

RODI unit.Is one way.

[the other pc]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

How does one get de-ionized water?

by passing the water through a deionizing filter.

Normally, A deionizing filter contains a volume of resin beads that are made of chemicals that grab and hold onto the molecules of minerals that are dissolved in the water. The filter works as long as there is non-bound resin available. Once all the resin is used up it stops working and the resin must be replaced or chemically regenerated.

DI is one way to remove minerals from water. Minerals can also be removed by distillation, reverse osmosis (RO) or a combination of them. Very highly de-mineralized water is usually made by in multiple steps, like first passing the water through a reverse osmosis system, then removing residual mineral content with DI filters.


As a detailer, there are several practical methods available for obtaining de-mineralized water.

You can buy it in most any supermarket, usually in gallon and 2.5 gallon jugs. You can also get it from those water vending machines (usually found outside of supermarkets). Retail water in small quantities tends to be very expensive per gallon but easily available. In some areas you’ll find “water stores” who mostly sell drinking water but also sell de-mineralized water. They’ll often have larger sizes available than supermarkets.

You can make it yourself, either by buying or renting DI filter tanks (with or without an RO). The equipment can be expensive, but if you use a lot of water it can pay for itself quickly.

You can buy it from a commercial vendor. Some detailing suppliers have RO/DI systems and will sell you water, just like they sell you any other detailing supplies. There are also industrial water suppliers who can deliver it in tankers if you want.

What works best for you will depend on what services are available in your neighborhood and how much water you use.


PC.

[Sprzout]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

Well, I seem to have fixed the issue of power; I was at a yard sale this past weekend and found a used generator for $100.

However, I'm still contemplating the issue of rinse/power washing, and I thought, "I wonder if one of those pressurized pesticide sprayers would work?" There's a backpack style one that I saw at Lowe's today, that had a 4 gallon tank on it, and it will pressurize to 90 psi on the tank.I wonder if that would work to get the soapy water off of the car...Has anyone tried something like this? Or would this just not suit my needs for a wash tank?

I was thinking that I could just get a plastic bucket & lid for the soapy water, and close that up in the trunk of the car, then use the sprayer to rinse off the car, but I don't know if that would be enough to do so...

[Forever New]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

ehh i dont know about having a bucket of water (lid or no lid) in my trunk, or even in my work van. you could find a small commercial tank for not much money, just do a google search for them or a yellow pages hunt in your area.

[the other pc]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

... I thought, "I wonder if one of those pressurized pesticide sprayers would work?" ...

I’ve heard of guys doing it but haven’t tried it myself.


PC.

[Sprzout]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

I’ve heard of guys doing it but haven’t tried it myself.


PC.

I'm kind of hoping someone on here will have tried it or seen the results, before I go sink $90-$100 into something like that. I mean, I suppose I could always buy it, try it, and return it if it didn't work the way I thought it would, but I'm not that kind of person.

[Justin Murphy]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

A No-Rinse wash is the way to go if your vehicles are not covered in mud. I've used this system a lot and love it. Saves a ton of water.........even when I had to blast the vehicle off first with my pressure washer. It saves on water spotting to because you are washing and drying in almost the same steps.

This is a real product and I can name 25+ detailers that use this system. It's not a gimmick.

I too hope Meguiars will see the value of developing a product like this.

As for power, I've been a mobile detailer for 2.4 years and have never used anything but the customer's power. Never had any problems at all asking for it and getting it. It's like a remodeling crew coming to work on your house. They will need it and don't carry it with them. Don't get upset about it. Just get a wheel with about 100 to 150ft. of cord. Thats all!

[Sprzout]

Re: Rinse water & power for the DA

A No-Rinse wash is the way to go if your vehicles are not covered in mud. I've used this system a lot and love it. Saves a ton of water.........even when I had to blast the vehicle off first with my pressure washer. It saves on water spotting to because you are washing and drying in almost the same steps.

This is a real product and I can name 25+ detailers that use this system. It's not a gimmick.

I too hope Meguiars will see the value of developing a product like this.

As for power, I've been a mobile detailer for 2.4 years and have never used anything but the customer's power. Never had any problems at all asking for it and getting it. It's like a remodeling crew coming to work on your house. They will need it and don't carry it with them. Don't get upset about it. Just get a wheel with about 100 to 150ft. of cord. Thats all!

Well, the problem with asking for power at the customer's location is that most of my clients are at an office building. There are no power locations to plug into at the office building, nor is there any water I can use. So, I kind of have to carry it with me. But the power isn't so much of an issue now, since I found a generator; it's just the water.