I have a hard water problem at home, the city water is unsuitable for pregnant women and washing cars.

I've seen on boats an electrode (aluminum I believe) that degrades from electrolysis so nothing else is damaged. This idea has me thinking. If a boat passing over water creates an electrical charge sufficient to create an electrolysis problem, then water passing through a tube may as well. So if I had a chamber (say 2" pvc pipe) where my wash water had to pass through packed with dissimilar metals I would create a charge, the PVC should isolate the charge locally. If I connected these packagings to an anode and cathode, I could possibly strip the ions that are causing my spots.

So meshes of copper and maybe aluminum would create a minimal charge and start the electrolysis. What could I use as my anode/cathode to strip out say sodium? I'd like to keep it as store bought materials, I was thinking of items like steel wool, brillo pads, ect. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

More than likely you need to get the water tested and then use filtration with the correct types of resins to catch the ions causing you problems, like Iron, Calcium or Magnesium, or chlorine ect ect. Depending on the amount of water you need you could be changing filters every month, every 3 months. Ussually a primary and secondary work best, then cycle #2 inline new, #1 from #2, every month or three. Because when you turn on the tap, the water changes in this canister every second or so, there is not enough time to completely clean teh water. The alternative, is to use reverse osmosis (push through a membrane) so the ions dont get into your water, but this is a slow, energy intensive process adn requires storage tanks. If Sodium is your problem, this is probably your only alternative, because very small amounts are a problem and hard to filter out.

 

The system used on new boats is called "CAPAC" that is an impressed current cathotic protection or you would use the old method of zinc. I don't think that either method would help you with the hard water as they are for stopping the deterioration of metals due to electricity being grounded to the hull of a boat. Best solution I can see is to get a water softener installed in your house, but they are not cheap if I remember correctly. Good luck.

 

Not only are they not cheap, the ones we've had aren't worth the installation. My dad's been through 3 or 4, my grandparents don't even bother with theirs anymore, my cousin and his parents have replaced their system several times. Washing the water through salt or the other brine tanks hasn't impressed me at all.

RO would be nice from what I've heard, but I've also heard they are incredibly slow and very low pressure after the membrane. So I would have to have a big storage tank and a pump to make use of it.

I was really hoping for something simple like flushing the water through a readily available resin or playing around electrically. I had considered using charcoal, but it seems it will not help with the spotting.

 

Hard water isn't about charged particles creating a current, it's about dissolved salts. The issue is the salts that are in hard water are +2 valence ions Calcium, Magnesium... A water softener does an ion exchange with +1 valence ions (Sodium) to replace the +2 ions. These are much more soluble and don't cause the problems with soap or create buildup on surfaces. Softeners don't actually filter, they just swap bad salts for less bad salts.

This is oversimplified, but generally close enough of an explanation. (I'm an engineer, not a chemist)

The issue with boat hulls is one of cathodic protection. The hull and the salt water create a battery cell which results in the hull dissolving. You add an element that is more electrically active than iron (typically zinc or magnesium) that reverses the current flow direction in the hull/salt water battery cell so the hull no longer dissolves, but the sacrificial metal dissolves instead. This is also exactly how galvanizing (zinc coating) protects steel.

You need to do at least 2 things: 1st: a softener, and then 2nd: an RO system to fully cleanup the water. But when you also say that pregnant women should not drink the water, it sounds like something else is up. But RO systems are not generally meant for large scale use like washing cars. They are generally very small systems in a house that provide a tap or 2 of drinking water for the ice maker and at the kitchen sink. You are talking about a whole 'nuther level of RO, like an industrial scale system.

Sorry, but what you are trying to do will not have the effects you are hoping for.

Hope this helped.

-Dave

 

We have super hard water here, too. Another idea that's probably a lot cheaper and easier. Just dry it when you're done washing. I am a racer and not a car show type. But I use my California water blade after I wash my car and truck because it makes drying a LOT easier and quicker. Then I follow up with a chamois and/or towel.

 

the info here is going to help me out, facing a similar problem

http://photosnag.com/img/3322/n09x0302vnsn/clear.gif

 

Thanks, that's more the answer to why not I needed to see.

I've tried drying as I go, but I can't get the sequence down. I wash the roof and windshield, then the hood, then the lf fender and both doors. I've tried drying the hood before doing the fender, then I have to dry the hood and then fenders. When I do the other side, I have to dry both fenders and the hood again.

For now, my process has been wash and not worrying about spotting. Then when it dries in a couple of hours, 3 phase wax it and if the spots are bad, clay bar it first. It's a lot of work and I'd like to find a faster way but every year the city water gets worse.

 

We had this problem at the farm too. Really hard water, not pretty, no matter how fast you dry. I would go to a car wash bay, they should be using softened water for the rinse and then hand dry under a roof so you dont have the sun drying. It costs, but cheaper than doing all this water system work, pick up water for wife drinking on the way home in shiny truck....

 

Have you considered using compressed air to blow off the water like an automated car wash? Should be much easier and time consuming...

 

The problem is, the water dries before I finish washing a side, then the dry area gets wet again when I get around to the other side. I haven't found a sequence that works with drying yet.

 

i like the idea of using air to blow off the water. Next time you wash your truck have your wife stand out there with a leaf blower or two and blast your truck with the air while you wash it to keep it dry....haha

 

If you are simply looking to get rid of the hard water spots, you are out of luck unless you install a water conditioner (not cheap). I have that problem and I just take o couple of towels and dry it off.
Another solution is to use a vinegar/water solution for a wipe-down.
On a quick drying day, this is the fastest method.
Or, you could wash it just before a rainstorm, rain water won't leave the spots.

 

Our rain water leaves spots, mostly from the pollen, but I still get some similar to what the city water leaves. Living near the hard road seems to be heck for dirt, then the pine trees coat my green truck with yellow pollen in two days of sitting. I am really SOL in keeping this truck clean.

 

Well, there's only one solution... You're gonna have to move! I grew up in FL but I absolutely LOVE it here in NC. Come on up... there's still room for more!