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[DaBigNuttedMan]

In our rural Indiana area we are on well water and of course the homes all have water softeners, unless you customize your plumbing your outside faucets wont be softened water and  when washing something big like a car trailer or motorhome on a hot day spotting can be terrible. I really don't know that the home water softener is the end of problem but it helps.
  I would like your input [other than dry it off quickly and avoid the sun].
  My years as a lobed operator had me to quite a few truck washes were they use de-ionized water as a spot free rinse, that works quite well.
  I ponder the idea of using something like a dish wash rinse agent in a garden hose attached tool like some of the fertilizer companies sell for home garden use.
  My tight ass is trying to go cheap here, I realize commercially there must be ways to deal with this like car washes do, but do any of you guys have a "home boy" style method for a spot free rinse that works with a garden hose attachment? or other way?
  By the way I do dry our cars off with shammy or towels, just getting old and not fast enough.
  Also I don't  know about a leaf blower on a car or trailer, what do you guys do on vehicle bigger than our bikes when the wash is not going to be followed by a wax? Any chemists out there that know what in what proportion might be worth trying?
                                                                                                                                                         Thanks  Randy

[TinSpinner]

If you aren't filtering your water you might consider that first. I have a well also, one spigot on the back of the house is ahead of the whole house filter unit, if I use that spigot I get water spots that are very hard to get off if not dried immediately. The spigot on the front of my house is after the filter and is a world of difference in regards to water spots. There are some systems like Magic Rinse that are designed for your exact purpose. http://www.magicrinse.com/

I rigged up something similar to the magic rinse system for filling my spa from that back spigot to keep the sediment from the well out and to minimize scaling, works very well.

[sadunbar]

Our area has a high iron content in the water.  I use a system called an "Iron Curtain" to filter all my water, then a water softener for all inside faucets along with a double whole house filter system.  The Iron Curtain requires no maintenance.  The water softener only requires salt every few months and the house filters requires one filter to be changed about every three months and the second filter to be changed about every 6 months...  I have neighbors who do much less, and have ugly iron stains on their homes under their outside faucets.  I can only imagine what their interior plumbing and fixtures look like...

[MIKEYTEE]

Randy, I have well water also. It is very sulfur rich and hard. I do have a whole house Culligan  Softener/ Filter system installed. Biggest piece of crap ever made. Was supposed to be top of the
line short of Reverse Osmosis System back in 1097. I still had to get bottled water delivered for cooking, drinking, and especially for coffee. Wash the bike or car/trucks spots everywhere. Now we take the SUV/truck to the car wash. Oh yeah, we also live on a ROC and gravel road so nothing stays clean for long. I suggest going to the car wash.
Mike
 

[Fired00d]

Randy, I have well water also. It is very sulfur rich and hard. I do have a whole house Culligan  Softener/ Filter system installed. Biggest piece of crap ever made. Was supposed to be top of the
line short of Reverse Osmosis System back in 1097. I still had to get bottled water delivered for cooking, drinking, and especially for coffee. Wash the bike or car/trucks spots everywhere. Now we take the SUV/truck to the car wash. Oh yeah, we also live on a ROC and gravel road so nothing stays clean for long. I suggest going to the car wash.
Mike
 

Careful Unc... you keep slipping and before long everyone will know you were born "BC"

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[DaBigNuttedMan]

thanks guys I'm new to the well [8 years] we have a puritan water softener and I got it regenerating twice weekly with only Sue and I living here, we got extreme iron in the water here too so they tell me. were using 5 gallon bottled water for just about everything, and have reverse osmosis under the kitchen sink too. What Scott says about the filter or filters makes a lot of sense going after particulate and that spot free rinse tool is exactly what I'm after, it's not too expensive either, just wondering if I'm missing out on a hillbilly backwoods method for the end of the garden hose after washing is done. thanks again.
  And Mikey T your gonna get a whole lotta spankin on your next birthday.
  Anybody else know anything please chime in.

[DaBigNuttedMan]

If you aren't filtering your water you might consider that first. I have a well also, one spigot on the back of the house is ahead of the whole house filter unit, if I use that spigot I get water spots that are very hard to get off if not dried immediately. The spigot on the front of my house is after the filter and is a world of difference in regards to water spots. There are some systems like Magic Rinse that are designed for your exact purpose. http://www.magicrinse.com/

I rigged up something similar to the magic rinse system for filling my spa from that back spigot to keep the sediment from the well out and to minimize scaling, works very well.

 Probably an inline filter like you would add to a camping trailer?  talking about what you rigged up?

[tdkkart]

 You own a $30+ thousand motorcycle, quit being a tight ass and run a softened hot water line to the garage.

I've hot softened and cold unsoftened water just inside the garage door, works great for washing the cars and bike.

I do have to turn it off and drain the lines in the winter, but it's well worth having.

[Chains]

Careful Unc... you keep slipping and before long everyone will know you were born "BC"

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

So he invented berry juice in a cave.

[MIKEYTEE]

Okay, I slipped up and showed my real age. I meant 1997, ya bunch of smart azzes. But that's okay your day will come too. 
Mike
 

[TinSpinner]

Probably an inline filter like you would add to a camping trailer?  talking about what you rigged up?

It is an in-line filter like a whole house set-up. I bought a fitting to go from 3/4" male NPT to female garden hose for the inlet side of the filter. On the outlet side I attached some PVC fabricated in an "L" that I hook over the side of the spa into the spa filter housing while filling. The filter is just a single stage set-up but I have a combination filter in it. Cost about $25-30 to put together. I would imagine you could do something similar and attach it to a cart with your cleaning supplies and use that for vehicle washing.

[DaBigNuttedMan]

Thanks all, now lets all get together and help out ol Mikey T.     

[DDavidson]

Distilled water has no minerals.

Rain water is distilled and your largest source.

I've washed and rinsed the car in the driveway when it's beginning to rain many times and the rain did the final spot free rinse.

Downside is driving on the wet dirty roads after its rained and you need to wipe the rain water puddling on the car or the dust will land on it..

Californians are starting to capture rain water off their roofs for various uses.  Amazing how much water can be captured WHEN it rains.  Key word being WHEN.

Wiping the car dry with a few microfiber cloths works well also no matter the water quality. (Microfiber doesn't seem to scratch/abraded the surface as does the cotton rags.  Helmet face shields can attest to this)