Coach Washing ?

[Bruexx]

Looking for some tips on washing ones coach, that leaves it without water marks etc.? I use Meqiures liquid car wash, have tried baby shampoo as suggested by Newmar in their new MH manual, but not with the success of not leaving any watermarks.

[Stealth01]

Water marks are a function of the "mineral" content of the water not the soap; you're going to have to do some drying if using standard tap water. Or, you could try a deionizer... for me, baby shampoo and micro fiber towels do the job!!

[danleininger]

Originally Posted by Bruexx

Looking for some tips on washing ones coach, that leaves it without water marks etc.? I use Meqiures liquid car wash, have tried baby shampoo as suggested by Newmar in their new MH manual, but not with the success of not leaving any watermarks.

I have several suggestions.
1) Consider using Lambs wool mittens or pads
2) You are already using a mild soap, which is great
3) Now for the hard part. In order to avoid the water spots you have to find a way to remove the minerals from the water. The deionizer may be one option, however I have another idea. I have installed a whole house Reverse Osmosis system. It produces about 200 gallons per day, enough for all our household needs plus enough to wash half of the MH a day and using the RO water as the Rinse I don't have to dry it and there are NO water spots.

This system has a triple filter system that has a 10 micron, a 2 micron and a Charcoal filter to remove any chlorine, which is devastating to the RO Membrane. Then the water passes through Two 75 gallon/day RO membranes and discharges directly into my fresh water tank which has a float installed at the top of the tank to shut off the 80psi booster pump (which is how I get 200 gallons/day. Actually the system is pretty simple and I installed it myself. Having lived with RO water in my RV for nearly a year and being on the road for the last 11 months, this has simply become something I can't live without.

Sorry for the long reply but this works so well I thought I would pass it along. Here's a picture of the system in my Water Bay.

Dan Leininger

[BFlinn181]

If your house has a water softener, make sure your wash hose is hooked up to a source that is treated. On my Dad's house, his outside hydrants didn't go through the softener and the water was very hard (full of minerals) Hooking up to a hydrant in the garage that was softened solved the problem.

[slabman]

Nice setup, Dan. Wonder if I have room for a water softener too? :-)

[RudyD]

Originally Posted by danleininger

I have several suggestions.
1) Consider using Lambs wool mittens or pads
2) You are already using a mild soap, which is great
3) Now for the hard part. In order to avoid the water spots you have to find a way to remove the minerals from the water. The deionizer may be one option, however I have another idea. I have installed a whole house Reverse Osmosis system. It produces about 200 gallons per day, enough for all our household needs plus enough to wash half of the MH a day and using the RO water as the Rinse I don't have to dry it and there are NO water spots.

This system has a triple filter system that has a 10 micron, a 2 micron and a Charcoal filter to remove any chlorine, which is devastating to the RO Membrane. Then the water passes through Two 75 gallon/day RO membranes and discharges directly into my fresh water tank which has a float installed at the top of the tank to shut off the 80psi booster pump (which is how I get 200 gallons/day. Actually the system is pretty simple and I installed it myself. Having lived with RO water in my RV for nearly a year and being on the road for the last 11 months, this has simply become something I can't live without.

Sorry for the long reply but this works so well I thought I would pass it along. Here's a picture of the system in my Water Bay.

Dan Leininger

i LOVE this system you have installed- very clean/neat - i was so frustrated with the water in my tank tasting plasticy / stale. I have 2 water filters - one at spigot and one in the coach. so i got a 5 gallon container connected to an electric pump under sink and put a drinking water nozzle at the sink.
it works well - 5 gallons of water lasts me a few weeks. I refill at any supermarket with the filtered water machines out front for $1.75/5 gallons. Takes about 5 minutes to remove fill up and put back in under the sink

Your system is much more practical - i couldnt find anyone to figure out how to install something like this but your photos make it look easy

Amazon.com : Flojet Bottle Water II 115V Dispensing System with Single Outlet US Plug : Boating Plumbing Fittings : Sports & Outdoors

[danleininger]

Originally Posted by slabman

Nice setup, Dan. Wonder if I have room for a water softener too? :-)

Of course you do...The total install takes about 3 hours.

I bet your waterbay looks just like mine.

Dan Leininger

[MRUSA14]

Dan, how does one install a float valve in a sealed fresh water tank? And what do you do with the brine from your RO system?

I use this for spot-free washing. Works great.

[danleininger]

Originally Posted by rdostal

i LOVE this system you have installed- very clean/neat - i was so frustrated with the water in my tank tasting plasticy / stale. I have 2 water filters - one at spigot and one in the coach. so i got a 5 gallon container connected to an electric pump under sink and put a drinking water nozzle at the sink.
it works well - 5 gallons of water lasts me a few weeks. I refill at any supermarket with the filtered water machines out front for $1.75/5 gallons. Takes about 5 minutes to remove fill up and put back in under the sink

Your system is much more practical - i couldnt find anyone to figure out how to install something like this but your photos make it look easy

Amazon.com : Flojet Bottle Water II 115V Dispensing System with Single Outlet US Plug : Boating Plumbing Fittings : Sports & Outdoors

This system is very flexible. I modified the original system as the RO Membranes were attached to the top of the 3 filter canister setup. Because everything is connected by small PEX lines I was able to move things to where they fit the best. I kept the 3 filters front and center as they need servicing annually, depending on the quality of the water I'm connected to. The membranes last longer. In total I've got about $600 in the total system but the benefit of consistent water quality is well worth it!!!

I purchased all my components from the RV Water Filter Store however the components are available online by doing a Google search. Rick is the owner and is very helpful. Here's his website if you are interested.

Water Filter Replacement Cartridges Reverse Osmosis Membrane Filters

Dan Leininger

[Steve N Sal]

Originally Posted by Bruexx

Looking for some tips on washing ones coach, that leaves it without water marks etc.? I use Meqiures liquid car wash, have tried baby shampoo as suggested by Newmar in their new MH manual, but not with the success of not leaving any watermarks.

If you only used the baby shampoo you did 1/2 of what they suggest. Don't forget the vinegar. I've been doing this since I read the post about washing and haven't had any problem with water marks since. JMHO

[tankcj]

Originally Posted by Bruexx

Looking for some tips on washing ones coach, that leaves it without water marks etc.? I use Meqiures liquid car wash, have tried baby shampoo as suggested by Newmar in their new MH manual, but not with the success of not leaving any watermarks.

I don't have an RO or water softener dedicated line so what I did was get a 'water canon' from Amazon that has a soap dispenser in it. I start as soon as the sun comes by soaping down one side then wash and rinse (each side separately). Then comes the hard part. I use a damp towel to go over any residual water spots and a dry towel to dry it. It works but it takes us about 3 hours to wash and dry the coach and the next day my legs are sore from going up and down the ladder! But hey, it beats paying for a gym membership!....

[JohnBoyToo]

The benefit of this 20 minutes from our storage location --> Location List

Is we blow dry it at 60 mph coming home

[puttin]

Dan,

Ideally I'd like to have your system but there's no room an I'd have to enlist some help since I can't use my left arm too well.

MRUSA14,

I like what you've got there- I guess you could could use it as a "whole house filter" as well on the rig too. How often on average to you have to regenerate and replace canister filters?

Thanks

[Bruexx]

Originally Posted by Steve N Sal

If you only used the baby shampoo you did 1/2 of what they suggest. Don't forget the vinegar. I've been doing this since I read the post about washing and haven't had any problem with water marks since. JMHO

I forgot to mention the addition of vinegar,but I do that as well.What ratio do you use?
Thanks for all the other comments,but we really don't have hard water at home.