Washing with water restrictions

TallPaul · 24-12-2006, 05:04 PM

We are about to cop stage 4 water restrictions in Melb, which means no more washing your car at home (can only use a commercial car wash). Don't fancy some of the detergents you have to use at these places (shiners etc). Any suggestions as to where is the best place to wash??

**Whoosha** · 24-12-2006, 05:15 PM

any ware with out a brush is good.. ALWAYS bring your own sponge or you can use your own gey water from the washing machine or sink (with in )reason a cap of methalayted spirits in the bucket will neutralise any caustic soaps and residue most of the better brands of pressure washers will also pick up from a bucket so dont need to be conected to a hose

_2:

JoesAu · 24-12-2006, 07:02 PM

i take my bucket to local car wash, with my meguairs soap and wool mitt, if anyone says anything to me i'll tell em where to go for sure.

KOUPE76 · 24-12-2006, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoesAu

i take my bucket to local car wash, with my meguairs soap and wool mitt, if anyone says anything to me i'll tell em where to go for sure.

GOOD ADVISE. That's exactly what I do. :evilsasmo

Mick

congo3sr · 24-12-2006, 07:33 PM

last week I connected one of my downpipes to a plastic 44 (205 ltr) drum next to my driveway.On friday arvo it filled about 250mm and its getting more right now,simple setup and cheap,I throw the suction hose from my karcher in the top and away I go,those presure washers use FA water,so the bride uses the tank for her small garden aswell,just a suggestion,but well worth a try

DanXR6T · 24-12-2006, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotwelder

last week I connected one of my downpipes to a plastic 44 (205 ltr) drum next to my driveway.On friday arvo it filled about 250mm and its getting more right now,simple setup and cheap,I throw the suction hose from my karcher in the top and away I go,those presure washers use FA water,so the bride uses the tank for her small garden aswell,just a suggestion,but well worth a try

What? A useful tip everyone could use instead of turning on the tap???

It's a good suggestion, in fact when I lived at home on the farm I used to wash all our cars this way, because drinking water was drinking water, and when it ran out there was no more until it rained.

Dark Horse · 24-12-2006, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallPaul

you have to use at these places

Not necessarily the case if you apply a little common sense about it. Obviously if it is manned the owner will get the sh*ts with you especially with other cars around and queued. Some have a no sponge and bucket policy on place, say between 8 am and 8 pm, but pick a quiet time and you shouldn't have any dramas at all using your own cleaning gear.

congo3sr · 24-12-2006, 08:06 PM

thanks axeman

**Whoosha** · 24-12-2006, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotwelder

last week I connected one of my downpipes to a plastic 44 (205 ltr) drum next to my driveway.On friday arvo it filled about 250mm and its getting more right now,simple setup and cheap,I throw the suction hose from my karcher in the top and away I go,those presure washers use FA water,so the bride uses the tank for her small garden aswell,just a suggestion,but well worth a try

Gees george you didnt tell me you could weld plastic too....

: :Reverend: have a top Christmas mate .... cheers Whoosha

xr8ute · 24-12-2006, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

pick a quiet time and you shouldn't have any dramas at all using your own cleaning gear

We have had this level of water restrictions for years (5 years now?).

This is exactly what I do....my own bucket, sponge and whatever else. Do it late at night, or early in the morning and there is no one around to give you any grief about it.

EDIT: For the Illawarra... voluntary restrictions since Nov 02 and mandatory restrictions since Oct 03. So not exactly 5 years, but a bloody long time :P

TallPaul · 25-12-2006, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

Not necessarily the case if you apply a little common sense about it. Obviously if it is manned the owner will get the sh*ts with you especially with other cars around and queued. Some have a no sponge and bucket policy on place, say between 8 am and 8 pm, but pick a quiet time and you shouldn't have any dramas at all using your own cleaning gear.

Thanks guys.

EBFalcs · 25-12-2006, 09:28 AM

get kids to wash it on the lawn while playing under the sprinkler. or just do what i do and wash it on the lawn, just say you were watering your lawn and you car just happened to be parked there, even though i was mine with a bucket of soapy water i still gotta rinse it before and after.

au2sw · 25-12-2006, 01:03 PM

the best suggestions here are, take ur own bucket, spunge and cleaning materials. u still pay for the rinse water at the car wash places, so there shouldnt be any drama. plus u have shade to park in to chamois ur pride and joy next to the vacumm, waxin gthere may be an eye raiser, but im sure if u speak nicely to the attendant on duty, they usually are more then accommodating. i think they only crack the poos if you just do it with out asking them first.

RG · 25-12-2006, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBFalcs

get kids to wash it on the lawn while playing under the sprinkler. or just do what i do and wash it on the lawn, just say you were watering your lawn and you car just happened to be parked there, even though i was mine with a bucket of soapy water i still gotta rinse it before and after.

Too bad you can't water the lawn under stage 4.

GK · 26-12-2006, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotwelder

last week I connected one of my downpipes to a plastic 44 (205 ltr) drum next to my driveway.On friday arvo it filled about 250mm and its getting more right now,simple setup and cheap,I throw the suction hose from my karcher in the top and away I go,those presure washers use FA water,so the bride uses the tank for her small garden aswell,just a suggestion,but well worth a try

My brother in law is getting me a couple of those soon. One will go on the downpipe from the shed, the other from the back of the house. One for the cars, one for the garden.

Also, I've been catching the overflow (pressure relief valve) water from the hot water service as well and tipping that into a 20 litre container with the t piece hose. I can then attach some garden hose to the t piece and hook it up to a pressure washer. Haven't actually done it yet, but it should work fine.

Great if your pressure washer has a suction setup though! LOL! Is this a feature for more expensive units such as Karcher, or is it fairly common?

I guess you can tell I don't actually own one! LOL!

GK

congo3sr · 26-12-2006, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

My brother in law is getting me a couple of those soon. One will go on the downpipe from the shed, the other from the back of the house. One for the cars, one for the garden.

Also, I've been catching the overflow (pressure relief valve) water from the hot water service as well and tipping that into a 20 litre container with the t piece hose. I can then attach some garden hose to the t piece and hook it up to a pressure washer. Haven't actually done it yet, but it should work fine.

Great if your pressure washer has a suction setup though! LOL! Is this a feature for more expensive units such as Karcher, or is it fairly common?

I guess you can tell I don't actually own one! LOL!

GK

Hi GK,the suction pipe is the inlet for your water supply,my karcher wasnt an expensive model,less than $200,and as a ps...hope you dont mind me telling you,if your hotwater system is dumping that much water,you have got it set to high

superroo · 26-12-2006, 09:30 PM

One way around the rules we've thought up, is they state you can wash your car if it's covered in corosive material.
So a trip to the beach and the car is now covered in salt, which last i check, was a corrovie substance. So you can legally now wash your car how you like.

Either that or wash it in the backyard where no one car see what your doing.

Cheers

XR6Stu · 26-12-2006, 10:04 PM

My cousin (3/4 drunk) and I went round to the carwash today, with a bucket and sponge. The owner asked us to come back later at a less busy time to do it the way we were. My cousin decided the guy needed a shower and chased him around trying to throw the bucket of water on him. SO SO SO SO embaressing. Funny. But embaressing. *shakes head*

Faded_Mantis · 26-12-2006, 11:50 PM

Fill up the water gun like this Super Soaker.

Get the kids to hide behind the car and while trying to get them you accidentally wash the dirt of your car. Then you try to hit the kids with a soapy wash mitt, and you lean on the car to get a better view of them, when you do this the wash mitt slips and accidentally cleans the part of the car you were leaning over. You decide that the soapy mitt wont get the kids so you get the water gun again and have another go at shooting them...but alas, the car is still in the way.

mattp · 27-12-2006, 01:16 AM

When the restrictions came in up here we were building a new place and got a 3000 litre tank put in. With government rebates I believe it ended up costing about $70. I have a feeling the rebate period is over, but might be worth looking into if you're in Queensland. Takes a lot of the hassle out of washing your car with going to car washes etc. I suppose you'd need the room to put it though.

GK · 27-12-2006, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotwelder

Hi GK,the suction pipe is the inlet for your water supply,my karcher wasnt an expensive model,less than $200,and as a ps...hope you dont mind me telling you,if your hotwater system is dumping that much water,you have got it set to high

Hi Hotwelder,

Thanks for your concerns but I think it's ok. The thermostat is set to 2.5ish out of 5. It takes a long time for the container to fill up, but when it does, I'll use it! LOL!

Thanks for wanting to save me a few bucks!

GK

AU2PWR · 27-12-2006, 10:32 AM

Pfft I Wash mine at the Carwash , No brush , just hose and Spounge !!

**russellw** · 27-12-2006, 11:29 AM

For those with the older K 502 M, 502 MS, 520 M, 550 M, 550 MS, K 620 M, 630 M, 630 MS, 650 M, 650 MS, 670 M, 670 MS, 720 Mx, 720 MXS series Karchers you'll need to get a suction hose accessory - Part number 4.440-238.0 which will cost about $45 inc. GST.

One of the small plastic tanks plumbed into a downpipe will be sufficient as a normal wash will use about 75 litres of water - I've ordered a 550 litre one and I'm watching all this rain go to waste at the moment.

Cheers
Russ

GK · 27-12-2006, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by russellw

For those with the older K 502 M, 502 MS, 520 M, 550 M, 550 MS, K 620 M, 630 M, 630 MS, 650 M, 650 MS, 670 M, 670 MS, 720 Mx, 720 MXS series Karchers you'll need to get a suction hose accessory - Part number 4.440-238.0 which will cost about $45 inc. GST.

One of the small plastic tanks plumbed into a downpipe will be sufficient as a normal wash will use about 75 litres of water - I've ordered a 550 litre one and I'm watching all this rain go to waste at the moment.

Cheers
Russ

Russ, you are amazing with part numbers! LOL!

It's a shame finally getting some good downpours and not being able to collect it! LOL!

GK

lotus · 27-12-2006, 05:09 PM

Instead of a plastic drum to put your water in,get an old wheelie bin from your local rubbish contractor.Put the hose in the top or drill a hole down the bottom and fit a tap. Easy to move and can use it for any cleaning around the house as well as the car!

Hords · 29-12-2006, 01:40 PM

I've heard that all the commercial self-serve car washes have a salt content in their recycled water. Does anyone have any facts on this?

While I'm at it, I'm really p*ssed off the way Brackwards is enforcing these restrictions. I can't wash my car but I can pour 1,000s of litres onto my garden 2 times a week for a set 2 hr period. If they want to get serious why don't they give each household (dependant on size) a set useage quota. That way they can decide how they want to use it. Just my 2 bobs...

Rob

congo3sr · 29-12-2006, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lotus

Instead of a plastic drum to put your water in,get an old wheelie bin from your local rubbish contractor.Put the hose in the top or drill a hole down the bottom and fit a tap. Easy to move and can use it for any cleaning around the house as well as the car!

has anyone tried to push a 240lt wheelie bin around full of water?
If you have how wet did you get,and did the bin fall ar.s over and water your path?

GK · 29-12-2006, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hords

While I'm at it, I'm really p*ssed off the way Brackwards is enforcing these restrictions. I can't wash my car but I can pour 1,000s of litres onto my garden 2 times a week for a set 2 hr period. If they want to get serious why don't they give each household (dependant on size) a set useage quota. That way they can decide how they want to use it. Just my 2 bobs...

Rob

That's a good idea! It would give people some freedom to choose to do a little less washing, or let their garden totally die so they could wash their car.

It would not be to everyone's taste, but it would allow some choice.

Much better than setting the water police loose on Victorian households and setting their water flow to a trickle, and oh of course reinstating the proper flow for a fee. Disgusting, utterly disgusting!

I heard that 92% of our water usage is by industry. Will the water police be cutting loose on them, or just the people living in suburban streets?

GK

**russellw** · 30-12-2006, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hords

I've heard that all the commercial self-serve car washes have a salt content in their recycled water. Does anyone have any facts on this?
Rob

There are a couple of issues.

Firstly the detergents used are frequently harsh (read cheap) and in the worst cases they are more likely to remove any wax that is on the vehicle in much the same way as dishwashing liquid would.

Secondly we have the recycling of water issue. There are many ways to recycle or reclaim water but the good ones are expensive. The very best systems will only use 25 litres of water for an automated wash and reclaim 80% of that but I doubt there are more than a handful of these in the country.

Typically older systems will use salt compounds and a simple form of reverse osmosis - the salts reduce the foam and help separate solids but because porper reverse osmosis is a time consuming process the slainity of the recycled water is often high. If you have doubt then simply take a pool testing kit to your chosen car wash or a piece of litmus paper and see what results you get.

We actually make some superb self contained recycling systems in this country and I'm going to be doing a tour of the local operators to see what they use.

The other thing to be mindful of is the water softeners often used - particularly for the spot free rinses. Typically these are also sodium based compounds with a PH of around 9 in their diluted form.

Cheers
Russ

SVR73 · 31-12-2006, 11:47 AM

Pro wash does the job perfectly for mine. Mine is the perfect test car with the best gloss and depth that it can get by machine, very slick plus twelve coats of acrylic paint sealant and aquawax on paint and three coats on the glass.

Hot high pressure soap then high pressure rinse and waffle weave microfibre dry x 3 towels
So far I've only noticed the tiniest amount of marring on the boot, the rest of the car is still perfect, slick and sealant remains.

Sure it ain't perfect but I'll never go back to bucket washing again
The shampoo they use for the hot soap is fairly soft.
If it's only dusty, the car gets dry washed with my own blend of kleen dry shine, aquawax paint sealant and chemical polish/sealant

Anyway you guys in melbourne should have no dramas, your water is way softer than ours.