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Soft Water really needed for friction?

S

soonermajic

Well-known member
I have had several Touchless washes, & realize the dire need for Soft Hot water, & some dwell.
But, w/ a friction wash, do we really need soft, & Hot, water that bad? The brushes are what cleans it. The PS, if used, doesn't have time to dwell & clean.
Just got me thinking that I may not really need a Water Softener, Salt, a Gas line & on demand, etc...
 
Soft water makes the soaps softer, more slippery, more active and also allows for more foam (foam does not clean, but people like to see it and a foamy detergent adheres to the car better so it is not rinsed off too early in the wash process). This is what you want when you are washing paint with cloth/foam strips.

Soft water will also not leave the mineral spots on car that hard will when water drops are left after the blowers and there is no sfr.

Warm water will not do a whole lot for a friction wash unless you are washing in a cold climate - it can help get snow and ice off and bring the surface to a reasonable temperature when it is freezing outside. In normal temps (above freezing) wash quality enhancement from heating water on a friction wash is negligible IMO.
 
washnshine said:
Warm water will not do a whole lot for a friction wash unless you are washing in a cold climate - it can help get snow and ice off and bring the surface to a reasonable temperature when it is freezing outside. In normal temps (above freezing) wash quality enhancement from heating water on a friction wash is negligible IMO.
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In my experience warm water will help cut thru cooked on bird poop and tree sap. It also makes the foaming products foam better and drying agent work better. I use it for the cleaning solutions and drying agent but not the setting arch.
 
Temeperature is also seasonally relative. My incoming, untreated city water temp is 72° today. In the middle of winter it will be 45°. While 72° is not warm enough for a shower, it works well for me on a car that is warm or hot from the sun, which is also common in the summer.
 
as an express guy, never really saw the value of heated water. first of all, i always kind of doubted tankless water heaters' ability to keep up with high throughput and also by the time the water leaves the water heater and makes its way down all the way to the applicator, is it really as hot as you want?

i was told cleaning agents do work better with hot water, but waxes and such work better with cold water.

i've thought about cobra system's cta and bug prep applicator, since the source of the heat is at the applicator.
 
liftheavy said:
as an express guy, never really saw the value of heated water. first of all, i always kind of doubted tankless water heaters' ability to keep up with high throughput and also by the time the water leaves the water heater and makes its way down all the way to the applicator, is it really as hot as you want?
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I am in Chicago and use a single Tankless. The water at application did not need to be hot. I had a mixing valve so it was not as cold as the incoming water which can be 50 degrees in the winter. So I would mix in mar hot for coder times and less for warmer times so the water temp as mixed might only be 80 degrees at mixing point and just a few degrees cooler at application. Aside from making soaps work and foam better and drying agent work better, having that hot water available to thaw stuff out was a lifesaver.
 
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