Only thing I would reccomend is to use a silicone o-ring grease instead of Vaseline. Vaseline is petroleum based which will cause the orings to expand and stretch. Where I work we have an industrial size RO system and deionizer and we were replacing the orings on the housing every month due to them expanding. Since switching to the silicone oring grease, we haven't changed one in over 2 years.
Your timing is absolutely perfect on this as I’m getting ready to pull the trigger;) Plus thx for listening to the commenters about RV mods. To me the mods worth doing even if it didn’t add more life just from a functioning standpoint. CRs seals are causing people to replace their resin before need be. Probably by design:) Thanks bud.
As you saw in the video I think I had blow by from not seating properly. You could see it in that one filter being discolored halfway. I am doing this just to have the extra capacity if it is more efficient then its a plus. I will update again once this resin is spent. if I swapped the filters and made sure it was seated I might have had 0 ppm for another 100 gallons probably.
I know this. Idea is 9 months old but FYI RV-Mods is out of the DIC conversion kits. They sound great. Thanks for the video info. And the bloopers are great!
Appreciate that. I have actually gone back to the original filters as resin passed through the slits in the pipe and clogged my spray guns. Might have just been an issue with my setup. I have it pretty down pat to change out the filters.
@@CarsWithKeav Thanks for responding Keav. Maybe the pvc pipe didn't didn't seal/connect properly when you attached it to the CR Spotless Water unit. There is now a 3 week wait for new conversion kits but I'm going to give it a try to stretch out the resin life. I am just now purchasing the CR unit, etc. so it may be a month before I let you know how it works. I tested out water with a TDS tester and it read 107. Safe to drink but not very good for paint or windows. I look forward to more of your excellent videos!
@@tomharrison7280 I thought so too, but I even cleaned it out reseated perfect ran it and resin got by the slots. Only on the second stage. So only one is letting the resin by. I switched the tubes and it stopped since the resin was being caught by the other tube. Maybe just one slot was too big maybe? Not sure nobody is having this issue so I chalk it up as a fluke.
Can’t remember exactly, but pretty sure they are 3/8 x 1”. The wood on the wall is only an inch thick so didn’t need anything big. If you can mount into a stud I would advise at least 1 1/4 to 1 1/2
I added an RO pressure vessel to my setup and my 1 cubic ft of resin now last far longer than even with the downtube upgrade. My water here in AZ is horrible, starting at almost 600 PPM, After the RO membrane, the water is down to 30 ppm, so obviously my resin does much less work than it would have to without the RO membrane. I used to blow through a 1 cubic ft bag every 6 months. the only downside to this setup, is that I have to store the water I make. I used a rain collection bin and that seems to work really well. It's a bit of a frankenstein setup, but it works great. I'll share my setup if anyone is interested.
I feel for you guys with the high PPM water. I would for sure run RO if I had that type of water and probably a two stage carbon filter setup as well. I get about 50 ppm out of my faucet so no RO needed. Wish I could share this good soft water with you though.
Please share. I'm at 500PPM and would like to use a DI system but am hesitant. Would prefer not to wash my car at 7am to avoid sun and heat if I can...
@@D_Rok80 You will always need to wash your car out of the sun if you're in a hot climate. You don't want your chem drying up any more than you want the water.
I have not seen any. You need the long tube for the water to spend enough time being filtered before flowing out. If it was just a mesh it would pass through too fast and not filter. This is the reason most DI setups can only push between 2 and 2.5 gallons per minute any more and you risk it not filtering properly. I have seen some inline filters that help out hose plugs in one end and another out the other side, but doubt they can handle 0 ppm/.
Thanks for the info! Nothing more annoying than water spots on a nice shiny car finish. Could the water that is filtered be considered demineralized? I could also use that in the shop for car cooling systems with a 50/50 mix. Thanks. -Glen (Ozz)
Yes, it is de-mineralized and I use in Golf Cart Batteries, Coolant mixing, Ice Cube Maker (Crystal Clear Ice), chemical dilution, etc. So Many uses. I still dry my car with a leaf blower since even if the water is spotless the droplets can attract pollen, dirt, dust and can still dry with a dirt ring. By using spotless when you blow dry some of the water just evaporates. If you use tap water the water evaporates while blowing, but the minerals dry into the pores of the coating or clear coat giving you less gloss and hydrophobics.
You run the risk of the tube becoming un seated from the housing since there is not enough resistance to keep it in place. if you knew the perfect height to place it and packed the resin under you could. Having it packed down and the pressing the tube down you ensure it will stay in place.
Yeah along those lines, how do you know that the pipe DOESN'T come unseated sometime in between uses?? It is in no way secured except for resin, which will likely slosh about with use.
Awesome review Keav, love it. Please keep us posted. I have the tubes ready and a 1/2 ft bag ready for when my initial CR cartridges run out. I missed your TDS numbers, at your tap output - just trying to estimate how much life I can expect. (Mine is 433! in North County San Diego)
I get between 50 to 60 ppm. 433ppm is for sure going to get less gallons than I Got. At that ppm a two stage carbon pre-filter setup might help the Resin last longer.
Does it matter if the stick in the middle isn’t centered, gotta be a tool one can make to align it perfectly or expoxy it to the plastic to permanently affix it to
In order for it to seat properly it has to be centered. If not it would be at an angle and the seal would be compromised sending resin into the hose and nozzle.
It's possible, but I can't say for sure since these were designed for the CR SPotless. I am unsure if the APEC is the same opening or not. for the tubes to fit. It does look very similar though.
@@CarsWithKeav Yeah, I was wondering about the mounting (tube opening) size is the same or not. If so, I just might be able to switch mine out for the CR once the resin has been used up. Would also have to check the inside mounting spot for the mod tube to make sure that lines up. We shall see! Lol
What would be your recommendation for a deionized system for someone washing 2-3 cars a week with around 230 tds? I mainly want one to use for final rinse and with my rinseless prespray
This system or an FRP tank style DI system. The smaller ones you would be changing resin often due to the 230 tds which is a manageable number. I prefer the two I mentioned because they can operate at a higher GPM of 2.5.
I own a company called NuWater USA and Creative Water Solutions, we make all kinds of cartridges. The difference in color is due to resin separation. You have Anion and Cation resin mixed and each have a different density meaning cation weighs less and will sit on the bottom. Plus the resin needs to be packed tight to not create separation. Plus you never want to go up flow with DI always Down flow. Your Mod is going up flow........
@@theunkownmr.562 I seem to be the only person I know of to have this problem. I’m taking is a fluke or I did something wrong somewhere during a refill.
I have just bought a DI system with 20” filters. They are rated for up to 300 gallons at 200 ppm. My ppm is running around 230ppm. Would you recommend running pre filters like you had on the cart? Do you think I would notice a difference in the life of the DI filters?
Restricting flow to 2.5 GPM or less at the sprayer will do. I have a flow meter that lets me know the gpm. CR Spotless gives a sprayer with their package and suggests certain settings to maintain 2.5 or less.
How's this holding up so far with the mod? Has it lasted longer than before? I'm debating whether to buy the cr spotless and add the mod or go with the di pro 100.
I'll do an update video soon. Not a fan of the RV mods the resin got past the slits in the tubes and was plugging up my hose sprayer. I went back to the old way. The CR Spotless itself has held up really well though. Others have had better results, but with my setup the Mod did not work that great.
Been looking for something like your setup. How often do you use it? Trying to get a feel for how long they last before a fill up. I did not know this till I watched this video. Shows how much I know about these things so far lol.
My ppm is 50 to 60 so my resin would last more than most. I used DI for everything the last two months even washing my mower or rinsing dirt of my arms and legs after yard work. I just forgot it was on DI the whole time. 😂 I need to figure out my gallons per wash to know how many I have done. Also, been using for tons of videos and I have to redo a lot of clips and prep panels so a lot is used there as well.knowing that my meters seem to be off by 10% I bet my gallons was over 500 and closer to 550.
@@CarsWithKeav Now I’m imagining you taking a DI bubble 🛀 in your front yard 😂 I’ll stop there. From what I understand especially living in AZ I should run a pre filter of some sort? Like that one that looks like yarn? TDS is high 200’s. Not sure to go 10” or 20”. Apparently you can cut the mod pvc for 10” but probably not worth screwing with. Thx again man!
@@CarsWithKeav Thanks. I'm from the metric world, where the resin was sold by weight (kg), so it was difficult to try and work out how much was needed to fill two containers. That would mean about 10kg then for two containers.
My well water even after passing thru softener is 1500 TDS.... I do have some sort of filter tall cylinder but not sure if thats for removing TDS..... I got the apec one and it only lasted a few washes..... Wat are my options?
With that kind of TDS resin will not last long. You might need to look into RO to get most out before hitting the Deionization. Carbon sediment and pre-filters are a help as well. Check out this video on an RO system. th-cam.com/video/TevNUbePxyA/w-d-xo.html
Did you keep the system modified? I got 350 gallons before I needed to change mine so I upgraded it & got way less I wasn’t sure if it was my resin or if the tubes weren’t in all the way so I pulled it apart double checked my tubes all seemed good . Same water scenario. I’m trying to figure out why I went from 350 gallons before mod to 50 gallons ugh .
I had a different issue where resin was getting by the slits at the bottom of the tube and clogging my sprayer. I went back to the cartridges which are way easier to change out so i don't mind doing it the extra few times I have to. Possibly you have some blow by going on where it not sealed all the way allowing water to sneak by. Also, make sure to try multiple sources to check tds. Filling a cup up and doing the manual check is more accurate. The TDS meter on the CR Spotless does have a calibration screw at the back and you can get calibration fluid from them to adjust it. Since its measuring flowing water there has to be a way to calibrate.
I need to do an update video. I ended up going back to the cartridge. Resin was feeding through the slits on the tubes and clogging my sprayer. Doesn’t mean others would do this, but mine for sure failed stopping the resin from getting into the water flow.
@@CarsWithKeav thank you for the quick response! Looking forward to your updated video! 👍🏼 maybe I’ll try it and leave a comment here in the future on how it went for me. Thanks again!
1/2 cubic foot total. For me it was $117.50 since the bag cost $235 from RV Mods. This is for the modified version. If you use the stock filters it’s half that.
@@CarsWithKeav dang. Wasn't expecting that much resin in those. Might have to think of a prefilter. Getting about 500ppm. I have this upgrade as well but waiting on my resin.
Carbon filters do absolutely nothing for TDS. It will however remove chlorine which hurts the resin for refrigeration purposes but you’ll get the same TDS reading and life span with or without carbon filters. Tank exchange companies like and often require carbon filters so the resin can be regenerated more times but for us regular guys we use it once and throw it out.
Dumb question: is there not a way to uncontaminated the resin similar to what a water softener does on a backwash with salt? I guess I’m not quite understanding why this resin is thrown away.
The resin can be recharged, but I don't want to deal with bleach, sulphuric or hydrochloric acid to recharge. Plus, this is mixed bed so another process to separate them before the harsh chemicals. Some love to do it, but its not for me.
Household trash. It’s basically micro beads of plastic. Many regenerate their resin to save money as well. I plan to make a video on that process soon.
@@MickStreff I went back to cartridges no matter what I did I was getting resin clogging my garden hose shower nozzle. Others have expressed the same problem, but the majority seem to be very happy with it as well.
@@CarsWithKeav also, I did the conversion and my ppm is still reading high. I tested the water and it’s good but it still spots. I had to transfer the tpms meter to a new head unit so could it be damaged?
@@abrahamfranco4249 That’s weird have you checked the connection inside could be getting blow by. TDS meters can go bad, but not usually reading the same number as going in. Than can be calibrated as well. There is a screw on the back and you can get calibrated liquid from the manufacturer. What is your incoming tds? Is it very high? Was the TDS better or worse with the stock CR spotless filters? Some water quality is so hard even full resin won’t get you spotless.
How do I check for blow by? And how do I take off the connection safely? I struggled with it when I had to transfer it to the new unit. I also love in California and the TDS was reading around 250ppm
@@abrahamfranco4249 should be able to handle 250 ppm. Blow by would be if the tubes are not seated properly causing water to not go through the resin to get into slots at the bottoms of tube. If the tube is put too far in the canister when you put the canister on the housing it will not seal all the way allowing water to blow by. It will lower TDS, but not fully. What’s the ppm after being filtered?
For my water quality I get about 400 gallons. My water is pretty good at 60ppm. If you have harder water it will be much less. Their listings says 300 gallons.
@@brokenSnake this would all depend on how much DI water you use for washing. Mine probably goes around 50 washes as I only use it during final rinse. If your use during all other rinses and foaming then it would be much less.
No they do not. Every brand has a different orifice size under the housing cap. You will notice not all brands are created equal. These tubes were designed specifically for the CR Spotless
I had changed my resin out and for some reason the resin is coming out of the di tank with the water and it’s reading a high ppm. Anyone know what I’m doing wrong or how to fix it?
Recheck all the gaskets and seals and make sure the pipes are fully seated into the housing. Any chance for the dirty water to get by it will. I actually went back to the cartridges as resin was getting by and clogging my sprayer.
@@joshfde that is the biggest problem. I have found after multiple of these types of systems it’s best to set the tube in the housing first then push into the resin. The tubes will always be all the way in then. You can fill up with water as well and will be much easier to push the tubes into the resin.
Double the amount of resin per cartridge refill would double your cost of resin, no? Ultimately it's the same spend on resin, for the same volume of output.
They say the way the pipe is set it reduces blow by significantly which will save Resin. They also say the way it feeds is more efficient. Don’t know if it’s proven, but in the end I don’t have to change resin as often and it’s a pain the neck to do so it’s worth it for me. I would also think that with more resin better chance to get 0ppm when running a higher flow of water. Just a theory though.
@@DarrenZemanek Either way you still have to refill the resin in the filters. Filters with resin already in them are too much. Much better to buy in bulk and do yourself.
I just switched to this mod and now I got only 300 gallons when before with just the regular cr spotless setup I was getting 800. Doesn’t make sense I’m getting way less di water.
That is weird. Same DI resin? Are the pipes seated all the way? At worst I doubled my length between changes. It didn’t really increase overall resin usage. Possibly too much flow? I’m just throwing out anything I know of that could impact it.
@@CarsWithKeav I’m only flowing 2gpm into my tank. It was brand new resin from them. I guess on the bright side I just recently found out how to regenerate DI resin for less than $20.
your probably getting channeling now since the mod takes away the forced contact with the media to some degree. I would switch it back. Its not as critical is his application since hes starting so low.
Switch it back or see if you can find a proper swirl tank instead. They increase efficiency by up to 30% in some cases. Not sure what's available in the US, but give it a try to see if you can find one.
FYI: thought about buying this unit until I checked Amazon reviews. Ten prcent (10%) or 1 our of 10 people gave the CR Spotless 1 star and descibe it as 0 stars. Folks having the system fail after 5 or 6 washes and plenty of horrendous stories about CR Spotless' customer servive (basically doesn't exist). The there is a more stories with 2 stars, etc. This gives me great pause.
Problem with this type of product is most people don't do their research and think that if I can get 600 to 800 gallons out of my water they expect the same, but they live in Vegas and the water is very hard and would last maybe 100 gallons if that (Believe me I get lots of comments that what I suggested doesn't last long and it ends up being their quality of water once we had a conversation). Years ago you could only get this type of product of a website that educates on this, but now its right at your finger tips and a social media campaign on top that. Mine has been great and still on the wall I did reverse the mod in this video as it didn't go so well and went back to the cartridges. there are lots of great options out there, but before buying anything like this getting a TDS meter and checking your water will let you knwo ahead of time the experience you will have. Also researching the source water whether it is well water or city water as chemicals and other things impact usage. Some people also don't make sure their input water matches the max it can handle which is 2.5gpm, but most house can flow 8gpm moving the water too fast to get filtered. I have tons of products that worked out so well and don't have very good ratings.
Arizona has some of the worst water in the U.S. Mine tests out at 700 TDS. This unit might lower my TDS down to 150 but that is still too high and the resin would be wasted in 1 car rinse. I think I"ll buy a blue, 15 gallon, water barrel and an electrical pump with just enough horse power to make a nice hose stream. Then off to the water store I'll go to buy some reverse osmosis water that tests out at 0 TDS. I see no other solution.
A lot of guys in Arizona are running RO systems and using this system after that to get full 0 ppm. I’ve seen videos of them going from 500 tds to between 10 and 50 from the RO system.
You are wasting a lot of water and time trying to run out the cloudiness…. Its just air. First fill and run a few litres through and most of the bulk air, then leave for a couple of hours if you want the cloudiness to go away or just use.
Only thing I would reccomend is to use a silicone o-ring grease instead of Vaseline. Vaseline is petroleum based which will cause the orings to expand and stretch. Where I work we have an industrial size RO system and deionizer and we were replacing the orings on the housing every month due to them expanding. Since switching to the silicone oring grease, we haven't changed one in over 2 years.
I thought of that. I knew Vaseline was the wrong way to go that stuff causes nothing, but issues.
Thank you for the tip, great comment!!! 👌🏾💯
Straight distilled water on say your car instead of using tap and then using the distilled for your last rinse
Really nice video explaining the process and good close-ups to illustrate what you’re doing!
Thanks so much!
Your timing is absolutely perfect on this as I’m getting ready to pull the trigger;) Plus thx for listening to the commenters about RV mods. To me the mods worth doing even if it didn’t add more life just from a functioning standpoint. CRs seals are causing people to replace their resin before need be. Probably by design:) Thanks bud.
As you saw in the video I think I had blow by from not seating properly. You could see it in that one filter being discolored halfway. I am doing this just to have the extra capacity if it is more efficient then its a plus. I will update again once this resin is spent. if I swapped the filters and made sure it was seated I might have had 0 ppm for another 100 gallons probably.
I know this. Idea is 9 months old but FYI RV-Mods is out of the DIC conversion kits. They sound great. Thanks for the video info. And the bloopers are great!
Appreciate that. I have actually gone back to the original filters as resin passed through the slits in the pipe and clogged my spray guns. Might have just been an issue with my setup. I have it pretty down pat to change out the filters.
@@CarsWithKeav Thanks for responding Keav. Maybe the pvc pipe didn't didn't seal/connect properly when you attached it to the CR Spotless Water unit. There is now a 3 week wait for new conversion kits but I'm going to give it a try to stretch out the resin life. I am just now purchasing the CR unit, etc. so it may be a month before I let you know how it works. I tested out water with a TDS tester and it read 107. Safe to drink but not very good for paint or windows. I look forward to more of your excellent videos!
@@tomharrison7280 I thought so too, but I even cleaned it out reseated perfect ran it and resin got by the slots. Only on the second stage. So only one is letting the resin by. I switched the tubes and it stopped since the resin was being caught by the other tube. Maybe just one slot was too big maybe? Not sure nobody is having this issue so I chalk it up as a fluke.
Great content , worth watching till the end.
Thank You!
Do you remember what size lags you used to wall mount that? The 4 holes that go against the wall. Thanks!
Can’t remember exactly, but pretty sure they are 3/8 x 1”. The wood on the wall is only an inch thick so didn’t need anything big. If you can mount into a stud I would advise at least
1 1/4 to 1 1/2
I added an RO pressure vessel to my setup and my 1 cubic ft of resin now last far longer than even with the downtube upgrade. My water here in AZ is horrible, starting at almost 600 PPM, After the RO membrane, the water is down to 30 ppm, so obviously my resin does much less work than it would have to without the RO membrane. I used to blow through a 1 cubic ft bag every 6 months. the only downside to this setup, is that I have to store the water I make. I used a rain collection bin and that seems to work really well. It's a bit of a frankenstein setup, but it works great. I'll share my setup if anyone is interested.
I feel for you guys with the high PPM water. I would for sure run RO if I had that type of water and probably a two stage carbon filter setup as well. I get about 50 ppm out of my faucet so no RO needed. Wish I could share this good soft water with you though.
Please share. I'm at 500PPM and would like to use a DI system but am hesitant. Would prefer not to wash my car at 7am to avoid sun and heat if I can...
@@D_Rok80 You will always need to wash your car out of the sun if you're in a hot climate. You don't want your chem drying up any more than you want the water.
Is there videos showing a diy set up that doesn't use filter cartridge or tubes but just adds a mesh like filter at the top?
I have not seen any. You need the long tube for the water to spend enough time being filtered before flowing out. If it was just a mesh it would pass through too fast and not filter. This is the reason most DI setups can only push between 2 and 2.5 gallons per minute any more and you risk it not filtering properly. I have seen some inline filters that help out hose plugs in one end and another out the other side, but doubt they can handle 0 ppm/.
Thanks for the info! Nothing more annoying than water spots on a nice shiny car finish. Could the water that is filtered be considered demineralized? I could also use that in the shop for car cooling systems with a 50/50 mix. Thanks. -Glen (Ozz)
Yes, it is de-mineralized and I use in Golf Cart Batteries, Coolant mixing, Ice Cube Maker (Crystal Clear Ice), chemical dilution, etc. So
Many uses. I still dry my car with a leaf blower since even if the water is spotless the droplets can attract pollen, dirt, dust and can still dry with a dirt ring. By using spotless when you blow dry some of the water just evaporates. If you use tap water the water evaporates while blowing, but the minerals dry into the pores of the coating or clear coat giving you less gloss and hydrophobics.
@@CarsWithKeav excellent info and advice. Btw, subscribed.👍
Any downside to putting the tubes in first and then putting the resin in?
You run the risk of the tube becoming un seated from the housing since there is not enough resistance to keep it in place. if you knew the perfect height to place it and packed the resin under you could. Having it packed down and the pressing the tube down you ensure it will stay in place.
Yeah along those lines, how do you know that the pipe DOESN'T come unseated sometime in between uses?? It is in no way secured except for resin, which will likely slosh about with use.
Awesome review Keav, love it. Please keep us posted. I have the tubes ready and a 1/2 ft bag ready for when my initial CR cartridges run out. I missed your TDS numbers, at your tap output - just trying to estimate how much life I can expect. (Mine is 433! in North County San Diego)
I get between 50 to 60 ppm. 433ppm is for sure going to get less gallons than I
Got. At that ppm a two stage carbon pre-filter setup might help the Resin last longer.
that's crazy high!
@@CarsWithKeavis there a video on the pre filter side of things?
Sick set up bro
Thank You 🙏
Always great video brother
Thanks i
Does it matter if the stick in the middle isn’t centered, gotta be a tool one can make to align it perfectly or expoxy it to the plastic to permanently affix it to
In order for it to seat properly it has to be centered. If not it would be at an angle and the seal would be compromised sending resin into the hose and nozzle.
If you use lubricant, you should buy a silicon lube designed for rings, which will not swell the rings.
That is correct I have learned a good bit about this stuff as I have changed and upgraded my system.
Will this mod work for other setups? I just got in my setup (APEC) being I have a Home Depot account, so figured I would try that system out.
It's possible, but I can't say for sure since these were designed for the CR SPotless. I am unsure if the APEC is the same opening or not. for the tubes to fit. It does look very similar though.
@@CarsWithKeav Yeah, I was wondering about the mounting (tube opening) size is the same or not. If so, I just might be able to switch mine out for the CR once the resin has been used up. Would also have to check the inside mounting spot for the mod tube to make sure that lines up. We shall see! Lol
Another great review with instructing facts
Thanks
Good dyi. Didn't realize how much resin cost.
It's not cheap when you use 50 gallons a wash like I do. LOL
What would be your recommendation for a deionized system for someone washing 2-3 cars a week with around 230 tds? I mainly want one to use for final rinse and with my rinseless prespray
This system or an FRP tank style DI system. The smaller ones you would be changing resin often due to the 230 tds which is a manageable number. I prefer the two I mentioned because they can operate at a higher GPM of 2.5.
I own a company called NuWater USA and Creative Water Solutions, we make all kinds of cartridges. The difference in color is due to resin separation. You have Anion and Cation resin mixed and each have a different density meaning cation weighs less and will sit on the bottom. Plus the resin needs to be packed tight to not create separation. Plus you never want to go up flow with DI always Down flow. Your Mod is going up flow........
I went back to the resin filter setup. Somehow some resin got by the laser cut grooves.
@@CarsWithKeavI'd take this video down if that's the case. 😮
@@theunkownmr.562 I seem to be the only person I know of to have this problem. I’m taking is a fluke or I did something wrong somewhere during a refill.
@@CarsWithKeav I see. Have you reached out to the manufacturer about this? Perhaps they can send you a new set of rods and resin.
What do you mean by up flow and down flow ? How would you achieve down flow with these filters?
I have just bought a DI system with 20” filters. They are rated for up to 300 gallons at 200 ppm. My ppm is running around 230ppm. Would you recommend running pre filters like you had on the cart? Do you think I would notice a difference in the life of the DI filters?
You possibly could if you have sediment. The carbon filters are mainly to catch chemicals that DI resin does not. Chemicals like chloramines.
Is a flow restrictor not necessary to make resin last longer?
Restricting flow to 2.5 GPM or less at the sprayer will do. I have a flow meter that lets me know the gpm. CR Spotless gives a sprayer with their package and suggests certain settings to maintain 2.5 or less.
Can you cut the length of the tube down to 10 inches ?
I don’t see why not, but they sell a 10 inch version as well so you won’t have to cut.
I can't find a 10 inch version anywhere. I just found this someone had asked the same question.I didn't see it before.
Thank you for the great videos
@@57cbo You are right they don't seem to sell the 10 inch version anymore onlt the 20 inch one.
How's this holding up so far with the mod? Has it lasted longer than before? I'm debating whether to buy the cr spotless and add the mod or go with the di pro 100.
I'll do an update video soon. Not a fan of the RV mods the resin got past the slits in the tubes and was plugging up my hose sprayer. I went back to the old way. The CR Spotless itself has held up really well though. Others have had better results, but with my setup the Mod did not work that great.
Is it still working good? I’ve noticed where my seals are not seating right also
I went back to the cartridges. I was getting blow by and resin in my spray gun.
Been looking for something like your setup. How often do you use it? Trying to get a feel for how long they last before a fill up. I did not know this till I watched this video. Shows how much I know about these things so far lol.
My ppm is 50 to 60 so my resin would last more than most. I used DI for everything the last two months even washing my mower or rinsing dirt of my arms and legs after yard work. I just forgot it was on DI the whole time. 😂 I need to figure out my gallons per wash to know how many I have done. Also, been using for tons of videos and I have to redo a lot of clips and prep panels so a lot is used there as well.knowing that my meters seem to be off by 10% I bet my gallons was over 500 and closer to 550.
@@CarsWithKeav Thanks for reply. I do have DI powder for the pool but I guess that's not proper for this device?
@@cfwebdeveloper Water softener resin and DI Resin are two different things. You need Mixed bed DI resin.
@@CarsWithKeav Now I’m imagining you taking a DI bubble 🛀 in your front yard 😂 I’ll stop there. From what I understand especially living in AZ I should run a pre filter of some sort? Like that one that looks like yarn? TDS is high 200’s. Not sure to go 10” or 20”. Apparently you can cut the mod pvc for 10” but probably not worth screwing with. Thx again man!
Great Video Keav!
how much resin do you use aprox?
It’s around 1/2 cubic foot
@@CarsWithKeav - What would that equate to weight wise please ?
@@madstyx Cubic foot weighs about 45 pounds so 22 to 23 lbs.
@@CarsWithKeav Thanks. I'm from the metric world, where the resin was sold by weight (kg), so it was difficult to try and work out how much was needed to fill two containers. That would mean about 10kg then for two containers.
@@madstyx Glad I could help some just a KG conversion short of what you needed to know. LOL
Hi. How much resin does each canister hold after the mod? What is the name of the white bucket you are using?
Thank you.
1/4 cubic foot per cylinder. Both buckets in the video and the tops are from Home Depot.
My well water even after passing thru softener is 1500 TDS.... I do have some sort of filter tall cylinder but not sure if thats for removing TDS..... I got the apec one and it only lasted a few washes..... Wat are my options?
With that kind of TDS resin will not last long. You might need to look into RO to get most out before hitting the Deionization. Carbon sediment and pre-filters are a help as well. Check out this video on an RO system. th-cam.com/video/TevNUbePxyA/w-d-xo.html
Did you keep the system modified? I got 350 gallons before I needed to change mine so I upgraded it & got way less I wasn’t sure if it was my resin or if the tubes weren’t in all the way so I pulled it apart double checked my tubes all seemed good . Same water scenario. I’m trying to figure out why I went from 350 gallons before mod to 50 gallons ugh .
I had a different issue where resin was getting by the slits at the bottom of the tube and clogging my sprayer. I went back to the cartridges which are way easier to change out so i don't mind doing it the extra few times I have to. Possibly you have some blow by going on where it not sealed all the way allowing water to sneak by. Also, make sure to try multiple sources to check tds. Filling a cup up and doing the manual check is more accurate. The TDS meter on the CR Spotless does have a calibration screw at the back and you can get calibration fluid from them to adjust it. Since its measuring flowing water there has to be a way to calibrate.
@@CarsWithKeav good idea I will check manually. Thx for the response.
Do they make these for the 10” version?
They sure do!
@@CarsWithKeavcool! I didn’t see it on their site. Do you have a link?
my water reads around 380 tds would I still be able to get at least 300 to 500g or would it be less?
I would say closer to 200 gallons. They have this calculator on their site you can use to get a good estimation. crspotless.com/how-many-washes/
Hi Im looking to get this double tube kit, would you recommend it or should I stick to the regular cartridge. Thanks
I need to do an update video. I ended up going back to the cartridge. Resin was feeding through the slits on the tubes and clogging my sprayer. Doesn’t mean others would do this, but mine for sure failed stopping the resin from getting into the water flow.
@@CarsWithKeav thank you for the quick response! Looking forward to your updated video! 👍🏼 maybe I’ll try it and leave a comment here in the future on how it went for me. Thanks again!
Roughly how much resin did you use to fill both? Would love to know how much it cost resin wise to fill the canister.
1/2 cubic foot total. For me it was $117.50 since the bag cost $235 from RV Mods. This is for the modified version. If you use the stock filters it’s half that.
@@CarsWithKeav dang. Wasn't expecting that much resin in those. Might have to think of a prefilter. Getting about 500ppm. I have this upgrade as well but waiting on my resin.
@@din0gear309 a lot of guys with that high ppm run a double carbon pre-filter and some add on an RO system. Resin won’t last long at 500ppm
@@CarsWithKeav thank you. I'll definitely do that. Thanks for the suggestion. 👍
Carbon filters do absolutely nothing for TDS. It will however remove chlorine which hurts the resin for refrigeration purposes but you’ll get the same TDS reading and life span with or without carbon filters. Tank exchange companies like and often require carbon filters so the resin can be regenerated more times but for us regular guys we use it once and throw it out.
Dumb question: is there not a way to uncontaminated the resin similar to what a water softener does on a backwash with salt? I guess I’m not quite understanding why this resin is thrown away.
The resin can be recharged, but I don't want to deal with bleach, sulphuric or hydrochloric acid to recharge. Plus, this is mixed bed so another process to separate them before the harsh chemicals. Some love to do it, but its not for me.
@@CarsWithKeav Thanks, I didn’t know that.
How do you dispose of the used resin?
Household trash. It’s basically micro beads of plastic. Many regenerate their resin to save money as well. I plan to make a video on that process soon.
@@CarsWithKeav I read a few posts about that process, and it looks like you should be a chemist and own a hazmat suit! 🙂
@@MickStreff It's a pretty involved process with lots of chemicals. For sure need the PPE.
@@CarsWithKeav While using this modification, were you happy with the results? Do you still use this process, or have you returned to cartridges?
@@MickStreff I went back to cartridges no matter what I did I was getting resin clogging my garden hose shower nozzle. Others have expressed the same problem, but the majority seem to be very happy with it as well.
Do you have to take the water out once’s you’re done using it? Or no?
You should always keep water in there resin loses its charge when it dries out.
@@CarsWithKeav also, I did the conversion and my ppm is still reading high. I tested the water and it’s good but it still spots. I had to transfer the tpms meter to a new head unit so could it be damaged?
@@abrahamfranco4249 That’s weird have you checked the connection inside could be getting blow by. TDS meters can go bad, but not usually reading the same number as going in. Than can be calibrated as well. There is a screw on the back and you can get calibrated liquid from the manufacturer.
What is your incoming tds? Is it very high? Was the TDS better or worse with the stock CR spotless filters?
Some water quality is so hard even full resin won’t get you spotless.
How do I check for blow by? And how do I take off the connection safely? I struggled with it when I had to transfer it to the new unit.
I also love in California and the TDS was reading around 250ppm
@@abrahamfranco4249 should be able to handle 250 ppm. Blow by would be if the tubes are not seated properly causing water to not go through the resin to get into slots at the bottoms of tube. If the tube is put too far in the canister when you put the canister on the housing it will not seal all the way allowing water to blow by. It will lower TDS, but not fully. What’s the ppm after being filtered?
How often do you have to change the resin?
For my water quality I get about 400 gallons. My water is pretty good at 60ppm. If you have harder water it will be much less. Their listings says 300 gallons.
@@CarsWithKeav so how many washes would that be. I feel like I'd always have resin stress
@@brokenSnake this would all depend on how much DI water you use for washing. Mine probably goes around 50 washes as I only use it during final rinse. If your use during all other rinses and foaming then it would be much less.
Can it work with the "Knock Off" CR spotless filters?
Should work with any 20 inch filter and housing. They basically all have the same design. Just don’t know for sure since I have not tried them.
Yeah it works. I have the apec one got it used but you can but those cannisters by itself.
No they do not. Every brand has a different orifice size under the housing cap. You will notice not all brands are created equal. These tubes were designed specifically for the CR Spotless
Rv mods does not deliver to South Africa. Any idea how I can get it?
I am not sure, not very knowledgeable in international shipping.
Where do you guy the resin
I buy on Amazon and buy in 8lb bags or 40lb. These links is what I would use and are cheaper than most. 8lb amzn.to/4csjwii 38lb amzn.to/3IK53R5
What's input TDS.. Sir
Mine usually is between 50 and 60 ppm which is why I don't run a pre-filter.
👍
Anybody have the link for the pipe?? Please help
Links are always in the description. Here you go rv-mods.com/store/DIC20-conversion-kit-p105868881
I had changed my resin out and for some reason the resin is coming out of the di tank with the water and it’s reading a high ppm. Anyone know what I’m doing wrong or how to fix it?
Recheck all the gaskets and seals and make sure the pipes are fully seated into the housing. Any chance for the dirty water to get by it will. I actually went back to the cartridges as resin was getting by and clogging my sprayer.
@@CarsWithKeav ok thanks, the problem I have tho is I can’t really see the tube when I screw on the tank
@@joshfde that is the biggest problem. I have found after multiple of these types of systems it’s best to set the tube in the housing first then push into the resin. The tubes will always be all the way in then. You can fill up with water as well and will be much easier to push the tubes into the resin.
@@CarsWithKeav Ima try that thanks bro
Double the amount of resin per cartridge refill would double your cost of resin, no? Ultimately it's the same spend on resin, for the same volume of output.
They say the way the pipe is set it reduces blow by significantly which will save Resin. They also say the way it feeds is more efficient. Don’t know if it’s proven, but in the end I don’t have to change resin as often and it’s a pain the neck to do so it’s worth it for me. I would also think that with more resin better chance to get 0ppm when running a higher flow of water. Just a theory though.
@@CarsWithKeav If it's a pain to change resin why not stick with the plug & play cartridges?
@@DarrenZemanek Either way you still have to refill the resin in the filters. Filters with resin already in them are too much. Much better to buy in bulk and do yourself.
I just switched to this mod and now I got only 300 gallons when before with just the regular cr spotless setup I was getting 800. Doesn’t make sense I’m getting way less di water.
That is weird. Same DI resin? Are the pipes seated all the way? At worst I doubled my length between changes. It didn’t really increase overall resin usage. Possibly too much flow? I’m just throwing out anything I know of that could impact it.
@@CarsWithKeav I’m only flowing 2gpm into my tank. It was brand new resin from them. I guess on the bright side I just recently found out how to regenerate DI resin for less than $20.
your probably getting channeling now since the mod takes away the forced contact with the media to some degree. I would switch it back. Its not as critical is his application since hes starting so low.
Switch it back or see if you can find a proper swirl tank instead. They increase efficiency by up to 30% in some cases. Not sure what's available in the US, but give it a try to see if you can find one.
FYI: thought about buying this unit until I checked Amazon reviews. Ten prcent (10%) or 1 our of 10 people gave the CR Spotless 1 star and descibe it as 0 stars. Folks having the system fail after 5 or 6 washes and plenty of horrendous stories about CR Spotless' customer servive (basically doesn't exist). The there is a more stories with 2 stars, etc. This gives me great pause.
Problem with this type of product is most people don't do their research and think that if I can get 600 to 800 gallons out of my water they expect the same, but they live in Vegas and the water is very hard and would last maybe 100 gallons if that (Believe me I get lots of comments that what I suggested doesn't last long and it ends up being their quality of water once we had a conversation). Years ago you could only get this type of product of a website that educates on this, but now its right at your finger tips and a social media campaign on top that. Mine has been great and still on the wall I did reverse the mod in this video as it didn't go so well and went back to the cartridges. there are lots of great options out there, but before buying anything like this getting a TDS meter and checking your water will let you knwo ahead of time the experience you will have. Also researching the source water whether it is well water or city water as chemicals and other things impact usage. Some people also don't make sure their input water matches the max it can handle which is 2.5gpm, but most house can flow 8gpm moving the water too fast to get filtered. I have tons of products that worked out so well and don't have very good ratings.
@@CarsWithKeav Yes, likely. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Arizona has some of the worst water in the U.S. Mine tests out at 700 TDS. This unit might lower my TDS down to 150 but that is still too high and the resin would be wasted in 1 car rinse. I think I"ll buy a blue, 15 gallon, water barrel and an electrical pump with just enough horse power to make a nice hose stream. Then off to the water store I'll go to buy some reverse osmosis water that tests out at 0 TDS. I see no other solution.
A lot of guys in Arizona are running RO systems and using this system after that to get full 0 ppm. I’ve seen videos of them going from 500 tds to between 10 and 50 from the RO system.
Hmmmmm I live in Arizona and just recently purchased the waterdrop di water system, so it will not work then?
@@jacqstoneva This will work but given how hard AZ Water is success will depend on how often and how costly it is to renew filters.
Wat happened it u just use it straight all the way threw with out use the tap
Can i do this to my small di? Kinda of like the one you use on your cart
Not sure they make them that small. I have only seen them made for the biggest 4.5 inch filter housings and not the 2.5 ones.
@@CarsWithKeav okay. I think i messed up doing my set up. I have the ro/di by aquaticlife then to a water softener out to the pressure washer
@@Hcautodetail Water softener should be before the DI system.
@@CarsWithKeav just swapped it. Thank you!
?????????????? MY TDS IS IN 267 SOOOOOO I NET REPLASE???????
I’m not sure how long resin will last at that TDS
You are wasting a lot of water and time trying to run out the cloudiness…. Its just air. First fill and run a few litres through and most of the bulk air, then leave for a couple of hours if you want the cloudiness to go away or just use.
Thanks for the advice. I do run way less water now even though manufacturers suggest more to be run out before using.