Not sure if this is the right forum. But my question is which would you prefer?
A DI tank or a DI dual stage cart? What would be some advantages and disadvantages?
I am new to this WFP, so I am looking at all my options, before I decide which way I want to go. If anyone can help out I would really appreciate it. Thanks
The single biggest reason to go with the 2 stage DI cart is portability.
The larger DI tanks are very heavy and generally are mounted into a vehicle in a semi-permanent way. Its a good idea to go with the 2 stage DI cart for convenience as well. You simply unload the cart, wheel it up to the water supply, connect, and pull hoses.
There is also something to be said for a professional looking piece of equipment on a job site.
The other thing to consider is that when you go with DI tanks, you probably always want to have a back up tank, so that when your DI tank goes bad(usually on the job) you have another one waiting. With a 2 stage DI cart, you can just have an extra DI cartridge in the truck waiting to be used. Then you simply order a new one and its delivered to your door.
Shop around as many of the DI carts look rather home made now. To make things less expensive, some have made them cheap.
Those are some good points. I am in the market for a wfp system and wasn’t sure if their was a bigger difference between the di tank and the cart besides portability. I was thinking one might last longer than the other compared side by side with the same tds coming in.
Some do look really “homemade” compared to others, and I want to look as professional as possible. Thanks for the comment.
I prefer having a large DI tank and two stacked Cox hose reels mounted on my truck as opposed to a tank on a cart.
Dragging the cart, tank, and two hoses around a house or building just doesn’t make sense to me. Once I hook up the water supply hose to the hose bib on the house or building, I only have to deal with the one hose that goes to my WFP while I clean the windows.
Having a DI (or even an RO/DI) cart is kind of like dragging a power washer and two hoses around the house while you power wash. By the same token, having a DI tank mounted on the truck is like having a pressure washer mounted on the truck or trailer instead of dragging the whole power washing rig around the house.
The DI cart may look cool but I’m sure it would be a pain compared to only dealing with one hose from the reel on the truck while you actually do the window cleaning.
That’s just my opinion.
How much hose do you have on each reel?
I’ve been cleaning at some buildings where one cannot park within 200’ of a water supply. I easily move my RO/DI cart into position and use the 170’ of onboard hose (I don’t move the cart) while cleaning around the building. I have an additional 150’ of hose on a portable Cox reel to extend if required.
I have 150’ of commercial garden hose on a Cox Reel that will actually hold 200’ but I’ve never needed more than 150’ of garden hose. I do have more if I need it though.
I have a second Cox Reel with 300’ of 3/8" air/water hose that feeds my water fed pole. I have never needed all of the 300’ on any gig I ever done and I do huge lake homes on very large lots.
Like already mentioned, it comes down to personal preference. I already know from my power washing experience that I don’t like taking the rig off of the truck or trailer and rolling it over to or around the building or house. That’s why I prefer that both my WFP rig and my power washing rig stay on the truck and trailer (respectively) while I work.
I’m like you… I only like pulling hose. I’ve used the cart and found that in the end I’d like to not mess with it if possible… but what if I did need to have the cart? And my area’s water is so hard that I really have to use more than just a DI tank anyway (R/O), so I just mounted the cart semi permanently into my trailer. It works great and my guys have all of the options in the world. I like keeping my options that open, but even more importantly, I am now able to use a full blown water purification system rather than blowing through DI tanks every couple weeks.
[QUOTE=Nuvudude;48288]I have 150’ of commercial garden hose on a Cox Reel that will actually hold 200’ but I’ve never needed more than 150’ of garden hose. I do have more if I need it though.
I have a second Cox Reel with 300’ of 3/8" air/water hose that feeds my water fed pole. I have never needed all of the 300’ on any gig I ever done and I do huge lake homes on very large lots.
Do you get enough flow and pressure while using 300’ to your pole without a pump? I have around 250’ of 3/8" air hose and don’t seem to get enough volume coming out the brush.
Ouch!!! DI tanks lasting only 2 weeks?
Around here one large tank can last nearly a year. I guess we’re very lucky.
[quote="“danwagner,post:8,topic:5039”]
I get way more than enough volume and pressure. As a matter of fact I have to keep the ball valve closed off a good bit so the water doesn’t splash too badly on the tops of the window frames. Even when I have to go up over porches on 2nd or 3rd story equivalent the pressure and volume is way more than enough. I have never needed a pump.
There may be something wrong somewhere along the line in your system. You should be getting plenty of volume and pressure with 250’ of 3/8" hose.
I do not like lifting or draging equiptment. Looking for water supply can also be problem, especially if you need electricity. With that said I set my van mounted system up like the Boys across the pond. I have 300 ft of 1/4 PVC hose mounted in van and 300 gal tank and 100 psi surflo pump that runs off 12v battery. I fill the tank to about 150 gals at home and can work 8 hours without refill. Only one small hose to drag around
Hey guys I got a TDS meter and I’ve checked 3 different jobs around town each about 10-15 min. from each other and I’ve gotten readings from 450-550 TDS. My question is what would be the better route, the DI cart or a DI Tank? I don’t want to blow through the filters on a DI cart really fast so if someone knows about this stuff let me know what route I should take.
With readings that high you should get an RO/DI system. It will cost you a lot to run w/ just DI at those numbers.
That TDS warrants an RO/DI system.
The 2 Stage DI carts would last a matter of a few hours before spotting and the larger DI tanks may last a day or 2.
Defo need an RO with those readings.
I can’t believe you guys are working with commercial garden hose though. You would not believe how much easier it is to work with minibore (8mm Inside diameter) or microbore (6mmID) double layer hose. Its MUCH lighter and easier to pull, and nearly impossible to kink too. I’ve 300’ on a reel in my van, and a backpack for awkward access jobs.
The garden hose is for supply water to the system not for pure water.
My bad!!
Still think a tank on the truck is a lot easier though!! 
I agree 2 tanks on a truck is easier. I have been using this method for over 10 years.
Keep it simple. You can always build your own cart for a lot less. Simple
