Eliminating those calcium spots

For the last 9+ years it's taken me 6 hours to wash and towel-dry the old tub to avoid "water spots". A couple of days ago I merely rinsed the canvas and, to my horror, Chris' new black color scheme was covered in white spots. I'm laying in bed and thinking about the super duper, high capacity, upgraded water softener we installed a few months ago, and wondering why I'd have those calcium spots. That's when it occurred to me that the water lines to our deck and dock bypass the water softener. HFWPOH!

Yesterday I called several local "water treatment" companies and, after getting sticker shock when I heard $1,200 for a dockside water softener, I sat back and thought about it. 30 years ago, I recall having an adapter that screwed into a kitchen or bathroom faucet and allowed me to hook up a garden hose. Off to our local Ace Hardware store and, after about 30 minutes of looking, including being on my hands and knees for those ridiculously low-placed items, I found what I needed.

Back to the old tub with "softened" water, rinsed the canvas, and voila! The water spots were gone. Today I washed the boat in the knowledge that there wouldn't be calcium spots. However, I still towel-dried it (old habits die hard). The final solution will be a small under-house plumbing project.

This got me thinking what's in the water tank that those "authorized" RV-wash guys use at various campgrounds and RV resorts when they "bring their own water". It's probably just water from a water softener 

Tom:  I wash my coach with clear water from city water, however, it is applied out of a bucket with a soft brush, after which, I squeegy the coach and wipe down streaks with a towel.  I treat the water with the same liquid that Shirley uses in the dishwasher to eliminate spots.  I works good.

While I have you on here, how do I highlight my thread for the RV Forum Wildflower Scramble Rally?  Also, can you put a link on the Home Page to that message so everyone knows about it?

Ron, what do you use to rinse the coach?

[quote author=Ron from Big]...how do I highlight my thread for the RV Forum Wildflower Scramble Rally?[/quote]

Previously answered via email. Check your PM for copies of my two emails.

Tom,

FWIW, when I wash the MH, I use the rinse water from a "Mr Clean" auto wash hose attachment.  The best solution I have found is Blue Beacon or one of the mobile wash people we have here!   

Thanks Jim. I hadn't thought of putting a solution in a hose attachment. So far, my simple fix of hooking up to a soft water line seems to be a big improvement. But I can see that one of the 'spot free' solutions might be better.