About 10 years ago, I read an article in Miata Magazine about washing and detailing. The article suggested using the hose without a nozzle and low water pressure. You want a smooth laminar flow of water that does not splash. This would allow the water to sheet off the car thanks to your wax job, and prevent water spots. I tried it and found it really did work. I did not have as much water to dry off the car and it ended up working as an indicator for when the car needed to be waxed.
After many years, I was tired to walking back a forth to the spigot to turn on and off the water. So I decided I still needed some sort of nozzle. After some pondering and recollections of my fluid dynamics classes, I found a simple solution.
You need two parts; a quarter turn
in-line valve and about a 6-inch section of hose.
For the hose section, I used a “Hose Saver”, a 6-inch section of hose
inside a spring. The valve should be $2-$3. A “Hose Saver” should
be $4-$5. You put the valve on the end of the hose and the 6-inch hose on the
outlet of the valve.
There is one small issue with this nozzle. The short section of hose drains when you turn off the water. When you turn it back on, it takes a second for section to fill and the flow to go laminar again. It’s easily avoided by always turning the nozzle on while pointed away from the car.
Paul Menzel
2001 BRG #1726
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21 July, 2002 |