What's new
By:
Car Wash Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

How do you wash your Automatic Bay down?

A

APW

Well-known member
My cleanup man uses a water hose but I'm sure he could do it a lot faster with a pump. How do you do it?
 
I have one SS bay at each wash with a quick coupler at the pump. I keep a long hose with gun at each wash, with the male coupler half on that hose. Whenever needed, I just shut that bay down, uncouple the hose going to the bay, and plug in the clean-up hose. You only get HP functions, but that's all I've ever needed.
 
Almaprowash said:
What about an CAT 3535, any danger in hooking up a hose and gun to the pump stand?
Click to expand...

This post reminds of when a young nephew wanted to know if when I squeezed the trigger on my "wash down" special gun utilizing several pumps via a common manifold & hi pressure 3 way valves. I am quoting him "does it lift you off the ground ... if you are not careful"

Note: At the 4:35 to to 4:51 end finish of this below YouTube clip of a MacGyver episode ... it appears that car wash self guns with their hand triggers are being used to control their ascent in air way way way up & over to where they needed to be!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIIIoDJPVAk

mike walsh www.kingkoin.com
 
The 3535 puts out a lot more volume then you'd need for wash down, IMO more inefficient than using a self-serve bay pump.

I used to do the same as I.B. with a coupler in each bay just below the inline swivel at the boom, but I eventually added a pump to an extra tray that could run 1800 PSI with a 1508 tip. I added a second regulator isolated by a ball valve if I ever needed lower pressure but I only used it once and never bothered with it again. I could clean almost an acre of concrete including the auto and six SS bays in about 45 minutes.
 
Almaprowash said:
What about an CAT 3535, any danger in hooking up a hose and gun to the pump stand?
Click to expand...

CAT 3535 36GPM @ 1200psi - Yes you could. Just be careful with your gun nozzle size. To large and you will not be able to handle the gun for very long before you're fatigued. Make sure your unloader/regulator is working properly.
 
I'd be concerned with running a 3535 at 1000 or so PSI at only a tenth of its flow without the pump seals getting hot.
 
We have an old 310 cat hooked up with a bay timer and a button in the auto bay. We push the button for coin pulses for how much time is necessary. Used to have a switch but everyone would forget and leave it on!! I have the pump hooked into a reclaim tank and fresh water so we can switch for what is necessary, quick washdowns reclaim, full cleanups fresh or mixed water.
 
MEP001 said:
I'd be concerned with running a 3535 at 1000 or so PSI at only a tenth of its flow without the pump seals getting hot.
Click to expand...

Just a thought ... I wonder if the 3535 or similar pump was setup with a programmable VFD ... then a signal could be sent to the VFD when the single wash down nozzle was used changing the program to make the motor run at a different RPM. It seems like that could possibly help prevent the mentioned pump seal potential overheating problem.
 
Good grief, Mike. You can come up with the most complicated ways to do the simplest things. I'll bet you use a recipe when making a baloney sandwich :D
 
For an area that has customers with more mud than most left ... maybe the larger pump could be a gain in cleanup time. No regrets in having set up more than one pump for our cleanup over 25 years ago. Over the years it has actually simplified our cleanup process. Not sure if the better nozzle is a good fit for anyone else though! Although ... if I remember right when Bill Pitzer visited my facility several years ago ... he thought the bay washdown special gun & nozzle setup was pretty nifty!

2nd thought ... something to consider .... some customers have told me the gas station car wash down the street from us refused to let them in their conveyor car wash because of their vehicle being too muddy from hunting or whatever.
 
Last edited:
The only way a larger pump would help cleanup time is if the nozzle is much bigger. At 1800 PSI with a 1508 tip I have to lean forward on the gun against the pressure.
 
MEP001 said:
The only way a larger pump would help cleanup time is if the nozzle is much bigger. At 1800 PSI with a 1508 tip I have to lean forward on the gun against the pressure.
Click to expand...

I am not sure on the bigger pump but with joining the flow via manifolds & controls with three or four Cat 310s with 3HP 3ph motors ... it sure seems not too complicated for us considering the time we save. I think the extra momentum from water volume is more effective than a narrow spray with more pressure. I do use a 75 foot 1/2 inch ID hose on a retracting reel with a the largest variable pressure KleenRite gun made for truck washes. Be forewarned 3/8" hose affects the volume of water too much from my experience.

Note: I am using a 4012 nozzle so the large swath from the 40° vs 15° that might be one reason my feeble torso can handle the thrust & it is quicker than the 1508 nozzle. At the pumps the pressure tends to be as high as 1500 PSI depending on how many pumps are switched & routed to the manifold leading to the retracting reel. https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-18...14-meg-4012-14-stainless-steel-spray-tip.aspx

Last weekend after a busy day (weather related more than anything) I noticed not as much push on the tougher mud. Sure enough I accidentally had only two pumps switched on instead of three. If I go beyond four pumps ... I notice that there is no gain & the pumps could get hot within a pump's individual bypass hose (recommended for each Cat 310 Pump install). When I use it with a sewer cleanout stationary or rotating nozzle for water jetting various sewer line branches at the facility ... I have to keep it with 1 or 2 pumps to prevent heat buildup within the pumps.

Whether this info is helpful when it comes to using a single huge pump like Almaprowash's post suggested ... I am not sure.
 
mjwalsh said:
If I go beyond four pumps ... I notice that there is no gain & the pumps could get hot within a pump's individual bypass hose (recommended for each Cat 310 Pump install).
Click to expand...

The pumps could get hot...but do they?

You could run more bays if you had a 4016 tip.
 
MEP001 said:
The pumps could get hot...but do they?

You could run more bays if you had a 4016 tip.
Click to expand...

At the point of four pumps ... yes there is actual warning signs of heat build up & questionable wash down gains over three. There are actually 7 pump setups available but one is a portable backup that is on wheels that is used with some quick-disconnects (both electrical & water & chemical wise) when the normal bay pump goes down. The ability to use a quick backup pump - motor combo was an integral part of the project over 25 years ago.

One of the reasons a 4016 nozzle would not help much with the water pressure - water volume combination as is ... is that I would have to also go with a 3/4" 75 foot hose to get maximum power to overwhelm even the worse muddy situation imaginable. It is not worth it to me ... at some point there are diminishing returns ... a sweet spot if you will.
 
I.B. Washincars said:
I have one SS bay at each wash with a quick coupler at the pump. I keep a long hose with gun at each wash, with the male coupler half on that hose. Whenever needed, I just shut that bay down, uncouple the hose going to the bay, and plug in the clean-up hose. You only get HP functions, but that's all I've ever needed.
Click to expand...

that's really smart. i need to do that.
 
Whatever hose washdown is a good fit for whoever ... go for it. For us specifically, we have found the washdown ability we setup without too much trouble has been the best fit for us & our setup (long term wise). One thing I should have mentioned is from day one over 25 years ago we have used a small keychain wireless remote to turn it on & off. A few years ago we finally had to replace the Radio Shack version with something similar to the following:

http://www.truevalue.com/product/2-Remote-Controlled-Indoor-Outlets/44010.uts

Why the remote is so helpful & simplifies (IMHO) the washdown ... is if we need to stop during &/or immediately at the end of the process within a second the system is shut off with the wireless keychain remote.

I kind of agree that the VFD suggestion could be overly complicated like the moderator IB Washin suggested: It would have to mean the the motor for the pump was already on a VFD & then it could possibly be just a simple relay voltage signal to a spare terminal on the VFD & it would have to also mean a simple uncomplicated program entry for the on & off triggering. AlmaProWash did ask about the use of his existing closeby extra ordinarily large pump - motor setup. Oversized for the wash down purpose as Mep suggested ... how muddy AlmaProWash's area gets would be a factor too.
 
I like reading all you guys ideas,maybe I am just the old ball and doing it wrong. I use a gas pressure washer 4GPM @ 4000psi and a whirl-a-way surface cleaner, ect. I have to have the pressure to get up the grease,mud and sand/rocks from cars on my concrete in my IBA. I want a 8GPM setup at 3000psi would be the ultimate setup for my application at my wash. I wish I could get a all electric setup for that like you guys are talking about. Would be awsome.
 
Tdlconceptsllc & others,

Hmmm .... At the 4:00 to to 4:51 end finish of this below YouTube clip of a MacGyver episode.

This also appears to be a gas or diesel driven hi pressure washer setup ... so you be careful now upping the power a bit too much ... you hear ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Ul2OmVG6A
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Etowah
Back
Top