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Things can change very rapidly. When I started out, I had the only wash within 5 miles. My business grew steadily until late 2001. 2001 was my best year. I think I grossed about 1/4 of that in 2007! A number of things changed: Another SS wash opened up about 1/2 mile north and a convience store...

You just change the seals in the head. Anything else is not cost effective.

Parts are available from Kleenrite, Dultmeier, Windtrax, etc. It may not be worthwhile to try and do a rebuild. If the pumps froze, the ceramic pistons may be cracked. If the pumps are real old, the heads may be "washed out". You can buy the special socket to change seals in the heads, and I...

My daughter use to live in Hampton and Norfolk. I would think that the value of land, coupled with the property taxes, would probably exclude the use of land for a self-serve wash. The military has their own "on base" washes (IIRC) and that would tend to limit your market. I don't know how many...

Hang in there, Red Baron; I want to see you succeed. I remember a few years ago seeing a picture of how a car wash operator lowered his "overhang" to prevent trucks from even entering his wash. I had to shorten my hoses due to semi-trucks and other large vehicles, pulling up outside the bay and...

#8 How about heated rails or other external heating requirements? In my case, I heated the apron leading up to the bay and the concrete pad exiting the wash. If you don't, it becomes a big sheet of ice very quickly and could result in a lawsuit when a vehcile accident occurs because someone...

Not nearly enough information to answer your question. #1 Do you soften your water? If so, figure the salt and regeneration period into your figures. (I have relatively soft water and can go about 16,000 gallons between regenerations). #2 Do you supply a spot-free rinse? If so, the figure the...

When I was operating my IBA, I used to figure about 70cents per wash. I thought that was the question posted in the title, I don't know about all this other extraneous stuff since I use liquid chemicals.

Doug, good luck and God bless you. I'll certainly miss you and the support you have offered me over the years. Jim

cfcw, appreciate the empathy. Would be nice if you could change "my mom's basement" to something a little more meaningful.

Mike, I'm glad you have your location listed, it makes it easier to understand. Your area is not suffering like those of us in the "rustbelt", you have no heating requirement , and probably no need for doors on your wash. I pay as much for water alone as you do for your whole wash. My chemical...

I would think that D&S could arrange to have that added to their software. I'm not certain, but I believe my Powerain had such a routine. I also think I had to request it and pay a custom programming charge. I think the customer had either 2 or 4 minutes to get in the wash and on the treadle...

Ted, would you mind sharing the brand and model of your IBA's?

No, you probably are not! I think most IBA operators fail to take into account all the expenses. My take on how to analyze it, is to treat it as though it were an entirely separate business. Think of it as a "stand alone" with its own property taxes, insurance, claims, etc. Don't think of it...

Go read the thread in the "General" forum about 2003 being the last good year. I brought it to the top so that it would be easier to find.

I thought it was appropriate to bring this back to the top. It is kind of interesting to look at what folks were saying 10 months or so ago. Also thought it would be easier for "dusovt" to find it, after his posting about "after the thrill is gone" in the IBA forum.

You can try pulling the connector off the back of the timer and cleaning all the pins. I have seen green corrosion build up between the pins and cause this. You can study the wiring diagram for the timer and see if there is a +24vac next to a horn connection. I use the D&S timers, but I believe...

I have been dealing with demand metering for a long time, figuring out my electric bill is an entirely differnet matter. This "power factor" stuff is totally new to me. Apparently, "Power Factor" (abbreviated pf) is essentially non-existent in purely resistive loads, such as strip heaters...

I have just learned that coming in January, my electricity supplier will implement a new type of billing. Currently I purchases Kwh with a 1/2hour loadmeter. The new meters will read KVAr (that is supposedly the correct way to spell it) as well as demand. The new meters will be able to determine...

On May 22, 2008 it was $2.67/gallon. Why do you think it will go to $8/gallon? If this were true, we could all make some real money by buying up Methanol now and selling it this winter. Hmmm, sounds like speculation, doesn't it?