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Freezing Weeps

T

Turbo

Member
My self serv guns and the foam brush weeps freeze. I do not have doors. I will be getting some (probably clear doors on both sides of my 3 self serv bays). More on this later in a different thread.

I am in Chicago and it has been just about 0-10 degrees for a 36 hour period. They froze at night and after we thawed them out they froze during day. The hoses burst and sometimes the stainless swivel breaks.

I have a 1" water line for my wash so I have a holding tank that serves as a buffer (the 1" line cant keep up). I have a repressurization pump to bring water to 40-60 lbs from 0 in tank. The weeps run off the 60 lbs.

I use to have the weeps connected to street pressure (I think 35-40 lbs) but when tank filled the weepswere starved for water and they froze a lot more.

Is there anything else that I can do? I am reading mixed reviews on the forum on a air blow down system. Is it just: install the doors like everyone else has!

Thanks

Turbo

Chicago 3ss, 1auto, 3bay oil change
 
Im thinking the 1" water supply working with city pressure is adequate enough. Maybe check the weep sensor. I have a Weepmiser 1000 and just replaced my sensor. My hand bays froze twice in a week, this is the first time this happen in my 15 yrs old wash.
 
ibspuds said:
Im thinking the 1" water supply working with city pressure is adequate enough. Maybe check the weep sensor. I have a Weepmiser 1000 and just replaced my sensor. My hand bays froze twice in a week, this is the first time this happen in my 15 yrs old wash.
Click to expand...

Brand new sensors this fall.
 
I think you should install a small water heater to heat the weep water. You could install a thermostat or a manual switch to flip when it's extremely cold. That shouldn't cost much and may get the job done.

Before anyone brings up the "Hot water freezes before cold" debate, put a cup of hot water and a cup of cold water in your freezer and wait two hours before posting.
 
I.B. Washincars said:
I think you should install a small water heater to heat the weep water. You could install a thermostat or a manual switch to flip when it's extremely cold. That shouldn't cost much and may get the job done.

Before anyone brings up the "Hot water freezes before cold" debate, put a cup of hot water and a cup of cold water in your freezer and wait two hours before posting.
Click to expand...

I like this idea. a tankless 110v electric for self serv guns only when it gets down below 15 degrees? not sure what GPM is put I can measure. I would think even the smallest could keep up. i dont need the water at 120 degrees. just lifting it to 60 would do a lot I would think

I never thought of this. thanks

OR I could could blend some hot water from my gas tankless water heater. easier. manually for starters and then use a sensor and a solenoid

Thanks again
 
My weep mizer is set to provide continuous flow to the guns when it reaches 15 degrees. If you have weeping guns and steady flow they shoudn't freeze with cold water running through them. Perhaps your flow rate needs to be increased?
 
Before anyone brings up the "Hot water freezes before cold" debate, put a cup of hot water and a cup of cold water in your freezer and wait two hours before posting.

AMEN ! brother Ben, shot at a rooster, killed a hen!
 
What kind of weep system are you using? At less than 15 deg. Your weep water should be full on. You could try increasing the amount of water than your weeping. I dump a lot more weep water than I probably should but I never have a freeze up. A 1” water supply is barely enough to supply 3 bays S/S an Inbay Automatic and a 3 bay lube shop. By the time the water goes through a backflow preventer, water softener you’ve lost a lot of volume, if you got 1” galvanized pipe in the ground that is over 15 year old you lose even more volume.

Let’s not get into the Hot water Cold water freezing issue. We’ve been to that Rodeo more than once.
 
Weep

I use a weepmizer and have previously had occasional freezing problems.

To solve this, I re-programmed the weepmizer to flow more weep than it is normally configured to do. Then, just to be sure, I had it flow even a bit more. This solved my freezeup problem although I probably use a little more water than I should.

It is simple to do-- the instructions are in the manual or available on the dixmor site.
 
Your guns should be set up to weep about 16oz of water when on for a full minute. We were at -0 this weekend and had no freeze ups with no doors and cold water weep.

I had similar problems a few years ago and traced it to a problem with the weep seats on the guns I was using. I have been using Giant and kleen-rite guns successfully for a few years now.
 
16 ounces a minute sounds like a lot to me. We have been weeping 10-12 ounces a minute for years using dixmor's standard program in our hp guns and foam brushes. However, we are weeping hot water, although my gut says cold would be fine. I have not tested that theory because I like having the heat from the weep in our roof trough keeping all the low psi lines from freezing. We also have a closed loop trough heater (small electric tank and recirc. pump) as a back up, yet it rarely runs with the heat from the weep.

As a sidenote, everytime someone posts about weep problems I find it funny how few people have any idea how much weep they are flowing per minute. Most people just seem to open a valve and let it rip.
 
Sounds like a few things you could troubleshoot.

1. Check the solenoid, is it sticking closed? I've heard a lot of headaches go away with a diaphragm valve.
2. Potentially modify your Weepmizer program. One of my washes uses weepmizer and that's just what I did. I probably spend more than I should in water (i have it turn on just above freezing, and raised all the presets of how long to flow water up 2-3 degrees.) I haven't had a freeze up since.
3. Is your temp sensor reading the correct temp? You can put more than one on the system, and it'll go off the one with the lowest reading. For example, if it's located in a place that stays a little warmer than your bay which continues to freeze, put a sensor there as well.
 
I don't know how much weep you need for your auto but I am in Chicago (Niles) and weep with City pressure from two half inch lines for an 8 bay with FB weep as well.

How is your trought heat / insulation? I have my Hot water t'd to the cold for the weep and can adjust the temp that way. The trough heat and insulation help keep it warm until it gets to the bays.

I have had an occasional freeze. The curious thing is it seems to have happened when temps are closer to freezing than when it gets real cold. I can only guess that somehow the weep flow is less close to freezing and perhaps a sudden drop in temp gets ahead of the weep.

An operator told me to use HP hose for the FB because the FB hoses will kink and then the weep stops and freezes. He was so right.
 
We have an older mk VII weep system but my understanding (as stated by others) is you need 16 oz per minute when full on--I would set at on, and stick 16 oz drink bottle out there--when you know you have enough flow you can play with on/off times to try not to freeze.

Ted
 
This is what my Weepmizer is set at. I seldom have a freeze up, and it has been very cold her in NEPA.

It was -24 in Lopez last night. Not as cold where I am, but still very cold. They are saying it is the coldest it has been since 1994. Using cold water for the weep.

Weepmizer Settings:

At 35°
By 25°
To 15°

P1 = 01:00
P1 = 30%

P2 = 01:00
p2 = 60%

P3 = 01:00
P3 = 90%
 
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