Hydrominder letting water seep back into soap barrel.

[Bethel Car Wash]

I replaced the hydrominder and it didn't help. My high pressure soap is pulled out with a solid pink color just like in the barrel. My foam brush soap is being pulled out but extremely diluted and a clear green and not the dark solid green that's in the barrel. I did find a mouse in the screen/filter. (yes a whole mouse!) I thought ok maybe that was the problem but it didn't help. My soap is diluted and the brushes don't foam they just spray a soapy water. I am new to the site and this is my first post. Thanks in advance for any help or other suggestions. I've tried adding photos but haven't used photo bucket in years and obviously they've changed something?
Tim

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Make sure the discharge hose for the Hydrominder has a hole in it, above the liquid level in the mixed tank, but below the little yellow restrictor ring in that hose. If your Hydrominder doesn't have a siphon break (506 & 507) you must have that hole. A 511 has a siphon break and doesn't need it. You may just be siphoning mixed chemical back in your drum. One other thing, is your water soft?

 

[Bethel Car Wash]

My hydrominder is a 507 and my soft water is currently out of order. I bought a very run down car wash and I am slowly improving it. The water softener and spot free systems still need lot's of work.

 

[Ontario Car Wash]

I had the same issue for ever kept killing my barrel
make sure u cut a hole like i.b. Said
and that u got the right discharge hose one it with the rings
change the foot valve
i gave in one day and just put the bucket of soap higher than the hydrominder :0
***advice buy a jug of simoniz foam additive
couple oz in anything and its a foam bath
it will save your day in a flash till you can tinker

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I put a bucket above the Hydrominder once and lost the whole thing overnight. Once the siphon started it was downhill from there, literally. Yeah, don't do that.

 

[Kevin James]

What kind of soap are you using? Is this a new bucket/container of soap? What color or size tip are you using in the Hydrominder? Have you tried increasing the Hydrominder tip size? Did you replace the Hydrominder with a new one or a used Hydrominder? Is the soap level in the soap bucket increasing?

 

[Bethel Car Wash]

It is a new hydro with a new barrel of soap. You can see about an inch on top is diluted. The tip is blue. What size should the hole be?

 

[Randy]

You want to have a hole in the discharge tube about an inch above the water level in the hydrominder tank. A 3/16" hole should be big enough, not above the yellow ring inside the tube. A blue tip is pretty big, that's 25-1. How big is the barrel of soap? What brand of soap is it?

 

[Bethel Car Wash]

Classy care soap high foam bought from a chemical company that makes their own. I haven't had this problem before. The hole has never been there and isn't in my wax or presoak either. I think I tried the bigger tip when I first noticed the problem then I bought a new hydro when that didn't help. The new hydro hasn't helped either so my old one is probably not the problem either. I am trying to find a picture hosting site so I can share pictures to hopefully help.
If there is a hole in the hose wouldn't that prevent the suction from pulling the mix up through the hose?

 

[Bethel Car Wash]

Photo of soap brush problem

Here is a picture of the foam brush set up. You can see the green soap but that should be so dark you can't see through it. I'm not saying Randy is wrong about the hole, I'm just confused because it has never had one. I've only owned this wash for a little over a year with no experience what so ever. I am somewhat mechanically inclined and can figure some things out but usually with a lot of trial and error and the error part can be expensive!

 

[Randy]

Looking at the picture it almost looks like you've got bad drum of soap. How old is the barrel of soap? Or did it freeze in the last big cold snap you had there and separate.

 

[Bethel Car Wash]

Soaps are about 2 months old 30 gallon barrels, and problem started before it was cold enough to freeze.

 

[2Biz]

The guys are offering up some good advice. You probably have a bad foot valve allowing diluted chemical to be sucked back into the 30 gallon drum....Drill a 3/16" hole about 1" above the (fullest) mixed chemical line in the hydrominder tank. Make sure you don't drill it in above the lid! Think that one through! LOL...The hole allows air to enter the hose and keeps the mixed chemical from back flowing... Once you get the hole drilled, you'll probably find the suction hose between the 30 gallon tank and hydrominder won't hold prime because of a failing foot valve.....

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Once you get the hole drilled, you'll probably find the suction hose between the 30 gallon tank and hydrominder won't hold prime because of a failing foot valve.....

I'm I.B. Washincars and I approve this message.

 

[Randy]

I'm kind of thinking he's got a bad barrel of soap. Is the soap pretty thin like water or is thick? Has the level in the drum gone down any since you put it on line? A blue tip is a pretty large tip. Have you also used a blue tip on the hydrominder?

 

[2Biz]

I'm I.B. Washincars and I approve this message.

Ha! Sounds like you're running for office!

I don't know Randy....If it was a bad drum and separated, wouldn't it be thick as snot in the suction tube to the hydrominder?

 

[Randy]

I.B Washincars does run the show.

2Biz, not necessarily it could be bad from the start or it got cold from the supplier or it is just a poor quality soap. I only use 5 gallon pails for that reason.

A few years ago there was a supplier here who was pulling 5 gallons of soap from every 55 gallon drum and then he'd add 5 gallons of water. It didn't take long before he was found out.

 

[2Biz]

If there is a hole in the hose wouldn't that prevent the suction from pulling the mix up through the hose?

I think you're confused. The discharge hose from the hydrominder goes into the mix tank. You're thinking flow is going the wrong way....Soap is drawn from the bottom of the tank or from another hose. Kind of hard to tell, not knowing your setup....

 

[2Biz]

Can you take a side view shot of your hydrominders/tanks and post? Whats the black hose that is going down through the lid? Is that the pickup hose to your pumps? Is the soap vacuum fed into your pumps? City pressure fed pumps or gravity fed?

 

[Randy]

In the picture it looks to me like the soap drum outlet is higher than the White hydrominder tank. If it is there's no way it will back flow back into the soap drum.