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installing automatic and neighbor problems

B

blvette84

New member
We have been a carwash since the late 1970's we are planning on converting out truck bay to a automatic with a dryer. We are pull in and back out wash now and are planning on making it a drive through using the city alley as egress. The problem is about 8 years the trailer park that was behind was sold off and they built new homes. Now they are trying to shut us down as a carwash saying we are going to cause to much noise. the dryers will be aprox 80 ft away from there back of there houses. We are still moving forward but would like to hear of suggestions or similar issues other people have. we are zoned c2 and have are on a busy highway washing in our 3 self serve bays aprox 10000 cars a year.
 
The root cause of the problem isn’t the neighbors its lack of space.

Guidelines to determine equipment and property requirements are well documented.

Entrance to in-bay space is 35’ to 40’ plus any required buffer or green area.

Exit generally twice this area - for vacuuming – includes building set back any green area.

Of course, you can’t do this because POS would have to be located in alley.

So, what is going to cause the noise problem - not following industry best practices in sizing the wash.

Result is dryer producer has to face backyard and neighbors.

Heavy automatic door on exit end may mitigate noise but drive-through service bay would be staring neighbors in the face whereas before building was pull-in/back-out.

It’s very hard to defend an overall design objective that does not conform to industry best practices.
 
Can you swap the exit and entrance? That way the producers are closer to the road and have the building to help shield the noise. Unfortunately you'll probably have to have the decibels measured at your property lines to get the city to approve.
 
May not be optimal, but have you considered something with OB dryers and adding a door or two? It would knock the sound down quite a bit.
 
What is the local code concerning noise level from a C2 property? I have installed dryers within 50' of an apartment building and been within the decibel limit set by the city.
 
I like the blowers on board and door on bay idea. then what can they say? it definitely won't be too loud then.
 
I'm definitely no expert and have no science to back this up. I have two Mark VII autos with OB dryers. They have two 10HP producers on each one. Next to them, I have a Peco stand-alone with 4-15HP producers which is OUTSIDE! There is no comparison, the Mark VII dryers INSIDE the building are much louder. I think the echo chamber effect makes them louder. Makes you wonder...
 
Hopefully you can keep them happy and install your automatic. From my experience even if you are within the restrictions of the zoning if the nearby neighbors are still upset they can cause a lot of nuisance problems and even drive business away. Is their a homeowners association you can meet with or is it individuals to show them your plans and what you are doing to reduce any noise?
 
Back when I was building my wash there was concern about the blower noise. At the public hearing the city had on file what the level was for the road in front of my wash. I had a company measure the level of the blowers (at similar site) to compare. In the end the road noise up front was 1.5 times higher than my blowers.
 
there is no decibal limit ordinance, we are located in a small town. I informed the neighbor in the beginning. They want to shut down any property improvement which include upgrading and adding storage units. Just wondering what are some quiter dryers, we do plan installing doors on the rear that will be shut even in the summer to keep the noise down. we are located on a busy highway with many semis going by.
 
The dryers are not as loud as your neighbor may think... of course it depends on quantity and size of the blowers. From my experience I have taken dB readings from 50' away and they came in at around 50 dB for a three blower system.
 
great to hear that the back of there houses are aprox 80-90 ft away. I was planning on putting a 3 dryer setup in and installing inside the bay.
 
If I were to do it again, I would put the dryers outside the building. Onboard dryers are nice, but you have drips from the gantry to deal with.
 
I am biased in my answer, but it will work. Look at the Istobal M22 with onboard blowers. They are quiet enough that you can stand just outside the bay and carry on a conversation. There are also noise dampening panels that can greatly reduce the db. A local restaurant used these and the difference was just short of amazing.
 
“….there is no decibal limit ordinance, we are located in a small town.”

The town may not have noise ordinance but I can assure you the county does because it is required by law to control nuisance complaints.

“They want to shut down any property improvement….upgrading and adding storage units.”

Question is preventing change desire of citizens or actual planning and zoning regulation.

You may forge ahead as encouraged, but I would consult with an attorney first to determine how much of an uphill battle you are really facing.

I’ve been involved in situations like this before. It can get messy and expensive if you don’t do your homework.
 
I agree with Robert. Like Robert I have seen scenarios like this turn into a real nightmare. As he suggests, there are regulations beyond local requirements that have to be met. You may not need an attorney yet but you need to do as much research as possible before proceeding.
 
I have a High Velocity, with an old Belanger 3-10HP blower setup inside the bay. Houses about the same distance as you 90' away. Its been a little over 2 years since we switched from an express to a 24 hr. touchless and I have yet to hear a complaint from any neighbors. I have a fair amount of late night activity, winter time isnt so bad as the dryer starts as the door is opening, but after temps are over 50* Doors stay open. By the way, these are not the quietest of blowers!!
 
Been there and done that. It can get into an ugly fight that will cost you thousands of dollars, believe me I’ve been there, even in small town America homeowners have rights and your looked upon as the bad guy. Whatever you do **** don't off the neighbors try to work with them, if they want they can make your life a living hell. Hire a sound engineer to do a study now before the automatic goes in, this will give you a bench mark as to what the sound levels are now. Then do another study after the automatic is installed, so you can show them that there isn’t big increase in the sound levels. I’m kind of surprised you got a permit to install an automatic so close to residential homes.
 
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