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Is it worth adding hot water back to Self Serve?

K

Keno

Well-known member
The hot water has been removed by previous owners from all the self serves we have taken over and everything is cold water. A couple years back a competitor updated their wash and added hot water back in. We have considered adding hot water back at that location just to match that feature. Our price is higher than his, so feel we should be at least equal in features, but we are better overall and we still have more functions. Seems a lot of people in our area have just removed hot water instead of fixing when it broke over the years, Southern climate.

Questions I have besides keeping up with the competitor, does the hot water actually make a difference in SS? Do customers care or notice hot water in SS? We have had 1 person in 2 years mention the hot water.

What should be hot water? I'm thinking HP soap and wax HP wax?

Might consider adding it back to all the locations if it increases revenue
 
I am in Utah, and our customers LOVE our hot hp soap. We leave it on all year, and it's about 110 -115. I can tell you it cleans better for sure, particularly bugs. We have never not had it, so I don't know any better, but for us the gas cost is pretty low. I feel it's a great offering.
I think it's a good idea to not let your competition get an upper hand, so if you can keep costs reasonable, I would go for it.
As for wax, I see most customers go pretty fast, and I don't know if it would have time to heat up. Our equipment takes about 60-90 seconds to get truly hot water to the bay.
 
Keno said:
The hot water has been removed by previous owners from all the self serves we have taken over and everything is cold water. A couple years back a competitor updated their wash and added hot water back in. We have considered adding hot water back at that location just to match that feature. Our price is higher than his, so feel we should be at least equal in features, but we are better overall and we still have more functions. Seems a lot of people in our area have just removed hot water instead of fixing when it broke over the years, Southern climate.

Questions I have besides keeping up with the competitor, does the hot water actually make a difference in SS? Do customers care or notice hot water in SS? We have had 1 person in 2 years mention the hot water.

What should be hot water? I'm thinking HP soap and wax HP wax?

Might consider adding it back to all the locations if it increases revenue
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I would. Warm water makes a difference. All high pressure options would be my take on it.
 
Other than the expense of the equipment the cost to run hot water is minimal.
I use hot water all year on all of my SS functions except rinse, rinse is hot when the temp goes below 28. In the Razor the prepaid, hot wax and a couple other low pressure passes are also hot. It’s A LOT of hot water to produce.
My summer monthly bill is in the $250/month range, and $2500-3200/month when the floor heat is on.
Hot water definitely cleans better and customers notice especially when the steam is coming off the cars in the winter.
 
Eric H said:
Other than the expense of the equipment the cost to run hot water is minimal.
I use hot water all year on all of my SS functions except rinse, rinse is hot when the temp goes below 28. In the Razor the prepaid, hot wax and a couple other low pressure passes are also hot. It’s A LOT of hot water to produce.
My summer monthly bill is in the $250/month range, and $2500-3200/month when the floor heat is on.
Hot water definitely cleans better and customers notice especially when the steam is coming off the cars in the winter.
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Our Mark VII touch free units have their own water heaters on them, the presoaks are dispensed hot.

It's good to know that operation costs are relatively low. Trying to figure out if the higher costs will lead to more revenue and/or justify a price increase in the customers' eyes. Almost every wash I've tried in our area is cold water, so don't know how much customers care in our area.
 
I've been in business for 40 years in Pa and have been using hot water for my HP soap,HP wax, F/B,presoak,tire cleaner. It definitely cleans better and the cost is minimal. I personally wash my own vehicles and would notice it if the hot water is not there. Don't underestimate your customers. Some may not notice but in my
opinion many will.
 
In southern climate here. I run "bathtub warm" water- 105 degrees or so. I want it warm enough to enhance cleaning but not so hot it instantly liquefies grease. perfect situation In my mind and hot soap and wax, and cold hard rinse if the hardness isn't too bad in your area. I do have a carolina pride pumpstand so everything is hot. I use a 199K BTU water heater and that is plenty in the southern climate for a busy 4/2. Nat Gas bill is normally $200-300 per month. My quiet site is a coleman hot soap and wax and cold rinse, it is normally less than $100/month.
 
if your car wash really is better than your competition,then having hot water is a must, imo.

everything we care about getting clean, we wash in hot water; our bodies, clothes, dishes.

i wash cars by hand in the detail shop daily and i can say it makes a big difference. it's great to melt ice chunks off cars with hot, soapy hi pressure water in winter.
 
I assume hot water makes wax bond better?
I never thought about heating rinse water in the self-serves or an iba. I guess I always assumed hot water only helped the chemical. Waxman makes a good point though, we wash everything else with hot water, so it makes sense.
 
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