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New Auto Wash with narrow bay

Etowah

Zal

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13'-3" X 27'-8" bay with outside dryers. What are my options for a new wash? Yep this was an old SuperWash. All opinions are appreciated. I might blow out the wall if necessary to get a good unit to fit. Currently has a 2 Arm Belanger Saber that does not impress anyone.
 

Overachiever

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My old super wash has a razor edge.. I'm an inch wider than you. I made the bay another 8' longer and raised the roof as part of the project.
 

Zal

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If the drains don’t hold me back I may tear out the wall and make one bay out of two. I new this would be an issue when I bought it but it really sucks
 

Overachiever

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I didn't know it would be an issue when I bought mine, haha! It really did suck... opened up a huge can of worms with zoning and permits and all of that jazz too. Worked out in the end.. all the construction and new machine got paid off in under 2 years.
 

Zal

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Thanks Overachiever
Gives me hope in this tax happy state we live in!
 

Zal

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We need a miracle or dynamite to fix everything those fools built!
 

Rodj

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If your bay was 4" longer, the Blastoff touchless system(Newer version of the X-Stream) would of have been an option(Specs list shows 13' wide x 28' long minimum dimensions)
 

tylerwash

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My old super wash has a razor edge.. I'm an inch wider than you. I made the bay another 8' longer and raised the roof as part of the project.
My autobay has a similar dimension as Oldtown's - 12' 9" by 25'. I have been thinking to extend it to 8'-10' longer because not too many new equipment will fit into the bay. Around how much the whole project cost? Did you have to extend the existing floor heat for the new aprons? Thanks
 

Zal

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Tyler
I extended two bays by 10 ft at another wash I own. I ran pex in the concrete and went overhead to the boiler. Well insulated the runs then added on to the heat manifolds. Works fine
 

Overachiever

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My autobay has a similar dimension as Oldtown's - 12' 9" by 25'. I have been thinking to extend it to 8'-10' longer because not too many new equipment will fit into the bay. Around how much the whole project cost? Did you have to extend the existing floor heat for the new aprons? Thanks
I think the construction part of the project cost me around $50-60k. I ripped out all the concrete in that bay and put in new floorheat, extended the aprons in the front, I should have extended them in the back as well because the city made me remove the outdoor drains and now its a mess with ice at the exit. Also put a new roof over the 2 bays that I increased the height of. I tried to do as much of the work as I felt I could like the demolition/floor heat.
 

tylerwash

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Thanks Zal. I got a 4' concrete walkway in front of the bays with floor heat. To extend the bay, I thought I'll have to break it down to make the foundation for the new wall. If I break it down, I think most likely I'll damage the pex.

Overachiever, thanks for your input. $50-60K was real cheap! With the inflation, I think it costs 2X or more now. Did you have to hire a GC for your project? I've been thinking whether it's a good idea to extend the bay even longer (i.e. 25' more) so the automatic can wash a car and dry the other car at the same time. But this will make the project more complicated as I'll have to build a new catch basin.
 

SaginawBay

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I think the construction part of the project cost me around $50-60k. I ripped out all the concrete in that bay and put in new floorheat, extended the aprons in the front, I should have extended them in the back as well because the city made me remove the outdoor drains and now its a mess with ice at the exit. Also put a new roof over the 2 bays that I increased the height of. I tried to do as much of the work as I felt I could like the demolition/floor heat.
Thanks for posting that. I'm looking at this exact issue for a wash i am looking to purchase. 👏🤝
 
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