Recently purchased an old Carwash

[SearcyCarWash]

I recently purchased an old carwash. 3 self-service and 1 automatic. I almost have the self-service bays completed. The local company who is helping me repair the Pumphouse house and get everything up and running told me that no one uses power detergent anymore "He sells liquid". Does anyone have any advice? Is powder really an inferior product? I would think it would be cheaper to purchase and use. I'm green to this industry and I'm learning as I go.

 

[washnshine]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new wash.

Powdered detergents can be fine. What used to be the big draw was the price. They essentially are shipping you the raw materials and you are adding the water on site, which is cheap and that way you are not paying to ship water.

Now they have ultra concentrated liquids, which again, are designed to have less water (more concentrated) these stretch further than conventional liquids- so you add it at your site when it is fed through your system.

The other thing with powders is that they often need some type of foaming agent and/or scent added to them. Simoniz Correct has a citrus scent already but most guys add a foaming agent to it. You will also have to mix your powders up in batches unless you have the strainer/screen set up for your equipment.

I think you can achieve good results with either ultra concentrates or powders. There are good chemicals in both varieties. As far as your salesman telling you that he sells liquid - it probably means that whatever line he distributes does not have a powder variety or he does not stock it. I would say more people probably use liquids, but you can be successful with either if it is set up right.

If you are brand new to the wash business, chems and equipment, it might be wise to let him set you up for now. Down the road as you learn more and get comfortable with things, you will be better suited to experiment if you choose.

 

[SearcyCarWash]

Thanks for your help!

He doesn't give off the vibe that he was scamming me but after doing more research I learned that power is still used. After finding this Forum I figured I would ask the Pros.

I have had to order quite a few parts and I have been using Carwashsuperstore. Is this who you would recommend buying from or do you have a more cost-effective solution?

 

[OurTown]

Kleen-Rite stocks a larger selection of car wash supplies and is usually the same or less price than Carwash superstore.com.

 

[MEP001]

I use powder. I've tried a number of liquids, most of which are just too expensive to run when giving a good cleaning ability or run through a large amount of product, sometimes even both. Add to that if you're ordering in 55 gallons at a time to save money, it's a hassle to move them around. I mix a powder in a 55, which lasts two to three weeks, and it takes just a few minutes. I'd much rather handle a 50 pound box than a 500 pound drum. One product I used was $600 per barrel that lasted a little more than a month where $50 of powder lasts up to three weeks, certainly a huge difference in price.

I've also used a powder with an automated blending system where I just had to dump a scoop or two of powder into a basket every day, more convenient and takes up less room than a barrel sitting in front of the tank.

 

[Greg Pack]

Around here everyone I know uses liquids and has for years. This is excluding the blendco system from that statement. I like the show and convenience that liquids provide. With hyperconcentrates the containers are getting smaller. 5 gallons of HP detergent and foam brush last me several months. Admittedly, my HP soap is just show. Even when I played with powders I couldn't find an HP soap that made a significant difference in film removal so I kinda gave up and pushed the use of presoak. I normally use presoak designed for touchfree automatics in the bays to clean well. Tire cleaners are the one product that I can't find concentrated that do a good job, so I go through a lot of that on site. I could definitely see the benefits of a powdered TC product.

 

[MEP001]

Even when I played with powders I couldn't find an HP soap that made a significant difference in film removal so I kinda gave up and pushed the use of presoak.

I was starting to believe the same, then I used a wash that was running powdered soap that just absolutely melted months of road grime off my work van, so heavy the white vehicle was almost solid gray. I'm sticking with powders for HP soap.

I normally use presoak designed for touchfree automatics in the bays to clean well.

I do the same for presoak. I tried it for HP soap but it was just too expensive and was only marginally better.

Tire cleaners are the one product that I can't find concentrated that do a good job, so I go through a lot of that on site. I could definitely see the benefits of a powdered TC product.

Same here, and now I mix a concentrated liquid tire cleaner with a powdered tire cleaner in a 55 gallon barrel. The mix works fantastically well, strips both grease and brake dust very easily. It takes a little agitation, just a quick go-over with the foam brush is enough.

 

[Greg Pack]

Mep what powdered HP soap do you recommend?

 

[MEP001]

I'm currently using Red Hot truck wash from Scotch Plaid. I've also used the Simoniz Power Wash powder, not quite as strong but it foams like mad.

 

[soonermajic]

Liquids would be easier fr a beginner, but piqders work great & much cheaper. The more expensive soaps & chems usually come out to closer to the cheap stuff, cause theybwork better & therefore you use less. I learned most of my lessons the hard way.
Are your guys QukWay? Ive heard good things about them & the Eldorado guys (think they're D&S Distributors).

 

[rph9168]

If you want to use powdered detergents make sure you know exactly how to use them. Since your distributor probably doesn't sell them you might want to find one that will explain how to use it. There is a little more work and equipment involved to use them properly. While powdered soap may or not save you money make sure you can calculate the use cost. Just like some liquids are watered down, some powdered soaps contain fillers as well that make them much less cost effective.