Reclaim system odor!!! Help

[torquewrench]

I am pretty new to the car wash bus. so please don't laugh to much.
My reclaim water smells really bad sometimes but only sometimes. Why not all the time? I'm sure I'm not the only one to ever have this problem.I change filters every day. I've added chlorine tablets to the storage tanks.The ozone generater looks to be working??Is there chemicals I can add.Thanks for any help in advanced!

 

[MEP001]

Chlorine only kills the immediate bacteria and the smell, but it evaporates and leaves the stuff on which bacteria feeds. Aeration will help more by letting the bacteria consume it, so even though it will get a little worse for a short time it will help with no chemicals and minimal expense.

 

[Dean Taylor]

Add 2 gallons of chlorine to each tank and circulate. This should hold off the odor for a few days but should only be a temporary fix. Chlorine is very corrosive and will corrode your wash equipment if you keep using it.

If your ozone generator is properly sized and working, it should kill the odors overnight. If your oxygen concentrator is out, the ozone will still work however it will only produce 1/4 the ozone.

This is a problem with many reclaim systems on the market. They outsource their ozone generators. When they go out, they can be very expensive to replace.

Don't mess around with aeration or biological, they can work but are a long shot for a quick fix.

If you happen to have a CATEC Reclaim System, contact us immediately to resolve this issue at little or no cost.

I would recommend against operating with smelly water, it will drive your customers away and it will be difficuly to get them back.

 

[Danny]

Check into the chemicals that you are using. Some chemicals will make your bacteria issue worse. A good quality soap should also help maintain low levels after a dose of chlorine or bleach to kill the bulk of the bacteria. Some companies do make maintenance chemicals to manage the bacteria. The problem with these is they have to be done everyday and is an extra cost.

 

[robert roman]

Since you are new to the business, there is no reason to apologize for a lack of knowledge about reclaim. Like anything else it will come to you with more experience. Quite frankly, reclaim is a complicated process and it can cause fits with veteran operators.

The first thing I recommend is to pass up on any advice to do ?something? until the root cause of the problem has been diagnosed. Since you don?t have the personal experience to do this and the fact that it is impossible to analyze most reclaim issues electronically, I would contact the manufacturer of the reclaim system. Ask this company to put you in contact with their closest distributor. Ask the distributor to come to your site and evaluate the problem first-hand.

 

[torquewrench]

Thanks for all your help so far guys. I found out today it appears like the ozone generator is not working.And has never worked since I've been there.I think the coil is bad from what we can tell. BUT of course the company is out of bussiness!! It was built by continental equipment inc. I hate to have to buy a new ozone machine but Gotta do what it takes. Any ideas where to get a coil. It is round,and lager than an old style car coil but looks the same. The only number on it is 822.
thanks