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Wanting to put a reclaim system in my carwash and I need help.

Xtremedawg

2 IBA, 5 SS
I have a 2 IBA, 5 SS high traffic count car wash and I am looking to put a reclaim system in and I looking for the best to put in my car wash and I need some help with all the reclaims systems out there. Just don't want to put one in and wish I had something different later. Already have two tanks in the ground that can be used for the reclaim systems so just asking for the type of equipment you would like or you would buy. Looking at AquaMizer Water Recycling Systems and the Pur-Clean System so far. Would like to know what you all think about them and if there is any other systems out there you would go with. Thanks so much for the help.
 
I would also talk to Catec. You can find them on the net real easy. I should point out that I sell their systems, so I am biased. I should also point out that I am a professional, and don't deal in junk.
 
Talk to Bob Koo at Aquachem in Lakeland, Florida. He is a member here. He is an operator and reclaim mfg, so he has some real world experience. He has a nice small footprint unit that uses a VFD supply instead of a bulky,smelly, bacteria-trapping bladder tank.
 
You want to be very selective when choosing a reclaim system, especially for your self-service bays. Media and "spinner" technologies are very susceptible to foreign materials which are often dumped in SS's such as oil, paint, RV holding tanks etc. If blinded, they can be a lot of time, money and headaches to revive. If they are that prone to failure in SS bays, they are probably only marginal for IBA's and Tunnels.

There are only a couple of systems on the market that lend themselves well to SS bays. Many manufacturers won't even discuss reclaiming Self Service. Makes you wonder.
 
Reclaim Systems

Personally, I have had nothing but EXCELLENT results in dealing with Pur Clean. Gary Hirsh, Charlie & Teresa Brouchard provide service and assistance that is second to none and I have sold their systems in the Middle East and Europe and they are always there for assistance. Before and after the sale.

Have not dealt with other companies so I cannot comment about them.

Regards
Bud Abraham
 
Reclaiming Georgia Clay (Dawg Dirt)

It may be far too late for you to get this, but I wanted to let you know that we have been building car washes in Georgia for 30 years and have yet to see any type reclaim perform to the owner's expectations because of the soil composition, especially in the northern regions of the state. Clay particles are particularly difficult to remove from water, and in most cases either the water looked dirty or it smelled. Nevertheless, we had several clients contact us when Perdue demanded his 10%, and we referred them all to Dean Taylor at Catek.
 
Freylit Reclaim

I know there are many horror stories about reclaim systems. I have heard it said numerous times that it is not a question of "if" your reclaim system goes down, but "when". Of course, any solid design will have backup systems in place for any potential failure point, but you should still do you homework and talk to real users before choosing.

I am using the Freylit system for my Oasis XP in Southern California and it works very well. Not only does the equipment perform as promised, it has been reliable and the support from the manufacturer is among the best I have experienced.

In my case, Freylit went above and beyond the call with detailed documentation for the sewer company to prove my discharge claims and help me lower my connection fees. Not only will a good reclaim system save you operating cost $$, it is helpful (essential?) to get city council approval for new construction.
 
You need to figure out what you want to use reclaim water for first. Reclaim systems vary dramatically in water volume and quality. The quality of water the unit produces will affect the uses it has. We currently have four PurClean units for our tunnels and I love them. They have a few weekly maintenance items that may take about ten minutes to perform and other than that we have no issues with them. They lower our water costs by half.
 
Ryko now sells the Pur clean. We just put our first Pur Clean and I am very impressed by the quality and design. It is being used to support the new Ryko Radius high pressure unit (we have the second one ever made). Just got everything up last Friday and so far it has worked great!
 
A reclaim system working great for the first week is no problem, for any reclaim system.

Talk to owners/ operators who have had one running for two or more years, this is where a lot of reclaim equipment falls short.
 
I know, I have been working on them for almost 20 years. I can see it is a well thought out quality piece of equipment. Start up was simple and flow is controlled by a VFD and is simple to adjust.
 
Just my opinion, but I think that there are too many variables in this business to make sweeping statements. I have seen some reclaim systems that are just pits in the ground with no filtration and a recirc pump, and it worked fine for that operator. I've also seen some pretty fancy ones out there that were put out of commission by people dumping a motor home holding tank or changing their oil. They all take frequent monitoring. Having a good relationship with the distributor is probably as important as the design.
 
I have seen some reclaim systems that are just pits in the ground

Hey, you just described the operational status of our VerWater system!
:)
And I agree, some systems can work better than others depending on climate, volume, space restrictions, cost, soil compositions, etc.
 
Steve
If your water reclaim system is not operational you may want to cal Tom Gibney or Jan Verwater at Huron Valley Sales. I do not know of any Verwater system that is not working properly after the right calculations for the systems where done. There is one reason why I left the company with my name on it but non of the reasons where technical. So if you want help to startup the best posible system in the carwash market CALL!
Jan Verwater
 
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