Get In Control - Balancing Production and Conveyor Speed

By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

There is wisdom in admitting we don’t always know what we don’t know. Visiting three completely different car washes last weekend, one of which I partially own, really highlighted this for me. The problem is that not knowing what you don’t know can wreak havoc on your operation’s profitability. Forget about the implications related to marketing and customer service; I’m talking about something more fundamental, setting your conveyor speed.

Do you know the optimal conveyor speed for your wash? Are you certain your conveyor is operating at that precise speed? Read on, you’ll be amazed at how much of what you don’t know could be costing you.

Stop 1: 135-foot Express Exterior

At the grand opening of this newly constructed wash, cars were perfect. Two months later there were spots. Designed with a state-of-the art equipment package, this tunnel was rated for a peak conveyor speed in excess of 150 cars per hour (CPH) to accommodate an anticipated peak hourly volume calculated 5 years into the future. Having just opened, volume was significantly less and the conveyor speed was set at 125 CPH. The conveyor speed setting was based on the readout from a remote pulse switch. 

The operator had spent days analyzing water quality, reclaim filtration, detergent dilutions, high pressure placement, and more. Unfortunately, he was working from a flawed base. Nobody, myself included, thought about the sensitivity of electronic components. Having gone through a particularly unlucky bout of severe weather that included lightning strikes, blown transformers, and more, the wash seemed fine. It turned out that the remote pulse switch was actually damaged. On a hunch a car was timed going through the tunnel. In 15 seconds it traveled 13 feet 8 inches, indicating an actual speed of 164 CPH, 39 more than the pulse unit showed. Even worse, the conveyor was slowed to 125 from 140 the previous day in an attempt to address the spotting issue. Following the math, when the pulse switch indicated 140, the conveyor was really traveling at 184 CPH.

What a difference. With the conveyor speed set correctly, application and brush speeds recalibrated, the spotting stopped. The operator was able to reduce the amount of detergent being applied with no decrease in wash quality. Best of all, at the correct chain speed he turned off some high pressure components on the base exterior package and still delivered an amazing wash while reducing his costs.

Stop 2: 60-foot In-Bay Automatic Exterior Tunnel Conversion

On the way to my final stop I was in the neighborhood of a former In-Bay Automatic location that recently converted to a 60-foot express tunnel. It was a neat project in a southern climate where the owner was able to start the conveyor 10 feet before and extend 5 feet past the exit of the existing building to reduce construction costs. Running at a 50 car per hour chain speed, cars were immaculate. Customers were happy and volume was building, but there was one opportunity for improvement. At the slow chain speed there was a delay at the end of the tunnel, causing customers to sit motionless waiting for the safety roller to push the car off the conveyor. Some customers drove away too early, others looked around nervously wondering what to do. Neither situation promotes a safe environment. The conveyor was then set at 75 CPH. Instantly, traffic flow became more fluid and wash quality did not deteriorate. Although the operator may need to slow conveyor speed during seasonal conditions demanding more detergent dwell time and brush contact, his optimal conveyor speed is 75 CPH.

Stop 3: 120-foot Full Serve Tunnel

My final destination was a 120-foot full-serve wash. I was here to evaluate the equipment package at the request of a colleague interested in purchasing the location. Chain speed was at 125 CPH but there was an insufficient amount and type of equipment to wash a car at that speed. To compensate for the problem, attendants pre-washed the car prior to it entering the conveyor. This bottleneck wasn’t only expensive, it disrupted production. Although the conveyor shot cars through at 120 CPH, they didn’t enter at that speed, making it counterproductive to run that quickly.  The owner was not available to test changes, but I estimated for my colleague that at an 80 CPH chain speed with proper detergent application, the equipment in place could produce a clean, dry, shiny car. Slowing conveyor speed and adjusting equipment is almost always preferable to adding labor to solve wash problems. There is little sense in running cars through a tunnel faster than a team of pre-wash attendants can process the car in the first place.

Summary

There really is no perfect rule-of-thumb for how fast to run cars through your tunnel. Using the 1 car per hour per foot of conveyor length is a useful tool for planning. It does not account for the type, condition, and quantity of the equipment in you tunnel. It does not account for different climates and road grime variables. It ignores detergent type and amount, as well as operator skill, in tuning equipment performance. Conveyor speed sets the tempo of a car wash. Controlling it in relation to your wash format and environmental conditions will positively impact your bottom line. Balancing what you have and finding your optimal settings sets a rhythm that will improve the efficiency of your operation. Don’t forget that things have a tendency to change over time, creating those unknown unknowns. Daily changes in staff, training, equipment conditions, and water quality all contribute to a gradual mismatch of optimal conveyor speed to what you are running. Some operators change conveyor speed daily. For those with a “set it and leave it” approach, schedule a periodic review of your optimal conveyor speed. The success of your wash may depend on it.

The Spin on Cleaning Side Vehicle Surfaces

 By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

Like most things in life there’s more to it than meets the eye – cleaning the side of a vehicle is certainly no exception. Different brushes rotate in different directions at different speeds at different angles, for different reasons. Some are obvious, such as the fact that tire brushes rotate toward the ground to prevent throwing debris onto painted surfaces. The problem is that I’ve seen botched equipment installations where brushes have rotated in the wrong direction undetected. It reminds me of a grade school teacher I had who once asked the class “what color is the chair you’re sitting on”. Very few could answer with confidence. Unfortunately, in a car wash, the first assumption will often be that the equipment is inadequate for the chain speed or road grime conditions. Many operators will then resort to costly manual labor to prep vehicles. Before you run out to check the rotation of all the brushes in your wash, take a minute to read through to the end of this article. Side surfaces don’t get nearly the amount of attention we give to getting wheels and front grills clean, but present many challenges that I’ll review below.

Wrap-Around Washers Are Not Enough

It is nearly impossible to clean a car in a tunnel wash without at least one set of wrap-around washers. Every wash should have at least one set installed. At the same time, they inherently can not deliver enough cleaning performance to be the only wash action to clean side surfaces. Unlike side washers, wraps rotate with the vehicle, allowing them to “walk” smoothly off the front of the car and down the sides before crossing back to clean the back. While they do clean side surfaces, their true claim to fame is an unparalleled ability to wash the front and back of a car or truck. By “walking” down the side, wraps are very safe, but much of the cleaning energy is lost by the simple fact that the vehicle is moving in the same direction as the wash material. This effect is greatly exaggerated as conveyor speed increases making it difficult for any wrap to consistently clean all side surfaces – especially lower rocker panels. There are thousands of different vehicle profiles. Even if your wraps by themselves appear to be cleaning all side surfaces, it is inevitable that a drastically angled rocker panel will be missed. As important as they are, wrap-around washers absolutely can not clean the rear wheel well of every car that will enter your wash.

Anatomy of a side washer

Unlike wraps, side washers rotate against the direction vehicle travel. Contact time will still be reduced as conveyor speed increases, but not as dramatically as a wrap around. For this reason every wash should have at least one set of side washers for consistent results.

Side washers are available with either electric or hydraulic motors mounted on the top or bottom of the hub. Some operators prefer the motor mounted at the top for ease of maintenance. Bottom mounted motors offer greater installation flexibility and shorter brushes can often be mounted underneath a mitter curtain, an important consideration for operators looking to increase wash performance without major construction. Another advantage of this design is that the motor is hidden so that customers only see soft materials near their car, not the mechanics of what’s powering it.

How Many – How High – What Angle

In the face of changing weather and new vehicle designs, there is one thing a car wash operator can safely predict – the bottom of the car is consistently dirty. Yes, there are still differences caused by tire tread designs and splash guards, but in our business, this is about as close as we get to a sure thing. With that said, when addressing side cleaning it’s best to work from the bottom up.

If you only have room for one side washer, use it to concentrate cleaning on the lower rocker panel with a short brush – normally 18 to 28 inches. This brush will often be slightly angled to accommodate a wider range of lower body types and feature a tapered wash material for maximum penetration. Ideally this short brush will be placed early in the wash process immediately following detergent and CTA applications. When properly lubricated with foamed detergent, more and more operators are having success with crushed feather tip bristle brushes spun at a higher RPM on lower rocker panels. Yes, bristle, the material practically banned from car washing for decades. No one ever questioned its ability to clean and when used with a proper lubricating detergent it delivers spectacular results – fast and safe. Flat soft cloth materials also work excellent on lower surfaces with a proven track record of reliable performance.

A single set of wrap-around washers and a single set of rocker panel washers will meet side surface cleaning needs for most car washes running a chain speed less than 80 cars per hour. Additional performance can be found by introducing different wash media such as closed cell foam or high loft tufted wash material on the wraps. Except during extreme weather conditions involving snow, ice, or mud, it is unnecessary and costly to pre-wash vehicles with high-pressure before entering the first friction wash cycle. Regions with these characteristics will want to examine a supplemental application and pre-cleaning process. Prior to entering the foaming pre-soak applicator arch or system, vehicles should be cleaned with a high-pressure wash system emphasizing wheel wells and lower surfaces. It is imperative that the water is infused with an alkaline detergent that matches the PH of the first detergent application. This will prevent excessive dilution of the first pre-soak application which otherwise could disrupt the wash quality.

High Volume Locations

In my opinion, all hybrid washes need at least one set of wrap-arounds and a short rocker panel brush concentrating on low vehicle surfaces. The question is where you go from there once chain speed increases above 80 cars per hour. The answer is – it depends. Once you move above the bottom 10 inches where cars are consistently dirty, you introduce numerous variables that influence equipment selection. Understand, that as you increase the speed that a vehicle travels through the tunnel, you must add additional wash components since each one will have less contact time with the vehicles surface.

Difficult Conditions

Locations with heavy mud, snow, or other road grime usually related to periods of high precipitation will want to add an additional tall side washer. Different wash materials and detergents work better in certain situations, but all demand more equipment to clean the side of the vehicle. How tall the brush needs to be is related to the average vehicle height in your market and other equipment in the wash that may overlap to clean top side surfaces. Typically, a brush of approximately 50 inches will accommodate the widest range of vehicles and standard SUVs. Markets with a significant number of vans and large SUVs will want to consider a taller hub of 60 or more inches, and some urban markets can get away with a shorter brush, commonly 35 inches. Avoid automatically adding the largest side washer you can find. It is not only more expensive up-front, but increases the cost of your replacement cloth and the heavier hub can put some additional strain on replaceable bearings and other components. 

Good Conditions

Some operators are fortunate enough to be located in geographic regions without any of the difficult conditions that warrant a high side washer rotating at the vehicle for maximum cleaning. Still in need of supplemental side cleaning as chain speed increases, these tunnels can consider adding a second set of wrap-arounds in-lieu of a tall brush. Although not as effective on top side surfaces, if conditions dictate that they are sufficient, you’ll get the added benefit of a second pass at cleaning front and rear surfaces.

High Pressure

Sides are no different than any vehicle surface. Whenever possible, you want to incorporate a hybrid wash process that uses a combination of chemistry, friction wash, and touch-free high pressure for optimal results.

A good high pressure wheel cleaning system will provide some cleaning to side surfaces but this is often not enough. Many pivot or track the wheel for increased contact time. Although great for getting a clean wheel, they become ineffective for side cleaning. Washes with faster chain speeds or difficult road grime behind the wheel wells will want to consider adding a dedicated high pressure blaster that oscillates, sized for the conveyor speed, after the first friction wash for supplemental cleaning.

Mirrors

A dirty mirror will stick out like a sore thumb and destroy a customer’s satisfaction with an otherwise great wash. Wrap-arounds work well for cleaning mirror glass, especially when outfitted with foam or tufted wash materials. The opposite rotation of a tall side washer works well to clean the outside of the mirror, making them a must for nearly any wash in an area with a heavy bug season. Adding a supplemental high-pressure blaster focused directly at mirrors is becoming increasingly popular. These blasters not only clean, but do an excellent job flushing any residual foam from behind the mirror – a great benefit for any wash offering triple foam conditioner.

Summary

There’s a lot involved with getting the side of the vehicle clean. Resorting to manual labor even during the worst weather conditions should be avoided at all costs. If you’re struggling to get the sides clean, evaluate the correct performance, type, and placement of your equipment. Consider using different wash media. Have your detergent supplier recommend different products better suited to loosen the road grime you’re trying to remove. Whenever possible invite others to help identify solutions. As operators, too often, we’re so close to our wash that we assume we know everything about it. I can illustrate this from personal experience. I recently installed a beautiful flashing sign next to my triple foam applicators to promote the service. I positioned it just right. I installed the bulbs myself. It wasn’t until the spouse of a friend going through the wash asked me “what’s Polshing” that I realized it’s always good to get a second opinion.

Front Wheel Pull Where It Fits In

By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

Is it better for the conveyor to pull the front wheel of the car through the conveyor, or load it first and push from the back wheel? There are strong advocates for both approaches and I don’t want to start trouble by saying one is better than the other. Rather, several factors have changed in car washing that warrant an open mind to select either option under the right set of conditions. In today’s real estate market, many operators are trying to get more cleaning on a smaller property. In other areas, operators are trying to fit more equipment into shorter tunnels to eliminate prepping and labor expense. Most discussions often center upon application technologies, chemistry, wash materials, and hybrid combinations of friction and high pressure cleaning. Today, I want to talk about something even more fundamental, the conveyor itself.

The History

I’m not a car wash historian, but I can still recall some of the first conveyors used in the car wash industry. They’re easy to recall because only last year I was involved in a remodel that replaced an old hook and chain model still in use. For anyone not familiar with the technology, it’s exactly how it sounds; a hook was placed on the front bumper and connected to a moving chain that dragged the car through the wash. The next models I can remember were the all roller up double chain conveyors that caught the front wheel and pulled the car through the wash. These were particularly dangerous in that it was not uncommon for cars to jump the conveyor. Often, the electric drive would allow the conveyor to continue for several feet after the stop button was pushed making the problem even worse. Fortunately, these technologies are a distant memory for most of us. The advents of the over/under, roller-on-demand conveyor and computer controlled automatic roller up systems available have changed everything. Today, it’s expected that a conveyor will bring a car safely through the wash. Most considerations when evaluating different brands relate to durability, lifespan, reliability, and ease of maintenance. The one choice that remains is not actually about the conveyor itself, but rather how it is configured. Do you want it to push the rear wheel or pull the front? This is a debate that I anticipate will become more heated in the next couple of years.

Conveyor Technology 101

Some of you may have chuckled while remembering the old hook and chain conveyors, but there was valid logic to them. By pulling the front of the bumper the car went straight through the tunnel no matter what. As soon as you push or pull the wheel on one side of the vehicle, you now have to deal with differing tire width, alignment, and concrete pitting issues that try to pull wheels out of the conveyor. Even in the last few years, conveyor widths have increased several inches to accommodate wider tires. Now, the 12 inch wide conveyors that will fit the P265 tires on a Chevy Silverado Truck unavoidably leave the P195 tires on a new Chevy Cobalt with more space than desired. The last reality is that the chain pulls the center of the roller down the conveyor leaving the potential for it to angle slightly with smaller tire sizes that can track the car to the outside rail, increasing the potential to jump. Unfortunately there is no such thing as a free lunch. Using two chains to pull both sides of the roller introduces the fact that metal stretches unevenly and more often than not, without constant maintenance, the roller will only find itself on a permanent angle disrupting every vehicles track. Wide conveyor belts that move the entire vehicle in a parked state through the tunnel solve the problem, but unfortunately create several new ones. With the wheel no longer rolling, you loose the ability to bring all parts of the wheel and tire outside the fender and past CTAs, brushes, and dressing applicators. It’s difficult enough to clean wheels online when you can roll them by low profile cleaning actions. Getting automated equipment under the fender to clean is impossible. That leaves us with the over/under roller-on-demand single chain conveyor as the leading contender for car washing – at least for now! Now back to the question at hand; is it better to pull the front wheel or push the back.

Rear Wheel Push

Pushing a car from the back wheel didn’t exist before the introduction of roller-on-demand conveyors. Before it, attendants drove on between rollers and jumped out before it grabbed the front wheel. The ability to fire a roller on demand allowed an operator to drive the car completely onto the conveyor and fire a roller to push it through. This was not a trivial change. Completely loading the car improved safety at the wash. Operators no longer needed attendants skilled enough to time loading between rollers. Employees at a full serve are forced to carefully and accurately load the vehicles completely before getting out.

To understand the last advantage of pushing the rear wheel, I’ve included several diagrams. Ideally, the tire will ride against the inside rail of the conveyor, with an outside rail, usually covered in plastic, in place as a precaution to keep a wandering car on track. Pushing the rear driver’s side wheel naturally guides the car towards the outside rail which is easier to control. Elevating the conveyor by 1 1/2in at a very slight incline towards the exit keeps the car rolling smoothly with slight pressure against the inside rail, securely against the roller.

The cost for the increased safety of the rear wheel push configuration is the 18 feet of additional conveyor length it requires. For years, many full serve washes manually prepped or vacuumed cars in the first 18 feet anyway. The additional expense for a longer conveyor was easily offset by the increased safety. That has changed. Most express-exterior and flex-serve locations have eliminated prep labor and are eager to get back those 18 feet, more often because of high land and building cost than the additional conveyor expense. Simultaneously, many full-serve locations are hungry to switch to automated equipment to replace manual prep. Changing to front wheel pull would give back 18 feet of conveyor for wash equipment to substitute labor without any major construction. Although I’m still a strong proponent for pushing the rear wheel, I have to admit, the value of those 18 feet warrant some serious consideration.

Front Wheel Pull

Pulling the front wheel does give you back 18 feet on your tunnel, but it’s not without drawbacks. First, the car pulls toward the inside rail. Although this is where you want it to be, inconsistencies in vehicle alignment and floor abnormalities on the passenger side wheel can exaggerate the track to the point a car may climb out of the conveyor. To counteract this, the conveyor is installed approximately 1 inch below the floor surface to lessen the pull towards the inside rail. Inherently, issues happen when controlling the track across varying tire sizes and wheel alignment conditions. Installing either smooth stainless steel slip plates down the passenger side of the conveyor, or ridged steel rails, help eliminate the problem of the floor or poor alignment destroying a straight track. One of those methods should be incorporated with any front-wheel pull installation as a precaution to avoid costly mishaps.

Summary

When space permits, I personally believe rear wheel push delivers straighter tracking. With that said, the number one priority of a car wash is to deliver a clean, dry, shiny car. If push comes to shove, front-wheel pull can be done safely with careful installation and supplemental aids to track the passenger wheel straight through the tunnel. If unanticipated zoning changes on a new site reduce the available land to build a conveyor long enough to process the projected car count, front wheel pull is a viable option. For existing locations looking to add equipment to either eliminate prep labor or increase throughput, converting to front wheel pull can be like adding an 18 foot tunnel extension. Needless to say, I expect changes in technology, land prices, and the desire to put conveyorized washes on smaller footprints, to bring this debate to the forefront of industry discussions.

5 Steps to Getting Clean Wheels and Tires Without Manual Prepping

By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

Face it. It doesn’t matter whether your base wash package is $3 or $15; every customer who enters a car wash expects to leave with a completely clean car. This means all vehicle surfaces including wheels and tires.

In a perfect world customers would appreciate the additional detergent, labor and equipment costs associated with removing excessive brake dust. Unfortunately, most do not. Unlike mud, bird droppings, and bugs, fewer customers seem to accept that cleaning wheels warrants an extra charge.  It’s a difficult situation. The customer complains that their car looked better before it was cleaned. At least then it was evenly dirty. Now it has brown and black marbled tires and wheels with tiger striping or entire sections missed.

It’s a common practice to offer a separate wheel service or include it in higher wash packages. There is a valid argument that this can increase your overall ticket. On slow days at a Full Serve wash with well trained greeters alerting the customer of the problem before they enter the wash, I entirely agree. Regrettably, as things get busy, it is rare that every customer with dirty wheels will receive a personal recommendation to select a higher level service. No matter how politely you do it, explaining to a complaining customer that they should have selected an extra wheel cleaning service after they have already washed is a disaster. Most customers will complain by not coming back. Unless you have a stellar greeter training and management program, at a Full Serve wash it is better to clean every wheel to at least 90%. At Express-Exterior and Flex Serve sites where customers are greeted by a computerized attendant, in my opinion it is mandatory. Optional wheel cleaning services or package upgrades that can be purchased should included extra detergent or high pressure cleaning to get wheels and tires to 100%. 

So how do you get completely clean and shiny wheels every time without resorting to manual labor? One size doesn’t fit all. Chain speed and road grime type will impact the equipment type, and the quantity you need. Faster speeds require more equipment and more detergent. Best results are achieved with careful pre-soak application and a hybrid wash process. Combining both friction and high pressure wash equipment is vital for getting a consistent product for all wheel types. The good news is that there is plenty of effective equipment on the market to do the job without manual prep and labor. Below I’ll outline the 5 areas you will want to consider.

First: Application

The most successful CTA (Chemical Tire Applicator) configuration includes two CTA applicators on each side of the vehicle spaced 40 inches apart. Ideally, each applicator sprays a vertical bar of detergent from the top of the highest part of the tire to just above the floor. The first applicator will completely cover the wheel and tire with detergent as it passes. At 40 inches the wheel has turned 90 degrees regardless of conveyor speed. The second CTA will activate for an application of detergent at the different angle to ensure complete coverage as it goes by. Conveyors running below 45 cars per hour can get away with one CTA. Using a dual configuration is essential to get clean wheels at faster chain speeds.

I also recommend foaming the detergent onto the wheel.  Foamed detergent will cling to the surface which increases dwell time. It also allows you to visually see complete wheel coverage. No amount of equipment will produce a clean tire and wheel without a complete and accurate application of detergent. Being able to visibly confirm application is essential to delivering a consistent product.

Second: Use a Tire Brush

Never underestimate the importance of a black tire to your customer. It’s difficult to achieve themselves washing at home and a compelling reason to use a professional car wash. Getting clean black tires without a rotating tire brush is nearly impossible. They are safe, reliable workhorses that should be included in nearly every conveyorized car wash. The problem is that for years they have always featured a short aggressive bristle design that did a fantastic job on tires but completely avoided wheels. That’s all changed.

Two new tire brush designs have recently hit the market, extending the capability of a tire brush to safely reach into wheels while still cleaning tires. The first category uses alternating bands of short dense bristle to scrub tires and long soft bristle to wash wheels. These brushes offer excellent cleaning performance. They have become particularly popular with Express Exterior operators to complement high pressure components used to clean wheels. At these washes, it is common to only activate wheel blasters for top wash packages due to the low base price. This practice works well because customers who pay more, see more wash action and get a cleaner car for their money. The problem is that although the profit margin for the base package does not permit spending the utility expense to activate the high pressure pumps, customers still expect clean tires and wheels. Upgrading a standard tire brush to a new alternating bristle design dramatically improves wheel cleaning without adding overhead.

The second category is also a variation on the standard tire brush. These products replace bristle entirely and instead use a high density closed cell foam material. Like bristle these brushes also demand careful attention to proper use of soap for lubrication. Many operators are hesitant to introduce bristle into their wash where it may contact painted surfaces. Foam technology offers an effective alternative.

Third: Rocker Brush Material and Location

Many washes incorporate a short side brush that is 18 inches or less and angled to clean lower vehicle surfaces. Placement and material selection can increase the capability of these washers to clean both rocker panels and wheels. First examine placing these washers at the beginning of the tunnel where the car is most heavily coated in detergent. They can frequently be mounted under mitters and on top of tire brushes so as not to require any additional tunnel length.

Once properly lubricated with soap, the wash material can be changed from cloth to either a close-cell foam or bristle. Both materials can be run at a higher RPM to deliver the necessary strength to loosen stubborn brake dust. Careful control of lubricity is essential to avoid any potential for damage. Some of you may be wondering why I would even consider the use of bristle, a product that had been practically banned from car washing for years. Simply put, when it is used properly, it works very well. Will it become a popular option? The jury is still out – but bristle definitely seems to be rediscovering a role in professional car washing. Operators are realizing that cloth, foam, textured materials and yes even bristle each have their place in a tunnel. Mixing wash media and motion are critical to getting consistent cleaning results.

Fourth: High Pressure Blasters

You can loosen it, dissolve it, and agitate it but to consistently clean every wheel you must flush the dirt away. Detergent and friction are necessary but high pressure blasters are required to get a good result. Pivot, oscillate, track, and spin. Many options exist to blast pressurized water to the wheel and everything relates to getting solid impact with the longest possible contact time. How much power you need is related to conveyor speed and how fast the wheel passes. As with friction wash media you also want to mix the types of impingement to guarantee removal of all road grime for a wider variation in rim types and sizes. That means using different nozzle types and motions sized for your conveyor speed.

Fifth: Online Tire Dressing

Your not finished yet – what about the shiny tire. If you’ve done the first 4 steps correctly you should have a clean black tire. Putting on tire dressing without cleaning the tire is like putting on dirty clothes after a shower – it just doesn’t finish the job right. Several automated machines are available to apply dressing. The chemical and equipment technology varies, but will either wipe or spray dressing on as the vehicle passes. With high labor costs and chemical cost, it will almost always pay off to perform this online.

Summary

The two most noticeable aspects of a clean car are clean wheels and shiny black tires. Failure to deliver on either aspect will turn customers away from your wash. Although there is no one size fits all solution, the technology exists to get excellent results, every time, without the need for manual prep and labor.

Fundamentals of Hybrid Car Wash Equipment Layout

By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

Have you ever stopped to think about the fascinating dynamics of modern road grime? You could spend years analyzing the different types and combinations of soil, air pollutants, precipitation, insects, and thousands of other things that can get stuck on a vehicles surface. As a professional car wash operator, you have only one concern; how to get everything off in 3 to 5 minutes or less, with no damage, at a profit margin that makes sense to do so.

Seem challenging? Road grime is just the beginning. Now factor in the daily and seasonal weather changes under which you are expected to produce an identical product inside a semi-enclosed tunnel.  It gets better. Every car is a different size at a different temperature, and that’s before people start bolting aftermarket items onto the exterior.

Some of you may now be longing for the simplicity of owning a fast food restaurant; working inside a climate controlled environment with known inputs to production. For those of us who find the challenge of car washing fun and invigorating – I’d like to present a brief guide to equipment selection and its placement.

Be forewarned.  There are many passionate opinions related to this topic, like deeply guarded and revered family recipes. When asked to write this article I cringed at the anticipated emails and calls in disagreement with anything I will write. So let me stand behind the following disclaimer – this is only how I do it. Also, I am using only generic equipment types and their basic properties, not manufacturer specific technologies or improvements. If I can’t think of at least 2 manufacturers that make a similar product then it won’t be included in this article. Let’s get started.

The Golden Rule of Equipment Selection

Produce a clean dry shiny car with no manual labor for the maximum anticipated wash volume in 3 to 7 minutes, depending on how you plan to compete in the marketplace. It seems obvious but it is impossible to begin selecting equipment without knowing how many cars you need to process during the busiest hour on the busiest day. The equation is simple, how many cars pass your location (car count) multiplied by the percentage you will wash (capture rate). In reality, capture rate can be a tricky number to accurately predict. Average capture rates published by the International Car Wash Association are a good place to start, but how you run and market your business will dramatically impact the actual number. It all comes down to matching your quality, value, and convenience to what you believe is most desired by the demographic profile of the cars passing your wash. A business that is dead on can easily surpass the published capture rates. One that misses the mark can easily under perform, which is what a market economy is all about.

Maybe your entrepreneurial innovation has designed a new wash format and marketing plan that will capture 100% of your daily car count per month. Possibly you have decided that your customer base desires either the speed of service and discount price of an Express-Exterior or the personalized attention and interior cleaning of a Full-Serve wash. Regardless, the site style, combined with pricing, marketing, customer service, visibility, and your skill as an operator will contribute strongly to your actual capture rate and required equipment package.

Next throw in the inconvenient reality of land. I could not imagine attempting a well marketed $3 dollar-3 minute Express-Exterior with free vacuums on a half acre lot with a 55,000 daily car count. I would anticipate a capture rate and peak volume requiring a larger tunnel than would fit on the property. Once you have defined the variables that dictate your peak wash volume on your busiest day and evaluated them against the attributes of the land where the wash will sit, you are ready to begin equipment selection. There is not a specific wash package ideally suited to Full-Serve, Flex-Serve, or Express-Exterior. Equipment selection is all about how fast, how clean, how safe, and how much labor, if any, is involved.

The Hybrid Wash Advantage

Brushless, Touch-Free, Soft-Cloth, Touch-Less; there are enough terms floating around to thoroughly confuse customers and operators alike. Many simply try to tell customers that the wash doesn’t use obsolete technology common over 50 years ago. All relate to either high-pressure streams of water or some form of material contacting a vehicles surface to agitate a detergent and remove dirt. With that said I’m going to stand behind my disclaimer – this is only how I do it – and say that no wash should use exclusively high-pressure OR friction wash material. Don’t get me wrong, there have been tremendous advances in technology with both formats. Either can produce a quality wash. The problem is that each has advantages and limitations. To produce the highest quality wash that is quick and economical, I recommend using a hybrid combination of BOTH technologies in every conveyorized tunnel. This leverages the ability of high-pressure to clean within wheels and other grooves while friction materials clean flat surfaces with less detergent, water, and electrical expense. In the same vein of mixing technologies for a better wash, I equally recommend varying the types of friction wash materials within the same wash. Varying the selection of cloth, foam, and soft tufted media throughout the tunnel and even on the same equipment item can produce stunning results. The same logic applies; utilize the best suited technology to clean different parts of the vehicle. The goal is to produce the cleanest, shiniest, and driest car – safely, reliably, and economically – with absolutely no manual preparation.

The Hybrid Wash Process Step-by-Step

Before I address several exceptions to the hybrid wash process to accommodate conditions of heavy snow, ice, bugs, or mud, let me first outline the basic best practices.

Step 1 - Detergent application: Upon entering the wash the first thing to touch the car is a wet foamed alkaline detergent. The combination of arches and floor mounted applicators required will vary depending on conveyor speed. Simultaneously wheels and tires will receive an application of a non-acidic cleaner. This too should be a wet foamed detergent applied via two floor mounted CTA applicators per side spaced 40 inches apart.

Next, a second application of a foamed low PH lubricating soap is applied immediately before the first friction wash component. This is commonly a mitter or wrap-around washer and often the foaming applicator is attached to the entrance of the wash unit. Lubrication of the wash material is vital. If your low PH detergent does not include a lubricant, then you must apply one separately. Three reasons support my preference for foaming all detergent. First, you can visually monitor that all areas are covered. If the detergent does not reach a specific section such as the front and rear license plates, that area will not be properly cleaned no matter what equipment you use. Second, a properly applied wet foam detergent will drag dirt off the car even before the first equipment item touches the surface. Third, the lubricated detergent keeps friction wash media moving smoothly over surfaces for a safer wash. Developing a close relationship with your selected chemical supplier is vital. Ideally, the representative will function like a trusted member of your staff, tailoring detergents to your road grime considerations.

Step 2 – The First Friction Wash: After detergent and lubricants are applied, the vehicle will enter the friction wash. This increases the dwell time, agitation, and cleaning performance of the initial detergents before they are removed. It is important to note that modern wash materials do not hold dirt and that equipment is engineered to constantly flush the material with either fresh or reclaim water. The quantity and type of wash components is directly related to the type of dirt and maximum conveyor speed. This topic will be expanded upon later. Regardless of conveyor speed, all vehicle surfaces must receive at least one friction cleaning action before leaving this first phase of the friction wash. Additionally, it is recommended to always include at least one set of wrap-around washers. These can be mounted in either a standard or reverse configuration emphasizing rear or front surface cleaning respectively. Other products exist in the market to clean front and rear surfaces but it is difficult to get a complete result without at least one set of wraps.

Step 3 – The High-Pressure Wash: This is the turning point of a hybrid wash. Emphasis will slowly shift from the wash process and begin preparing the surface for rinsing and drying. Flat surfaces of the vehicle are relatively clean. A healthy application of both high and low PH detergents has had ample dwell time to break the bond of road grime to the paint. The action of the friction wash media has moved detergent extensively, forcing it into grooves and crevices. Placement of the high-pressure wash system after the initial friction wash allows it to easily strip the loosened dirt. Simultaneously, a system of appropriate strength and placement for the conveyor speed will blast the mix of low and high PH detergent from all parts of the vehicle including mirrors and other troublesome crevices. Stripping all alkaline detergent is critical. It will hinder the rinsing and drying process.

Step 4 – The Second Friction Wash High-Pressure Wash: The function of the second friction wash is twofold. The motion of the wash equipment and type of media used should be different than that in the first friction wash. This will provide alternate cleaning actions to remove any residual dirt that was missed by the previous components. Secondly, foamed detergent applied during this stage will have a low PH. Upon leaving this final stage of the hybrid wash process the cleaned vehicle surface is prepared for efficient rinsing and drying.

Exceptions to the Hybrid Wash Process

Except during extreme weather conditions involving snow, ice, or mud, it is unnecessary and costly to pre-wash vehicles with high-pressure before entering the first friction wash cycle. Those conditions are periodic. If they exist for parts of the year at your location it is necessary to include a pre-wash capability, but it is only activated when the conditions demand. I am sure there is someone out there operating in a climate where days requiring a pre-wash greatly exceed those that don’t. You have my sympathy. But since I haven’t yet seen the situation in over 25 years of washing cars, even with washes I am familiar with in rural northern Canada, I’ll stand by my recommendation to pre-wash as the exception, not the rule. Pre-washing increases the consumption of electricity, detergent, and water, resources becoming increasingly expensive. Now a brief look at some common exceptions:

• Regions with Heavy Mud, Ice, or Snow: Regions with these characteristics will want to examine a supplemental application and pre-cleaning process. Prior to entering the foaming pre-soak applicator arch or system I mentioned above, vehicles should be cleaned with a high-pressure wash system emphasizing wheel wells and lower surfaces. It is imperative that the water is infused with an alkaline detergent that matches the PH of the first detergent application. This will prevent excessive dilution of the first pre-soak application which will disrupt the wash quality.

• Regions with Heavy Bug Seasons: Seasonal bug removal requires the same detergent infused high-pressure pre-cleaning involved for heavy mud, ice, or snow, though focus should be concentrated on the front grill and windshield. Additionally the vehicle will require an application of what is commonly referred to as “Bug Juice” before the pre-wash. This application can occur via a combination of floor and arch mounted applicators triggered before the photo-eyes. Another option found at some express-exterior locations are bug wash stations where customers can apply the solution themselves with a supplied brush. Using an attendant is a viable, though cost prohibitive option as well.

Complete Rinsing

When done correctly, the primary drying of a vehicle occurs while rinsing. The standard process is to apply a drying agent, followed by a sealer wax, with a final setting rinse of either fresh or spot-free water. Like application, this is another area where you will want to involve the assistance and specialized knowledge of your chemical supplier. The objective is twofold. First, remove all detergent from the surface, grooves, and mirrors so it does not spill out during drying. Second, bead the water so it breaks in large pools and runs off the car to begin the drying process. Rinsing, like everything in an automatic car wash, is dramatically affected by conveyor speed and water quality. Softeners and other equipment are available to correct water problems, and some types of chemicals work better with different water conditions. At slower conveyor speeds, rinsing is often handled by a series of manifolds that stream water like rain over the surface. This rinsing method breaks the bond the water has to the surface and helps it bead and flow. Additionally it doesn’t produce mist that can get circulated by air dryers which is highly counterproductive. Faster chain speeds will require additional rinsing to strip excess detergent before entering a rain system. Normally powered with a pumping system, these products can be targeted at trouble areas such as mirrors, rocker panels, the entire vehicle, or all of the above depending on conveyor speed and the placement of your high-pressure wash components and detergent application.

Drying

Drying a car is easy. Drying a car with minimal electrical consumption in a compact space is difficult. Add in the sound restrictions imposed by many municipalities. Now consider the limitations of your available electrical service along with changing requirements as temperature varies, and drying becomes a much more challenging task than it may have first appeared. Like high-pressure washing, results are directly related to conveyor speed. Many different blower designs are available. Some disperse air via a manifold to remove water from large flat surfaces, others direct a strong jet of air which covers a smaller area but delivers the force necessary to strip water out of grooves. Mixing blower types and power ratings is frequently necessary to provide complete surface coverage with enough strength to remove water from inside crevices. The optimal angle of the producer will also vary depending on conveyor speed. Look for products that have some ability to adjust to changing conditions. Although there is no perfect rule, plan for approximately 1 HP per car per hour for your peak anticipated volume.

Extra Online Services

Extra services can refer to anything not included in a wash’s base exterior package. The variations on wheel cleaning packages, under carriage treatments, and other applications are endless. For brevity I’m going to highlight three of the most common and requested services; tire dressing, triple foam conditioner, and most recently, pay waxes & glass treatments.

Tire Dressing: The foundation for a good tire dressing is a clean tire. I referenced tire and wheel applicators above and high-pressure washers that clean out wheels, but the tire itself is most commonly cleaned with a horizontal tire brush. Some new brush designs available from several manufacturers have recently increased the scope of this unit’s ability to deliver good wheel cleaning as well. Once you have a clean tire, automated online dressing machines are readily available. Tire dressing will either be wiped or sprayed on as the vehicle passes the unit, most commonly installed in the drip space between the final rinse and dryers.

Triple Foam Conditioner: The popularity of this service stems from the fact that a customer can see that they are receiving a special application even in the absence of signage. A powerful up-sell, triple foam conditioner is normally applied via a free-standing arch or foaming attachments. Its placement in the wash is constantly evolving. Traditionally it was located just before the final cleaning action immediately before rinse. This setup presents some difficulties in completely removing the conditioner and some operators have moved it earlier in the wash.

Pay Waxes & Glass Treatments: It’s difficult to explain this new class of service without mentioning specific manufacturers. The two that come to mind are SIMONIZ’s Double Bond with VisionClear, and Ecolab’s Rain-X online protectant.  These products coat the surface of the vehicle with chemicals engineered to protect painted surfaces, glass, trim, and chrome. The treatment, delivered online, can increase shine, water repellency, and provide lasting protection. Both suppliers provide a separate application system with excellent signage to promote the service to customers.

Guideline for Hybrid Equipment Selection

Now I’ll chart some very generic guidelines for the minimum recommended cleaning actions to each surface and the required conveyor length to produce a clean, dry, shiny, car at each corresponding speed. Many options exist from the various equipment manufacturers to accomplish each item. The critical aspect when selecting equipment is to mix motion and wash media. If the conveyor speed dictates 2 top surface actions, they should be different. One might be rotational, the other side-to-side. If you do select two similar motions, then one should incorporate a flat cloth and the other a plush material or closed cell foam. Equally many options exist within high-pressure wash units. When choosing these components you will want to evaluate surface coverage and impact. Let’s get started with the minimum guidelines:

Chain – Speed Cars per hour	Friction Top Surfaces	Friction Wrap-Around	Friction Side Washers	High-pressure Side/Wheel	High-pressure Top Surfaces	Rear Wheel Push Conveyor	Front Wheel Pull Conveyor
60 C.P.H.	2	1	1	1	-	70 feet	60 feet
90 C.P.H	2	1	1	1	1	95 feet	85 feet
120 C.P.H.	2	2	2	1	1	120 feet	110 feet
150 C.P.H.	2	2	3	2	1	145 feet	135 feet
180 C.P.H.	3	2	3	2	2	170 feet	160 feet

*Assumes 17 foot average vehicle length with 3ft 6in roller spacing where chain speed = approximately the cars processed per hour

The relationship between conveyor length, chain speed, and number of cleaning actions is relatively straight forward. The faster the chain speed, the less contact time the vehicle has with each equipment item. This in turn necessitates a longer tunnel with more equipment to produce the same result. The numbers above approximate the minimum tunnel length and wash actions to produce a clean, dry, shiny car without the need for manual prep in approximately 2.5 minutes. It assumes a well tuned hybrid equipment package in good repair. In most express-exterior and flex-serve locations the chain speed is set and seldom if ever changed. Customers at these formats are often promised a 3 minute wash and expect a consistent product. For many full-serve operators this may seem like a strange concept. The predominant practice at these washes is to constantly change conveyor speed depending on wash volume. Developing a rhythm to speed up or slow down the wash to match traffic has a strong argument. Slower conveyor speeds increase detergent dwell time and friction contact time for a better wash. When properly managed, this practice has a place, especially at existing locations that experienced a rapid market expansion. Land restrictions don’t always permit a tunnel long enough to accommodate the peak wash volume.

Common Tunnel Equipment Items

Friction - Top Surface Components: The two most prevalent technologies are “Mitters” and “Top Brushes”. Mitters were originally designed to simulate a human hand washing a car with a mitt that moves back and forth over the vehicle surface. They are very gentle and available in front-to-back, side-to-side, circular, and diagonal movements. Top Brushes feature a balanced or weighted rotating hub that spins as it contours the car passing beneath. Recent improvements in wash materials and automated retract capabilities have dramatically improved upon the safety of this very effective cleaning technology.

Friction – Wrap Around Washers: These highly effective washers clean all vertical surfaces of a vehicle. They feature two slightly overlapped rotating washers that wash the front of the vehicle as it passes through. Slight pressure keeps the brushes in contact with the sides of the vehicle before moving in together to clean rear vertical surfaces.  

Friction – Side Washers: Rotating brushes that clean the side of cars. Various heights and angles are available to provide concentration to different side surfaces. Shorter units will often focus on lower rocker panels while taller units can reach the tops of the highest SUVs.

High-Pressure – Side Washers: These washers blast high pressure streams of water at side surfaces and wheels. Many variations exist that are either stationary or feature some combination of spinning, oscillating, or pivoting movement. The spray pattern is normally very compact and preferably at zero degrees for greatest impact. When evaluating systems it is vital to consider conveyor speed. The simplistic guide above indicates an approximate number of manifolds, but as speed of vehicle travel increases you must combine this with the total number of nozzles, their movement, and the pressure of the water. Try to imagine a car passing by an oscillating stream of water. If the car is moving slowly it may perform well. If conveyor speed is increased and the coverage or speed of oscillation is not sufficient, you will have one clean stripe down the side of an otherwise dirty surface.

High-Pressure – Top Washers: As with-high pressure side washers, there are many excellent choices on the market and the same considerations apply. Often mounted to an overhead arch, these washers feature a varying number and type of moving nozzles that blast high pressure streams of water at top surfaces. It is important to match surface coverage and impact with the maximum conveyor speed you anticipate running. It is common to use reclaim water in many high-pressure wash applications.

Summary

There are many approaches to getting a clean, dry, shiny, car with no manual labor. When selecting wash equipment always start with the car count and anticipated capture rate at the facility. The most important consideration is guaranteeing that your customers will receive a consistent product in a consistent time. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with hundreds of tremendously successful car wash owners all across the country. Many have drastically different equipment packages and approaches to washing a car. What they all share in common is the desire and dedication to put their customers first.

5 Ways to Improve Your Wash Performance

By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

More satisfied customers. Lower labor costs. Decreased detergent costs. These are just a few of the reasons operators are constantly looking for ways to improve wash performance. Although new technologies are constantly hitting the market, many improvements can be made by simply optimizing what’s already in your tunnel. There are many ways to get your equipment to produce cleaner, shinier cars. Below I’ve listed 5 areas that you should constantly evaluate.

1. Set Your Conveyor Speed

Controlling your conveyor speed is vital. Accurately measuring the maximum potential cars per hour that the set chain speed can process is the foundation to optimizing equipment performance, required labor, and detergent consumption. The quickest method of determining your chain speed is to measure the number of inches a roller travels over a fifteen second period. Every inch traveled equates to one car per hour. For example, if a roller travels 60 inches in 15 seconds, your maximum throughput is 60 cars per hour. This is the maximum number of standard sized vehicles that could be processed if every roller was loaded for a one hour period.  As tunnel speed increases, vehicles receive less cleaning action from each equipment item. To improve your wash performance you must either add equipment items or slow down the conveyor.

Slowing down conveyor speed during slow volume hours will boost the dwell time detergents have to loosen dirt from the vehicle. Additionally it maximizes the friction contact time of mitters and side brushes for better cleaning. Drip time before drying also increases, resulting in cleaner, shinier, drier cars with less prep and finishing. Changing your conveyor speed several times a day is not uncommon at a busy location and setting the proper speed continuously is imperative in a slow to medium volume location.

It is also important to know your conveyor speed to correctly schedule labor. Setting the proper speed establishes a tempo for the property to most efficiently process anticipated volume. Setting the proper rhythm maximizes the efficiency of the equipment in relation to the labor available. This ensures a consistent product and a happy customer. It is better to have cars being washed more thoroughly on a slow moving conveyor than to be backed up at the exit end forcing production to stop.

Full service car washes must learn how to adjust conveyor speeds based on demand and weather to balance labor and deliver consistent service. Express exteriors often fix conveyor speeds to meet a promised wash time. The tunnel length and equipment package are designed to deliver optimal wash quality at the pre-determined conveyor speed. Other Express exterior operators are experimenting with changing conveyor speed to get a better car on slower days.

2. Maximize Your Initial Detergent Application

To maximize cleaning efficiency, do not use only an alkaline or a low PH detergent – you must apply both. For those of us who can still remember a few decades back, most friction tunnels had one barrel of lubricating soap. Combined with the fact that most operators tried to use it sparingly – we basically rubbed the dirt off the car. Needless to say this outdated technology could damage painted surfaces – part of the inspiration for touchless high pressure only tunnels. Unfortunately, pressurized streams of water don’t do a great job of rubbing the car clean. The one barrel of lubricating soap wasn’t really sufficient for friction washes and was completely useless with high pressure. Achieving a satisfactory product in a touchless environment demanded careful attention to the chemistry of the detergents used. Most touchless washes use both alkaline and low PH detergents, applied at different times to get a clean car. If you have ever worked in a touchless wash where one of the detergents run out, the effect can’t be missed. If the alkaline runs out – painted surfaces will look untouched. If the low PH runs out – glass and chrome look dirty while painted surfaces are shiny but difficult to dry. Touchless forced operators to really examine the chemistry of getting a clean car.

Today most of the focus is on the hybrid combination of both friction and high pressure cleaning equipment in the tunnel. Don’t stop there. Although touchless has some distinct disadvantages as a stand alone wash technology, incorporating both touchless wash components and its detergent chemistry into a friction wash is fast becoming the recommended method of getting better results more efficiently.

3. Completely Cover The Car In Foamed Detergent First.

Improving your wash quality is impossible without detergent reaching every part of every surface you intend on cleaning. The advantages of applying first an alkaline detergent followed by a low PH detergent was touched upon earlier. The next critical area is making sure the detergent is applied correctly. It is hopeless to think about improving your wash performance at any conveyor speed without a complete and even coating of detergent on all vehicle surfaces. I recommend foaming all detergent. First, you can visually monitor that all areas are covered. Second, a properly applied wet foam detergent will drag dirt off the car even before the first equipment item touches the surface. Third, the lubricated detergent keeps friction wash media moving smoothly over surfaces for a safer wash.

Making sure that all vehicle surfaces receive precise detergent application may require supplementing or substituting some application equipment. Even the best equipment cannot clean a car without proper detergent application. Application will occur from multiple directions from top, side, and floor mounted applicators. The numbers and quantities will vary depending on the speed at which you run your conveyor.

4. Mix Your Cleaning Materials

When looking to improve wash performance examine mixing different wash materials. Although cloth still delivers excellent performance and durability, many new materials have excellent properties that can complement or replace cloth in certain areas. Tufted materials that feature a soft pile can dramatically improve mitter performance. They are also available from several manufacturers for use on wrap around washers. Additionally, closed cell foam materials have proven very effective and safe when lubricated properly. The principal is to experiment with mixing media within a wash to leverage the advantages of each.

Another interesting trend is the increased return of bristle in the car wash. Why bristle, the product that had been practically eliminated from car washing for years? Simple, because when it is used properly, it works very well. Several new products are on the market using bristle to clean both tires and wheels. For similar reasons, some operators have also begun experimenting with using bristle on 18” lower rocker panel brushes with foamed detergent for lubrication. Will it become a popular option? The jury is still out – but bristle definitely seems to be rediscovering its place in professional car washing. Operators are realizing that cloth, foam, tufted materials and yes even bristle each have their place in a tunnel. Often mixing the different media can improve wash performance without adding additional or updated equipment.

5. Mix Your Cleaning Technologies.

One of the greatest challenges in car washing is the tremendous variation in the size and shape of the vehicles we are expected to wash perfectly in only a few minutes. With automotive designs changing daily, the reality is the top brush that washes one SUV perfectly may miss parts of a pickup truck that gets perfect contact from a front to back mitter. For this reason, just as with mixing wash media, it is also recommended to mix wash motion and angles. One common belief is that wrap around type washers replace side washers. This simply isn’t true. They rotate with the vehicle to move down the side smoothly, while the side washer rotates against the surface. These different actions will produce different cleaning results for changing vehicle profiles. Wherever possible you want to introduce as many variations in wash action that you can. For an operator with two front-to-back mitters looking to improve cleaning performance, first change the wash material on one mitter. If that doesn’t fix the problem the next step would be to replace the item with another action such as a top brush or side to side mitter. If space permits you may want to consider additional components to improve performance.

Another consideration is the addition of high pressure touchfree wash components. One of the best technologies available to clean wheels and wheel wells, these components can complement a friction wash. Many types and configurations of equipment are available and all are very sensitive to conveyor speed. You will want to consult your equipment supplier for advice on placement, type, and sizing to achieve best results.

Summary

Competition is always increasing and every business must constantly push forward to maintain a competitive advantage. Car washing is a harsh and constantly changing environment. By nature, equipment and wash materials take a constant beating. Vehicle sizes and designs are constantly changing with improved technology in the automotive industry delivering more dramatic changes in body styles and contours. To keep up with customer expectations for a fast, consistent, quality product, in this changing environment, every operator must constantly evaluate their equipment and the wash they can deliver. This does not mean always investing in new equipment. Carefully maintaining and maximizing the performance of what you’ve got in your tunnel can go a long way.

Evaluating Your Existing Tunnel - 10 Steps to Maximizing System Performance

By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

Everyday, innovations in wash materials, equipment, detergents, and technologies improve. Is it possible to reduce your labor? How can you reduce the potential for breakdowns forcing you to close or deliver an inferior product? What is available to produce a cleaner, shinier, dryer car – faster and more safely?

 

These are questions you should ask your equipment and detergent suppliers regularly. If you speed up your conveyor to meet demand and wash quality suffers – you need to rethink what you are doing. You may wash a customer once but not again. In order to accrue volume you must be perfect on the busiest day. This is when more customers will try your wash for the first time.

 

Regardless of what type of wash style you are operating, Full-Serve, Flex-Serve, or Express-Exterior, a successful car wash should have an equipment package capable of producing its highest quality product at a throughput equal to its busiest Saturday hour. In Express and Flex this must be done with absolutely no prep or hand drying. Although Full-Serve operators have attendants, the ability to eliminate labor presents a tremendous cost savings opportunity.

 

It is useful to make a comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of your wash, starting with the conveyor. Many factors such as climate, bug removal, and type of road grime will effect what possibilities present the greatest return on your investment. Below is a short guide that highlights some very top level considerations.

 

Step 1: Conveyors

If a conveyor breaks down your wash is closed. No risk or shortcuts should be taken with your conveyor maintenance. Before looking for ways to optimize performance, ensure it is in good working order. Evaluate the integrity of the frame. Inspect the chain, rollers, drive sprockets, and take up assemblies. Chain should be tensioned properly. Once everything is in good working order, verify roller spacing. If not already done, spacing rollers at 3ft 6in is a safe and reliable way to maximize your conveyor capacity.

 

Another enhancement available is to add an automatic roller up system. This allows the roller to fire as soon a car passes the roller up door. In an Express Exterior or Flex-Serve wash, the guide-on attendant can stay focused on helping customers load their vehicles. This upgrade also improves Full-Serve attendant efficiency for greater throughput.

 

Next check the condition of your floor. Concrete wears over time. Grooves and pitting can contribute to cars jumping off the conveyor. If the floor is in need of repair, several options exist to correct it. Tracking bars are available to correct issues caused by a worn out floor. Stainless steel slip plates are another excellent alternative for uninterrupted operation.

 

Now inspect any conveyor cutouts. These are normally found at the tire brush and tire dressing applicator. Make sure there are no pinch points on the exit end of the brush or pad. This condition may damage the vehicle or force it to jump off the conveyor. Common problems to look for are bent or broken stops and worn guide surfaces. Replace as needed.

 

Last evaluate the type of rollers used. Vehicles have changed and so have rollers. The popularity of SUVs and other large vehicles has inspired the design of mid profile rollers. This style reduces the chance of a larger vehicle jumping and is another method to increasing the safety and reliability of your conveyor.

 

Step 2: Detergent Application

Even the best equipment cannot clean a car without proper detergent application. It is hopeless to think about improving wash performance at any conveyor speed without a complete and even coating of detergent on all vehicle surfaces. Many washes only apply detergent at the first mitter. If this is the case you will want to consider repositioning your equipment to accommodate a dedicated applicator arch. Best cleaning results are achieved by using two types of detergent. In a hybrid wash it is recommended to use an alkaline presoak followed by a low PH foamed detergent. If an arch exists but wash performance is not optimal, begin with the nozzles. The accuracy of a nozzle deteriorates with every car that is washed. Worn spray tips are difficult to visually diagnose but often the culprit for inconsistent application. Every car wash should have an established replacement interval for nozzles based on the nozzle material, detergent used, and the number of cars processed. Once you are confident of the integrity of your nozzles check how they are pointing. Many application arches have a single row of nozzles on one manifold perpendicular to the vehicle surface. This configuration presents difficulty getting full coverage of front and rear surfaces. One possibility to address this situation is angling some nozzles towards the front and rear of vehicles for increased coverage. Additional options exist to add a tee and convert one nozzle port into two nozzles aimed at the front and back of the vehicle. Be aware that increasing the number of nozzles may require reducing nozzle size depending on pump capacity. No matter what you do to get complete detergent application, it is fundamental to producing a clean, dry, shiny car.

 

Step 3: Online tire and wheel cleaning

As with vehicle washing, even the best equipment can not get wheels and tires clean without proper detergent application. Many new foaming applicators are readily available. Foamed detergent, when properly applied, increases dwell time for better cleaning. If you have the space it is recommended to have two CTA applicators for each side spaced 40 inches apart. This will insure complete coverage. Tire brushes are extremely effective for tire cleaning and can often be located under a mitter if space is limited. Wheel cleaning is ideally performed by a combination of cloth friction and high pressure washers. Chain speed will dictate the number of cleaning actions required for perfect wheels.

 

Step 4: Top surface cleaning

There should be at least two top surface cleaning actions in different directions for effective performance. Greater cleaning power is required as conveyor speed is increased. Multiple equipment items also build redundancy. This vital aspect of a properly designed wash can mean the difference of washing at a slower conveyor speed or being closed in the event of equipment failure. If you have at least two items in different directions, properly sized for your maximum conveyor speed make sure all equipment is in good working order. Check the integrity of the frame, bearings, motors, and plumbing. Check the condition of all cloth and foam materials. Make sure they are well lubricated. Rebuild or replace items as necessary. If you are using standard cloth and not getting the results needed – look to some of the newer materials on the market. Closed cell foam materials can increase the wash performance of an existing top brush. Plush or textured wash materials can dramatically improve the capability of mitters. Each material has different cleaning characteristics. Many washes mix different materials for better overall cleaning.

 

Step 5: Front-side-and rear cleaning

Wrap-around washers are a safe and proven way to clean front and back surfaces. It is extremely difficult to get a clean car with no labor without at least one wrap-around. When using one, you will also want to supplement rocker panel cleaning with low side washers. These can be mounted under mitters, on tire brushes, or free standing. Washes that do not have at least one wrap should evaluate the ability to shift or replace equipment to accommodate it. From that foundation you can build upon your side cleaning capability to handle higher conveyor speeds and vehicles of varying heights. A high side washer of 50 inches is commonly added to provide complete cleaning on taller SUVs and trucks. Higher volume locations with faster conveyor speeds often supplement or substitute the side washer with equipment concentrating on the front of the vehicle. Added focus to the front for bugs and road grime while still washing the side of the vehicle can reduce the need for prep labor.

 

Step 6: High pressure cleaning components

Many operators are increasingly turning to a hybrid combination of both friction and high-pressure wash technologies. Leveraging the advantages of each, they are able to produce cleaner cars, faster, more safely, at the lowest possible cost per vehicle. Friction cleaning is more efficient on flat surfaces. High pressure washers complement that cleaning action to flush dirt out of areas where friction wash materials can not reach. Better cleaning results are achieved when both wash technologies are present in a tunnel wash. When evaluating your wash performance, problems with cleaning wheels, wheel wells, under front wiper blades, and front bumpers can often be addressed through incorporating correctly placed high pressure wash components.

 

Step 7: Waxing

Triple foam wax is a popular service and an excellent opportunity to increase your revenue. If you already offer triple foam, where is it located in the tunnel? Simply relocating it as a conditioner towards the beginning of the wash can increase customer satisfaction as well as improves rinsing. Additionally, keeping a colorful triple foam conditioner on the vehicle longer advertises the service to other customers who may be watching at a full-serve or riding behind at an express-exterior location.

 

Step 8: Rinsing

Rinsing should occur in three stages and is the precursor to successful drying. First evaluate your pre-rinse. In low volume locations, pre-rinse can start in the last mitter if plumbed with fresh water. As volume increases you will need a separate function to pre-rinse. This can take the form of a rain arch. High volume washes with fast conveyor speeds will want to consider using a pressurized pre-rinse arch. Immediately following pre-rinse you should apply a drying agent and sealer wax. If your current system uses v-nozzles for this process you may want to evaluate alternatives. Although they rinse well, the mist created can be counterproductive to drying. Rain arch systems use gravity water fall to eliminate misting and enhance rinsing of grooves. Additionally, they promote water shedding that can greatly improve drying performance. A setting arch is the final stage in rinsing. Again, a rain arch for this application will promote beading and water break. Proper water break floods water off of the car making it easier to dry. Spot free water is often used in the final setting arch.

 

Step 9: Drying

Several options exist to increase the performance of your drying system. First, inspect the positioning and condition of your blowers. All motors, bearings, and housings should be in good repair. Make sure the blades are balanced properly. Verify that all screens are clear of debris. If your blowers are positioned and working correctly but not delivering sufficient power to dry vehicles at the highest speed your conveyor is operating, you may need to increase horsepower. First look at your electrical service and determine the maximum amperage available. A properly sized drying system will have sufficient horsepower to remove all water. If your utilities are maxed, prohibiting you from increasing total horsepower, consider increasing surface coverage. Mixing smaller producers to increase coverage at the same horsepower can maximize drying performance from your existing electrical service.

 

Step 10: Controller

Many of the options available to improve your car wash performance require a controller capable of operating them. If your car wash controller can not perform automatic roller up or tire tracking, you may want to consider upgrading it. Newer controllers have also improved upon the ability to control detergent consumption. Additional features you should look for are a simulated pulse or simulated entrance management system. This ability will allow your car wash to continue operating even in the event your photo sensors are damaged or malfunction.

 

Summary

There are many factors to consider when upgrading your wash package. For proper evaluation you must take an extremely dirty car and run it through the wash at the conveyor speed you set during your busiest hour without any prep. If you have a specific problem you are trying to solve, get help. In addition to your equipment and detergent suppliers, excellent information is available from other operators who have faced similar issues. There are several excellent online forums where you can easily converse with other car washers across the country. The equipment, wash materials, and detergents are available to wash cars without any prep at very fast conveyor speeds. Making the decision to evaluate your wash is the first step to producing cleaner cars, faster, and more safely. Good luck and good washing.

5 Misconceptions to Getting Consistently Clean Wheels

 By: Anthony Analetto
Originally Published in AutoLaundry Magazine

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right”- Henry Ford
 

Turning out a consistently clean, sparkling wheel is often the differentiating factor between competing car washes in a market. It’s also a difficult task for a professional car washer to deliver and often the most misunderstood. Like many of the articles I write, this one was prompted by a recent conversation I had with a friend in the industry. For years, using strong acid-based wheel cleaners, this operator would periodically replace his tire brush, always in stainless-steel to hold up to the acid. Seeing an order for an aluminum tire-brush machine, I asked him if he had placed his order correctly to which he replied “I did - I’m finally off the crack.” The passion he had in explaining the process he went through to eliminate all labor, switch to easier to handle non-acid wheel cleaners, and improve the quality and consistency of his wheels made me realize there are many operators that could benefit by learning about his experience. His customers are happier, his employees are happier, and he’s happier – and it all starts by dismissing the 5 misconceptions associated with getting a consistently clean wheel.

Misconception 1: You need to wash wheels by hand
Labor in any part of the wash process, especially wheels, results in inconsistent quality, slower throughput, and unpredictable customer wait times. Consider what occurs at many washes today. The car enters the wash and wheels are sprayed with a pressure gun, cooling the wheel which reduces the reactivity of the detergent to break the bond of brake dust to the wheel. Next, an aggressive acid-based wheel cleaner, corrosive to wash equipment, is applied to the wet wheel. Whatever cleaner doesn’t drip off the already wet wheel is instantly diluted before being immediately hit with a pressure gun again. The wheel cleaner, unless highly concentrated, does not have sufficient dwell time or physical agitation to do its job effectively. And the problem gets worse. As the day progresses, employees get more tired. As volume peaks, there is less time to spray each wheel. When you need to speed up the conveyor, you need to add more labor, and wash consistency and quality drop further. But that’s just the beginning of the problem. Hoses, cars, people, spinning brushes, and strong detergents are all shuffling around in a congested area. Management andtraining requirements to ensure safe detergent handling and operating procedures are adhered to skyrocket. And when things aren’t working, you need to throw more at it. More labor. More and stronger wheel cleaners. More problems – and more reasons to keep reading this article to learn how to break the cycle!

Misconception 2: You can get a clean wheel without a tire locator switch
A tire locator what? This function, included standard with most modern controllers, tells the computer exactly where a tire is located in the wash process. Using a combination of an entrance photo eye and a tire locator switch, information is fed back to the computer to activate wheel cleaning components accurately and for an extended duration. Getting clean wheels requires complete online application of an alkaline-based detergent, sufficient detergent dwell time with physical agitation, and high-pressure wheel cleaning for a five-foot travelling distance. The foundation of getting clean wheels every time online doesn’t start with some magical detergent or equipment component – it starts with having a computer setup to locate and track wheels throughout the wash process. I’ve been to many locations where people are still using treadles for chemical application running alongside an underutilized computer capable of tracking wheels. Without the ability to automatically adjust detergent application in relation to conveyor speed, or set high pressure washers to pivot and track wheels for prolonged contact, getting clean wheels online without labor is impossible. Once in place, a whole new world of possibility for accurate and consistent wheel cleaning opens up.

Misconception 3: You can’t wash wheels without aggressive acid-based wheel cleaners
No doubt acid-based wheel cleaners are effective. However, burdensome training and management requirements to ensure safe handling, coupled with the fact that they can reduce the lifespan of car wash equipment have caused many operators to switch to alkaline-based alternatives. When used correctly, you consistently get a cleaner wheel, eliminate labor, and prolong equipment life, all by switching to a detergent that’s easier to handle and more user-friendly. It all starts with detergent application to maximize mechanical and chemical wash synergy.

Two feet after your photo eyes, you want to have a CTA applying a non-acid foamed wheel and tire cleaner. A single CTA is sufficient for conveyor speeds up to 80 cars per hour, but if you intend on exceeding that speed, you will need to have a second CTA applying the same non-acid foamed detergent 40 inches after the first, allowing the wheel to turn upside down for full detergent application. Avoid the mistake of “flooding” the car with water which does little other than dilute the effectiveness of your chemistry! Next you will apply an alkaline presoak followed by a low-PH foamed presoak before the vehicle enters your friction wash equipment area.  Soap and mechanical wash equipment continue to agitate undiluted detergent for 8 to 10 feet or more, delivering the necessary dwell time before the high pressure wash equipment strips road grime from the wheels.

Misconception 4: You don’t need a tire and wheel brush
Today’s tire brushes aren’t just for tires. With most designs having a brush diameter of 12 or more inches, they are designed to reach into wheels to agitate detergent and loosen road soil from wheels. Failure to agitate detergent on wheels with a sufficient dwell time spanning at least 96 inches, the average length of a tire brush, will not deliver a clean wheel. Operators concerned with more aggressive designs of polypropylene or nylon brushes can consider foam brushes available from several manufacturers – just make sure you have a tire and wheel brush in your wash!

Misconception 5: You don’t need a high-pressure wheel blaster
It is impossible to clean wheels without high pressure. Not a few inconsistent seconds from an attendant with a prep-gun, but concentrated high-pressure cleaning that maintains contact with each wheel for five feet of travel through the tunnel. Provided you’ve applied sufficient undiluted foamed wheel cleaner, agitated for 96 inches of travel using a tire brush with a diameter of at least 12 inches, then five-feet of cleaning from either a pivoting or tracking high-pressure wheel cleaner is enough distance to allow the wheel to turn completely upside down to reach all angles.

Summary
Having switched to alkaline-based wheel cleaners and automated wheel cleaning so long ago, I sometimes forget the daily struggle many operators continue to have managing labor and safe detergent handling procedures. There’s no free lunch. Getting a clean wheel without labor is a challenge that will require experimentation with non-acid detergents and CTAs that work best with your water and climate conditions. You may have to invest in or upgrade your tire brush to a newer design capable of reaching into wheels. And you’ll need tracking or pivoting wheel blasters capable of maintaining contact with each wheel for five feet of travel at your fastest conveyor speed along with a tunnel controller with a tire locator switch to run them. The payoff however is huge. Labor savings and longer equipment lifespan can be easily calculated. But having happier customers and employees with fewer headaches involved with safely managing acid-based wheel cleaners can be truly priceless.