Once you’ve decided to open a Car Wash Business and found a suitable locality to establish it the next step is to procure the car wash equipment required to sustain it. Before this you have to decide the type of car wash you intend to carry out in your facility. There are a number of methods from which you need to make your choice of.
Self service facilities which are coin or credit card operated and hoses and equipment like trigger gun, foam brush etc are provided by the facility and the customer himself washes the car using these. There is usually a separate vacuum station to clean the upholstery and rugs. Hand held dryers can also be provided. This system requires an all aluminum compartment tank with lid, fully automatic chemical dispenser, Automatic water saver weep freeze system, cold water rinse system, Standard 5 hp or 3 hp motors.
Then there are those which involve an exterior-conveyer wash. Here the vehicles have to be placed on a motorized track and dragged down a tunnel where they are rinsed, soaped, washed and waxed. The clean cars emerge at the other end.
The Full service option involves an exterior conveyor as well as an inside cleaning.
Various types of systems
The automatic Car Wash Systems maybe of 3 types namely, Touch automatic which requires a cloth or similar medium like poly filament or foam co-polymer material actually carrying out the cleaning. This is a comparatively gentle method of car washing.
Another method is the touch free automatic car wash that uses chemicals and high impact water spray to clean the vehicle. For this method two types of equipment can be used namely one which functions on rails mounted to the floor of the wash bay and another one which is wall mounted.
Automatic conveyer car wash
Still another method called automatic conveyer car wash requires a conveyer which pulls the vehicle through the wash. This is suitable for high volume locations and is labor intensive.
The in-bay automatic car wash provides a comprehensive exterior car wash cycle. There are 2-3 different types of methods used under this category which we can see now.
One is the Spraying Method which requires an all aluminum frame with wall mount and optional floor supports. An aluminum track with a steel pipe and a travel track re-cycling heat system must be installed. Provision for underneath spray with rocker panel blasters etc are some of the equipments necessary. The tools required here are 3 Gould low hp pressure pumps, automatic chemical mixers for wax, spray and polish, and an Electric programmable processor. The high pressure spray from pipes rinses away all dirt and dust from the body of the car.
Another in-bay method is the vortex system which requires six stainless steel nozzles on seven high pressure vortex heads positioned to ensure complete coverage while spraying the vehicle. A foam blanket completely envelops the car’s exterior. A foam conditioner or foam wax has to be used for this purpose. For the final clean up, the car is placed under the vortex nozzles which sprays high pressure water to remove all dirt from the body of the car.
The Tunnel wash
The Tunnel wash involves moving the vehicle through a long building. Tunnels come in 3 platforms. A full service, Express or Flexi service wash may be opted for by the customer. The equipment required here is an over and under conveyor, hydraulic power system, flow divider and speed control systems, detergent arch-aluminum pipe with steel folds, tire brush with retracts, tunnel control system and dryer system. These tunnels come in different lengths which can accommodate from 60-100 cars.
In areas where there is heavy truck traffic, a wash service for trucks can be added to your regular car wash business. This consists of large vehicle washing systems consisting of 14 oscillating vortex heads mounted in an all aluminum frame with stainless steel side panels and light cabinets. Underneath spray with rocker panel blasters is essential and a mercury activated switch should also be there.
The car wash business should be compulsorily equipped with a facility for Recycling and Decalcification of water used. There is usually an intermediate tank which receives the crude water and treats it with conditioners and there is usually equipment inside for the treatment of mud and through a chemical process, traces of oil and grease are eliminated and the water is decalcified, oxygenated and filtered. This ensures that 90-95% of the water can be re used, does not produce drainage and the mud is extracted in the mineral form. Thus there is no harm done to the environment.
