Vacitup?

[Max]

Has anyone had issues with vacitup? I really like the idea but I am curious if its reliable. Thanks!

 

[bigleo48]

Installed it in my 8 bay SS three years ago. Would not consider building one without it. I also regret not piping it to my vac islands.

Big Leo

 

[MEP001]

The biggest complaints I've heard about the systems has been with the installations. The coins rushing through the pipes can smash the PVC elbows, so you'd want to use hose or flexible plastic conduit. If I were ever to build a wash with one, I'd install normal vaults below vacs and bays with a removable elbow inside so if there was a clog it would be easy to clear. The only other major item of failure is the motors.

 

[billintexas]

We have had it on a 5 bay for 3 years and replaced one motor, no regrets.

 

[rzeavy]

We had it in our 4 bays for 8 years. at our newer 6 bays & 8 bays we have the plumbing but never installed the system.
Unless you are in a high crime area, I would not use the system for three reasons.
1) the motor turns on every six coins (in our case) - cost of electricity and the occasional motor change is too high.
2) when the coins jam, you spend too much time to unclog the system
3) in a 4 bays (2 coin boxes) it takes 60 seconds to collect the coins

 

[easywash]

Wouldn't build a site without it.

I have it on my 3 Vac islands and I wouldn't build a site without it.

 

[Another carwash owner]

Love the system! We have it in our self-serve bays and vac islands. Very few problems with clogging due to installation and a couple of motors. Would do it again.

ANO

 

[Micah Savell]

I have installed three (3) vac-it-up systems. The last one even does the bills from the auto cashers. SWEET!!! I agree with bigleo48, I wouldn't build another without it! In addition, Ed and Cherly from Vac-it-up have been really great to work with. Their level of customer service takes you back to another time and era. A time when, the customer was important. Dealing with them has been refreshing!

 

[pitzerwm]

The only thing missing Micah is their banners on the Forum. BUT they are on the Billboard

 

[Bob Koo]

I've been operating the Vac-It-Up system since 2001 on 5 Bays of SS and four double Vac islands. They all pull to a central vault in an Office located in the Equipment room. This is a Florida site, so the purpose of the unit is for safety in collection of coins and convience. I could see additional benefits if it was a colder climate and not having to deal with frozen locks. I'll have a clog maybe once a year in one of the tubes in the Vac islands but just duct tape a hose to the one of my 3 motor vacs and clear the clog.

I think my system was one of the first in Florida and would not build a site without one. I understand that Car Nation can now vacuum bills which would be a very nice feature for my automatic tellers.

Cheryl and Ed, just make doing business with Car Nation a pleasure.

 

[coincarwash.ca]

Vac it up

I have two washes a 12 bay and a 9 bay.
I built the 9 bay from the ground up and installed a vac it up in it because I loved the system in my 12 bay.
I had a two timers die on me and a couple of vacs in my 12 bay, it is 6 or 7 years old.

Nothin like hearing the coins fly through the tubes and into the vault on a busy day...............sounds a little like a casino.

 

[Andy]

How does this work for dollar bills? Are there separate vaults, one for coins and one for bills? What is the vault like for the dollar bills, does it empty into a big box, then it’s up to you to sort and stack the bills?

 

[washnvac]

Agreed, I would not build one without it. I have four locations. BE SURE your installer knows what they are doing. You need access points in the right places, especially within the bays walls, where you can't get to it easily. When going to vac islands put in a 4 inch sleeve, then use gas line to run from vacs to room. Gas line (yellow pvc) will give you no problems.

 

[SplashJosh]

I've spoke with Ed and Cheryl a few times in the last week or so. I have taken over the maintaince on the vac it up system at a friends car wash and it has been severely neglected over the last year and a half due to the man that maintained the Vac it up system passing away. I have a few islands that have quarters and tokens staked to the top of the collection hose and I have retrieved the first 6" of the hose but cannot get further due to a curve... How do you manage? Any help and suggestions is greatly appreciated.
Thank You

 

[MEP001]

I've worked on a couple that had bad clogs. One had 1 1/2" pipe and I was able to run a thin wall 1" hose hooked to a vacuum down the tube and sucked them out. The other had 1 1/4" pipe and I had to use a 3/4" piece of hose with a vacuum and pick them out one quarter at a time.

 

[Earl Weiss]

You could also try compressed air. You might need more capacity than the wash compressor can deliver. Some electricians use them to shoot wire down a pipe.

 

[SplashJosh]

Earl, I rigged up an contraption that allowed me to hook out compressor up to an drain bladder. I popped the first one but I bought the next size up and it held the entire time but nothing broke free. I had a little bit of dirt fall on me from my vault vacuum but other than that nothing. I'm back to my regular job tomorrow and back to the carwash Saturday (next weekend) I'm going to try and do the small shop vac with thin 1" hose and see what I come up with.

I do truly appreciate everyone's input and please keep it coming. I will update next weekend

You could also try compressed air. You might need more capacity than the wash compressor can deliver. Some electricians use them to shoot wire down a pipe.

 

[mjc3333]

Have 3 car washes with 22 bays all with vac it up since 2002. Best decision ever! Had all the issues. If the clog is really bad, I would end up using a piece of heavy coat hanger wire along with a small shop vac. Also a flexible claw type tool for retrieving a lost nut or bolt. I also have access to a towable air compressor that can unclog them in a snap, just watch out for projectile coins When you try then heavy coat hanger, you have to get the wire between some of the coins first, then the shop vac will work. If not, the coins are actually stuck together like a jig saw puzzle and the vac will do nothing. One mistake I did was had the coins fall down through the flexible conduit in the wall at a very shallow angle like the letter U. I redesigned them to fall out of the bottom of the coin acceptor and now make a fairly hard right hand turn, almost 90 degrees, then immediately start tracking up the wall. This was all done in the wall, not on the outside of course.