Automatic PreSoaks what works best??? Revisit

[Officer]

I am 2 passes of hi ph. I seemed to get less cleaning power going hi/lo or lo/hi.

I run Hi/Hi. What chemical are you using. What are your dilution ratios. Thinking of bumping up to red tip. Can't get that damn eyebrow off.

 

[Greg Pack]

Eyebrow might respond better to a lo/hi.

 

[carwashireland]

I have always found low first, 15 sec dwell then high. Also found that having the low ph titration at about half the strength of the high p.h works well. If the low is too strong it knocks out the performance of the high p.h. Another tip is to inject Citric acid into the wash water to off-set the high p.h used as step 2. It is a cheap way of neutralizing the car for a better wax/rinse/dry. Citric acid is cheap and pretty safe!

 

[Officer]

I use hi / hi. Simoniz correct powder, 50lb box with 1.6 gallons simoniz foam additive to make a very good 55 gal. drum of presoak for about $67. Beat that! ( thanks S.G.!)

Hey Waxman,

How many gallons of water do you add to the correct powder for the 50# and 100# boxes? How often do you have to stir it? What metering tip are you using? I've been warned to stay away from powders but I'm intrigued at the good ratings you and others are giving it. How well does it do to get the eyebrows off the windshields?

Thanks!

 

[Waxman]

i use a 50lb box of correct, 50 gal. water and 1/3 of a 5 gallon pail of simoniz foam additive. i think i'm using a red tip in a .086 injector.

it does ok with the eyebrow; not perfect but i've only seen acid do that.

$62.59 per drum is hard to beat! I feel I could apply it with no metering tip and still do well as far as soap cost per car.

 

[Officer]

i use a 50lb box of correct, 50 gal. water and 1/3 of a 5 gallon pail of simoniz foam additive. i think i'm using a red tip in a .086 injector.

it does ok with the eyebrow; not perfect but i've only seen acid do that.

$62.59 per drum is hard to beat! I feel I could apply it with no metering tip and still do well as far as soap cost per car.

How are you mixing it? Automatic mixing barrel or another way? Drill with mixer on the end. Sorry I just want to know what I'm getting in to.

 

[Ontario Car Wash]

Waxmans receipe works really well I just mix it with the piece of conduit that my feed hose is in.
LW 4000 with a white tip cleans very good goes on like milk.
On my top wash I do use a acid first pass.
My issue was finding a soap that would get that last bit of film off of white cars.
I've also been expereminting with a local soap company called All Clean by Dynamic Development with pretty good results.
If u haven't tried the powder just do it u can't beat the cost and you'll be surprised that it was that easy and that it really works.
I

 

[Waxman]

Waxmans receipe works really well I just mix it with the piece of conduit that my feed hose is in.
LW 4000 with a white tip cleans very good goes on like milk.
On my top wash I do use a acid first pass.
My issue was finding a soap that would get that last bit of film off of white cars.
I've also been expereminting with a local soap company called All Clean by Dynamic Development with pretty good results.
If u haven't tried the powder just do it u can't beat the cost and you'll be surprised that it was that easy and that it really works.
I

I should add that Scott Gray was the one that 'hipped' me to mixing my own powdered soaps. It wasn't something I came up with on my own, but you know how it goes: "a good idea is always worth copying".

 

[I.B. Washincars]

"a good idea is always worth copying".

Yep, done that a few times from the forum.

 

[Officer]

I should add that Scott Gray was the one that 'hipped' me to mixing my own powdered soaps. It wasn't something I came up with on my own, but you know how it goes: "a good idea is always worth copying".

"a good idea is always worth copying"..... EXACTLY. Waxman, I've seen your posts all over the forum and many people echo your advice. My Correct Powder arrives today (with foam additive). I can't wait to mix my first barrel and put some heavy soap on. Lets face it, customer are intrigued by sight and smell. When they see the amount of soap you put on, it makes them return.

I tried Big Bang recently and it foamed up well. Nonetheless, I'm intrigued by the powdered soap and "putting it one like milk" as one other operated stated. Chemical reps try to steer you away from powders, but I'm still trying to find my way, as a rookie.

Stay tuned for results and customer feedback.

 

[Fatboy769]

When they see the amount of soap you put on, it makes them return.

I would agree with that in a self-service car wash. However, in automatic washes, what makes them return is getting their car clean.

 

[Greg Pack]

Chemical reps try to steer you away from powders, but I'm still trying to find my way, as a rookie.

Yes, they will. Powders take a little more work and can be harder to keep consistent. Some people say it's no big deal to fool with them, but for me its nice to put on a drum of liquid concentrate and not have to touch it for weeks.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I think it boils down to what type of operator it is. We multiple site owners probably lean on attendants a little harder than single site owners. I don't want something like an IBA presoak left up to chance with someone adding "Just a little more" because the bugs didn't come off of some cars, thus burning the paint on a scalding hot black Mercedes. Single site owners that do most everything themselves, go for what works best.

 

[Officer]

I would agree with that in a self-service car wash. However, in automatic washes, what makes them return is getting their car clean.

I think turning out a clean car is implied, but as we know, not all operators are in it to clean cars. My only objective is to clean cars ,first.

 

[Officer]

Simoniz Correct is a NO GO! Clean just wasn't there. Looking to try JBS Hyper Storm Polymer Presoak. Updates to come. As of now, Kleen-rite's in bay presoak is working nicely on a blue tip.

All the best!

 

[MEP001]

Simoniz Correct is a NO GO! Clean just wasn't there. Looking to try JBS Hyper Storm Polymer Presoak. Updates to come. As of now, Kleen-rite's in bay presoak is working nicely on a blue tip.

A blue tip is 25:1. When you mix a powder in a drum you're not going to get a very concentrated product. You may have to run it with no tip, which is 4:1.

 

[Officer]

A blue tip is 25:1. When you mix a powder in a drum you're not going to get a very concentrated product. You may have to run it with no tip, which is 4:1.

I did run the simoniz correct powder without a tip and the results were still undesirable. At present, I'm running the in bay presoak from KR on a blue tip... not the correct powder.

 

[Waxman]

you should use what works best for you. soils on cars can vary widely in different geographical areas, so what works for me in new england may not work for an operator in the south.

other factors are water temp, aeration of soap and dwell time.

 

[Ontario Car Wash]

How many oz per car roughly are using with the correct powder and foam additive.
I'm at about 12oz per car on Lw4000 Wich is a black tip and cars coming out very clean.

 

[soapy]

Every automatic will deliver different amounts of presoak. Some use city pressure others use pumps of different sizes to deliver water that gets mixed with presoak. You should not compare amount of oz.delivered. Get a titration kit and check your presoak at the car for required alkalinity. Or at least get a PH tester.