Install Foam Brushes

[Bbrutscher]

I am thinking of purchasing an older 4 bay car wash that currently only has spray nozzle for soap, water and wax solution. Thinking of installing two foam brushes right away and then two more later. What equipment would I need to purchase to make this transition. ( thinking new boom, brush, hoses and would imagine there is a new pump to buy as well?). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[MEP001]

A basic foam brush system is a tank with a Hydrominder, a Flojet pump, solenoids for the bays, and booms for the bays. The pump is supplied with mixed chemical and compressed air, and it will stay pressurized until a solenoid opens to allow flow to the bay.

My preferred method is to run two 1/4" OD tubes to each bay and tee them together near the boom. A foam generator will make more foam.

Hopefully there is an extra wire and position at the rotary switch to run power to the solenoids.

 

[Bbrutscher]

Assuming that flojet pump is for air? Would I need a flojet and hydrominder for each bay or is that what the solenoid is for? If I didn’t mention really green to a lot of this.

 

[OurTown]

Assuming that flojet pump is for air? Would I need a flojet and hydrominder for each bay or is that what the solenoid is for? If I didn’t mention really green to a lot of this.

The Flojet is a liquid pump that is air powered and uses no electric. You need a system like this:

https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-13746-4-bay-low-pressure-panel-foam-brush.aspx

 

[Bbrutscher]

With this system is this the complete package then? I have done some reading on varies items from kleen rite and did see this.

 

[OurTown]

With this system is this the complete package then? I have done some reading on varies items from kleen rite and did see this.

It is the core system that is in the equipment room but you need more items. Booms, handles, brushes, tubing, check valves, wire, etc... We put one in last year in our 3 bay and wasn't really difficult.

 

[OurTown]

You can call Air-Logic and talk to the owner (Mark I think) and he was very helpful to us. Also you can call Jim at Etowah Valley Equipment as they build them also. He is also very helpful.

 

[MEP001]

You can make a foam brush system for about half the cost of the Kleen-Rite/Air-Logic one. Go to Sam's Club and get a plastic cutting board from the restaurant section. Order solenoids, gauges, a pump, a Flojet pump and two air regulators and screw them all to the cutting board. Find a poly tank big enough for the Hydrominder with a lid so you don't end up with an expensive insect trap hanging on the wall. The Air-Logic system is a joke - the air regulators don't need to be on a common manifold where it will take an hour to change one. I use a long nipple and an elbow for rear-mount gauges on top of the solenoid stacks for when the cheap made-in-China gauges Kleen-Rite sells start spewing pink soap out of the top. You'll eventually want to add a multiplex controller to shut the air supply off to the Flojet so you don't pump a bucket of soap down the drain when a solenoid sticks open (And make sure you have a good strainer on the pump supply).

If you don't already have a compressor, you'll need one for the Flojet pump and to make foam. Don't waste money on an oilless one, get a decent belt-drive one.

 

[Earl Weiss]

The Flojet is a liquid pump that is air powered and uses no electric. You need a system like this:

https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-13746-4-bay-low-pressure-panel-foam-brush.aspx

Any idea why that "4 Bay System" seems to have 2 rows of 5 Solenoids? Wrong photo?

 

[OurTown]

Any idea why that "4 Bay System" seems to have 2 rows of 5 Solenoids? Wrong photo?

Yep. Wrong photo. They use the same photo for every bay quantity.

 

[Greg Pack]

You might as well go ahead and commit to put it in all four bays and buy/plan/build accordingly. Revenues will be significantly higher with foam brush. Its been a "given" at most SS carwashes since the 80s, except for the superwash chain in the midwest.

 

[OurTown]

You can make a foam brush system for about half the cost of the Kleen-Rite/Air-Logic one. Go to Sam's Club and get a plastic cutting board from the restaurant section. Order solenoids, gauges, a pump, a Flojet pump and two air regulators and screw them all to the cutting board. Find a poly tank big enough for the Hydrominder with a lid so you don't end up with an expensive insect trap hanging on the wall. The Air-Logic system is a joke - the air regulators don't need to be on a common manifold where it will take an hour to change one. I use a long nipple and an elbow for rear-mount gauges on top of the solenoid stacks for when the cheap made-in-China gauges Kleen-Rite sells start spewing pink soap out of the top. You'll eventually want to add a multiplex controller to shut the air supply off to the Flojet so you don't pump a bucket of soap down the drain when a solenoid sticks open (And make sure you have a good strainer on the pump supply).

If you don't already have a compressor, you'll need one for the Flojet pump and to make foam. Don't waste money on an oilless one, get a decent belt-drive one.

I wouldn't call the system a joke but yes you could (and I would now) build one better and for much less. They can be ordered with the Flojet air cut solenoid and controller. I pointed out that system just to make it easy on a newb. Also the Air-Logic system is wired assuming all your commons are tied together. Ours was not so we had to re-wire the solenoid valves to have them separate.

 

[OurTown]

You might as well go ahead and commit to put it in all four bays and buy/plan/build accordingly. Revenues will be significantly higher with foam brush. Its been a "given" at most SS carwashes since the 80s, except for the superwash chain in the midwest.

Yeah. We considered it an emergency to put foamy brushes in ours.

 

[Bbrutscher]

Great! So can build my own for less but the all in one system sounds like that’s best for someone new.

Currently there are just single booms in each bay. Should I consider replacing all of those with duals or will wall mount for the new brushes work in tandem with the central ceiling boom for the sprayer?

 

[OurTown]

Great! So can build my own for less but the all in one system sounds like that’s best for someone new.

Currently there are just single booms in each bay. Should I consider replacing all of those with duals or will wall mount for the new brushes work in tandem with the central ceiling boom for the sprayer?

We put in wall booms. They work fine and are a much less expensive retrofit. When we remodel we will go with overhead booms. I don't like the two overhead booms on one shaft because you can't rotate the upper boom 360 degrees. I'm not sure why they make those but maybe someone can tell me. What we will install are two "Z" booms mounted about 30" apart side by side. They can each be rotated 380 degrees independently.

 

[Bbrutscher]

What we will install are two "Z" booms mounted about 30" apart side by side.

When you mention this are you saying you put two broom, booms in one bay or you have your sprayer on one wall boom and the bubble brush on another boom? Currently they have the ceiling boom for the sprayer which I intended to keep for now. Just want to make sure I would have room for the existing ceiling mount and the wall boom together. Thanks!

 

[OurTown]

We will have an overhead boom for the high pressure and one overhead boom for the foam brush. Right now we have a wall boom for the foam brush. Wall booms for your foam brush will be fine and you won't have to move the high pressure boom mounting location. The main reason we are going to go with two overhead booms is that the foam brush will have a better reach on the opposite side of the car. Go visit other car washes to see how they are set up. You will be amazed how different other washes are.

 

[Bbrutscher]

Great!

On to lighting. Right now there are old school wall pack lights up. Any recommendations for replacement LED wall pack fixtures that can withstand being in the bays that also won’t break the bank?

 

[bert79]

So there are many threads on lighting and if you want to discuss it further that would probably be the best place to do it (so others can be helped by it too). My two cents on lighting is to buy from amazon. We have been very happy with the Hyperikon led wall packs that we bought on amazon with free shipping.

 

[Bbrutscher]

So there are many threads on lighting and if you want to discuss it further that would probably be the best place to do it (so others can be helped by it too). My two cents on lighting is to buy from amazon. We have been very happy with the Hyperikon led wall packs that we bought on amazon with free shipping.

You answered my real question about buying from amazon, actually that particular brand. I saw those and they appeared to fit the news but wasn’t 100% they were waterproof enough for the bays. I’ll check the other threads but that was helpful!