Possible contract operation of IBA (Ryco Select-A-Wash)

[WashRack78]

Hello all! I'm new to the forum, though I've been lurking for awhile as I've always liked the IBA business model. An opportunity to refurbish/repair and operate a single IBA has presented itself to me to put a proposal together on. This is a contract operation, the wash itself and the property it is on will never be sold, the owner simply wants someone else to repair/operate the wash and pay them a percentage of the sales(negotiable). The wash itself is a Ryco Select-A-Wash, and hasn't operated since 2016. The bay has Ryco pneumatic bi-fold doors (I'm told they work, can't verify until the snow melts), Rainmaker III system, and Slimline Dryers from what I could read on the faded manuals available. The POS system is a Ryco as well, condition unknown. The entire system is from Ryco actually. A true assessment won't be made until the weather breaks here, and I'm just wondering what repairs will likely need to be made/components will likely need replaced (due to sitting idle) and based on the decades of cumulative experience here in this forum, is this something even worth looking into? Anything I should inspect/test in particular?

Any input is greatly appreciated...

 

[DiamondWash]

Ryko Select a Wash was a great system IF the owner/operator took care of it otherwise it was a nightmare to repair and if it's been sitting idle for 4+ years you've got your work cut out for you when you get it powered up. Does the owner have any intentions of possibly upgrading, can you post some pictures of everything to give us an idea of what you're looking at.

 

[WashRack78]

Ryko Select a Wash was a great system IF the owner/operator took care of it otherwise it was a nightmare to repair and if it's been sitting idle for 4+ years you've got your work cut out for you when you get it powered up. Does the owner have any intentions of possibly upgrading, can you post some pictures of everything to give us an idea of what you're looking at.

Thanks for the response DiamondWash!
The owner did not take care of it like they should have from the information I've been given. They did not have the staff to maintain it, and had to hire maintenance/repairs out every time. Thus, it sat idle a lot until they gave up. The owner does not have any intentions to upgrade, but is open to a contract operator upgrading the wash. That seems like a giant expenditure to make when all I would own then is the machine. I will post the few pictures I have, I am unable to get more until the snow thaws, its piled up and frozen against the wash doors/equipment room door at the moment. I am very experienced in mechanical/electrical/plumbing, so I am hoping to get a better look this spring, and maybe power a few things up to get a better idea of what's needed. It may be too far gone at this point, but I'm willing to at least find out...

 

[WashRack78]

Unsure what happened to the other reply that was here, but I'll respond to what I remember of it. My family owned a Shell station when I was in HS in the 90's that I worked at, it had an IBA that I fixed simple things on within my skill set at the time, as well as interacting with the customers. I'm in my 40's now. Construction/Real Estate is what I do. Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing are things I'm familiar and comfortable with. Yes I can use a digital multi-meter. I can also use an oscilloscope if needed. The owner never pursued any real marketing of the wash, as they didn't have the people to service it, and the earnings from it weren't a concern in their business model. (I know, I know...)

 

[WashRack78]

Also forgot to add, there are 2 vacuum islands for a total of 4 vacuums that are included in the operation. Vacuums are allegedly operational, but likely need service/possible upgrading as well.

 

[DiamondWash]

From those 2 pictures that say's a lot, it's actually in great shape, I was expecting mold all over it broken covers and trash-strewn everywhere. Once you get it powered up and run a wash or 3 and really get into the mechanical side of it then that paints a new picture for you but I think you can make it work. RykoCS is also on the forum as well if you happen to have some questions we can't answer.

 

[WashRack78]

From those 2 pictures that say's a lot, it's actually in great shape, I was expecting mold all over it broken covers and trash-strewn everywhere. Once you get it powered up and run a wash or 3 and really get into the mechanical side of it then that paints a new picture for you but I think you can make it work. RykoCS is also on the forum as well if you happen to have some questions we can't answer.

That's an encouraging sign then I guess! As you said DiamondWash, when I can power it up, that will tell a new tale or 10 LOL. If nothing else, it's fortunate that the bay has been kept weather tight, protecting the machinery from the elements. I'm just hoping that if/when I get to fire it up, hoses don't explode and the brushes don't disentegrate in front of me LOL.

 

[jack954]

autocashier doesn’t have credit card reader (an absolute must) and is junk! i had it and was always a headache. you can keep it simple and find a used unitec washselect 2, which is very simple and reliable.

 

[WashRack78]

autocashier doesn’t have credit card reader (an absolute must) and is junk! i had it and was always a headache. you can keep it simple and find a used unitec washselect 2, which is very simple and reliable.

Thanks for that advice Jack, would definitely need a credit card reader to do this, the younger crowd in this area carries little to no cash on them. I will take a look at the Unitec unit you recommended.

 

[mac]

I think you should go have a drink or two in a nice quiet bar and wait till that idea goes away. Maintenance could eat your lunch. Ryko has always had a tendency to over engineer and build machines. With you doing the maintenance the learning curve would be steep. There has been no mention of what it could gross. If it was a good location even with the factory techs, it would have made money The RO system will need new membranes, with charcoal prefilter and water softener needing rebedded. If there is a water reclaim unit there do not use it. Just too many unknowns. Can you check the counters to see what it did when running? You should also have a remote camera unit there and if possible some way to reset and fire a wash. If you only end up with 4 or 500 at the end of a month, is it worth it to you.

 

[mac]

Forgot to add that if you get serious about this you should find and hire a tech familiar with this equipment. We can suggest things, but a trained eye might catch things.

 

[WashRack78]

I think you should go have a drink or two in a nice quiet bar and wait till that idea goes away. Maintenance could eat your lunch. Ryko has always had a tendency to over engineer and build machines. With you doing the maintenance the learning curve would be steep. There has been no mention of what it could gross. If it was a good location even with the factory techs, it would have made money The RO system will need new membranes, with charcoal prefilter and water softener needing rebedded. If there is a water reclaim unit there do not use it. Just too many unknowns. Can you check the counters to see what it did when running? You should also have a remote camera unit there and if possible some way to reset and fire a wash. If you only end up with 4 or 500 at the end of a month, is it worth it to you.

Mac, I appreciate your advice. This may very well end up being something I pass on based on the numbers. I always look into something as deep as I can before I invest my time/money, and this is my investigative stage. Maintenance may very well eat my lunch LOL. Good call on the RO/softener maintenance. Believe there is a water reclaim unit, but can't verify till spring when I can gain interior access. Will def check wash numbers when I can get into the equipment room. Cameras were on my bid list, but I had not thought of remote program access, thank you for that!

If I ended up with $500 a month net, in a perfect world, it would be worth it to me. Many variables there of course, but in a perfect world, yes.

I'm also going to have a drink now as you suggested LOL

 

[mac]

Mac, I appreciate your advice. This may very well end up being something I pass on based on the numbers. I always look into something as deep as I can before I invest my time/money, and this is my investigative stage. Maintenance may very well eat my lunch LOL. Good call on the RO/softener maintenance. Believe there is a water reclaim unit, but can't verify till spring when I can gain interior access. Will def check wash numbers when I can get into the equipment room. Cameras were on my bid list, but I had not thought of remote program access, thank you for that!

If I ended up with $500 a month net, in a perfect world, it would be worth it to me. Many variables there of course, but in a perfect world, yes.

I'm also going to have a drink now as you suggested LOL

You are a wise man to take my advice.

 

[Ryko CS]

I agree with Mac to have a drink, but then to hire someone familiar with a SAW to go through it with you. Steve is right that the machine looks like it was installed well and it "looks" like the site was kept up. It's always harder on a machine to be idle than it is if it were running.

Once you can get in and can start things up, try running the test functions from the remote communications box. If you don't know how, shoot me a PM with the serial number or address of the site, and I'll send you a document on it. As that machine can operate as either a touchfree or friction, there are a lot of areas to look at. The brushes shouldn't have any issue being idle. I'd look at all the hoses and cables to make sure there isn't any dry-rot (depending on your climate). You should check all the reducers to make sure they all still have oil inside and no water. Probably the highest replacement part on that model would be the oscillation motors. Make sure all of those oscillate as they should, and that the linkages are free. Grease all the bearings and tighten all the set screws. Most of those machines were sold with an on-board reclaim system as part of the pump stand, and the pump should be in the left side of the stand. Run a HI spray test to make sure there isn't any leaking on that pump, or the HI Berkeley pump.

For the activation system, unfortunately the AMTT CS is obsolete, so I'd recommend you look into maybe a Unitec C-Start or a Hamilton Gold Line. Both are excellent. On the SAW, we did have a different program for Ryko activation, or relay arming. When you change to another system, you will need to update that program. Take a look at the PLC, and there will be a small EEPROM cassette under a cover on the front of the PLC. There will be a sticker on the front of that EEPROM that is the program number and revision. If you have that, I can help you figure out what would be needed to upgrade to a different program.

Also agree rebed the softeners, carbon filter and replace the membranes in the RO.

 

[WashRack78]

I agree with Mac to have a drink, but then to hire someone familiar with a SAW to go through it with you. Steve is right that the machine looks like it was installed well and it "looks" like the site was kept up. It's always harder on a machine to be idle than it is if it were running.

Once you can get in and can start things up, try running the test functions from the remote communications box. If you don't know how, shoot me a PM with the serial number or address of the site, and I'll send you a document on it. As that machine can operate as either a touchfree or friction, there are a lot of areas to look at. The brushes shouldn't have any issue being idle. I'd look at all the hoses and cables to make sure there isn't any dry-rot (depending on your climate). You should check all the reducers to make sure they all still have oil inside and no water. Probably the highest replacement part on that model would be the oscillation motors. Make sure all of those oscillate as they should, and that the linkages are free. Grease all the bearings and tighten all the set screws. Most of those machines were sold with an on-board reclaim system as part of the pump stand, and the pump should be in the left side of the stand. Run a HI spray test to make sure there isn't any leaking on that pump, or the HI Berkeley pump.

For the activation system, unfortunately the AMTT CS is obsolete, so I'd recommend you look into maybe a Unitec C-Start or a Hamilton Gold Line. Both are excellent. On the SAW, we did have a different program for Ryko activation, or relay arming. When you change to another system, you will need to update that program. Take a look at the PLC, and there will be a small EEPROM cassette under a cover on the front of the PLC. There will be a sticker on the front of that EEPROM that is the program number and revision. If you have that, I can help you figure out what would be needed to upgrade to a different program.

Also agree rebed the softeners, carbon filter and replace the membranes in the RO.

Darin,

Thank you so much for all that excellent information! So many things to test/inspect when the snowpack melts away from the doors and I can gain access to the equipment room and wash bay... I will definitely let you know what the program # and revision is when I can get into the facility, the activation system may well end up being a large portion of the start-up cost for this venture if the numbers come out the right way, once I get them plugged in. When I have more information, this thread will be updated, and I will definitely send you a PM with the program/revision # on the EEPROM. I think I'll be able to test from the remote box alright, been a few years, but with the manual in front of me it shouldn't be a problem...