Disable foam brush during freezing temps

[Creole]

I was curious if anyone in Oklahoma / Texas/ Kansas just disables foam brush when the temperature gets to freezing. Our wash was built (not by us) with no freeze protect system for foam brush. We currently use a methanol mix to purge with through the cold spells, but have to monitor it constantly and inevitably someone comes through the middle of the night and freezes one up. We’ve considered a PLC to handle this but seems simpler to just have them auto purge and disable at 32 degrees. We have also used the methanol soap but are constantly switching it because we are warm / cold almost daily

thanks

 

[Randy]

Why don't you install a Weep system and use a Dixmor Weepmizer to control the system. It would be alot easier than what your doing now. I installed my Weepmizer back in 1992 and it's worked every winter since.

 

[Creole]

We have a simple weep system for the wands, but nothing for the foam brushes. I looked at the weepmizer but I’m not sure it’s worth the expense. a simple relay will disable the foam brushes when the wand weeps come on and perform a purge at the same time, then automatically reset when the temps go above freezing. Just didn’t know if anyone else was actually doing something like this.
Thanks for your input though!

 

[Randy]

Why don't you just disable the foam brush completely when it gets below 32 degrees. We get a lot of mid to upper 20's in the mornings and then it'll get up into the 40's during the day so we weep water. I designed a system on paper to purge and then switch the foam brush system over anti-freeze soap when the temp drops below 32 degrees, using the secondary output on the Dixmor weepmizer. It works on paper and I have most of the parts, I just need to find the time to put it all together.

 

[OurTown]

If you mix your own methanol soap then you can play with the ratios (soap, alcohol, water) to get an economical mixture to run all winter. We buy bulk methanol racing fuel locally and this year it is about $3.50/gallon.

 

[Keith Baker]

I was curious if anyone in Oklahoma / Texas/ Kansas just disables foam brush when the temperature gets to freezing. Our wash was built (not by us) with no freeze protect system for foam brush. We currently use a methanol mix to purge with through the cold spells, but have to monitor it constantly and inevitably someone comes through the middle of the night and freezes one up. We’ve considered a PLC to handle this but seems simpler to just have them auto purge and disable at 32 degrees. We have also used the methanol soap but are constantly switching it because we are warm / cold almost daily

thanks

I'm quite a bit north of you, but here's what I do.
I used to weep the foam brush through the weep miser and watch a lot of expensive water go down the drain. I also watched a lot of freeloaders wash their car for nothing.
Over 20 years ago I put up a sign right over the brush that says "BRUSHES MAY FREEZE UNDER 32 DEGREES. TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK" I mix ethanol to keep the brushes loose into the mid 20's. Under that who cares. The customers just want hot water to get the top soil off.
By the time the temperature comes up the brushes are flowing again.

 

[MEP001]

If we're expecting a light freeze overnight, the night before I'll dump three or four gallons of cheap washer fluid/antifreeze into the tank along with a splash of blue trifoam and purge the lines. It generally lasts until 10 or 11 the next day by which time it's warmed up. If we're expecting below freezing for a couple days I just put up notices that low pressure functions won't work.

 

[Earl Weiss]

You could also use Anti freeze soap. At the end of the Day it's cost / benefit / headache analysis.

 

[Creole]

Thanks all for the replies. Our experience with the antifreeze soap has been that we would put it into service because expected lows were below freezing at some point, then not again for 2 days then back to freezing ect. Most of it was being used when not needed. So it was either change it over a lot , or second system to auto swap based on temp. Then we just began to manually purge them remotely during those temps with methanol mix but we constantly had to watch the cw for activity and we would occasionally miss one and have to thaw it out, or close that bay until it thawed on its own.
It seems others have just taken them out of service during cold temps, so maybe it will be our freeze protection plan this year. It’s an easy solution without our need to be ever vigilant about the temperature, and just let the weep system control it.
thanks again!

 

[Earl Weiss]

We have a simple weep system for the wands, but nothing for the foam brushes. I looked at the weepmizer but I’m not sure it’s worth the expense. a simple relay will disable the foam brushes when the wand weeps come on and perform a purge at the same time, then automatically reset when the temps go above freezing. Just didn’t know if anyone else was actually doing something like this.
Thanks for your input though!

Have you considered dual hydrominders to the FB soap tank? Regular soap with Normally open solenoid to water feed and AF Soap with Normaly closed. Also AF triggered at higher water level. If your weep system generates voltage then it would send power to both solenoids closing the regular soap feed and opening the AF soap feed which would fill tank to higher level initially and continue to be sole source as long as weep activated. Weep mizer output 2 could be used in a similar fashion.

 

[Creole]

Have you considered dual hydrominders to the FB soap tank? Regular soap with Normally open solenoid to water feed and AF Soap with Normaly closed. Also AF triggered at higher water level. If your weep system generates voltage then it would send power to both solenoids closing the regular soap feed and opening the AF soap feed which would fill tank to higher level initially and continue to be sole source as long as weep activated. Weep mizer output 2 could be used in a similar fashion.

Hadn’t considered rigging it that way but sounds reasonable. Thanks

 

[slash007]

Thanks all for the replies. Our experience with the antifreeze soap has been that we would put it into service because expected lows were below freezing at some point, then not again for 2 days then back to freezing ect. Most of it was being used when not needed. So it was either change it over a lot , or second system to auto swap based on temp. Then we just began to manually purge them remotely during those temps with methanol mix but we constantly had to watch the cw for activity and we would occasionally miss one and have to thaw it out, or close that bay until it thawed on its own.
It seems others have just taken them out of service during cold temps, so maybe it will be our freeze protection plan this year. It’s an easy solution without our need to be ever vigilant about the temperature, and just let the weep system control it.
thanks again!

I got sick of using too much winter FB soap when it warmed up and of switching the tips on it to control usage, or switching back and forth. Instead I just added weep to my FB lines and while it probably costs more, it's so much easier not having to worry about them and they work all the time. First few years I just put a sign that brushes do not work in cold weather, but sometimes it just takes them so long to thaw out that they would stay frozen during the 40 degree hours then it's cold again and no one gets to use them.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I got sick of using too much winter FB soap when it warmed up and of switching the tips on it to control usage, or switching back and forth. Instead I just added weep to my FB lines and while it probably costs more, it's so much easier not having to worry about them and they work all the time. First few years I just put a sign that brushes do not work in cold weather, but sometimes it just takes them so long to thaw out that they would stay frozen during the 40 degree hours then it's cold again and no one gets to use them.

I weep and use AF FB soap. If it gets really cold the weep may stop the lines from freezing but if someone washes with regular soa pit will immediately freeze on the car and may also freeze the line and stop the weep. It's cold enough to do this.

 

[Creole]

I got sick of using too much winter FB soap when it warmed up and of switching the tips on it to control usage, or switching back and forth. Instead I just added weep to my FB lines and while it probably costs more, it's so much easier not having to worry about them and they work all the time. First few years I just put a sign that brushes do not work in cold weather, but sometimes it just takes them so long to thaw out that they would stay frozen during the 40 degree hours then it's cold again and no one gets to use them.

Thanks. I think this is what we’re going to do. I’ll tie in our antifreeze purge so when the brushes are deactivated with the weep system coming on, they will get purged. They will go right back into service above freezing and the system will reset itself.

 

[DAWGWASH]

I'm quite a bit north of you, but here's what I do.
I used to weep the foam brush through the weep miser and watch a lot of expensive water go down the drain. I also watched a lot of freeloaders wash their car for nothing.
Over 20 years ago I put up a sign right over the brush that says "BRUSHES MAY FREEZE UNDER 32 DEGREES. TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK" I mix ethanol to keep the brushes loose into the mid 20's. Under that who cares. The customers just want hot water to get the top soil off.
By the time the temperature comes up the brushes are flowing again.

Try a subzero system or system from kleenrite to use a combination of blow down and chemicals (RV FLUID) uses no weep water no freezing water in bays. Paid for itself in prob 1 year

 

[Keith Baker]

Try a subzero system or system from kleenrite to use a combination of blow down and chemicals (RV FLUID) uses no weep water no freezing water in bays. Paid for itself in prob 1 year

Thanks for the suggestion DAWGWASH but I've been doing it the same way for at least 20 years and it works fine for me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...