~Air Switch Install for Superior Blowers~

[Waxman]

My next money-saving project will be installing an air switch to power down the blowers after a vehicle's second set of tires goes over the air line.

Has anyone done this with Superior Blowers? Not sure how to wire this into the dryer control panel.

I know this was covered somewhat before but searched back and didn't find it.

Thanks!

 

[RykoPro]

Ryko does this with photoeyes on all of their dryers. I am not sure how you would do this with the Superior since I do not think there is a rest input (the schematic is at work). You could run the power to the contactors through a set of relay contacts and control it that way. I would also opt for eyes rather than an air switch.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I used an air switch on my Peco dryer. The dryer is outside the building and there just wasn't any good place to mount eyes. We set it to stop 10 seconds after the back tire runs over the hose. Don't ask me how to do it. The aquatech did it while I stood around playing pocket pool.

 

[RykoPro]

Ryko used an air switch to turn off the Thrust Pro dryer about twenty years ago. The second pulse was detected by the PLC. One problem we found is if the hose got even a small hole, the air from the dryer would give both pulses right away and the dryer turned off. If you are stuck with a hose you can find the second pulse with a latching relay circuit.

 

[MEP001]

One problem we found is if the hose got even a small hole, the air from the dryer would give both pulses right away and the dryer turned off.

The PLC could easily be programmed so that it won't deactivate the dryer unless the two pulses are more than a certain time apart. To prevent false cancelling, the first pulse would need a range to even activate the second "kill" switch.

 

[mac]

I think you're trying to make it more complicated than it needs to be. If you have the room simply mount the hose a little furthur out so the front tire stops it. If you can find a schematic of the blower control I can show you how to do it. While some deride an air switch, you should remember that you can buy one for under $20. Service stations used them for over 50 years quite successfully befor they stopped offering service.

 

[Waxman]

Thanks everyone! I just paid my electrician for the last work he did, so I will get together with him this week and go over the schematic. There is a separate dryer control panel, so we need to determine how to connect so the dryer power is killed and the enter light can be told to turn on to start the next wash.

I am definitely going with an air switch over photo eyes; simpler is better for me.

 

[RykoPro]

The PLC could easily be programmed so that it won't deactivate the dryer unless the two pulses are more than a certain time apart. To prevent false cancelling, the first pulse would need a range to even activate the second "kill" switch.

This was with a twenty year old PLC that could not be field programed, plus the air from the dryer was causing repeated pulses. The eyes are the way to go.

 

[RykoPro]

I think you're trying to make it more complicated than it needs to be. If you have the room simply mount the hose a little furthur out so the front tire stops it. If you can find a schematic of the blower control I can show you how to do it. While some deride an air switch, you should remember that you can buy one for under $20. Service stations used them for over 50 years quite successfully befor they stopped offering service.

An air hose out in the parking lot does not work in the North. The plow trucks tear them up. Why not use a whisker switch if low tech is your ideal method?

 

[mac]

Then a whisker switch would be fine. Use it. I think that if you had ever actually owned a wash and had close to seven figures invested, you would look differently at a $500 option verses a $20 option.

 

[MEP001]

This was with a twenty year old PLC that could not be field programed, plus the air from the dryer was causing repeated pulses. The eyes are the way to go.

I was referring to using a separate PLC or programmable relay, but I don't disagree that photo eyes would be better, in fact it would probably cost about the same if not a little less.

 

[RykoPro]

Tripping over quarters to pick up penny's

Then a whisker switch would be fine. Use it. I think that if you had ever actually owned a wash and had close to seven figures invested, you would look differently at a $500 option verses a $20 option.

I was joking, I do not like wands touching the cars. If I had seven figures invested I better get more than a whiskerswitch! So you are saying if I had spent a million dollars I should opt to do it half assed and save a few hundred? I do not think I would ever want to fly in your plane.