Vacuums

[Roz]

Just back from NRCC. I am upgrading an old 5 bay carwash that has 3 old, tired, vacs. Looking for something with suction that makes the customer say wow. I have read about the various 3 motor options from JE Adams and IVS. Someone recommended Doyle vacs. I recall from ICA show earlier this year that they have a unique compartment setup.

Anyone with vacuum insights and info to share? Way too many options and price points to process quickly.
Thanks....

 

[MEP001]

IIRC Doyle changed their regular vacs so they hold a 5 gallon pail for the debris. Mine are older IVS with the Hamel tub which works great.

Before anyone tries to tell you that 3-motor vacuums are BS, I can tell you with certainty that customers can tell the difference.

 

[Waxman]

i've had great luck with IVS vacuums. They are a proven workhorse and all the customer wants is great suction and reliability.

 

[OurTown]

The best suction vac we have is a JE Adams 29060 combo. (shampoo, fragrance and turbo) I can't remember what motors are in it but even in two motor mode it makes our other vac's suction a little embarrassing. One thing I did to it was put a vacuum check valve under the turbo motor. One thing I don't like about it is their bag type clean out bin is pretty hokey. I put a rubber Hamel one in there and is slightly better but a lot of dirt gets past it because the vac body is too big and is a loose fit. The Hamel bin is awesome in our old (2003) standard Doyle 18" round vacs and almost nothing gets past it other than a tad bit of dust.

 

[traveler17]

A friend of mine swears by the 3 motor JE Adams. I just had 4 of these put in and 3 more coming. They are 2 motor and very happy w them. Customers lov’em!!
https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-52...wo-motor-large-lighted-dome-super-vacuum.aspx

 

[Blanco]

I bought 19 IVS 3 motor arch vacs a little over a year ago. Maybe even two. Customers love the suction and the looks add some curb appeal.

If you do go with a "arch vac" from IVS order them with 2" hose/nozzle and not the 2" to 1 1/2" taper hose. The taper hose uses a 1 1/2" nozzle and little things like snapple caps can easily plug the nozzles.

Also, your going to want to remove the rubber hose fitting that connects the hose to the arch and just slide the hose directly onto the arch with a hose clamp. That fitting causes stuff to get plugged up in it. Once removed, I never had a issue since.

Overall great vacs and happy with my purchase. Doug Empie is the guy to talk to at Gin San. Great Guy.

Lastly, take into consideration If your going to upgrade to 3 motor vacs from 2 motor vacs then you will need new breakers and wire for a 30 amp service. 30 amp breaker and 10G wire.

 

[mac]

You can just add another motor pretty easily. Put on new gaskets, shine it up and you just saved a lot.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Note that if you go with 3 motor you may need to upgrade wiring and breakers to handle the load. I have read the specs about diminishing returns vis a vis how much you can suck thru a 2 inch hoe with 3 motors vs 2. IMO there is little to no difference between properly maintained 2 motor vas and 3 motor, In some cases I have actually removed the 3rd motor . Now, if you can charge more for a 3rd motor turbo option and people pay it, that would be a huge difference.

 

[Bigmatthew86]

I’m new to the game & small time but my old IVS vacuums were pretty terrible when I got the wash. New gasket, brushes, (a few motors), decals, & hoses & people think they’re new & compliment on how well they work. Way cheaper than buying new vacuums.

 

[Blanco]

I’m new to the game & small time but my old IVS vacuums were pretty terrible when I got the wash. New gasket, brushes, (a few motors), decals, & hoses & people think they’re new & compliment on how well they work. Way cheaper than buying new vacuums.

You should blame that on the previous owner and not IVS/Gin San. Decals don't affect vacuum performance. All vacuums have hoses, replacing them is part of regular maintenance regardless of the brand. Like you stated your vacuums are OLD so you should expect to replace some motors.

As far as “cheap”. That mindset is what will hold you back in this industry. Not get you ahead.

 

[Bigmatthew86]

I totally blame the other owner. I’m not sure what you’re getting at?

 

[MEP001]

I totally blame the other owner. I’m not sure what you’re getting at?

Evidently he has the occasional bad day and takes it out on someone at random.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

You can just add another motor pretty easily.

Not if you don't have 10g wire and a 30amp breaker.

As stated before, if you have two motors and add a third you're not gaining 50% in performance. Due to hose and can limitations it's closer to 30%. It really comes down to customer perception. If you're rehabbing a really bad site with horrible looking 2 motor vacs just cleaning them, new decals, and replacing all the gaskets and hoses can make a huge impression. Both visually and functionally. If the vacs aren't bad looking/working but just really old, the call might be to go to 3 motor and put up signage stating "New, More Powerful Vacuums". Heck, if you have beat to death 2 motor units and replace them with just newer versions of 2 motor vacs it can create a pretty good bump just because customer will look at the newer unit and assume it's functionally better because it's shinier.

 

[OurTown]

I totally blame the other owner. I’m not sure what you’re getting at?

Some people think the word "cheaper" is synonymous with cutting corners with low quality but it's obvious in this context it wasn't. I use it sometimes and people correct me. Saving money like that can likely get you ahead in this industry as long as the time spent is worth it. I don't see how this mentality will hold you back.

 

[Blanco]

I totally blame the other owner. I’m not sure what you’re getting at?

I miss interpreted your post. I thought you were blaming IVS for your vacuums condition.

 

[Earl Weiss]

As far as “cheap”. That mindset is what will hold you back in this industry. Not get you ahead.

There is a difference between being "Cheap" and being "Thrifty" Thrifty is what I do. Cheap is what you do.

 

[Blanco]

Evidently he has the occasional bad day and takes it out on someone at random.

If only you knew. You might be onto something.

 

[Blanco]

There is a difference between being "Cheap" and being "Thrifty" Thrifty is what I do. Cheap is what you do.

Makes no sense.

 

[MEP001]

It really comes down to customer perception.

This is all I care about. One of my customers had four identical-looking vacuums in identical installations, same hoses and tools, same start-up price and time per coin. The only difference is that one pair is 2-motor and one pair is 3-motor. He says the 3-motor pair do at least 50% more income, and people tell him all the time they prefer the island that has the 3-motor. No one knows that they are different, in fact the owner didn't even know they were different until I pointed it out. He just told me he thought it was weird how his customers gravitated to one pair and would sometimes wait for them because they liked them better.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

in fact the owner didn't even know they were different until I pointed it out.

Not the least bit surprised.