Building Damage

[Wash Grunt]

One of our car washes in a small rural town keeps getting the walls in the self serve bays struck by people exiting the bays with trailers. It has happened twice in the last couple years, The last incident was a contractor with a skid steer on a trailer. Tore part of the wall down and cracked the exterior support wall. Then left the scene. Fortunately I got them on video and police identified them. Thinking of signs prohibiting trailers, heavy equipment. Getting a price on wall protecting posts at the entrance/exit. Anyone have similar problems, or ideas? We were shut down on the one bay for almost three months.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

I just had a similar problem at one of my locations. Luckily, they only damaged the extrutech PVC cap for the edge of the wall.

Not sure what the solution to this is. One time I had a huge tour bus get jackknifed in the bay and they had to get a tow truck to get it back so they get back out.

Some people just shouldn't be driving large vehicles and occasionally they come through the washes

 

[washnshine]

Only way around it is to install bollards at the points where you are getting hit so that they do damage to their trailer when they hit it instead of your building.

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Only way around it is to install bollards at the points where you are getting hit so that they do damage to their trailer when they hit it instead of your building.

I would've definitely have done that but where they're hitting my walls is in the bay and I got floor heat in the concrete

 

[washnshine]

Are they hitting the jamb of the opening? Maybe some type of reinforcement like this. Have a local metal shop crafter make some heavy gauge wrap that you can install on the jambs. Maybe leave a slight gap for cushioning/crumple zone before a hit impacts your building. You will slightly narrow your bay opening width, so you can’t leave too much of a gap.

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Or maybe if your heated concrete does not extend too far out of the bay you can anchor a bollard or post beyond the floor heat and then wrap some guard rail material inward.