Equipment Should Reset After 10 Minutes

[Red Baron]

I lost 21 customers today before one if them finally called me to tell me my Hamilton Gold Line says "Car Wash Already In Use" but the bay was empty.

There has got to be some way for the Hamilton/D&S 5000 to talk to each other and reset itself if the ""Car Wash Already In Use" stays on for, say, 10 minutes.

It would sure reduce my stress level and not have me driving by every 2 hours to make sure it's working.

 

[soapy]

One thing I can think of to help would be to purchase the DAN system for the hamilton so you could remotely reset it via your cell phone or computer. The hamilton will operate with either signal interupt or a signal pulse system. If your automatic is setup for one or the other and it has the capability to do both I would try the opposite method that it is using now and see if that helps.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

One of my aquatechs attatched a PLC to one of my Mark VIIs for this issue. If a wash is loaded for 15 minutes and not used it will reset the machine, wait 3 seconds and toggle reset again. The second reset is for a wash that may or may not have been stacked. I think it was a couple hundred bucks worth of hardware and a couple of hours labor.

 

[Wash-A-Roo]

Get your cameras set up online (if you have cams). that way you can check your cameras online every once in a while for peace of mind. Has really helped my stress level alot!

 

[MEP001]

The D&S 5000 has always had that particular issue - one customer will purchase a wash but can't figure out how to get in place on the treadle, then the next one pays, but the auto cashier displays "Please Wait - Car Wash In Use," so they wait and wait and finally give up and leave.

The PLC idea is a good one - a program such as the poster formerly known as Pat H suggested would be very simple, and you won't need to monitor it in any way. I use the Siemens Logo! series and am very familiar with it after writing a dozen various switching programs for it - let me know if I can be of any help.

 

[Red Baron]

OK I was waiting for someone else to ask so I wouldn't look dumb, but I guess that idn't gonna happen. What's a PLC and where do I get one? Who can install it, an electrician? An IT guy?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Pretty little computer...or maybe it's programmable logic controller, who knows?

 

[Bud]

Maybe this is way off base but can't you purchase some sort of "GIZMO" at Radio Shack and install it in the cashier to call you if it is shut down? I thought I have read about this thing on the Forum before.........unless I am way off base that is.

 

[Waxman]

I think making the cashier/iba so it automatically resets plus the remote monitoring of video cams is the best setup; double the peace of mind!

 

[pitzerwm]

PLC is an industrial computer, with relay inputs and outputs. You need to get special software and learn how to program them. I was able to do it so anyone can do it. Go to the Library area and Presentations and watch the PLC powerpoint, it will help you understand them. They are very useful gizmos. There are people here that can program them.

 

[Another carwash owner]

Red Baron,
I would interested in how you finally resolve this issue. We too have a D&S 5000, Hamilton and DAN Sys, but have not investigated this issue. The best I have been told is that the 5000 can be upgraded to page you when it faults out. I have not tried upgrading the machine.
Keep us posted
ACO

 

[Red Baron]

Red Baron,
I would interested in how you finally resolve this issue. We too have a D&S 5000, Hamilton and DAN Sys, but have not investigated this issue. The best I have been told is that the 5000 can be upgraded to page you when it faults out. I have not tried upgrading the machine.
Keep us posted
ACO

Roger!

We're opening a drive-thru coffee shop next door so the employees there will be asked to watch for cars backing away from the ACW.

 

[alkopsick]

Could be a bad treadle.