Waxman
Super Moderator
Did you ever try an HP pass with your IBA presoak mixed in?
HP soap pass?
- Thread starter Waxman
- Start date
MikeV
Member
Sure, my hp wash pass has presoak mixed in with it. Doesn't everybody's?
Indiana Wash
Member
Mine does not. I use LP on two presoak passes to coat the car with presoak and leave it on the car for the time necessary. I have never seen a wash that uses HP for presoak. I have seen ones that use HP for a soap pass.
Greg Pack
Wash Weenie
IMO, you'd get better results by budgeting towards strengthening your presoak instead of HP wash.
madscientist
Member
Greg Pack
Wash Weenie
Does anyone have a HP soap that cleans as well as presoak? Or even provides markedly noticeable increases in cleaning over just water? If so, would it be cost effective to use in an IBA- let's say .10 per car or so? I know mfgs. claim the surfactants and their superior cleaning ability of various HP products, etc. I just haven't witnessed it. So I'm looking for brand names to try if anyone has suggestions. My experience has been by the time you take just about any product and dilute it through high pressure it's mostly show, just like in the SS bays.
I haven't tried this but I'm betting that the additional .10 would provide better results by increasing the concentration of your presoak, and there will be less issues with rinsing.
As far as using low ph products this seems to make more sense to me to get rid of excess alkalinity. Again as mentioned it's so diluted by the time you apply it that I think the results would be limited. I also at one time considered injecting industrial concentrated phosphoric acid into my rinse. There would be no "soap" rinsing issues and I bet you could lower the ph enough to improve drying for just a few cents per car. But it would be a hassle to deal with.
An HP soap pass just seems to get in the way of the process to me. But I do understand those wanting to provide the show. I could also understand the marketing aspects for special products to deal with road salt.
I haven't tried this but I'm betting that the additional .10 would provide better results by increasing the concentration of your presoak, and there will be less issues with rinsing.
As far as using low ph products this seems to make more sense to me to get rid of excess alkalinity. Again as mentioned it's so diluted by the time you apply it that I think the results would be limited. I also at one time considered injecting industrial concentrated phosphoric acid into my rinse. There would be no "soap" rinsing issues and I bet you could lower the ph enough to improve drying for just a few cents per car. But it would be a hassle to deal with.
An HP soap pass just seems to get in the way of the process to me. But I do understand those wanting to provide the show. I could also understand the marketing aspects for special products to deal with road salt.
MikeV
Member
Mine does 1 or 2 presoak passes, depending on which package the customer gets, then on the wash pass, it mixes in some presoak with the hp pass. Doesn't really do much other than a little show for the customer. Also have some presoak chemical mixed in with the undercarriage spray.
When we started out with our first Southern Pride Turbo Wash back in the '80's, it did a low pressure presoak, a high pressure soap, high pressure wax and then high pressure rinse - total of 4 cycles/passes with the first lp and the remaining three hp.
Soon after we were in operation, they started setting them up differently, and we did the same - we started to run two passes lp presoak, then two passes hp. Lowered our water bill, raised our chemical bill, but cleaned better - much better.
In my opinion, hp soap is for self serve bays, where you might be heating the water and have the advantage of dwelling and or getting close with the wand to target stubborn spots and dirt either after presoak or before the foam brush.
With many operators running their hp as a cold rinse in todays IBA's, I don't think adding soap to this pass would do much, other than run up another chemical bill.
The presoak should loosen the bond of the dirt, and the hp should remove it from the surface. I don't think there is much cleaning power added with hp soap. I also agree that you would have to put massive amounts of presoak into a hp application for it to have any impact on cleaning. Probably not really practical.
Soon after we were in operation, they started setting them up differently, and we did the same - we started to run two passes lp presoak, then two passes hp. Lowered our water bill, raised our chemical bill, but cleaned better - much better.
In my opinion, hp soap is for self serve bays, where you might be heating the water and have the advantage of dwelling and or getting close with the wand to target stubborn spots and dirt either after presoak or before the foam brush.
With many operators running their hp as a cold rinse in todays IBA's, I don't think adding soap to this pass would do much, other than run up another chemical bill.
The presoak should loosen the bond of the dirt, and the hp should remove it from the surface. I don't think there is much cleaning power added with hp soap. I also agree that you would have to put massive amounts of presoak into a hp application for it to have any impact on cleaning. Probably not really practical.
Indiana Wash
Member
Yeah, what he said. That's what I was trying to say.