Shutting Down the Car Wash during Cold Weather

[Reds]

Regarding winter power outages I have 2 gas fired salamanders (one for each IBA) and 2 unvented gas heaters for my 2 equipment rooms. All of the heaters have a standing pilot, not an electronic ignition. The unvented heaters (Mr. Heater brand) sit on the floor with a flexible gas line- all I have to do is fire them up, no power required. For the salamanders I have a PVC pipe thru the wall into my IBA. I pass a rubber gasline thru the pipe, attach the salamander and fire it up. Works well, requires no power, and I also use the salamanders if/when my radiant tube heaters are not working. I also have a temperature alarm that has a battery backup and works off the phone line (still works when the power is out). It calls me if the power goes out or if the temp in a bay goes below my setpoint (38°) due to a dead radiant heater or door stuck open.

 

[Robert2181]

We use a radiant heater for our equipment room (made by Detroit heater) runs off natural gas. No electricity. thermostat control. Hangs from the ceiling.

 

[2Biz]

I also have the Portable Mr Heater Big Buddy for emergency power outages but I haven't had to use it yet. The manual says one 20lb propane gas grill cylinder can last up to 120 hours. The heater has three settings, 4K, 9k, and 18k btu. The manual say's it will heat up to 400 sq ft.

Does anybody know if the weepmiser will work off standard generator power? Not a pure sine wave generator....Some electronic equipment don't like unclean power....Like bill changers!

 

[cantbreak80]

There you go thinking again. If the Weepmizer doesn't like dirty power...no heat in the trough...no floor heat circulators...no Takagi.
If the power goes out, N/O solenoids open...100% weep
But, all your Output 2 devices are still dead.
So? IF you want Output 2 devices to work with generator power, they'll need a switched auxillary power switch...flip the switch, start the generator...run the O2 devices, except for the Takagi(?). Since the pumps won't work, no need to worry about the changers.

You've got too much to worry about to concern yourself with staying open in a power outage, freezing weather situation.

 

[Randy]

A few years ago we had a big ice storm that knocked out power at my car wash for 5 days, the entire city was without power. It took me 2 days to get down to my car wash with a propane tank heater, the roads were glare ice with down trees everywhere. We had shut down the car wash the day before the storm, pulled the guns and foam brush handles and pumped windshield washer fluid into the weep system. I have an electric heater in the equipment that I set at 50 deg. By the time I could get to the car wash the temperature in the equipment room was 33 deg, the day time high were in the mid 20’s. The problem I had was getting propane, with no power you can’t buy anything. I’ve never run out of natural gas so in the winter time I installed one of these heaters http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Nat...386437929&sr=8-13&keywords=natural+gas+heater I keep it at low and it keeps the equipment room toasty.

I don’t think a Mr. Buddy Heater will last 120 hours, I used half of a 5 gallon propane bottle every 8 hours.

 

[Waxman]

It was -4 today and I get a call from a guy who says he put $5 in the SS bay but the wand is frozen inside the wand holder. I say I am sorry and will refund his money because I was 20 minutes away. He starts swearing and yelling at me over the phone. By the time we get there he has broke the gun and tore stuff up. I have it on video as well as have his cell phone #. He got a call from the cops and they were going to pick him up. He calls me and asked how does he get his $5 back now.

Sounds about right.!

 

[2Biz]

There you go thinking again. You've got too much to worry about to concern yourself with staying open in a power outage, freezing weather situation.

I wouldn't want to stay open! But I have 3 generators that it sure would be nice to use one to power the floor heat, weep, trough, and NG furnace...I could do it with a 2000w generator easily. I just didn't know if the weepmizer would work off a standard generator? Has anybody tried it? I know a changer won't, especially if it won't run off a standard battery backup. Its has to be a pure sine wave inverter backup. Ask me how I know? Plus I didn't even think about the Takagi. I'm wondering if it needs pure sine wave too? Maybe I need to look at a Honda! They arn't cheap....

Randy,

I got the run time information out of the manual for the mr heater big buddy???? It also said it would run off (2) 1lb cylinders for 6-12 hrs, Hmmm???...Although, I like your appraoch better. Maybe something to add to the list of things to get.