A Cold freeze coming Windsheild washer fluid

[Randy]

I did a test bay 2 nights ago on my farthest #10 bay has hit 26 degrees and 27 degrees at night since no freeze up. You guys up north familiar with WW fluid tell me if I am wrong on this process to double check. First I disconected the supply hose to pump turned it on for 20 seconds with no supply water to purge then sucked a gallon of -20 washer fluid turned pump on until it came out in bay a very long run. I left the spray wand and tip still attached. Was thinking about doing several more bays and leaving them like this through the deep freeze we gonna have this weekend 10 & 12 degrees at night and 28 for high during day. I just don't want lines & swivels to all freeze and have a genuine mess. I want to do this to save on weeping water where I am water can be pricey. Thanks Thomas

That should work. Just as long as you fill the system with WW it'll work.

 

[2Biz]

Thomas, if you have a weep system, it would be much easier to rig up a pump and use the weep system to winterize your hp hoses. You will use at lot less wf. I did 4 bays tonight and used about 1.5 gallons.

 

[Randy]

I shut down my car wash yesterday afternoon, pulled the guns and foam brush handles off, blew out the lines with air from the weep solenoid. I pumped about 3 gallons of WW into the weep system, blew out the weep system after I filled it with WW and reclaimed about 21/2 gallons of WW.

 

[Greg Pack]

Update: I shut down Thursday and flushed a 50% mixture of -20 WW fluid and water through the system. Gotta admit it was a little bit of a hassle and I need to find a better way to do it. I did build a flojet pump with an air fitting and had several fittings with me so I could just swap out as needed to flush out lines on both the SS and water wizard IBA. I think adding a female fitting and check valve to the various chemical lines might be a good way to handle it next time. During the freeze I went by and made daily checks on the washes. On Saturday, it was in the low teens (after lows in the single digits) and the 50% solution I made was a very soft slush on the brush. I cranked back up today when it got to about 35 degrees with no issue, and was glad not to have any ice buildup. A wash owner south of me was dealing several busted lines so I'm glad I made the effort to prevent start up problems.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

The windsheild washer fluid worked great. I used about 13-14 bottles on my 10 bay SS flushed every line every option didn't have no freeze ups took me a little while but I done it and closed for 5 days got to 7 degrees one night and 8 degrees the next and not above freezing in the day. I got sick during the meantime opened up after Christmas and all worked great. Thank you guys I need to build a blow down system would save on my water bill like crazy. I waste alot of weep water with a weepmizer on my SS for a 10 bay

 

[2Biz]

Is that 13-14 gallons? Seems a little high. I use about a gallon do do 12 hoses....4 hp hoses, 4 Foam gun hoses, and 4 Foam brush hoses....Although, my LP is winterized with WF and blown out from the trough above each bay. Its automatic and doesn't use much at all...About 3-4 pumps with a flojet per hose then blown out for 10 seconds...The trough is heated to 110°, so any liquid in the trough does not freeze. The HP hoses are filled with washer fluid from the ER all the way out to the gun and do not blow out...

 

[2Biz]

Update: I shut down Thursday and flushed a 50% mixture of -20 WW fluid and water through the system. .

You might get away with diluting -20° WF where you live, but this last freeze got to -8° here in Southern Ohio with -30°-40° windchill. ....WF is pretty cheap compared to busted hoses. I don't dilute the WF....A Newby might want to consider this if its his first rodeo! I use a little over a gallon to winterize the whole wash, 12 hoses....Not worth it to me to skimp.

 

[Greg Pack]

The low here was 9. I'm sure if i could do it with a gallon I wouldn't bother diluting it. It took me 12 gallons of concentrate to do two washes, but I'm not set up to operate in sub freezing weather. We actually shut down when it gets in the 20s due to no floor heat and the chance of ice buildup.

 

[Bigmatthew86]

I didn’t do any of this in South Carolina & I got hammered. Busted lines everywhere. Live & learn, most of my damage was old & needed replaced anyway but still sucked.

 

[2Biz]

Its quite easy to semi automate the process. Mount a flojet on the wall. Get a 5 gallon bucket for WF (I use a 15 gallon drum)....Tee the output of the pump to your weep system with individual ball valves for control. It makes it so much easier to do once you are prepaired. Mine is a little more complex since I use WF for all LP hoses and is automated (Automated at 32° and below)...But adding the flojet and ball valves should be easy like I have set up for the HP hoses (Weep). You can do it this way for all hoses if you don't have the automation.