Bay Layout Suggestions

[GreenTreeCarWash]

I am close to opening a fully rehabbed self serve wash. My bays are 14'6" wide. I have installed two Mosmatic Z Booms in each bay. One for the Foamy Brush and the other boom is for the Spray Gun.

Question: Which side should the Foamy Brush be installed on? MeterBox Side or Opposite Side or It doesn't matter?

Thanks for your help!

 

[RAATCB]

Good question, never thought about it. @ my wash they are on the side of the meter box. The other side is my wheel brush/tire cleaner

 

[Eric H]

I have NEVER seen the fb near the meter and the HP gun on the opposite side. I always assumed that the Fb is on the opposite side to allow the foam to get down the hose and into the head while the customer is walking around the car.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I've always seen the HP gun on the meter side too.
I thought the reason was that it represents 9/10 of the functions the customer can use, and 9/10 of the time spent washing. I sub-consciously assumed it was a customer convenience/efficiency thing.
Never thought about it though....

 

[MEP001]

I would put the brush mount on the opposite wall to minimize the two hoses being left tangled together, but I've never seen a wash with two Z-booms. I would think if the HP hose stays close enough to the wall when not in use, the two hoses won't interfere with one another if they're on the same side. This also opens future possibilities of adding other functions that can be mounted on the opposite wall.

Are the two booms inline in the center of the bay or are they side by side with one closer to each bay wall?

 

[mjwalsh]

I have NEVER seen the fb near the meter and the HP gun on the opposite side. I always assumed that the Fb is on the opposite side to allow the foam to get down the hose and into the head while the customer is walking around the car.

Good point Eric. We have the Hydrospray-Mosmatic ceiling Z-booms & we also definitely chose to have the foaming brush on the opposite side of the meter. We have our 2 inch Blow Dry Hydrospray-Mosmatic wall boom with extensions on the meter side except in our RV-truck bay. For blow drys I don't think it matters ... our criteria on the blow drys was where our existing electrical junction boxes that were left from our previous 120vac flourescent lights that we replaced with 24vdc G&G LED waterproof tubes.

mike walsh www.kingkoin.com

 

[I.B. Washincars]

PLJ's reasoning is valid, but most of you young whippersnappers don't remember the old days like I do. There use to only be one thing in the bay, the HP hose. Naturally, it was going to be right there near the money box with the "TOGGLE" switch. Back then we had three functions, one of them being "OFF". There also were no trigger wands, so the gun needed to be right there so you would grab it before turning the bay on. Most actually did grasp the gun, others chased it around the bay in a futile attempt to catch it. All the while, it is beating them and there car to a pulp, when all they needed to do was switch back to "OFF". The foam brush was the next big thing and was usually put on a 180° boom on the other wall.

So, the main reason is that it is on the other side of the bay is "Because that's where we've always put it."

 

[mjwalsh]

PLJ's reasoning is valid, but most of you young whippersnappers don't remember the old days like I do. There use to only be one thing in the bay, the HP hose. Naturally, it was going to be right there near the money box with the "TOGGLE" switch. Back then we had three functions, one of them being "OFF". There also were no trigger wands, so the gun needed to be right there so you would grab it before turning the bay on. Most actually did grasp the gun, others chased it around the bay in a futile attempt to catch it. All the while, it is beating them and there car to a pulp, when all they needed to do was switch back to "OFF". The foam brush was the next big thing and was usually put on a 180° boom on the other wall.

So, the main reason is that it is on the other side of the bay is "Because that's where we've always put it."

I.B.,

I remember those days. Also back in the sixties there was 115VAC in the coin boxes with totally electromechanical timers (some of it borrowed laundromat technology) with steel conduit buried ready to rust very quickly & could easily lose the safety ground that was provided via the steel conduit. No doubt ... some things have improved in our industry.

mike walsh http://kingkoin.com/USA_Deficit_Reduction.html