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Checking PH in there Soap.
- Thread starter water guy
- Start date
Good question water guy. From having done business with many operators over the years, I've found that most go by guess and by golly. And the vast majority of these have soap salesmen that couldn't hit their butt with both hands at the same time. To really get clean cars you need to check many things, i.e. pH, dilution ratios, water hardness, and cleaning results. I just had a soap salesman come through my automatic and he was impressed with the wash quality. You need to check things on a regular basis and find good people who really understand chemistry. Unfortunately those people are in short supply.
I.B. Washincars
Car Washer Emeritus
Kids these days...
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
I never check. Tunnels and SS, Set it to where it works and has good show. Then cut back to where it doesn't. Then back up to where it does and leave it alone until there is a performance issue and then check to see what the issue is.
Well, I'll expand on mine
Touch free presoak and wheel cleaner is the only thing I try to be a stickler about. My high ph presoak has a line in the sand and if you get below that line, it simply doesn't clean anymore. Using my titration kit ( all are different) the magic number is right at 20 drops. If I titrate below 18 it needs to be addressed. If I titrate over 25 I tip down. The same solution for tire cleaner is titrated to 30 drops.
On friction units. I titrate the same presoak used above to about six drops. I then use low ph strips to ensure that we are getting as much alkalinity off the car as possible using conditioners or low ph shampoos. I even just use an acid in the rinse water, again in an attempt to get as low as possible (preferably 6 or lower)prior to wax application. I am currently titrating my tire cleaner to 30 but may lower that as the temps heat up because the friction unit is a bit drier process and the dwell is longer.
Self serve- I titrate presoak to six drops. That's enough where a customer can see a benefit of using the presoak as a "spray on rinse off" cleaning solution but its no magic bullet and brushing is still required on dirty vehicles. I don't normally titrate my tire cleaner in SS but if I did it would probably be 10-12 drops or so.
I try to titrate my touch frees weekly, but just like everyone else I get lax. I am much less worried about the friction units and really only titrate SS when I change tips or products.
As mentioned above by another poster- PH is way too vague a measurement for touch free cleaning. If you're not titrating your touch free solutions you're flying blind, and measuring by ph is not much better. I've experimented before and have diluted a touch free solution 50% and the ph was virtually unchanged, yet titration dropped by half.
Touch free presoak and wheel cleaner is the only thing I try to be a stickler about. My high ph presoak has a line in the sand and if you get below that line, it simply doesn't clean anymore. Using my titration kit ( all are different) the magic number is right at 20 drops. If I titrate below 18 it needs to be addressed. If I titrate over 25 I tip down. The same solution for tire cleaner is titrated to 30 drops.
On friction units. I titrate the same presoak used above to about six drops. I then use low ph strips to ensure that we are getting as much alkalinity off the car as possible using conditioners or low ph shampoos. I even just use an acid in the rinse water, again in an attempt to get as low as possible (preferably 6 or lower)prior to wax application. I am currently titrating my tire cleaner to 30 but may lower that as the temps heat up because the friction unit is a bit drier process and the dwell is longer.
Self serve- I titrate presoak to six drops. That's enough where a customer can see a benefit of using the presoak as a "spray on rinse off" cleaning solution but its no magic bullet and brushing is still required on dirty vehicles. I don't normally titrate my tire cleaner in SS but if I did it would probably be 10-12 drops or so.
I try to titrate my touch frees weekly, but just like everyone else I get lax. I am much less worried about the friction units and really only titrate SS when I change tips or products.
As mentioned above by another poster- PH is way too vague a measurement for touch free cleaning. If you're not titrating your touch free solutions you're flying blind, and measuring by ph is not much better. I've experimented before and have diluted a touch free solution 50% and the ph was virtually unchanged, yet titration dropped by half.
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