chuck ruth old california car wash history

[cmawash]

does any body know any history about Chuck Ruth, an early Car Wash builder, we own 2 of his old coin operated sites, we purchased two of his sites in the early 1980's, what we heard that he had built over 300 car wash locations, his lease's did not ever have a cost of living clause.
His operation was to buy old gas station sites ( then no body cared about
old gas stations sites and no epa rules). He would then build a coin op car wash and then lease the property out and collect rent. When we delt with him over the phone he was living in Bakersfield California, assume he's long gone now

 

[cmawash]

looking up old history, spray rite manufacturing was owned by Charles ruth, it appear he was one of the founders of the car wash business in California in the 1960's

 

[RAATCB]

Interesting I've seen some equipment with a logo "spray-rite". Who do you use for equipment service/repairs ?

 

[cmawash]

have our own in staff who do every thing, electrical, plumbing, pumps, removing trash

 

[RAATCB]

Which supplier do you buy your chemicals from? Did you built your own pump stands and meter boxes?

 

[cmawash]

purchased from kleen rite pumping plants, BIG MISTAKE, units were made by hydro spray for kleen rite with 530 cat pumps

NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS, broken SS welds on pumping frame, pump last 60days then start leaking water thru seals, they used steel couplings on chemical lines (THEY RUST) ON THE CONTROL VALVES. plastic relay boX fell of pumping plant because they put screws in plastic boxes and should have used nuts and lock nuts instead, control lights bulb burn out and we replace them with led lights. AND THE LIST GO ON &ON.

LOOKS LIKE WE WILL BE GOING BACK TO PISTON STYLE CAT PUMPS, A FEW $ MORE AND WE GET 100 TIMES THE LIFE SPAN WHEN COMPARED TO CERAMIC STYLE

 

[MEP001]

Either you got a bad batch of pumps or something is wrong with the setup to cause the pumps to leak. The 530 should be a much more durable pump than any piston one.

 

[rph9168]

Are you sure HydroSpray made those stands? I have found most of what they produce to be of good quality. KR sources equipment from several suppliers.

 

[RAATCB]

How are they allowed to make and sell systems that fall apart like that? Sounds if who ever was putting it together was drunk or on drugs.

 

[Rodney]

Charles Ruth was my great uncle. (Grandfather’s brother) He built his first car wash in 1964 in Bakersfield. It was a little 2 bay on S. Chester Ave. Not knowing if it would work out, his back up plan was, if it didn’t work out, he would enclose the building and start a mechanic shop. He said that the cost was 25 cents for 5 minutes. The day he opened, there were cars lined down the street wanting to try out this new fangled thing. In 1968 he opened his second location on Niles St. and went on to build many many more. He passed away after battling cancer in the mid 80s. His son Charles Ruth Jr carried on the business and continued to build and run car washes in California until he passed away in 1997. The car washes were sold, and there were none left in the family. On January 2 of 2018 I acquired the second one that he ever built. The first one has been torn down and gone for years.