Drip space
- Thread starter carnut2
- Start date
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 6,342
- Reaction score
- 926
- Points
- 113
I asked this question once and never got a "GOOD" answer. Perhaps because there are so many variables like temperature, line speed, (I think it's more a function of time than distance) size and placement of blowers etc.
A location recently remodeled here put in a blower immediately after the last setting arch. I think Sonnys markets it as a wet location blower. Then he has the drip space and then another 10 blowers or so.
All that being said if I had to give a general answer I would say 25 feet would be great. I have places that have to make due with less.
A couple of things I have done is improve on what was my basic concept of Drying Agent followed by setting arch. This involves either a fresh water rinse anywhere from 6" to a couple of feet before the DA to get rid of any soap residue that counteracts the DA, to using a small injection of DA into this first rinse to counteract the soap.
FWIW I have not been happy with rain arches for DA. I feel the typical V jet displaces the sitting water better.
pgrzes
Active member
I have a 50' EE and the problem we have is the air moving across the car when the dryer comes on rinse water never touches the car!! The airstream created when the dryers kick on just blows the water to the sides. We are approx 8" from rain arch to dryers. I think that with only 50' I can only do so much. I wish I could do more but, we have to deal with what we got!! I try to explain that to my wife all the time but she just doesnt get it!!!! lol ;-)
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 6,342
- Reaction score
- 926
- Points
- 113
Perhaps a traditional arch with V Jets at the top and sides would do better at getting the water / DA on the surface.
smokun
Consultant - Rainmaker
TIME=Drying Efficacy
To echo and elaborate on Earl's response, TIME is the ultimate factor.
When dealing with a conveyorized vehicle, "distance is really time" and time is relative to the speed of the conveyor (line speed).
Other factors improve the evacuation speed of water from the vehicle's surface by assisting gravity's drip-space performance. Things like rinsing agents that helps beading, temperature of the rinse water, a spreader arch that assists in water breaking into beads, chemical compatibility, and the separation of water arches to avoid the cascading effect all factor into the process. Bottom-line: TIME is the primary influence that can be modulated for peak performance. The other factors are variables that impact the time requirement.
That said, if the air dryer is sucking in wet/damp air at the impeller intake, it will not dry vehicles as quickly as dry air. Same is true with nozzle adjustment to minimize counter-productive turbulence.
If your vehicles are not dry enough, scrutinize the variables and balance your line-speed to compensate for drying efficacy. After all is said and done, that means time-per-foot.
Modulating the time separation from the last drop of water applied... to the leading edge of the air dying process, while maximizing the influence of run-off due to gravity... will be your critical area of adjustment.
To echo and elaborate on Earl's response, TIME is the ultimate factor.
When dealing with a conveyorized vehicle, "distance is really time" and time is relative to the speed of the conveyor (line speed).
Other factors improve the evacuation speed of water from the vehicle's surface by assisting gravity's drip-space performance. Things like rinsing agents that helps beading, temperature of the rinse water, a spreader arch that assists in water breaking into beads, chemical compatibility, and the separation of water arches to avoid the cascading effect all factor into the process. Bottom-line: TIME is the primary influence that can be modulated for peak performance. The other factors are variables that impact the time requirement.
That said, if the air dryer is sucking in wet/damp air at the impeller intake, it will not dry vehicles as quickly as dry air. Same is true with nozzle adjustment to minimize counter-productive turbulence.
If your vehicles are not dry enough, scrutinize the variables and balance your line-speed to compensate for drying efficacy. After all is said and done, that means time-per-foot.
Modulating the time separation from the last drop of water applied... to the leading edge of the air dying process, while maximizing the influence of run-off due to gravity... will be your critical area of adjustment.
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 6,342
- Reaction score
- 926
- Points
- 113
FWIW at my shortest Tunnel I hung a curtain in front of the Blower intakes to try an minimize moisture intake. Some operators actualy build an arch seperating the sides and top of the tunnel to the greatest extent possible to seperate the drying area from the moist area. Some are now using heated blowers (Not cheap to buy or operate)
I don't understand the chemistry / physics but if I warm the DA water, especialy in the cold weather. (I mix hot in with the cold at a "T" so I can vary this based on weather), and if I leave the setting arch with cold water this seems to work better.
I don't understand the chemistry / physics but if I warm the DA water, especialy in the cold weather. (I mix hot in with the cold at a "T" so I can vary this based on weather), and if I leave the setting arch with cold water this seems to work better.
Dealing with 50' you can't expect to do much more then 10' of drip space. My two suggestions are:
1) If you have a friction curtain towards end of wash process put a rain bar on entrance side inject mild drying agent mix to start breakdown process earlier. Need to choose the right product to avoid slime build up on curtain. Also, take an extra 3 min at close each night wash down curtain if build up occurs.
2) Consider giving Rainx or the equivalant on every car. This depends on your wash packages, pricing, competition, etc.
Wood
1) If you have a friction curtain towards end of wash process put a rain bar on entrance side inject mild drying agent mix to start breakdown process earlier. Need to choose the right product to avoid slime build up on curtain. Also, take an extra 3 min at close each night wash down curtain if build up occurs.
2) Consider giving Rainx or the equivalant on every car. This depends on your wash packages, pricing, competition, etc.
Wood
robert roman
Bob Roman
While working with a client in designing a mini-tunnel several years ago, the folks at MacNeil turned us on to a "no-drip space" method of drying vehicles.
We used this method in a 40' long wash bay having a 65' conveyor and 75-hp dryer.
The air stream forces the excess water to collect and build like a wave that moves across the surface towards the rear of the vehicle producing an exceptionally dry vehicle.
We used this method in a 40' long wash bay having a 65' conveyor and 75-hp dryer.
The air stream forces the excess water to collect and build like a wave that moves across the surface towards the rear of the vehicle producing an exceptionally dry vehicle.
I've seen this with some IBA's. Namely, the PDQ Tandem and the new PDQ Laser. They call it a flash dry. In the IBA, it saves passes/time, as you are rinsing and drying during the same pass over the vehicle.
Seems like it would be reasonable to replicate this in a short tunnel where you do not have the drip space/time as in a longer tunnel.
I've seen a couple of operators that modified their air intakes for the blowers. They built extensions so that the air was not the moist air from the tunnell. Seemed to help a lot. I hope the people who posted earlier about a mini tunnell in a 35' bay are reading this.
What these people did was get extensions the same diameter as the air intakes, and simply extende them as high as your ceiling permits. Maybe leave a foot between the intake and the ceiling. This way the moist, heavier, air that is circulating around everything, stays more away from the intake.
