Drying chamber

[carnut2]

Many washes are being built with a separate room, or drying chamber, for tunnels. Can you see any benefits to this? How close to the dryers should the wall be? We have a problem with the wind blowing everything around and thought this might help.

 

[rph9168]

It can be very helpful especially in colder climates. Some even heat that room to assist in drying.

 

[robert roman]

“We have a problem with the wind blowing everything around and thought this might help.”

A little cause and effect first.

Is the “wind” forced air produced by dryer blowers or Mother Nature’s “wind” blowing into the tunnel exit end?

 

[carnut2]

Little bit of both. Tunnel sits north south, so we get wind from both directions. Have air lift vinyl exit door, but when dryers are on, it is like a typhoon.

 

[carnut2]

How close would this wall be to the actual dryers? And we have a tall (20ft) roof. Should the roof be lowered in this chamber to the dryers? Thanks for all the help.

 

[robert roman]

“Have air lift vinyl exit door, but when dryers are on, it is like a typhoon.”

This implies its positive pressure from producers that is causing things to blow around.

So, a drying chamber would not be best method to resolve problem because its main purpose is to separate the wet area of the tunnel from dry area to achieve a dryer car. Any reduction in turbulence would be secondary benefit.

If the producers are equipped with cone or duct-shaped nozzles, a dryer system with contour design and blade style nozzles might be a better choice.

 

[carnut2]

Depending on wind direction, a lot of mist from rinse arch, even r/o rinse is pushed into drying area, being sucked up by dryers and dispensed on cars.

 

[Washmee]

Which way do the intakes of your blowers face? They should be facing the exit end of the wash. If at all possible only use the vinyl exit door when absolutely necessary. If the door is closed you are drawing air from the entrance of the wash instead of dry outside air.

 

[carnut2]

Intakes face exit. Door is shut between cars. You are correct, we are drawing air (with mist) into the intakes.

 

[robert roman]

This is what you said first.

“We have a problem with the wind blowing everything around and thought this might help.”

“…we get wind from both directions. Have air lift vinyl exit door, but when dryers are on, it is like a typhoon.”

Typhoon is a bad thing like high wind and turbulence from a hurricane.

“Depending on wind direction, a lot of mist from rinse arch, even r/o rinse is pushed into drying area, being sucked up by dryers and dispensed on cars.”

So, wind “blowing everything around” is really a problem of wet car caused by too much moisture in ambient air.

“Intakes face exit. Door is shut between cars…..we are drawing air (with mist) into the intakes.”

So, you believe intake is the problem and want to solve by installing drying chamber.

Intake isn’t the problem because it doesn’t create the moisture, the nozzle holders on the rinse arches do.

Drying agents work by interfering with the negatively charged water molecules tendency to attach to vehicle surface. So, misting problem is worse with spot-free because it doesn’t contain a hydrophobic agent.

Formation of negatively charged water drops happens anytime water is sprayed. If you don’t believe me, I can explain the science.

When water drop strikes a surface, what happens next depends on the contact angle the drop makes with surface.

A contact angle of zero degrees (like water on untreated glass) would result in a complete wetting of surface. An angle of 180 degrees would result in complete repulsion of the liquid by the surface.

So, misting can be greatly reduced by changing from spray to rainfall pattern.

 

[Earl Weiss]

FWIW where I have a shorter Tunnel I hung a curtain (well 2 each half the width of the tunnel with a slight overlap) a couple of feet in front of the intakes whioch face the rinse area.

Intakes could face the oter way but in the winter their might be an issue of drawing in really cold air.

Have one rain bar at one place but it doesn't give the best rinse on the sides.