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Enclosed Bay for Cold Climates

kdersch

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Has anyone every tried this concept? It would be a SS bay with wind doors on each end (whether they be bifold or airlift style) and a gas fired heater inside the bay. The idea is to provide a heated space for self washing in lieu of doing it outside in the cold open bay.

It would take a little bit of ingenuity to get right though. I would suspect a nominal fee to enter with an outside coin box (say $2 or $3). There would then be an inside push button to actuate the door once done or it would need to be tied to the wash timer where it opens when the time runs out. Or an outside push button to open and a higher price inside for washing with a push button to exit. I'm not sure how you'd keep folks from "camping" inside because the doors cannot be left open with the heat running.

With as brutally cold and windy it gets here, I think it would be fairly profitable although the doors would be a high upfront cost and the heat would be a nominal cost to keep operating.
 

Waxman

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do you have floor heat? If you do, I would just install some manual doors on the bay. Customers will understand that they can pull them down and stay warm while washing. My wash has heated floors and doors that the customers can pull down. On the very cold winter days they will pull them down and wash and it stays plenty warm in there with the warm water spraying around and the floor heat on
 

soapy

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I put exit end doors on a few of my bays and it cuts the wind and makes it much nicer to wash in. I used to have some bays with doors on both ends but at night they attracted too many folks pulling in and pulling the doors down for shady business.
 

kdersch

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do you have floor heat? If you do, I would just install some manual doors on the bay. Customers will understand that they can pull them down and stay warm while washing. My wash has heated floors and doors that the customers can pull down. On the very cold winter days they will pull them down and wash and it stays plenty warm in there with the warm water spraying around and the floor heat on
The drawings and appraisal indicate floor heating. I am waiting to actually go through the equipment room to verify this to be true.

What type of doors are most cost effective? I am looking to replace the auto bay doors as well.
 
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