Film being left on vehicles......

[hkim310]

I am having the toughest time trying to identify the solution to an issue we are having at our wash. There is a film that is being left on vehicles that is not as apparent on the body of the vehicle but can be seen pretty clearly on the rear glass of vehicles near the top as well as some of the side glass. I have swapped out 2 sets of mitter cloths and it "seems" to be better than before but I still see the film on vehicles. I turned down the drying agent and it still seems to be there. Any ideas on how to diagnose this issue?

 

[BBE]

have you checked both your water softness as well the TDS in your spot free?

 

[rph9168]

Are you using both acidic and alkaline chemicals?

 

[robert roman]

“Any ideas on how to diagnose this issue?”

Without being there, it’s pretty much a guessing game.

If film is due to water softness, TDS level, it would show up all over the vehicle, not just several conspicuous spots.

If recycled or reclaim water is contaminated sufficiently with hydraulic oil, the product water will cause a thin film to form on the surface.

Since oil is hydrophobic (water hating) or hydro-tonic (will not react with water), test the film spot with water. If it beads up, the film could be caused from oil.

Another test is to examine the film on glass at several different angles. If spectral colors are observed, the film is probably oil.

Next, where is oil coming from? For example, it could be coming from a leaking hose or fitting rather than contaminated product water.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I am guessing oil leak as well slow drip getting spread around. Is your oil dyed? Makes it easier to find a leak.

 

[benny2]

I had this happen to me a month ago, more than likely you have a small hydraulic oil leak somewhere. If you are noticing it on the glass its coming from above.

 

[TEEBOX]

It's a small hydraulic oil leak.... I just had it happened to me...

 

[Robert2181]

Hydraulic oil leak. Your cloth should feel squeaky clean.

Even with a small amount of oil,in a short time, it feel slippery.

 

[hkim310]

I took a closer look above the equipment and noticed that some of the gearboxes are leaking some oil. I have ordered some seal kits for them and will see if this resolves the issue. I want to thank all of your that have replied and helped me out with this issue! This forum is the best forum in my opinion for car wash operators to get advice/help from other operators.

 

[hkim310]

I noticed that a lot of you all use water based hydraulic oil for your power packs (other than the conveyor) to help address leak future leak issues. Does anyone have a particular brand that they recommend? Also, is there a water based gear oil for the gear boxes that are used on Sonny's mitters?

 

[hkim310]

Still have not found the solution to this weird film being left on certain vehicles back glass windows mainly in the middle/top of the glass. Have replaced all 3 gear box seal kits for our 3 mitters. Starting next week we will replace all 6 motor seal kits for our 2 sets of wrap around brushes and 1 set of top motor side brushes. After, we will take a look at all remaining hydraulic lines. THIS IS A ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS, just to let you all know!

 

[Washmee]

Are you monitoring your hydraulic fluid levels in your reservoirs? You should be slowly losing oil. Remove the screen fron the fill and use a metal yard stick to check the level over a period of time. These types of problems are why I switched over to water based hydraulic fluid years ago. Well worth the extra cost.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Is your hydraulic Oil Dyed? Makes it easier to find a leak.

Due to localized placement of issue I suspect some overhead line dripping and then being spread around. I would chheck the lines before replacing seals. (Much easier).