area123,
There are several sources for car wash supplies in OK and surrounding states:
Jim Coleman Co. and
Kleen-rite in Texas. Dultmeier is located in Omaha. HPWS and Lee
Soap in CO. There are several equipment/chemical distributors in OKC. And, there’s likely a regional blender or two nearby.
As for powder vs. liquid…choose your version.
Liquid is generally more expensive, but easy to deal with…set it up and replace the jug when needed. You’ll want a Hydrominder or similar mixologist to produce the ready-to-use juice. Most modern liquids are highly concentrated with big dilution ratios that will serve many customers. Once it’s set-up properly it’s about as close to “Set it and forget it” as you can get. Finally, because it’s mixed as needed the blend tanks can be quite small…like less than 5 gallons total capacity. (Mine are half filled and have been feeding a busy 8-bay without issue for over 20 years)
On the other hand, unless you’ve got some ph-sensored automatic blend system with an electronic controller and circulator pump, powders insist on being manually mixed with water and are not without their issues. Generally less expensive, because you’re not buying the water used to blend liquid concentrates, they sometimes contain non-reactive fillers. Mixed to saturation, they sometimes come out of suspension, requiring occasion stirring. I believe the biggest issue with large solution tubs is inconsistent delivery to the bays. I’ll explain:
Most car wash pumps are fed with a constant supply of fresh water from a “Rinse” tank. Concentrated
soap is fed to the pump’s water inlet where it mixes with the rinse water. The pump’s inlet suction aids in drawing the concentrated
soap into the pump.
When the
soap tank is full (30 gallons) the weight of the water “pushes” the
soap into the pump…GREAT
soap! As the
soap tank level diminishes, so does the weight…Still GOOD
soap. If the
soap tank level approaches empty, significantly less weight…NOT SO GOOD
soap.
So, operators learn to maintain the level by replenishing the
soap tank regularly. Ah…except when they’re busy or chasing demons. Inevitably, that’s when a customer says “Hey! There’s no
soap!” The quick solution is to dump a scoop of
soap into the tub. The customer is happy and you go back to dealing with whatever had your attention. Or, you’re adding
soap and water to the tub and an old friend stops by. You hang out, solving the world’s problems and totally forget about the running water! Now, how much
soap overflowed to the floor drain? What’s the strength of the mix? What do you do now? Dump it and start over or just guess and add a few more scoops? Anybody with this system who says that’s never happened to them is not being honest.
Finally, I’ll submit that there’s really only about seven ways to make
soap…and every blender knows all seven ways. There's a reason for “cheap” and a reason for “expensive”. Choose your juice for its safe, cleaning qualities rather than the price per box/bucket. A $50 box that’s half soda ash and doesn’t clean well will end up costing a lot more than you might think. Just for comparison, I use a nationally advertised brand, purchased from their local distributor. It’s an outstanding solution with great cleaning and aroma. It’s very sudsy while also being reasonably free-rinsing. Last time I tested it costs me about 5cents per minute at the wand. I’d be happy if it cost 10cents per minute…(just don’t tell my supplier or those juice peddlers who want me to switch to their “better/cheaper” solutions.)
