Heated Water For Wash Tunnel - ?

[hkim310]

How many operators use a hot water supply package to heat the water for their chemicals in their wash tunnel? What applications do you use the heated water for? Do you use heated water all year round? Is there a significant increase in water price? Does it make a big difference?

 

[Robert2181]

Depending what type of chemical you use. We have never used hot water in our tunnel. You are washing plastic ,metal & steel not clothes. we do prep all cars

 

[hkim310]

We also have never used heated water but we have an extra hot water supply package system that is laying around from the previous owner. Didn't know if any other operators are using hot water and if it would lead to any substantial benefits......

 

[Earl Weiss]

1. We have Hot water T'd in to the supply for the Chemicals. The water for these does not need to be Hot, but increasing the temp so it does not feel cold makes foaming products foam better. Drying agent works better also. Setting arch seems to work just as well cold. Feeds to cloth is not warm.
2. We have a manifold on the entrance arch with hot water plumbed to it and a "Dead Man's Switch" for the loader. Below 20 degrees keeps windows from icing up and can help melt snow or ice accumulation. Increasing temp of soap and DA helps with this as well.
3. With conveyors starting outside a hot water hose available t thaw the lift out or frozen chain / rollers is invaluable.
4. Can't say how much extra we pay to heat the water but I would say it is small portion of the gas bill since most goes for tunnel heat. Let' say in summer without heat the Bill is $300 for the Towel Dryer heating water. But then again we will adjust the mix so more hot water is used the colder it gets and we are busier in the winter.

 

[hkim310]

Earl, for heating the drying agent, do you heat the chemical and water in the hot water tank before you send it out or do you mix the chemical and send it out with heated water?

 

[Earl Weiss]

I have hot and cold water lines t'd into the hydrominder supplies. Separate for DA and other items. Seperate for DA because it seems to work better being a little warmer than what I need to get good foaming on other items. As it gets colder I will adjust the mix so the solutions are warmer. In really cold weather it may be mostly hot. As the outside temperature gets warmer I will reduce the amount of Hot water but use some so the water does not feel cold. I feel the soaps foam better this way and the DA works better. Leaving the setting arch cold works fine.

 

[hkim310]

Earl, are you using a hot water heater to heat the water for your DA? If you are using a hot water heater, do you ever encounter demand issues when you are washing a lot of cars?

You stated that you have hot water lines t'd into the hydrominder supply lines. Does this mean you are heating the chemical and water in the hot water tank or are you sending the mixed chemical out to the wash tunnel with heated water?

 

[Earl Weiss]

I have a hot water line T'd into the hydrominder feed line(s) . As the outside temperature gets colder I use less cold and more hot. In warm weather I make the foaming products supply temp just a tad on the warm side - Foams better. DA seems to work better if some hot water takes the edge off. Setting arch seems to work best cold??? Don't know why. At the places with boilers, circulating pumps and storage tank I never run out of hot water. At one location some genius plumber put in an expense heater claiming that was all I needed. He was wrong.

 

[Earl Weiss]

. Does this mean you are heating the chemical and water in the hot water tank or are you sending the mixed chemical out to the wash tunnel with heated water?

Room temperature product chemical mixes with warmed water in the hydrominder bucket.

 

[hkim310]

Room temperature product chemical mixes with warmed water in the hydrominder bucket.

Earl, we are currently using an LMI pump to inject drying agent directly into the city water that goes out to the rain bar in our wash tunnel. How are you applying your drying agent in your wash tunnels, through a rain bar or through nozzles on an arch? If you are using a rain bar, how are you getting the product from the hydrominder to the rain bar, booster pump? If you are using nozzles on an arch, how many nozzles and what type of nozzles are you using?

 

[Earl Weiss]

Nozzles suppleid by Flo Jet.

Nozzles - 2 Top each about 18" off center 65/05

Sides vary but mostly 3 - 80/05 on each. 18" 42" and 66" or higher from floor . Higher ones angled down.