Hot water

[washregal]

How hot do you run your HP soap water at?

Should this be on year round?

 

[MEP001]

I think it should be on year round, not just because it's needed, but also because customers notice if the high-pressure soap is cold.

I don't know the temp it's running - I try to keep it hot enough that I can stand to stick my hand in it for a few seconds without getting scalded. The exposed fittings can get uncomfortably hot if it's any higher. The thermostat says 110? at that point, but I don't think that's accurate.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

use your wife's or mistriss's meat or candy thermometer--we run at 130degrees

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I try go run the temp. at 117 degrees at the tip for maximum cleaning without wasting gas.
In the summer I can usually run the boiler at 117. In the winter around 130.

 

[Fatboy769]

I think it should be on year round, not just because it's needed, but also because customers notice if the high-pressure soap is cold.

I don't know the temp it's running - I try to keep it hot enough that I can stand to stick my hand in it for a few seconds without getting scalded. The exposed fittings can get uncomfortably hot if it's any higher. The thermostat says 110? at that point, but I don't think that's accurate.

I'll second that. I can't begin to tell you how many customers comment on how they pass other washes to use mine because of the hot water and how well everything works. Run the best wash that you can and charge accordingly for it.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

I run 115 degrees for HP soap and presoak all year. I measure temp at the mixing tanks, because I was told by more than one soap supplier that hotter than 120 will cause problems with the soap.

Efficiency tip: Most hot water heaters are most efficient at higher temperatures. Run your water heater hotter, and put in a mixing valve to get the temp back down to where you want it. I'm not sure if that tip applies to summer though.

 

[Kevin James]

When I bought my wash I watched the customers and found that most don?t have the high pressure soap on but for a very short time, just about long enough for the hose to get warm and then it?s on to another function. So why have hot water? I could see having hot water if the customers are going to be washing for 3 or 4 minutes but when they are only using it long enough to get the hose warm then I don?t think it?s needed. So I turned off the water heaters and no one has complained. Saving me a couple hundred a month, the revenue is still the same as it was without hot water.