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Ideas? Titration Problem nightmare

MPW

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I've uncovered a frustrating and perplexing problem...

Titrating low and high ph on an IBA the other day, discover neither boom nor sides on high ph will titrate even with dosing pump maxed out. Assume it's the pumps. Change both pumps, boom now titrates fine, but sides won't... And that started a week of wasting time on this stupid problem, including: new foot valve, new line from barrel to dosing pump, a THIRD dosing pump, running a direct line from dosing pump across bay to where it ties in right before mixing with water (was hoping it was the line, nope), changing check valve between chemical line and tee that mixes with water, removing injector in said tee, collecting for titration from all different nozzles thinking somehow one side might be different than another, experimenting with changing pressure on presoak pump, comparing purge directly off line on low and high ph and they seem to be the same (that is, the high ph line seems to be feeding plenty of chemical, but where is it going?). My father, who used to install these machines all over the state years ago has spent several hours on it, have had long conversations with the local tech, 40 minutes on the phone with Mark VII... have gotten nowhere.

I know it isn't the chemical, it titrates just fine on the boom and directly from the barrel.
It can't be anywhere from the barrel to the end of the chemical line as that has all been replaced.
I did also discover that the solenoid on the boom was busted at the same time as the titration nonsense started-- boom was purging when only sides should have been. That was fixed immediately and seems to be unrelated.
Pressure on presoak pump is at 65, per Mark VII. At 40 it titrates hardly any different. I've even tried swapping pumps.
There's a bypass line that Ys into the presoak pump for the hub scrub that's got a solenoid on it. It's fine.
I haven't ripped every single panel of the gantry all the way along but there do not appear to be any leaks anywhere, visually comparing high and low ph chemicals spray/pressure wise they look identical so probably not any kinks... but maybe?

Does anyone have any ideas? This is ridiculous and a real head scratcher. It's gotta be something stupid and easy but so far no AHA! moments...
 

M7T

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Looks like you are working on a GT300 or GT500?.
I would ran your presoak line directly to the side manifold only (no Y for the hubscrub).
Purge the presoak with the chemical line disconnected on the T that mixes with water, leave the check valve connected on the T, and make sure that check valve is preventing backflow to the chemical line.
Also make sure you have good chemical flow on that hose end.
If possible, install a inline check valve on the presoak line before the Echain or in the middle of the presoak chemical hose line. Purge the presoak line with the inline check valve disconnected till chemical had reached that point, the connect the line to keep running the chemical all the way to T that mixes with water, when reached, connect the hose to the check valve.

Good luck!
 

MPW

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M72, thanks for taking the time to put all that down. A few of those steps I'd left out but I'd basically done most of them. And more. Twice! Three times maybe! Lots of conversations with techs while pacing around the bay. Lots of wanting to run my car into the machine.

I hesitate due to pride to admit what the problem was, given how many hours I spent and how many parts were replaced unnecessarily. But I've learned a very valuable lesson (and I AM a bit of a rookie after all):

Somehow the CMI had changed the stroke frequency on the dosing pumps. To quite low. Put them back where they should be and problem totally solved. I couldn't hear the pumps running very well most of the time due to compressor, etc, and was not even thinking about THAT aspect of them being an issue when I could. One minute to put the two wayward ones back where they belonged. This computer occasionally just scrambles things and I've never worked out why or when.

Lesson learned. 🤦‍♀️
 
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mjwalsh

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Not wanting to change the focus of the titration issue ... but I remember at a Heartland Car Wash show seeing a demo of dosing pumps. I was spooked by ... the what I was thinking of the possibility of "unneeded complexity" & not a good fit for me ... but for many others maybe a good fit!
 

I.B. Washincars

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Mjwalsh, I’m surprised. With all the techy-techy jargon you use for the simplest of things, I thought you were the king of “unneeded complexity”.
 

mjwalsh

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Mjwalsh, I’m surprised. With all the techy-techy jargon you use for the simplest of things, I thought you were the king of “unneeded complexity”.
Oh no no no ... I always thought ... I subscribed to the KISS principle "Keep It Simple Stupid"

I guess I will just have to try a bit harder!

On a serious note ... those of you who have testified before pertinent government meetings like I have ... can appreciate the ability to make the needed points within 3-5 minutes (btw enforced by the gavel man) with words that hopefully most of the receivers can understand.

Not sure if I will ever achieve 100% "perfecto" though.
 
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