J. E. Adams Turbo Towel

[mjwalsh]

The more I look at this in bay hand blow dryer the more it makes sense.

http://www.jeadams.com/Product/Turbo-Towel-Hot-Air-Dryer/104/Turbo-Towel.aspx

It seems like the 220 VAC single motor design could be a good thing as long as the single motor is not too exotic, special order &/or possibly expensive. The 1200 watt heater turns on if the ambient temperature is above 79°. The added electricity expense seems like would not be too big of a problem. In a northern colder climate ... like ours it seems like it would be even more important than a warmer climate. In Houston the sign for the Blasto Dry said 180 mph. The Turbo Towel is advertising 200 mph ???

I did a search on the J.E. Adams Turbo Towel on the forum & I came up with nothing so it must be relatively new. Surely someone saw it demonstrated at a car wash show exhibit hall?

I am thinking that if it is not too expensive & with the best boom arrangement it could be a winner.

mike walsh king koin

 

[sparkey]

The more I look at this in bay hand blow dryer the more it makes sense.

http://www.jeadams.com/Product/Turbo-Towel-Hot-Air-Dryer/104/Turbo-Towel.aspx

It seems like the 220 VAC single motor design could be a good thing as long as the single motor is not too exotic, special order &/or possibly expensive. The 1200 watt heater turns on if the ambient temperature is above 79°. The added electricity expense seems like would not be too big of a problem. In a northern colder climate ... like ours it seems like it would be even more important than a warmer climate. In Houston the sign for the Blasto Dry said 180 mph. The Turbo Towel is advertising 200 mph ???

I did a search on the J.E. Adams Turbo Towel on the forum & I came up with nothing so it must be relatively new. Surely someone saw it demonstrated at a car wash show exhibit hall?

I am thinking that if it is not too expensive & with the best boom arrangement it could be a winner.

mike walsh king koin

What about the CFM's. Im sure you could choke anything down and get more velocity.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

The more I look at this in bay hand blow dryer the more it makes sense.

http://www.jeadams.com/Product/Turbo-Towel-Hot-Air-Dryer/104/Turbo-Towel.aspx

It seems like the 220 VAC single motor design could be a good thing as long as the single motor is not too exotic, special order &/or possibly expensive. The 1200 watt heater turns on if the ambient temperature is above 79°. The added electricity expense seems like would not be too big of a problem. In a northern colder climate ... like ours it seems like it would be even more important than a warmer climate. In Houston the sign for the Blasto Dry said 180 mph. The Turbo Towel is advertising 200 mph ???

I did a search on the J.E. Adams Turbo Towel on the forum & I came up with nothing so it must be relatively new. Surely someone saw it demonstrated at a car wash show exhibit hall?

I am thinking that if it is not too expensive & with the best boom arrangement it could be a winner.

mike walsh king koin

I would like to see replacement costs for the motor and such and where I can get them from. I am also curious as to why they don't show the nozzle on the webpage you linked to. I think that has a lot to do with it.

 

[whitescout]

quote "I would like to see replacement costs for the motor and such and where I can get them from. I am also curious as to why they don't show the nozzle on the webpage you linked to. I think that has a lot to do with it."


Open up the PDF file for installation, there are several pics of the nozzle in it.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Open up the PDF file for installation, there are several pics of the nozzle in it.

I did that right after I made my post. I am not impressed with the nozzle at all...at least with how it was portrayed in the drawings.

 

[packerscw]

I just don't see the need for heated air, I would think in colder climates people wouldnt use them as much because of the cold weather. And then you would be wasting more energy with the heating element

 

[mjwalsh]

I did that right after I made my post. I am not impressed with the nozzle at all...at least with how it was portrayed in the drawings.

Bubbles & Packercw,

From a phone call with J.E. Adams I found out the nozzle is soft rubber which makes sense ... that should eliminate the need for a switch. It can't do any damage even if it did start flying a bit it seems with that style vs plastic.

Isn't Tom Hoffman is using a cone style successfully. It seems like the learning curve would be less for the cone style & better for motorcycles & car door seals & locks etc. During the winter may be when customers might like the heat the most of all & during the spring & fall if there is some gain in the drying time from the heat it could be something to differentiate a car wash from his competitors with everything else being equal. That "equal" comes to where hopefully someone unbiased has compared both the "force & the velocity"

The phone call also revealed a $250 maximum repair cost if the motor-heating element (one component) goes out after warranty .... sounds reasonable.

mike

 

[waright]

i have installed a lot of WIOTA brand bay blowers. They are made by WIOTA enterprises in Wiota, IA. Simple design, bay boom, lighted dome for bay mount or no dome for attic mount, been around for quite a few years now. They have tons of air speed and a nozzle that can withstand the abuses of a car wash environment. I think they are available direct, thru dist., and maybe thru D&S.

 

[mjwalsh]

i have installed a lot of WIOTA brand bay blowers. They are made by WIOTA enterprises in Wiota, IA. Simple design, bay boom, lighted dome for bay mount or no dome for attic mount, been around for quite a few years now. They have tons of air speed and a nozzle that can withstand the abuses of a car wash environment. I think they are available direct, thru dist., and maybe thru D&S.

Waright & others,

I found this distributor that handles the Wiota. http://www.wiotadoor.com/index_files/page0003.htm

They refer to their 2 motors as 8.5 amp high powered turbine motors with some kind of a needed filter. I wonder if they are onto to a way to have enough air volume & force without going over the 20 amp threshold like most of the other brands. From the picture it appears like 1.5 inch hose instead of the usual recommended 2 inch.

Does the system have "off the shelf" motors that can be bought from a vacuum motor supplier? I kind of wonder if the "Y" that connects the 2 motors with one outlet is also "off the shelf" from the plumbing industry or whatever. It seems like some kind of strong glue might be required on some of the connections to keep the fittings from being blown off.

mike

 

[mjwalsh]

What about the CFM's. Im sure you could choke anything down and get more velocity.

Sparkey,

Have you had success by going by the cfm ratings of the motors?

It seems like cfms for these blow dryers would be easier to calculate than the suction for vacuum cleaners since with the vacuums there are a lot of variables such as seals filter bag surface etc.

I am sure if you routed the air upwards into a real high boom it could be a factor & the length of the 2" hose would be. I am not sure what the optimized nozzle opening should be for the maximum effect. It seems with the more total cfm from the motors the opening on the end of the cone could be larger & maybe still blow as far. The single motor that J.E. Adams is using is 128 cfm so two 88 cfm would add up to 176 cfm. Since I plan on using 220 volt anyway .... what if two of the 128 cfm motors were used by a manufacturer ... would that mean a different choice of opening on the cone would make more sense? Would it mean that the hose would fly around the bay as a problem if left laying on the bay floor unsecured? My existing 1987 blodry system relies on 3 non tangential motors which has meant cabinet seal variances ... the newer systems all have a better design but I am still in the dark about the velocity-cfm relationship. Hopefully, some of you guys with the newer systems have a better understanding & handle on the velocity-cfm & can share!

mike

 

[waright]

the filter is nothing more than a screen at the end of the motor housing. There is no "y" fitting, both motors are built into one motor housing. I think the motors are basically the same as a car wash vac's motors. either way, i know motors are easily obtained. Yes, the do use some adhesive hold the ends on the 1 1/2" hose.

They are regular exhibitors at the heartland show, and they have had a booth at the ica shows in the past. They should be in des moines for the show next month. You could see blowers in action in the des moines metro if you attended the show.

 

[waright]

I think you're blowing this whole velocity/cfm way out of proportion. They're just throwing numbers out there to help "sell the (wind) farm". Some companies sales tactics are full of hot air. I just stuck my wet finger in the air....... I sure wish you would stop sending that cold northwest breeze down here. I've had my fill of winter!