Mobile Carpet Cleaners

[soapy]

With increased frequency I am catching carpet cleaning trucks pulling in and dumping their waste water in my SS bays. Most never buy anything just dump and drive away. When I catch them I jump in their face. They always say that the city told them to come to the carwashes to dump. This is not true since I have talked to the sewer department several times about this. The one I caught today showed me a article in one of their trade magazines that instructed these mobile carpet cleaners to dump at RV dumps or carwashes. I wonder why we should have to take this waste and pay to have it dealt with at our cost. They probably are told to dump at carwsahes so they won't get a EPA fine. Is anyone else having problems with this issue?
Do you think we should be subsidizing this industry? It is kind of like the people who fill our dumpsters all the time but at lest they are not profiting on our backs from this.

 

[under pressure]

Do you have any no dumping signs? Tell them its your car wsah and you make your own rules. They will probalaby just come at night and do it anyway,

 

[MEP001]

I've always stopped them, and several have told me that the company they bought the equipment from told them that they can just dump at a car wash. I tell them that it's not true, that it's theft of service, and the only place they can legally dump it is an RV waste facility where they have to pay. I don't want them dumping it because of the stink, the mess they sometimes leave and because you never know what they might have vacuumed up. I won't take the risk of there being something toxic in their waste water, especially if they aren't spending any money.

 

[mac]

Your only real recourse is a no dumping sign and cameras. Have the sign say there is a $100 fee/fine for dumping. Then enforce it. I have come to really detest carpet cleaning and lawn mowing people.

 

[Red Baron]

With increased frequency I am catching carpet cleaning trucks pulling in and dumping their waste water in my SS bays. Most never buy anything just dump and drive away. When I catch them I jump in their face. They always say that the city told them to come to the carwashes to dump. This is not true since I have talked to the sewer department several times about this. The one I caught today showed me a article in one of their trade magazines that instructed these mobile carpet cleaners to dump at RV dumps or carwashes. I wonder why we should have to take this waste and pay to have it dealt with at our cost. They probably are told to dump at carwsahes so they won't get a EPA fine. Is anyone else having problems with this issue?
Do you think we should be subsidizing this industry? It is kind of like the people who fill our dumpsters all the time but at lest they are not profiting on our backs from this.

Send them a bill and tell the carpet cleaning company owner that unless you can reach an agreement on dumping fee, you'll charge him with tresspassing in the future.

 

[MEP001]

I've already contacted the police, and they've told me all they can do is issue a criminal tresspass warrant against the driver, then if he shows up again he'll be arrested for tresspassing. Unless the police contact the driver on the property there's nothing they can do. You can, however, post a sign of a fee for anyone dumping anything in the pits, and that they will enforce if you show video proof.

 

[Randy]

We don?t see too many of the fly by night carpet cleaners around much anymore. It doesn?t take much for person to get into business so most of people who are in the carpet cleaning business are not the type of person I really want in my home. Over the years we?ve had run-ins with them also dumping there waste water at the car wash. The state actually told them one time it was OK to dump at the car wash. BS It?s not OK. We called the person who said it was OK and a course she denied it, got her supervisor on the phone and ripped him a new one. We?ve block there van?s in so they couldn?t leave, yelled at, called there supervisor. The best one was one time one of them came to dump his waste water tank he opened his sliding door and tossed out a 2? hose and opened the dump valve and went over to the changer. I walked by and saw the keys in the sliding door. Some how the keys fell on to the grate and slipped into pit. I got in my car and left. Never saw him again.

 

[Greg Pack]

I think I read years back one operator got his carpet cleaned a couple of times a year by working out a deal with a carpet cleaning company.

I wonder if offering this service for a price would get some money to you, or at least scare them off to other sites,

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I think I read years back one operator got his carpet cleaned a couple of times a year by working out a deal with a carpet cleaning company.

That was me.

 

[pitzerwm]

I'd catch them and make a deal, so much a month or I sue you for theft of services.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

Caught a guy emptying his cc fluid in the bay and told him to stop.
He said he does this all the time in any ss carwash he's near.
I told him that I sell time at this car wash and the final product is a clean car, so if he wants to continue doing this at my wash he better put money in the meter or get out and don't come back.
He put money in to finish and told me he would never use my wash again.
I said that was fine and have a great day.
The sob probably dumps his crap at my wash at night now.

 

[JustClean]

Caught a guy emptying his cc fluid in the bay and told him to stop.
He said he does this all the time in any ss carwash he's near.
I told him that I sell time at this car wash and the final product is a clean car, so if he wants to continue doing this at my wash he better put money in the meter or get out and don't come back.
He put money in to finish and told me he would never use my wash again.
I said that was fine and have a great day.
The sob probably dumps his crap at my wash at night now.

I wouldn't let anyone dump anything into our pits. That's where numberplate recognition software comes in handy.

 

[buda]

Carpet Cleaners Dumping Waste

Have never heard of carpet cleaners dumping their waste at a self service carwash, but that makes sense, for them in any case.

We have suggested to mobile detailers to "call" a self-service carwash owner and make some kind of a deal to dump their waste water in one of the bays. NEVER have we suggested to do it without permission.

That said you bring up a good point, that operators should put up signs in the bays indicating:

NO WASTE WATER DUMPING
WITHOUT PERMISSSION
Call - 000-000-0000

This presents a good opportunity to make some extra money. Why not send out a mailing to all the carpet cleaning companies in your city and invite them to call you to discuss a program where they can dump their affluent at your wash for a certain price. You could also send a letter to mobile detailers too.

You might present this idea to carpet cleaners on their chat forum: Cleanfax.com

Let us know how it goes.

Regards
Bud Abraham

With increased frequency I am catching carpet cleaning trucks pulling in and dumping their waste water in my SS bays. Most never buy anything just dump and drive away. When I catch them I jump in their face. They always say that the city told them to come to the carwashes to dump. This is not true since I have talked to the sewer department several times about this. The one I caught today showed me a article in one of their trade magazines that instructed these mobile carpet cleaners to dump at RV dumps or carwashes. I wonder why we should have to take this waste and pay to have it dealt with at our cost. They probably are told to dump at carwsahes so they won't get a EPA fine. Is anyone else having problems with this issue?
Do you think we should be subsidizing this industry? It is kind of like the people who fill our dumpsters all the time but at lest they are not profiting on our backs from this.

 

[JustClean]

This presents a good opportunity to make some extra money. Why not send out a mailing to all the carpet cleaning companies in your city and invite them to call you to discuss a program where they can dump their affluent at your wash for a certain price. You could also send a letter to mobile detailers too.

I still don't think that this is a good idea. It starts with waste water from the carpet cleaner and ends up with oil, sewerage or God knows what from other companies. In the end you are left with whatever someone decides to put into your pits. No way!

We had a mobile home coming in once and dumping his toilet. Great! He spent a dollar and I spent $150 getting it pumped out because it smelled horrible. Then another guy wanted to do an oil change in our bay before I kicked him out and that was shortly after some other guy wanted to clean out his car and dump his yellow paint. I still have yellow paint on my concrete.

If I was interested in going into the waste business I would have done it differently but this is a carwash - nothing else!

 

[MEP001]

If I was interested in going into the waste business I would have done it differently but this is a carwash - nothing else!

Agreed, and even the carpet cleaners' waste can stink. Besides, I'm pretty sure any "business opportunity" that involves permissive dumping without some sort of regulation or licencing could potentially cause a liability issue on your part.

 

[buda]

The point of the original post was, "they are doing it anyway."

So this was a suggestion to make "lemonade out of the lemons you have been dealt."

You can control what is dumped when you give permission. Those who don't get your permission are going to dump anyway.

I would contact an attorney about your remedy if they violate your private property, I am sure there is some compensation.

In Oregon, the Oregon Revised Statutes provide remedy to a shop owner who catches someone shoplifting. I think it is like $250 or $500, if you catch them.

It would seem that if you caught someone dumping waste in your drains there might be some financial remedy.

At the least you could take the company to Small Claims Court for damages and you would win a judgement against them.

However, I still believe you could prevent a lot of the dumping by putting up a sign indicating there are cameras on the site and that violators will be sued, or whatever the wording. As well, inviting the legitimate businesses to work with you.

I am sure that many consumers are dumping their waste oil in your drains that you are not even aware of. I would certain put up signs stating that they are not allowed to dump anything down your drains.

Just some well intentioned thoughts are the matter for consideration.

Agreed, and even the carpet cleaners' waste can stink. Besides, I'm pretty sure any "business opportunity" that involves permissive dumping without some sort of regulation or licencing could potentially cause a liability issue on your part.

 

[Greg Pack]

The strip mall lawyer in me thinks that if you had sign somewhere on the property that said "carpet cleaning company discharge $5/gal-call xxx-xxxx to arrange billing" or something similar it would be public notice that dumping is not free. Therefore, if they sneak in and do it you'd have a pretty strong case for theft of services.

But if I could make a couple extra hundred a month providing this service to a company, I'd probably do it. I wouldn't be too concerned about effluent from residential carpet cleaners

 

[MEP001]

The point of the original post was, "they are doing it anyway."

My point is, I don't want them dumping with or without my permission. How many are going to see a sign on the wall that says to call for permission and actually make that call? If there's a fee involved for allowed dumping, how many are going to volunteer to pay it when they can just come in and dump it anyway?

You can control what is dumped when you give permission.

How? What if someone spills a gallon of a highly toxic pesticide on their carpet and calls a carpet cleaning company without telling them it's there? Where does the liability fall if the city traces something toxic back to your wash and finds that you gave permission to the person who dumped it in your drain? Would you expect me to police every carpet van to whom I give permission, have them sign a liability clause and take a sample of each load dumped?

I would contact an attorney about your remedy if they violate your private property, I am sure there is some compensation.

I don't care about compensation. I'm primarily concerned with two things: liability and the smell. The stink of dirty carpet water might offend customers who may never return. What is the long-term compensation for that? I've had customers complain of the stink from the pit-pumping truck which is an inevitable part of operating the business, even demand that we have that done late at night when no one else is there.

 

[MEP001]

I am sure that many consumers are dumping their waste oil in your drains that you are not even aware of. I would certain put up signs stating that they are not allowed to dump anything down your drains.

First, you would be mistaken. I see and remove oil from the pits right away, and I can spot the vehicle responsible on surveilance video. Second, most of us know that signs don't work. They serve mainly as something to point to when some ignorant slob asks why he can't dump his oil. Third, where would it end if I put up a sign for everything that a customer might do that's illegal or not wanted on the property? It would be very off-putting for customers to pull in and see many "no this" and "no that" signs everywhere.

 

[Washmechanic]

I agree completely. I drove by a wash in my region and couldn't believe all the signs all over the property, nine out of ten stating "you can't do this or that". I was amazed. After the wash sold, the first thing that the new owner did, was take down the signs and the place felt and looked completely different. Don't get me wrong, We have all the problems that others have, and no one reads the signs. But too much negative will drive customers off.