New Operator Issues

[calcar]

1. Chemical cost per car. Is there an average target? I have a softgloss and a Radius. I marked all the barrels at the first of the month and am going to do the math this week.

2. Pumping out pits. How often should this be done? A U.S. Filter rep suggested every 3 months. He quoted 1500.00 to pump out 2 autos and 3 selfserves. I have been open 10 months and have not done anything. They do not stink anymore than they did afetr the first month. The cars are still coming out clean. The pit in the touchfree is foaming up since I switched to Simoniz presoaks and tf waxes (switched from Ryko). 6000.00 a year is a chunk of change especially in this economic climate.

 

[Jimmy Buffett]

Well you pump them when they are full, not when that guy has a car payment! You might want to reexamine some of the other things they told you as well.

 

[MEP001]

Our pit pumpers tried to feed us some BS reason for pumping them more often than when they were full, but I forget what it was. The guy who actually pumped them admitted that they say that simply because it's easier to pump the mud out if it hasn't sat and compacted for years.

As far as pit smell, I wrap wire around a chlorine tablet and hang it from the grate so it's a few inches below the water line. It takes at least a month to dissolve. I usually have to do it just once right after the pits are emptied, then once they start to fill there's less water to stagnate and the odor isn't a problem.

 

[soapy]

Your Soft gloss should run you around .05 to .10 cents per wash for the foaming detergent per car. A general guideline for you Radius would be about 35 to 50 cents per pass of presoak each. In answering your other post it might be a good idea to try some other chemicals if your distributor is not keeping up with your needs. Rather than set your cleaning up by a cents per car basis a good chemical supplier will come in and titrate your chemicals and know where their chemicals perform best. Then they should a complete test using graduated measuring devises to see exactly how much presoak it will per car. WIth the flow meters that Ryko uses you should be able to consistantly match the desired presoak needed to clean cars. DOn't be afraid to try different brands of chemicals until you find one that cleans the best for your area. I have found that in general a chemical only supplier is a little better for the carwash operator vs. a equipment/chemical supplier.
Pits will vary in size and the area of the country as to how often they should be pumped. I would manually check each pit to see how much mud you have in them. THe pits closest to the change machine will fill up first. Also check your local ordinances for how it should be handled. Many areas of the country let you dump dried pit dirt directly into the garbage dumpsters while others make you have it hauled by licensed haulers.

 

[Ben's Car Wash]

As far as the pits are concerned, Soapy is correct. The closet pit to the changer and the one with the straightest shot in the drive fill up first. I manually dig mine (since tunnel operators are use to digging long pits and trenches) every few months when they need it. I put it on a landscaping trailer I own and let it dry, the shovel it off either into the dumpster or onto some land I own. I grow nice green grass... but with beer tabs and plastic straws!