Offset/Z-Boom options

[OurTown]

We are going with 360 degree ceiling mount offset booms and looking at all options. This is what I have found so far for 6 booms:

Etowah Valley Pro with swivel and hose is about $5,600 plus freight. I remember being pretty impressed by these at the 2019 car wash show in Nashville. (I could swear they were only $400 each then) My distributor works on a lot of different booms and really likes these the best. He can get them for me for less but the $5,600 is me calling direct. They are made to order and about a 2 week turnaround which is fine for us.

Mosmatic 5' 1" from Car Wash Super Store is $3,784, in stock and no extra cost to ship because we are a club member. My distributor worked on one of these and said they were awful to work on but it seems to me it would be a long time before they would need a major overhaul.

Zierden 206 with the aluminum arms are about $2,911 but are made to order as it does not look like anyone stocks these. Our Zierden straight booms have been good to us over the years after upgrading the cartridge. The only big thing that I could say bad about them is that they are plated steel so they rust. Correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like we could convert ours to the offset style for about $250 or so each with the arm aand holder, then buy three new complete 206s. (would have to paint the old ones to cover up rust) The old type of Zierden offset booms appeared to be the same 1" EMT conduit ours have but just bent into an offset. It seems like we could do that I guess to save some money. Maybe then buy three new standard bodies with out the arms and do the same? This would only be about $1,000 or so.

Been looking off and on for several years for used ones without much luck. What else is out there and what is everyone's experience with the above brands?

 

[8th Street Car Wash]

Our Mosmatic z booms are a pain in the butt to replace the 90 degree swivel on, and it seems you have to use their proprietary swivels. (Maybe somebody on here has found a better option). We end up having to replace said swivels about every 6 months. Great looking booms though!

 

[OurTown]

Our Mosmatic z booms are a pain in the butt to replace the 90 degree swivel on, and it seems you have to use their proprietary swivels. (Maybe somebody on here has found a better option). We end up having to replace said swivels about every 6 months. Great looking booms though!

Wow. 6 months? Is this a crazy busy car wash?

 

[OurTown]

Is this the replacement swivel?

https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-15...oom-swivel-0-375-in-nptf-x-nptm-2200-psi.aspx

 

[8th Street Car Wash]

@OurTown Yes that is the replacement swivel. We ARE a busy wash, but these swivels also tend to start leaking on low pressure functions pretty quickly, and are expensive. Like clockwork as soon as one of the swivels starts leaking in one bay, within 2 weeks the swivel will start leaking in the other bay.

 

[OurTown]

I just heard back from my equipment distributor and he can get us the Etowah Valley booms for a really good price. Unless someone can talk me out of them soon we will just get those. Still pricey but could be the old saying "buy once, cry once".

 

[Eric H]

I have the mosmatic and the Zierdan booms. The mosmatic are great and the swivels last 2-3 years in my experience. However, the booms are extremely expensive as are the swivels.
My Zierdan booms were reasonably priced. I did paint mine with a silver/grey hammered paint when I did the last remodel. I didn’t do any prep work except to wipe the cobwebs off. They still look great after 5 years. The swivel is 2 orings that cost less than $4 total.
The thing I like best about the Zierdan booms is that in the rare instance that I have a freeze up I remove the entire boom and put it in the equipment room to thaw. When I have a freeze with the Mosmatic booms it is an absolute nightmare. Pulling a frozen hose out of the offset is near impossible with the foam insulation that comes with the booms. After the first freeze the insulation goes into the trash. Then, reinstalling the hose is usually a 2 person job because of the spring that holds the hose at the end of the boom. I can’t think of much I can say to convince you that the mosmatic is a good choice. Customer service from the has been great the few times I needed to call, so there is that.
I do have a direct number for Penny who owns Zierdan, if she is still the owner. It’s been a few years since I had to call.
As far as Etowah Valley…I haven’t seen the booms but everything Jim makes is high quality and reasonably prion my experience.

 

[OurTown]

Etowah Valley booms have been ordered.

 

[cantbreak80]

OurTown,

I have no experience with Etowah’s booms, but…If you change your mind about Z-booms...

We installed a few Z-booms for a multi-site operator back in the 90s…at exceptionally busy locations. After several months we began provided many replacement swivels.

After 3 years, the operator decided to abandon them. We replaced them with Maxi-Flex 360s and converted foam brush to Dralco’s 180 wall-mounts.

When the Maxi-Flex original $35.00 SW-504A-HPL swivel fails, we replace them with an $18 Fluid Controls SW-504A swivel (with a StEll and a “non-working” swivel adaptor). They last at least 1-2 years on the busiest bays and take about 5 minutes to replace. We recommend the SW-504A for gun and hose swivels so spare parts inventory is one part number.

We’ve probably installed a couple hundred Maxi-Flex booms over the years. They’re our Go-To.



Maxi-Flex Pros:

The boom hose is exposed. In the event of a freeze-up they thaw quickly with little effort. Try that with a hose inside a hose-in-pipe-style boom.

The base is the same foot-print/bolt pattern as a Zierdan making those conversions super simple.

Kids using boom hoses as jungle gym swings end up on their butts because the boom rod flexes significantly.

Assemblies and replacement parts are available from KleenRite.



Maxi-Flex Cons:

Manufacturer won’t sell direct.

Occasionally slow production/ship times.


Oh...too late!

 

[OurTown]

 

[OurTown]

 

[OurTown]

 

[OurTown]

 

[OurTown]

 

[OurTown]

 

[OurTown]

These are the Etowah Valley Pro booms with the bearings instead of bushings. They look really well built but I was expecting them to have some type of brushed or polished finish.

 

[OurTown]

I had my contractor put up a 55" long 2 X 12 in each bay under the trusses before the ceilings went in for mounting the booms. As luck would have it two of the boom flange bolts will land right in line with a truss preventing through bolting. I'm thinking of using some lag screws for those two only or I could shift the pair of booms to the side 2 or so inches. Thoughts on lags?

 

[HeyVern]

I had my contractor put up a 55" long 2 X 12 in each bay under the trusses before the ceilings went in for mounting the booms. As luck would have it two of the boom flange bolts will land right in line with a truss preventing through bolting. I'm thinking of using some lag screws for those two only or I could shift the pair of booms to the side 2 or so inches. Thoughts on lags?

I'd shift them over a bit, very few will ever notice they're not centered. I don't trust lags with the quality of lumber these days.

 

[OurTown]

I mounted these 36" apart and put two washers under the flange in one corner and one in the other to make them fall to the wand holster. The booms hit the swivel of the opposite boom. Terrible design. They could have bent the "Z" part much closer to the hub and would have cleared no problem. Even without the washers, they will hit. You guys that have Etowah Valley offset booms, how far apart are yours?

 

[OurTown]

Etowah Valley did not offer any help on the subject other than what I already knew. They said they fit into a jig for welding so there is no way they could be made wrong. I guess they just offer the wrong advice on the install.