Pit-y the fool

[Bricks]

I would start by calling septic tank pumpers. Most won't clean car wash pits but you might find one or two that will. Ask specifically where they take the waste. Make sure you are sitting down when they tell you the price.

What do most people do then? I can shovel it out by hand and use a dump trailer, I just need to make sure I’m following the rules.

 

[OurTown]

What do most people do then? I can shovel it out by hand and use a dump trailer, I just need to make sure I’m following the rules.

We found a company that is only $350/pit and are out of Cincinnati but I don't think he would go all the way out to you. I could not imagine trying to shovel out our (almost) 5' deep 1,200 gallon pits by hand. Also ours have a lid on them with only a 3' X 4' opening so they need to be pumped if we want them actually emptied. The guy uses a pressure washer to break up the solids so it can be vacuumed up. I'm not exactly sure on the rules in Ohio but from what I gather they are not super restrictive like some other states.

 

[Bricks]

We found a company that is only $350/pit and are out of Cincinnati but I don't think he would go all the way out to you. I could not imagine trying to shovel out our (almost) 5' deep 1,200 gallon pits by hand. Also ours have a lid on them with only a 3' X 4' opening so they need to be pumped if we want them actually emptied. The guy uses a pressure washer to break up the solids so it can be vacuumed up. I'm not exactly sure on the rules in Ohio but from what I gather they are not super restrictive like some other states.

Thank you! The owner mentioned 700 to pump them out and 1300 for waste management to take it. That just seems crazy.

 

[OurTown]

Thank you! The owner mentioned 700 to pump them out and 1300 for waste management to take it. That just seems crazy.

How many bays is that for?

 

[Bricks]

How many bays is that for?

2 SS bays. I don’t know about the touch less bay.

 

[OurTown]

2 SS bays. I don’t know about the touch less bay.

$1,000/ bay seems pretty steep to me but I did get a price quote similar to that. I would call around.

 

[Bricks]

$1,000/ bay seems pretty steep to me but I did get a price quote similar to that. I would call around.

People drive side by sides covered in mud into the ss bays. I believe it’s $1.50 for 3-4 minutes. I’m going to jump the price up to compensate for this. I don’t quite own it yet though.

 

[MEP001]

What do most people do then? I can shovel it out by hand and use a dump trailer, I just need to make sure I’m following the rules.

If you want to dig them out yourself, the "rules" are that you must let it dry where any water can run off into the sewer, then the dry dirt can go into the dumpster and along to the landfill, and it's no longer considered hazardous waste. If it's still wet, you can't haul it without the proper permits, and it's a massive fine if caught.

 

[soapy]

EPA has ruled that it is not hazardous when dried. They use a paint filter test. If it were me starting out I would get a Handiclam, which is a clam shell shovel that makes digging pits much easier. I would just do a few scoops each day and keep the pits managalbe. You can put the wet dirt on your own property to dry out. If you own a patch of land close you can just put the dirt on your own property and leave it there and be in compliance. I would check with your individual state for their input. You should get a pit tested first for hazardous materials which almost always comes up negative. Then once you have the test and you are not changing your operation you can use that test in the future according to the EPA.

 

[Bricks]

If you want to dig them out yourself, the "rules" are that you must let it dry where any water can run off into the sewer, then the dry dirt can go into the dumpster and along to the landfill, and it's no longer considered hazardous waste. If it's still wet, you can't haul it without the proper permits, and it's a massive fine if caught.

Thank you very much. I don’t know I could let the water go into the sewer. Hmm. I may just have to pay...I have a huge payment and just need to save as much as possible.

 

[Bricks]

EPA has ruled that it is not hazardous when dried. They use a paint filter test. If it were me starting out I would get a Handiclam, which is a clam shell shovel that makes digging pits much easier. I would just do a few scoops each day and keep the pits managalbe. You can put the wet dirt on your own property to dry out. If you own a patch of land close you can just put the dirt on your own property and leave it there and be in compliance. I would check with your individual state for their input. You should get a pit tested first for hazardous materials which almost always comes up negative. Then once you have the test and you are not changing your operation you can use that test in the future according to the EPA.

Thank you. I live about ten minutes away from the wash. It would be great if I could legally haul it there and allow it to dry!

 

[Bricks]

If you want to dig them out yourself, the "rules" are that you must let it dry where any water can run off into the sewer, then the dry dirt can go into the dumpster and along to the landfill, and it's no longer considered hazardous waste. If it's still wet, you can't haul it without the proper permits, and it's a massive fine if caught.

I wonder if I could let it air dry in a dump trailer parked in a storage unit bay, that was part of the car wash deal?

 

[mac]

In many ways this business is like any other. Work smart and hard, keep the place very clean, take a hard look at curb appeal, and don’t compete with pricing. Do it with quality. Learning how to keep all the machinery and chemicals will be your biggest challenge.

 

[MEP001]

Thank you very much. I don’t know I could let the water go into the sewer. Hmm. I may just have to pay...I have a huge payment and just need to save as much as possible.

I just leave it on the bay floor, it takes 3 to 5 days to dry, then I shovel it into the dumpster.

 

[Bricks]

In many ways this business is like any other. Work smart and hard, keep the place very clean, take a hard look at curb appeal, and don’t compete with pricing. Do it with quality. Learning how to keep all the machinery and chemicals will be your biggest challenge.

I ran it for a week while the owner was In Arizona. I learned quite a bit. I changed a weep solenoid, fixed a coin acceptor? That someone put dimes and pennies in, a hydraulic line on the touchless. I was checking over things one morning and the cashier at the auto read” car wash closed “!
Naturally I panicked. Called the tech and after about an hour we realized the pLC wasn’t communicating with the cashier. Two and a half days later, they fixed it. Four days later when the owner returned, he called me and said it was down again. So I took my meter out and found the 24v dc transformer was bad on one side...so I moved the wires over to the other side. One wire wasn’t tight at all so I figured it was causing all the problems. Sorry for the long reply.

 

[Bricks]

I just leave it on the bay floor, it takes 3 to 5 days to dry, then I shovel it into the dumpster.

I just leave it on the bay floor, it takes 3 to 5 days to dry, then I shovel it into the dumpster.

So it doesn’t need to be tested? Are you in Ohio as well?

 

[MEP001]

Texas, and I go by a letter from the EPA I read some time ago. It doesn't need to be tested if you let it dry where the liquid can drain safely.

 

[Bricks]

Texas, and I go by a letter from the EPA I read some time ago. It doesn't need to be tested if you let it dry where the liquid can drain safely.

Thank you! That’s good to know

 

[JMMUSTANG]

Along time ago I had a retired guy that took empty 5 gal. chemical buckets and drilled several hole in the bottom and sides of the buckets. He hooked a couple of ropes around the handle and connected them in one corner of the grates.
He would wash everything into the corner bucket. Every 2-3 days he pulled them out and replace them with another set.
He would let the buckets he had pulled out to drain out into the bay drain.
He would then put them behind the dumpster for a couple of days to dry out and then dump them into the garbage container.
It really helped prolong getting the pit’s cleaned out.

 

[Bricks]

Along time ago I had a retired guy that took empty 5 gal. chemical buckets and drilled several hole in the bottom and sides of the buckets. He hooked a couple of ropes around the handle and connected them in one corner of the grates.
He would wash everything into the corner bucket. Every 2-3 days he pulled them out and replace them with another set.
He would let the buckets he had pulled out to drain out into the bay drain.
He would then put them behind the dumpster for a couple of days to dry out and then dump them into the garbage container.
It really helped prolong getting the pit’s cleaned out.

That’s a pretty cool idea! Thanks!