SS Bays' Rinse Has Some Soap In It?

[Carl]

Happy New Year, all!

I just closed down all six of my self-service bays because customers are complaining that their Rinse function has a bit of Soap in it so they can never fully rinse soap from their cars? I use a "recirculating weep system" where water from a pit is recirculated through my six bays' hoses to keep them from freezing and the interesting thing is, when the weep pump is off when I don't need to weep my hoses due to > 31 degrees temperatures outside, this problem doesn't happen and the Rinse function has NO SOAP AT ALL IN IT?

If anyone has any suggestions where I should begin to look to resolve this problem, that'd be great! Enjoy the rest of your New Year's Weekend! - Carl

 

[Tpoppa]

How is your soap setup to enter the system?

 

[Carl]

Okay Now?

TPoppa,

I've tried in each of my six self-service bays to replicate the problem and it's no longer doing it? A New Year's gift from the carwash gods? I'll take it!

Maybe a solenoid was just "sticking" open?

Thanks so much & Happy Washing!

- Carl

 

[JMMUSTANG]

Carl why don't you add some wax into your pit that recirculates your drip water.
This may negate the soap issue.

 

[Carl]

check valve could be the problem

JMMUSTANG - Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely try that. I think maybe there's a clogged check valve up in the attic trough where the weep hoses are so I am going to investigate this on Monday. I appreciate it!

 

[Twodose]

Here is some food for thought> years ago I had 4 SS washes, in one of the washes the people were complaining that during the rinse cycle there was soap coming out.

I checked it out and there was soap coming out, not just in one bay buy all 5 bays. Long story short, I replaced all the hoses in every bay, from the pump to the bay, and it stopped, the only thing I could figure out was that the old hose was starting to separate the rubber from the braided part of the hose, during the soap cycle it would permeate into the space between the braid and the rubber hose, and during the rinse cycle it would continue to come out until it was all purged out of the hose, then it would come out clean.

This wash also had a weep reclaim pit.

If you hp hoses have been in there a long time it may be time to change them, they don’t last forever.

 

[Carl]

Never Would Have Guessed It!

Twodose - I never would have guessed such was possible and probably would have looked everywhere else besides suspecting the hose being the culprit. Thanks for sharing this w/ me! The braided hoses are quite old. I appreciate it! - Carl

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I had the same problem but it was only in one bay.
I too had to replace the bay hose in that bay and the problem went away.
But I would think that if it only happens when the weep is on it should be a check valve problem.
Adding the wax to your pit won't solve the problem but it will buy you some time to find the problem.

 

[rph9168]

You would be better off adding a defoamer to the pit. Most chemical suppliers should have one. Adding some wax might create another problem.

 

[Waxman]

TPoppa,

I've tried in each of my six self-service bays to replicate the problem and it's no longer doing it? A New Year's gift from the carwash gods? I'll take it!

Maybe a solenoid was just "sticking" open?

Thanks so much & Happy Washing!

- Carl

I had the same problem and a new solenoid solved it.