SS bays weep adjustment

[slash007]

I had set my HP hoses to weep at 16-18oz./min. After running 2 weeks straight because of the cold spell, I checked and many were over 36oz./min.! I adjusted all the bays down again, but it seems like they are back up again. I am guessing that the pump vibration is making the ball valves move slightly. I currently have 1/4" ball valves mounted on top of a check valve at each pump, but need to do something different. I tried needle valves, but those keep getting clogged and give me constant freezeups. What else can I do to regulate the water? At my other wash, I have the same setup but the ball valves are opened up to 100% and are at 16-18oz./min, so no adjustment needed. Both are JC pump stands. My water bill just came in at $950 higher for only SS bays and no Autos at this site, so it's all from the weep.

Thanks.

 

[wash4me]

I have not done it but I think a water pressure regulator for the weep lines would work well. You could open all the weep valves all the way and then turn down the pressure until the slowest running (furthest) bay was 16-18 oz and then choose whether to dial it in more with needle valves or just let it go.

 

[2Biz]

The ball valves are the culprit...They are not designed to be used for regulating flow...I think I posted pics of the weep system I designed for my 4 bay. It uses needle valves to regulate flow. I think I installed it 4 years ago and haven't touched the needle valves since. The top ball valves are used to turn weep off for each bay and the bottom ball valves are used to blowdown each bay and inject washer fluid when I want to shut bays down. One of the vertical tubes on the left is air, the other is washer fluid attached to the flojet that I use to winterize FB and Foam Gun...1/4" poly tubing attaches to the tee fitting in the middle and attaches to each HP hose off the pump.

It doesn't make sense why you have freezeups using needle valves...Do you have an inline filter on the water line feeding the weep? If not, might be all you need to make it work with Needle valves.

 

[slash007]

Before I put in my JC pump stand, I tried needle valves on 3-4 bays and kept getting random freezups. When it would thaw out, it wouldn't weep until I touched the needle valve. On this pump stand, I had the ball valves on 5 bays and a needle valve on the 6th. It froze last week and again wouldn't weep until I slightly adjusted the needle valve. I changed it right away. I do have a pressure regulator that is on the same line as the weep, but it also sends rinse water to the bays. Same setup as my other wash where the ball valves are wide open and it's a good amount of flow. I'm not sure what it's set at as I bought the stand used, but the tag says factory set at 30PSI and adjustable from 10-35 PSI. If I lower the regulator, what affect will that have on the HP rinse for the bays? Otherwise, I am going to go ahead and move the valves off of the pumps and onto the manifold where the weep lines come in. Adding a filter is probably a great idea as well. Any particular filter I should use? It's a 1/2" line going to the solenoid and I think 3/8" or 1/4" coming out.

 

[2Biz]

I think the issue is your are mixing needle valves with ball valves. You need to stick with all needle valves. Water will flow easier through the ball valve with less resistance which can change the flow to the others. Especially if the vibration of the pump opens a ball valve more than when it was set...It will lower pressure to the other valves, hence your freeze ups.

My strainer is a 1/2" inlet and 1/2" outlet. You don't want to choke it down before it gets to the valves...Look at my setup. I have 1/2" fittings that go all the way across the top that feeds each bay....Each bay see's the same incoming pressure and available volume...My needle valves are 1/4"...

 

[Randy]

My weep water connects to the main water feed just after the backflow preventer. I use a ½” Normally ASCO solenoid valve, off of the solenoid valve there is a ½” pipe that runs in back of the wash equipment with ¼” outlets to each pump. On the wash equipment there is a ¼” needle valve and check valve that connects to the high pressure line just after the pump. The incoming water pressure is about 50 psi. from the street, by reducing the water pressure your also cutting down the volume. I would remove the ball valves, pressure reducing valve from the weep water system and install ¼” needle valves.

 

[slash007]

Randy, I have the same setup as you except for the needle valves and a separate line for weep. I do have a separate line for hot water in case I want to weep hot at some point. At my other wash I ran a separate line for the weep as I was troubleshooting low water volume. It didn't make a difference, but having a separate line is probably a good idea. I guess once I run a separate line, is it a good idea to put the needle valves where they are now, or place them near the incoming weep line on the T?

 

[2Biz]

You still running weep shutoff solenoids for PS? If you are, maybe another problem area?

 

[Earl Weiss]

Just a suggestion. I use needle valve as well but perhaps a "Gate" valve might work without clogging. Once you get it where you want it use a zip tie thru the knob to keep it where you want it so vibrations don't affect it.

 

[slash007]

You still running weep shutoff solenoids for PS? If you are, maybe another problem area?

I don't have any weep shutoff solenoids for PS or anything else. Is there any downside to just moving the needle valves to the bottom of the pump stand by the incoming weep line and off of the pumps?

 

[2Biz]

No downside....look at how I have mine set up. It's mounted to the left side of the pumpstand. A single feed line does all 4 bays. My feed line comes off the main and pressure is not affected by the pumpstand. It's super easy to set up this way. 95% of the work is done before the installation.

 

[slash007]

For a strainer, I'm guessing you have this; https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-14879-12-inline-strainer-40-mesh-wviton-gasket.aspx

Can this be oriented with the basket facing up? I just looked at my setup and I have everything planned out, but if this strainer needs to be face down like pictured, I might have to make some adjustments.

 

[2Biz]

I use this one...Its 50 mesh...Don't know if its that much different than the one you linked to. I would think either would work fine. I know mine does!

https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-112-smc-clearbowl-inline-strainer-12-f-x-f-50-mesh.aspx

I believe the bowl has to face down just like I have it on my setup. Any dirt in the bowl needs to sink to the bottom. It also makes it easier to see when it needs cleaned.

 

[slash007]

I wondered because they are facing up in all of my shampoo vacs. Maybe they are in wrong?

 

[2Biz]

Another issue with the bowl facing up, when you take it off to clean, all the water will spill out all over everything. At least when you take it off when the bowl is down, it holds all the water! LOL...I've never seen one installed with the bowl facing up...

If you haven't had any issues with your shampoo vacs, maybe its acceptable?

 

[slash007]

Does make sense regarding cleaning them out. I'm just wondering if functionality wise they still do the same job facing up. All 6 of my vacs have them that way, so I hope so. I'll try to install it facing down if I have the room as it's going on the bottom of the pump stand. I already had a line from the main feeding the brush and TF weep, so I'll t off of that. Next project I do really need to get a blow down system as weep just costs too much when it's this cold for so long.

 

[2Biz]

I don't know how you afford weeping the HP hoses, FB, and TF gun! 2 years ago our sewer tripled and our water rates just increased 25%....I pay $18 a thousand for both water and sewage! I can weep 750-800 gallons a day through 4 bay guns...Couldn't imagine adding 8 more hoses to that mix. I had 2 bays shut down for week during this cold snap...Just 2 HP hoses shut down for a week saved about $60 bucks...I never seen any more than one car in line for the 2 open bays. But most of those days temps didn't get above 15°....Been a cold winter here so far.

Yea, its easy to make a semi automated blowdown washer fluid injection system like I did for the bay guns. Takes me just a few minutes to shut down. I just leave WF in the hose without doing a final blowout. Makes opening back up much less problematic. Before when I blew out the WF, the tips would always plug. Now with leaving WF in the hose, I've never had a plugged tip when opening back up...Food for thought...

 

[Earl Weiss]

I wondered because they are facing up in all of my shampoo vacs. Maybe they are in wrong?

For filtering it makes no difference. I forget which way it goes but water enters outside the screen and exits inside. The shampoo vacs don't really fit any other way than up but having it down results in less spillage when you take it off for cleaning.

 

[slash007]

Thanks for clarifying. Where I want to install it, spillage is not a big deal and facing up would make it much easier.

2biz, I actually have 6 bays, so 18 things weeping. This is the first year like that though as last year I used winter concentrate for TF and had it set to about 20 degrees, then used weep when it went below. For FB, I used the winter stuff as well, but it was too annoying and stressful to keep changing the tip based on the weather. I could have set it to be good until 5 degrees, but when most of the winter it is much warmer, it is such a waste to go through 10x more chemical then I needed. Changing the tip was also annoying as each time I would have to empty the holding tank and then turn on each bay for a few moments to ensure that the updated chemical was in the lines. Even then the temp would drop way below the forecast and it would freeze sometimes, so I decided to just weep this year.

 

[2Biz]

To add - Even thought the strainers may work in either orientation, if you mount the bowl facing up, all the crud will stay at the base (or white part) and will make it a lot more difficult to clean...Actually how would you clean it???? FWIW...I'd figure a way to mount it correctly with the bowl facing down...It can go anywhere in the incoming water supply hose to the solenoid.

I used to use methanol soap too...Like you that was too painful switching back and forth or just leaving it hooked up on the warm days and wasting it...I don't know how many 55 gallon drums I went through??? With the way the weather has been this winter, what a roller coaster ride! I invested a lot of time learning/designing/installing my current blowout washer fluid system for FB and TF. I've never regretted that move!