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Strange article

T

Tom Thumb

Active member
Was reading the latest issue of PC&D mag. and saw story on (dirt on carwash chemistry) by John Lenhart, he was talking about Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and how they effect a car getting dirty and says in the article that the key to making cars easy to clean is to simulate the third day. Basically, "flash" the vehicle with ultraviolate light.
This is the first I have heard of this and was wondering if someone on here has more information it.
Sometime I read these articles and wonder where these people come from?
 
Know John Lenhart and have never found him to be a person who does not speak the truth. He is a very knowledgeable chemical man and has a good reputation in the industry.

If you want to know about the subject I would type the key words in www.google.com and you will find a wealth of information to verify or refute what he says.

Regards
Bud Abraham
 
I was surprised by the article also, but the ultraviolet light part made some sense. They use ultraviolet light to purify water, my dentist uses it to harden fillings, and I have bought replacement windows for my apartment buildings that are self-cleaning because of a coating --They self clean with the sun or ultraviolet light
 
Buda,
I was not too concerned about what the Internet thought more interested in what car wash owners and operators thought.
 
Lenhart is a chemical consultant who has developed products for P&G, Dow, Dial and Johnson Wax. He may be one of the most knowledgeable people who has written on carwash chemistry in the industry literature.

Consequently, many people have a high regard for his opinion.
 
The only application of ultraviolet light in the carwash process that I'm currently aware of is that it is used with some reclaim systems.

However, John's explanation about the reactivity of pollutants (gases and particulates) in the presence of sunlight is right on.

Let's assume the technique works. Is there a practical (effective, efficient and safe) way to dose vehicles with ultraviolet light in the carwash process?
 
IMO, lets assume that he is correct, but in some cases its not practical/possible to make it work in our environment. The Ultraviolet lights are just like a florescent bulb, and maybe you could make an arch of them. The issue would be how close to the car would they need to be to work.

In the early 70s I heard an engineer say that they had the equipment to measure a shot of gin in Lake Erie, but no equipment to do anything about it.
 
Robert,
Assuming this will work, I am surprised that someone in the car wash industry hasn't tried to develop a way to intregate into a wash system.
 
Etowah
Basically what he is talking about using highly scientific technical terms is more commonly referred to as road film which all chemical companies strive to remove as easily as possible. Some products do it better than others. What he is proposing regarding his “flash” theory is largely speculative on his part. I have heard him talk about this before years ago and wonder why after so many years he has yet to prove his point. He currently works for a company involved in making car wash chemicals. Maybe he should try to finally prove his “flash” cleaning theory before espousing it in a trade magazine.
 
I would be more concerned with what that amount of UV light would do to the people in the car.
 
Would seem like a relatively simple experiment. Tape a curtain lengthwise down the center of a car / 10 cars. Flash on side only with the UV (remove curtain) and then wash them with no soap, only water and see if there is any discernible difference.

Perhaps try again with nominal soap.
 
I can't believe without a coating ,or something in the soap that is light reactive,that UV will have any effect. I see people that never wash and the sun won't clean their cars. The suntan and blindness would bother some people also. My self cleaning windows on apt Bldg don't really seem any cleaner than than the normal ones.
 
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