Weep adjustment driving us crazy

[MEP001]

If you regulate the weep pressure down to 15/25 PSI, you won't need the individual NO solenoids for each bay. copperglobe is right, they shut off the weep when the bay is running to prevent it from diluting the low-pressure functions.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Had issue with crud in NO weep Solenoids causing them to leak . I typically use mesh strainers but decided to try a whole hose water filter which will catch finer articles. Having a Home Depot across the lot makes me try these things. I will see what happens.

 

[2Biz]

You might want to think it through before using a regulator to minimize pressure to the weep system. IF the problem is check valves sticking, less pressure might only make it worse. Your head spinning yet?!?!

Here is a good thread about weep flow and how to design new weep systems...

http://www.autocareforum.com/showthread.php?15212-SS-bays-weep-adjustment&highlight=weep


You might consider putting PS on a separate foam gun. You can get rid of the weep shutoff solenoids when PS is selected and simplify the whole system. If you look at the pictures below of what I designed, you might get some ideas on how to simplify your system and incorporate a blowdown and winterizing system when you want to close bays down during extreme cold. Even though I still keep 2 bays open even in the most extreme cold, I like the idea of shutting 2 bays down to save weep water. It now takes me just a few minutes to do it.

I think all you need to do is put the right needle valves in, put in an inline strainer, and change out all the weep cv's….My gut feeling is worn out cv's as being most of the culprit. I installed my new weep system 3-4 years ago. I have never touched the needle valves since.

BTW, the weep lines tee in between the ball valves. Air and Washer Fluid are injected from below....The ball valves are used to make it easy to winterize and shut bays down during extreme cold.

 

[Roz]

I have read the Weepmizer 1000 manual and the various threads here, how do you set the flow volume on the Weepmizer? I see all the preprogrammed settings (the % of time etc based on temp) but do not see any way to vary the flow rate. Guessing that we should not be playing with that number? Cannot find the flow rate anywhere (guessing it is about 3.2GPM based on the tip number).

Also, I met someone who mixes 1 gal washer fluid (cost $1.79) with their 15 gal HP soap container claiming that it helps to reduce the risk of freezing (basically their own version of a winter blend). They only offer HP Rinse, HP Soap, and FB at their wash. Cannot see how this would prevent freezing since most customers use the HP Rinse as their last function.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

The weep mixer is an electrical device that turns things on and off. It has nothing to do with any flow rates.

Mixing a gallon of washer fluid in a 15 gallon pail of soap will help about as much as peeing in the ocean helps drown someone.

 

[Roz]

I saw some message about setting weepmizer flow which did not jibe with the manual.

 

[2Biz]

The only things you can change on a weepmizer is the temperature it activates flow and percentage of on time per minute. There may be more settings that can be changed, but those are the primary ones.

 

[OurTown]

I titrated our presoak at the bay with the weeps on and the weep blocking solenoid wires disconnected and it was only one drop more diluted. It kind of confirms what most say about if needed or not. Has anyone else checked their presoak at the bay with weeps on?

 

[2Biz]

I never Titrated PS like you did. It was a mute point when I moved it to a foam gun...But I can tell you, I've stripped more than (1) 5 gallon bucket of plumbing off my pump stand and it works better than it ever did! The way they did things years ago had me scratching my head!

If 1 drop is all the difference it makes, take the weep shutoff solenoids out. No one will ever know except you. Another failure point taken out of the loop!

 

[OurTown]

I never Titrated PS like you did. It was a mute point when I moved it to a foam gun...But I can tell you, I've stripped more than (1) 5 gallon bucket of plumbing off my pump stand and it works better than it ever did! The way they did things years ago had me scratching my head!

If 1 drop is all the difference it makes, take the weep shutoff solenoids out. No one will ever know except you. Another failure point taken out of the loop!

Consider them gone although I would think that if they failed then they might just stay open causing no trouble. We are planning on putting the presoak and tire cleaner on a foam gun later. I ordered the needle valves like you use and a mesh strainer. I'm still on the fence about a regulator. It seems like it would allow a better adjustment of the needle valve. How far open are your needle valves? The ones we are replacing are almost fully closed and I would say that if opened to 1/8 of a turn would put out double the water. At least the new ones have a packing nut on the stem so it should stay wherever they are set. Our current ones go crazy when tightening the set screw.

 

[MEP001]

There are three reasons why I use a regulator. One is as I mentioned, so you don't have to barely crack the valve for a small amount of flow, if the pressure is lower you have more accuracy without the valve being so sensitive. Two is so it won't dilute the low-pressure functions. Three is for the jackasses that like to weep wash. I tried once to use the main weep valve to throttle back the pressure, but then some idiot who was using the weep and foam brush to clean his car for free caused the rest of the bays to lose flow, then the longest bay runs froze. With a regulator inline the pressure won't drop on the other bays when one trigger is pulled.

 

[2Biz]

Consider them gone although I would think that if they failed then they might just stay open causing no trouble. We are planning on putting the presoak and tire cleaner on a foam gun later. I ordered the needle valves like you use and a mesh strainer. I'm still on the fence about a regulator. It seems like it would allow a better adjustment of the needle valve. How far open are your needle valves? The ones we are replacing are almost fully closed and I would say that if opened to 1/8 of a turn would put out double the water. At least the new ones have a packing nut on the stem so it should stay wherever they are set. Our current ones go crazy when tightening the set screw.

The needle valves I got from KR are not that temperamental. I don't know how many turns out they are. I use a measuring cup and stop watch to set flow, 16-20 oz per minute. When it comes to flow pressure, my incoming supply is at 40 psi. So that pressure works for me with no regulator. I'd think it through before putting a regulator in the mix. For me its just another failure point....I don't have one and I've never had an issue. Are you sure something else isn't dropping pressure and volume? Do you have a pressure gage on the main supply coming in to the ER? It will tell you a lot.

I think the key is making sure you have enough supply volume, pressure is secondary....Just like plumbing a house. If you have a 1/2" copper main supply and 1/2" branch feeds to each sink, commode, and shower, what happens to the person in the shower when someone flushes a commode? But if the main supply trunk is 3/4" with 1/2" feeders, you won't see temperature fluctuations while taking a shower. How do I know this, My house had a 1/2" main supply to all the branches when we bought it...I got tired of all the complaining of getting scalded in the shower, so I changed the main supply to 3/4" and left the branches to 1/2" ….Problem solved...

The weep system is the same. If you feed the system with 1/2" fittings and reduce to 1/4" to each ball valve and needle valves like I did, you won't see much pressure variation from bay to bay if someone tries to wash with weep (trigger Pulled). I have never experienced what Mep is describing, but I can see it happening if the complete system isn't plumbed/sized correctly.

BTW, my weep is plumbed off the main supply coming in to the wash, ahead of the softener. I can't see any reason to weep soft water! Something else for you to look at....Where is the weep supplied from? Could anything be dropping pressure on that branch or feed? Maybe putting a pressure gage inline on the weep branch might tell you something?

 

[OurTown]

I have decided to try it without the regulator first. Also after installing the new valves and mesh strainer I'm going to see how much the other bays weep volume drops when pulling a trigger with just weep running through it.

 

[OurTown]

We removed the solenoid valves, added a mesh strainer and replaced our needle valves with the Kleen-Rite ones yesterday. The new ones are still like the old ones in that they are adjusted open to only about 1/16 or less of a turn from closed. We will see how it goes.

 

[2Biz]

You never said what your system pressure is? My needle valves are open more than 1/16 turn open...

 

[OurTown]

40-45 psi.

 

[OurTown]

Here we go again. Since winter is coming back to visit this week we checked them today and they are out of adjustment. Bays 1 & 2 (closest to the ER) were about half the volume and bay 3 (farthest) was almost completely off. Bay 3 is the one with a 6 month old check valve. It is US Paraplate designed to open at 3-5 psi. We re-adjusted them to be a little too much until we can figure this out. I didn't have a tee to install the pressure gauge on the mesh strainer output so that is the next thing I'll do. This setup is able to weep hot water also and each line has a check valve like this one:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-in-Brass-Sweat-x-Sweat-Swing-Check-Valve-240-4-12-EB/205816263

Could this be our issue? I tried to take the cap off but I think it is seized. The supply lines are 1/2" copper to the weep solenoid and after that it is 3/8" pipe fittings, then 3/8" poly tubing, to tees at each pump stand and then down to the 1/4" needle valve, then 1/4" check. I'm starting to run out of hair to pull out. (didn't start off with much though)

 

[JGinther]

Those needle valves are fine as long as you double or triple the flow you are trying to set your weep to. When you are setting the flow, you aren't taking into the dynamics of the weepmizer turning on and off all the time. And the seats are a material that allows swelling/shrinking with temperature changes.

I can tell you have only been doing this for a year, because after enough freeze ups, the last thing you will ever check is if your weep is turned down enough. Soon, you will only check if its weeping full bore... And then you will drive halfway home, drive back to the car wash, and check again that you have the weep on. You might even turn on hot water if its going to get really cold.

 

[OurTown]

And the seats are a material that allows swelling/shrinking with temperature changes.

Maybe that is our issue but why does it seem we are the only ones having this problem? I'll try to set it a little higher to see if it stays.

You might even turn on hot water if its going to get really cold.

We did not do this last year but may try it. Do most washes have this hot water weep feature?

 

[OurTown]

Soon, you will only check if its weeping full bore

I'm not sure at what temp it stops pulsing and runs all the time but last winter it seemed to happen a lot here. That is a lot of water if we were not careful about it weeping too much. When it gets really cold this year we will probably shut down a bay or maybe two if it is insane cold.