What combo vacs to buy?

[pgrzes]

Can you elaborate on why you love the Colemans and hated the Fragramatics?

The colemans have just seemed to be very low maint. The Monorails and Fragramatics always seemed to have something wrong with them. Not sure if the Large canister size and the bigger bag filters in the Colemans keeps the motors running longer? But it seemed we were always replacing motors on the Monorails and timer problems continually on the Fragramatics.

 

[pgrzes]

Coleman or Something Else?

Colemans

 

[cmawash]

with over 60 vacuums vacs. in service,some are simple vacs and more combos vacs, we use jd adams combos and now new generation fragmatics combos with the led 9 display and credit card setup, major complaint for jd adams is switch assemblies on fragrance and shampoo hose, cheap plastic connectors that connects hose to metal housing, they come lose and when tightened they break, customer then pulls hose and every thing comes apart inside machine, Control board replacement is about 4 hrs, very tight to work inside machine to replace and if you install a connector in the wrong board connector, new board can be damaged, tech support is marginal , there are connectors to can activate to help test functions, adams is reluctant to give out this information so when their is a problem is hard to trouble shoot. because repairs are done in the field and not on an assembly line, we have had them on the phone and walk us thru the testing procedures on to find out the new replacement board is bad.
new generation fragmatics machines are working good, some very minor post shipping adjustments and very good technical support has made it easy to support these machines, time will tell how good they are but so far so good
we have no knowledge of coleman vacs,

 

[Earl Weiss]

Colemans

Vaults or coin Boxes/ Bill Acceptors or not? PM me with info and Prices. please.

 

[Greg Pack]

Fragramatics is certainly very helpful but the units are just so difficult to work on, and unsafe to diagnose with the power on.

I have both older fragramatics and Coleman combos. I prefer the Coleman round combo. A couple of faults I can think of. The fragrance solenoids stick open occasioanlly and all the fragrance can run out if the handle is left lying on the ground. The shampoo switch can co bad in the handle, especially if you clean your brushes by sloshing them around in a bucket of water. When refilling a coleman shampooer, be sure and wipe/clean off the area where you will be adding the solution. Even the tiniest of dirt particles can clog the 1/8" hose barb the solution runs through.

The older fragramatics are harder to work on, The motors are recessed and have all kinds of wires and terminals with voltage surrounding them. Changing a motor has you working around live power unless you have access to the breaker panel. As mentioned, the relays are mounted on the backside of plate and are not designed for field repair. In all fairness, the Fragramatics machines are still very reliable and both brands will do just fine. But every time I change a motor on a fragramatics I cuss. Don't even think about a brush change with the motors still installed. Its like playing the game "operator" when I was a kid. I may try it but know I'm gonna get buzzed.

 

[pgrzes]

Vaults or coin Boxes/ Bill Acceptors or not? PM me with info and Prices. please.

Earl, I redid these vacs that I removed from a closed wash in Atlanta a few years back. They are all oval 3 motor combo units. I welded Coleman coin boxes under the coin drops. Vacs are in great shape and just need new decals. I am nearing the end of our exhistance at this location as the landlord has a deal to sell the property to build a Wawa at the location. After the wash being at the location for 51 years we were given no option to purchase??? As soon as I have info on exactly when I have to vacate I will post something about selling. I also will have a 7 bay Jim Coleman Super Saver pump stand and a bunch of other equip.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Earl, I redid these vacs that I removed from a closed wash in Atlanta a few years back. They are all oval 3 motor combo units. I welded Coleman coin boxes under the coin drops. Vacs are in great shape and just need new decals

I remember a post from you a while back when you posted about refurbishing some. Sorry I do not know ; Does "Oval" mean the larger ones which I guess are kind of oval as compared to the smaller ones which seem to be round. A photo or two would be good.

 

[pgrzes]

Yes the larger ones. Something like these.

 

[MEP001]

The older fragramatics are harder to work on, The motors are recessed and have all kinds of wires and terminals with voltage surrounding them. Changing a motor has you working around live power unless you have access to the breaker panel. As mentioned, the relays are mounted on the backside of plate and are not designed for field repair. In all fairness, the Fragramatics machines are still very reliable and both brands will do just fine. But every time I change a motor on a fragramatics I cuss. Don't even think about a brush change with the motors still installed. Its like playing the game "operator" when I was a kid. I may try it but know I'm gonna get buzzed.

Here's a change I made this evening:

Since the motors are taller, I used 1/4" bolts from the bottom and nuts on top to allow the extra thread to act as studs with another nut on top. I need to find thinner nuts for under the bracket but this has worked fine. If I can find a #10-24 screw for the motor and a 1/4"-20 nut that take the same hex tool I'll be able to change motors easily with one tool in the future. I was cussing the whole time I was working on the thing, but even if the stupid fluorescent lights were still in the way I feel like I could change motors or brushes safely and easily with the power on (Except for the one unit that's still wired backwards where the "common" side is hot all the time, gotta fix that one).

 

[OurTown]

What about IVS combo vacs? I see these for sale used sometimes.

We tried a Coleman shampoo vac and we could not go back to shampoo once the vac was selected. Are there other brands and models like this?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Older IVS combos were rebranded Fragramatics. I have two IVS and one Fragramatics. Other than the decals, they are identical. I'm not sure when the cutoff point was when they stopped using Fragramatics.

 

[slash007]

What about IVS combo vacs? I see these for sale used sometimes.

We tried a Coleman shampoo vac and we could not go back to shampoo once the vac was selected. Are there other brands and models like this?

To be able to switch between vac and shampoo, you have to set switching to "on" on the timer.

 

[pgrzes]

check your timers have the capability to have the switching feature. If not and they are coleman timers they can be updated to do so. The only other issue is the time left. If insufficient time they will not switch.

 

[OurTown]

Do the Coleman vacs have a shelf mount Timemaster timer? If so a Dixmor LED6 would drop right in? I really like the large displays some of the other brands of combo vacs have but an LED6 is pretty good for how small they are.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Do the Coleman vacs have a shelf mount Timemaster timer? If so a Dixmor LED6 would drop right in? I really like the large displays some of the other brands of combo vacs have but an LED6 is pretty good for how small they are.

Yes, but the shelf is wider, so just order it when you order the LED6 timer.

 

[MEP001]

Older IVS combos were rebranded Fragramatics. I have two IVS and one Fragramatics. Other than the decals, they are identical. I'm not sure when the cutoff point was when they stopped using Fragramatics.

There was a point when IVS still used Fragramatics hulls, but they built their own internals run by a PLC, and it was a piece of crap. It had a double or triple peristaltic pump in the dome and solenoids that would close for each function to stop pump bypass. They used some cheap pump that would crack and leak, and the liquid would run through a weephole and right into the PLC and other electrical in the front. Yes, there's a pump on the fragrance units too, they bragged that it moved much more chemical than a Fragramatics unit. A guy I know bought the first batch of these and probably spend $5000 on six units just getting them to work. Avoid.

 

[OurTown]

There was a point when IVS still used Fragramatics hulls, but they built their own internals run by a PLC, and it was a piece of crap. It had a double or triple peristaltic pump in the dome and solenoids that would close for each function to stop pump bypass. They used some cheap pump that would crack and leak, and the liquid would run through a weephole and right into the PLC and other electrical in the front. Yes, there's a pump on the fragrance units too, they bragged that it moved much more chemical than a Fragramatics unit. A guy I know bought the first batch of these and probably spend $5000 on six units just getting them to work. Avoid.

Do you think they were like this in 2004?

 

[MEP001]

I don't recall exactly, but it was close to then for sure. I used Google Earth's historical imagery, he had just started grade work in 2002, the next image is 2005 and the wash is complete.

 

[OurTown]

I'll scratch those off the list then. It is getting to be a pretty small list of brands now. Can the push button JE Adams vacs be converted to use without their terrible circuit board?

 

[MEP001]

Their newer circuit board isn't as big of a problem, but I'd still remove the load of the motors by adding a relay. The board in the one I accidentally burned up has been discontinued.

The IVS vacs can be fixed by just replacing the gun/hose assembly with one for a Fragramatics, removing the pumps and adding normally closed solenoids.