When do you all replace consumables ( Guns, hoses, etc)?

[Car_Wash_Guy]

HP guns, HP hoses, Vac hoses and claws, etc?

Do you wait for them to fail then replace or do you prefer to change them out once they start looking worn and bad?

Part of me would like to leave them till they completely fail but they'll usually start looking like hell by then. The flip side is I replace them and everything looks new and clean.

 

[OurTown]

We replace them when they look bad. The vast majority of the time they still function fine.

 

[Keno]

depends on the location, pricing, and clientele - each location is different for us. 1 location is a high price, more premium customer base where we replace on condition even if its working fine. We will use those parts to repair at our other location with a more $ conscious customer base where function is more important than form.

 

[MEP001]

I rarely have guns wear out, but they do. I replace them when the trigger travel is almost nothing. The housings or triggers get broken, or rarely the inlet fitting, at which point I replace them. Sometimes the discharge fitting gets broken, and I keep wands on hand that are 2" longer that I can screw into the gun after the fitting is broken and extracted. They're about 20¢ more than a regular wand vs $6.49 for a new fitting, and end up being stronger.

I replace vac hoses when they get to be ugly or flattened or so soft I can't push them back into the vac anymore. I used to run a wash where the claws would stay until they were worn to a nub, but now I'm replacing on average a claw every other day from being run over or stolen.

I try to never let a hose fail. There's no reason to, because if you examine them every day, you should be able to tell before they burst. I don't use hose guards on the HP hose. I ordered some with guards and ended up having one burst under the guard where I never saw the telltale signs that it was about to.

 

[soonermajic]

I rarely have guns wear out, but they do. I replace them when the trigger travel is almost nothing. The housings or triggers get broken, or rarely the inlet fitting, at which point I replace them. Sometimes the discharge fitting gets broken, and I keep wands on hand that are 2" longer that I can screw into the gun after the fitting is broken and extracted. They're about 20¢ more than a regular wand vs $6.49 for a new fitting, and end up being stronger.

I replace vac hoses when they get to be ugly or flattened or so soft I can't push them back into the vac anymore. I used to run a wash where the claws would stay until they were worn to a nub, but now I'm replacing on average a claw every other day from being run over or stolen.

I try to never let a hose fail. There's no reason to, because if you examine them every day, you should be able to tell before they burst. I don't use hose guards on the HP hose. I ordered some with guards and ended up having one burst under the guard where I never saw the telltale signs that it was about to.

Yeh, & wth are they doing with the claws? Our's get stolen much more often now as well. Pisses me off. Police ain't gonna chase down a $3 claw. Im gonna start posting pics of customers stealing them!

 

[Jim64]

I never replace hose guns or vac claws due to wear. They are always replaced because people run over them.

 

[MEP001]

Yeh, & wth are they doing with the claws?

I find them in the trash a lot of the time. I think some of them pull the claw off to pick up bigger debris. At least once a week I pick up a hose and 50 big nails rain out of it.

 

[traveler17]

HP guns, HP hoses, Vac hoses and claws, etc?

Do you wait for them to fail then replace or do you prefer to change them out once they start looking worn and bad?

Part of me would like to leave them till they completely fail but they'll usually start looking like hell by then. The flip side is I replace them and everything looks new and clean.

Great question !!