Would you rehab this equipment or buy new.

[MEP001]

I rehabbed a Proline system like that once, 7 bays went from the ridiculous flow meters on everything all over the stands to Kip block solenoids all on one board. We filled three 55-gallon barrels with the parts we took off.

 

[Roz]

The question is a bit like purchasing a car. You can find a great deal with a used car however you run the risk of purchasing a used car with a checkered history that you never know about. A new car will come with some guarantees and will be a selling point whenever you want to sell the place.

Long term view is to purchase new equipment, configure it to your spec, have a warrantee, and probably fewer maintenance headaches. I purchased a wash last year that was built in 1990. Have had two floods as the components holding the floats in place broke for no reason (in the middle of the night) and two hoses were corroded (and all the issues where missed or very hard to see when we inspected the equipment). From my research the newer equipment seems to be improved and you can buy a generic brand from Kleen-Rite for a lot less than anyone else you will find at ICA later this month. If you can afford the piece of mind save the components from the old equipment that can be used as spare parts in the future - this is the approach I am taking.

Think of a hot water tank in a house. You can have the house professionally inspected and still have the bottom leak or break without warning because they just have a limited life expectancy. They just last for 12-15 years so you should replace it before the leak as a proactive approach will save you money and headaches in the future. There are many handy people on this forum that will disagree with me but you need to be the one dealing with the issues, not me or them, so make a decision based on your available funds and willingness to deal with painful experiences if you miss something or use a weakened component.

By the end of the summer or early fall I will have replaced most (not all) components and the customers are noticing the difference in the product we provide them - love their feedback. I take the approach that you get back what you put into the place for the most part, especially if the customers have a better experience.

 

[2Biz]

ridiculous flow meters on everything

To each his own! The "Ridiculous Flow Meters" were the only parts from the old stand I felt had good purpose...I kinda like the Flow Meters....Once you get a bay set up, you can make them all identical, all from the comforts of the ER!

For all the other useful benefits using flow meters, use your imagination....It sure would be a boring world if everyone did things the same way.

 

[MEP001]

To each his own! The "Ridiculous Flow Meters" were the only parts from the old stand I felt had good purpose...I kinda like the Flow Meters....Once you get a bay set up, you can make them all identical, all from the comforts of the ER!

For all the other useful benefits using flow meters, use your imagination....It sure would be a boring world if everyone did things the same way.

I only meant the ridiculous number of them that was on the original equipment and the way they're plumbed and mounted where you can't service anything, not to mention the separate air regulators on every function on every bay. I know one operator who puts one on each low-pressure system so he can set one bay the way he likes it, then he can set the rest without walking and checking the bay. I'll probably do the same myself someday.

 

[2Biz]

I think the biggest thing, aside from the ease of setting up the bays, is how easy it is to make sure everything is working properly from inside the ER....One glance at the flow meters (When a service with soap, wax, FB, or PS...Etc. is selected) is all it takes to make sure everything is working properly in the bay. I think it makes people nervous if you stand out in the bay when they are washing their car.

Plus I am flat out guilty of not testing the services from within the bays very often. Again, much easier to do when the wash is busy and I'm in the Er...

Even if I think I have an issue, I have jumper wires with alligator clips that I use to start a LP service or pump from inside the control panel in the Er. I know I need exercise, but running from the bays to the Er like a chicken with my head cut off is not like my idea of getting exercise! LOL...

I have to agree with you on how everything was plumbed and mounted like on the old Mark VII....It usually took a week and a day to work on absolutely anything...I was simply showing the new operators what is possible with a little planning and elbow grease...I like the KISS method....I made changes by keeping ease of maintenance at the top of the priority list! I have just one more change to make, but waiting on one of the Giant Unloaders to fail before I incorporate the change...

 

[MEP001]

Is that block a downstream injector?

 

[MEP001]

I think the biggest thing, aside from the ease of setting up the bays, is how easy it is to make sure everything is working properly from inside the ER....One glance at the flow meters (When a service with soap, wax, FB, or PS...Etc. is selected) is all it takes to make sure everything is working properly in the bay. I think it makes people nervous if you stand out in the bay when they are washing their car.

I often have to test or adjust stuff while people are washing. I go out, greet them, put some time on the bay and tell them I'm checking to make sure it's working right. It makes the customer happy and it beats waiting for the bay to clear out.

 

[2Biz]

Is that block a downstream injector?

Nope...Its just an aluminum assembly holder I dreamed up...The set screws clamp down on the weep back-flow Cv and keeps the assembly secure. The Cv that comes in at 6 o'clock is the weep Cv. The bottom plate of the holder has a co-bored hole in it to bolt the holder to the pump stand.

My thoughts when designing it, were to be able to remove the whole assembly which would only require me to remove a few hoses and take the top cap off the assembly. I will have a spare assembly to drop in while I service the old one. Problem is, I may not live long enough to have to service one! Maybe not a bad thing as long as it lasts another 30-40 years!

 

[MEP001]

I like the idea, I did a few things like that myself years ago when I read in one of the pump manuals to keep the plumbing weight on the manifold to a minimum. I started making copper manifolds for the inlet and would bolt them to the stand. After working on hundreds of pumps and never seeing any ill effect from having as much as five pounds of fittings hanging off it I quit worrying about it. I also noticed copper pipe would erode away after about ten years of steady water flow.

 

[Noob]

2biz what kind of hose did you use to plumb your pump? I love the clear tubing but can’t seem to find it anywhere.

 

[MEP001]

It's just neutral poly or nylon tubing.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

2Biz are those aluminum flowmeter clamps custom made or off the shelf? That’s my only bitch about those meters...those stupid mounting holes on the back of them.

 

[2Biz]

2biz what kind of hose did you use to plumb your pump? I love the clear tubing but can’t seem to find it anywhere.

To plumb the LP functions, soap, and wax, I use "Natural" LLDPE Tubing...1/4" for soap and wax, 3/8" for PS, FB, and TF all the way out to the bays. The natural color allows the color of the soap, wax, etc to show through and helps make it more obvious when/if there is an issue.

John Guest White 1/4

1/4" OD LLDPE Polyethylene Tubing is produced in Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) for cold and intermittent hot water applications such as beverage dispensing, potable water or pneumatic applications. Our tubing is made from FDA compliant materials and is NSF International Standard 51 &...

www.freshwatersystems.com

To plumb SFR, I use Nylon out to the bays since it has a higher PSI rating, also use "Natural" color.

I use heavy duty 1/2" poly braid tubing for the water inlet feeds from the float tanks to the pumps and also use it for the bypass hose....I get it from KR...Using 1/2" hose and fittings create just enough vacuum for soap and wax feeds. No need to install valves to throttle water to the pumps to draw soap and wax.

 

[2Biz]

2Biz are those aluminum flowmeter clamps custom made or off the shelf? That’s my only bitch about those meters...those stupid mounting holes on the back of them.

They are all custom made. Maybe a little over-kill on soap and wax, but I just used a 1/4"-20 bolt to push the flow meters against the opposite side of the slot. It was easy....The (8) PS and FB flow meters were a little more challenging. I drilled clearance holds in the 1/2" aluminum plates to mount the flow meters using the threaded inserts. I needed to get the flow meters out far enough from the panel to use 3/8" LLDPE tubing and this seemed to be the easiest way to do it. Having a vertical mill/drill makes it easier to do more precision work like this!.

 

[OurTown]

I use heavy duty 1/2" poly braid tubing for the water inlet feeds from the float tanks to the pumps and also use it for the bypass hose....I get it from KR...Using 1/2" hose and fittings create just enough vacuum for soap and wax feeds. No need to install valves to throttle water to the pumps to draw soap and wax.

Our setup uses 3/4" suction hose and ball valves to throttle down for chemical draw. I like being able to adjust it to just draw but would like to be able to easily lock the valve handle in position in case it gets unknowingly bumped.

 

[MEP001]

I always use 1/2" hose with push-lock barbs to supply the pumps and 3/8" OD tubing for the soap and wax supply. There's never an issue with having to throttle the water to make the pump draw chemicals.

 

[OurTown]

I always use 1/2" hose with push-lock barbs to supply the pumps and 3/8" OD tubing for the soap and wax supply. There's never an issue with having to throttle the water to make the pump draw chemicals.

Maybe we should change that over to 1/2" some day.

 

[2Biz]

Using 1/2" would let you throw one more un-needed component in the garbage can! LOL...When I reworked my pump stand, I had more than one 5 gallon bucket full of over-kill to throw away!! I think I did all that back in 2014. I haven't touched a needle valve since! Something to consider.

 

[water guy]

I always use 1/2" hose with push-lock barbs to supply the pumps and 3/8" OD tubing for the soap and wax supply. There's never an issue with having to throttle the water to make the pump draw chemicals.

What Self serve do you have?

 

[DiamondWash]

I saw this on the Car Wash Consignment if you are interested:

Self Serve Equipment For Sale