Alpine Dreams
Member
PART 1 - SPRAY TIPS:
What spray tip do you use on your self serve spray guns? I have an interesting array of tips installed at the moment.
Bay 1: 1504 MEG
Bays 2, 3 and 4: 2507 IMEG
Bay 5: 2508 IMEG
Bay 6: 2508 MEG
Some things I've observed:
1. Bays 5 and 6 really let you feel the pushback/kick/pressure of the gallons per minute that they push out. Customers that clean thick mud off their vehicles, excrement out of their livestock trailers or blasting lawn clippings off their mowers onto my walls would love this. Customers who aren't as strong in the wrist (older or more petite customers) wouldn't like this because after a few minutes I notice the fatigue that my wrist feels when I spray down the bay.
2. Bay 1 is the extreme opposite. Customers cleaning a huge mess would hate it and weak-wristed customers would love it.
3. I've noticed vastly different times that it takes me to clean bay 1 with the 1504 tip versus bays 5 and 6 with the 2508 tips.
There must be somewhere in the middle of 1504 and 2508 that maximizes cleaning and efficiency.
2508 uses more water and chemical than 1504 but it does clean more speedily.
Do you want to clean more quickly and efficiently because we ARE in the business of selling time.
I have bucket washers. I'm not there 24 hours a day. 1504 fills buckets more slowly. Possibly causing a customers to use 2 cycles to wet their car and fill their bucket.
1504 will also clean the suds off their cars more slowly possibly increasing the number of cycles.
Everything I mentioned in Observation 1, excrement cleaners and mudders and mower cleaners, are all pretty undesirable. 1504 discourages their types. Or, at least, 1504 will make them spend more money.
I have well water. So, 2508 tips don't cost me more in water. They do, however, cost more in chemicals because of their increased flow as well as a small amount of electricity and wear for the well pump.
PART 2 - PRESSURE:
I have been running the pressure at 1400 psi at the cat pump until I recently lowered them to 1200 psi. I noticed little to no difference. Pressure at the guns all seemed to be roughly the same. Cleaning the bays all seems to be the same. Lowering pressure seems to be a winner in order to save chemicals, wear on pumps and a little bit of electricity both at the cat pump and well pump.
PART 3 - QUESTIONS:
What tips do you run?
What tips have you run and what makes your current choice more optimal for your setup?
I haven't been able to notice much difference between IMEG and MEG. Should I try something else? I've seen talk of VeeJet and WashJet tips. Should I try those?
I've read that some tips are more safe than others for their cutting effect on skin. Which would those be?
What pressure do you run at the pumps?
Should I just run a 2008 tip, with dialed down chemicals due to the higher flow of water, because I have well water and charge more because customers would be cleaning more quickly? This would be further supported by the fact that there are 3 express car washes being built within 5 miles of my wash. I may need to court those less desirable customers in order to stay afloat - the large trucks, mudders, mower cleaners and livestock trailer excrement cleaners. More water flow seems less environmentally friendly. But, this could be kept in check with higher prices.
Sorry about the wall of text, but this all has been floating around in my head. I'm probably overthinking it.
What spray tip do you use on your self serve spray guns? I have an interesting array of tips installed at the moment.
Bay 1: 1504 MEG
Bays 2, 3 and 4: 2507 IMEG
Bay 5: 2508 IMEG
Bay 6: 2508 MEG
Some things I've observed:
1. Bays 5 and 6 really let you feel the pushback/kick/pressure of the gallons per minute that they push out. Customers that clean thick mud off their vehicles, excrement out of their livestock trailers or blasting lawn clippings off their mowers onto my walls would love this. Customers who aren't as strong in the wrist (older or more petite customers) wouldn't like this because after a few minutes I notice the fatigue that my wrist feels when I spray down the bay.
2. Bay 1 is the extreme opposite. Customers cleaning a huge mess would hate it and weak-wristed customers would love it.
3. I've noticed vastly different times that it takes me to clean bay 1 with the 1504 tip versus bays 5 and 6 with the 2508 tips.
There must be somewhere in the middle of 1504 and 2508 that maximizes cleaning and efficiency.
2508 uses more water and chemical than 1504 but it does clean more speedily.
Do you want to clean more quickly and efficiently because we ARE in the business of selling time.
I have bucket washers. I'm not there 24 hours a day. 1504 fills buckets more slowly. Possibly causing a customers to use 2 cycles to wet their car and fill their bucket.
1504 will also clean the suds off their cars more slowly possibly increasing the number of cycles.
Everything I mentioned in Observation 1, excrement cleaners and mudders and mower cleaners, are all pretty undesirable. 1504 discourages their types. Or, at least, 1504 will make them spend more money.
I have well water. So, 2508 tips don't cost me more in water. They do, however, cost more in chemicals because of their increased flow as well as a small amount of electricity and wear for the well pump.
PART 2 - PRESSURE:
I have been running the pressure at 1400 psi at the cat pump until I recently lowered them to 1200 psi. I noticed little to no difference. Pressure at the guns all seemed to be roughly the same. Cleaning the bays all seems to be the same. Lowering pressure seems to be a winner in order to save chemicals, wear on pumps and a little bit of electricity both at the cat pump and well pump.
PART 3 - QUESTIONS:
What tips do you run?
What tips have you run and what makes your current choice more optimal for your setup?
I haven't been able to notice much difference between IMEG and MEG. Should I try something else? I've seen talk of VeeJet and WashJet tips. Should I try those?
I've read that some tips are more safe than others for their cutting effect on skin. Which would those be?
What pressure do you run at the pumps?
Should I just run a 2008 tip, with dialed down chemicals due to the higher flow of water, because I have well water and charge more because customers would be cleaning more quickly? This would be further supported by the fact that there are 3 express car washes being built within 5 miles of my wash. I may need to court those less desirable customers in order to stay afloat - the large trucks, mudders, mower cleaners and livestock trailer excrement cleaners. More water flow seems less environmentally friendly. But, this could be kept in check with higher prices.
Sorry about the wall of text, but this all has been floating around in my head. I'm probably overthinking it.
