Maintenance and Repairs, Part II
By Jimmy Sisk

Condensate in air compressors needs to be drained often.

In Part I of this two-part article (see Auto Laundry News, June 2006), we limited our discussion to the bay equipment and the auto cashier. This month, we wander a little further afield — into the equipment room, as your in-bay automatic probably has ancillary equipment that also needs to be checked.

Most have pumps that need their oil levels checked or changed. Some have filters that need to be cleaned or replaced, such as those used for hydraulic fluid and/or chemicals. These items should be on the checklist provided by the manufacturer or distributor. If your equipment allows you to view and make changes to the wash program, make a copy of all the various wash configurations and speeds.

Knowing what the previous settings were will make reprogramming a snap if the information is lost or if you make changes.

SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

We also can’t forget about pieces of equipment that may serve multiple machines but are important to the proper operation of your in-bay automatic. These include air compressors, water softeners, spot-free water equipment, heaters, water heaters, reclaim systems, and equipment-monitoring systems. It even includes the chemicals you use.

Air Compressor
It’s very important for the proper operation of the air compressor to make sure that the condensate is drained often and that the oil level in the compressor pump is checked and kept at the recommended level. We find that an automatic valve to dump the condensate works well. Your distributor can install one for you or provide you with the parts to do it yourself.

Water Softener
The proper operation of water softeners is important for efficient chemical usage and effective cleaning. Keep the brine tank full and test the softened water to determine if your softening equipment is performing correctly.

Chemicals
Checking your chemicals for proper dilution is something that is not only important for optimum cleaning, but also assures cost effectiveness. Your distributor will be happy to do this for you when delivering chemicals, but you could do this yourself with little instruction and a titration kit provided by the chemical manufacturer.

Spot-Free Water
Testing the spot-free water equipment is critical to the longevity of the system and making sure your customer is getting the best possible wash. Spot-free rinse equipment usually has one or more filters that need changing periodically. The system would also include a carbon filter to remove chlorine from the incoming water supply. Several tests are usually required. They include TDS (total dissolved solids), chlorine PPM, and water hardness. The testing equipment needed is usually provided with your spot-free unit, but also could be purchased from your distributor. These would include a handheld dissolved-solids meter, a chlorine test kit, and a water-hardness test kit. Results from these tests will allow you to determine if you need to make any adjustments or perform maintenance on your system. See Figure 1, below, for a suggested daily log of these tests. Your distributor can tell you what the correct level should be for each test.

Heaters
Check to make sure that your equipment room and bay heaters are working and let them run a few minutes. Check the water heater for leaks and check whether the temperature is set correctly. Proper temperature is crucial for the water softener, spot-free-rinse equipment, and presoak to work correctly.

Reclaim System
If you have a reclaim system, you understand how important its proper operation is to providing the best possible reclaim water with no odor. Many systems have filters that need changing, and some have chemicals that are injected in precise amounts. For an example of a maintenance checklist, see Figure 2, left. Talk with your equipment provider and really try to understand how the system works and how the water being reclaimed flows. Make sure you understand how to place the system in a bypass mode, allowing you to run completely on fresh water should there be a problem with the system. Make a diagram of the valves that enable the system to be placed on bypass and post the diagram near the reclaim equipment with detailed instructions. If your system uses an ozone generator in the process of cleaning the water, be aware that it uses extremely high voltage and you should not attempt to make any repairs to this unit.

CAUTION

Remember that most equipment — whether located inside the equipment room or outside in the bay —uses multiple voltages, often has multiple locations where power can be turned off, and has lots of water around that could create an electrical hazard. Always use caution around the moving parts of machinery. When in doubt, contact your equipment provider or the manufacturer of the equipment for assistance.

The frequency with which you run through your maintenance checklists will depend a lot on the volume of business your wash generates. Nevertheless, with operating costs continually going up, doing more of your own maintenance and repairs makes good cents.

Jimmy Sisk is vice president of Car Wash Concepts, Inc. in Thomasville, NC, a manufacturer and distributor of car wash equipment specializing in turnkey projects in the Southeastern US. To contact him, e-mail jimmysisk@carwashconcepts.com or call (800) 733-9760.