Cost Efective
Cash Washing System
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In the face of manual cleaning, installing a car wash system largely depends on whether the wash is for internal use only, that is, for cleaning customers’ cars and the company’s own vehicle fleet, or also for earning money. It is much easier to estimate the costs and utility once the advantage of installing such a system is understood.
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In order to assess the advantages of a car wash for cleaning one’s own vehicle fleet, it is essential to compare this option with other alternatives – manual cleaning, cleaning at an external facility and surface cleaning with the company’s own pressure washer.
In the case of an external brush wash, both the cleaning charges and the wages of employees who drive vehicles to the wash should be taken into account. Comparison with a pressure washer is difficult because one has to compare not only costs but also two different cleaning technologies with different strong points. A pressure washer is used primarily to clean engines, under-bodies, parts, workshops and to give motor vehicles a surface wash. Its advantages are that it cleans even dirty vehicles gently, since it does not come into contact with them and reaches hard-to-access places. Brush washes, on the other hand, achieve an even cleaning result right across the paintwork and remove any grey film.
Leaving aside differences in technology and considering only the costs of these two methods, the higher initial cost of a brush wash has to be weighed against the significantly greater time required for a pressure wash. The vehicle wash requires no operative, while it takes an experienced worker eight to 12 minutes to pressure wash a car, finishing with a rotary washing brush to remove grey film. However, the brush wash saves less time if it has no high-pressure facility because in that case very dirty vehicles at least have to be pre-washed using a pressure washer to achieve a smooth finish.
Location Analysis
Given the high cost of personnel (which varies considerably depending on the employee’s qualifications, that is on whether an apprentice, a casual worker or a master mechanic does the job), it pays off for even a medium-sized automotive business to have a brush wash used exclusively for its own requirements. This calculation depends partly on any other investment required to install a car wash (e.g. an appropriate site, a suitable hangar or an adequately sized separating device, unless already available). The situation is quite different if the wash can be used to full capacity by using it to wash third-party vehicles. In that case, it can be worthwhile for even smaller car workshops to invest in a vehicle wash as long as the approach to the washing bays can be arranged so as not to seriously interrupt day-to-day operations.
Before deciding on buying, it is necessary to carry out a location analysis – Is it worth buying the wash exclusively for in house requirements? And, cleaning third-party vehicles is only an additional source of income.
A location analysis starts with an estimate of the wash potential in the car wash catchments area. This involves ascertaining the number of residents within a radius of about three to eight kilometres, though the residential population outside a radius of three kilometres must, as a rule, be given a lower weighting.
After calculating the wash potential, the immediate surroundings of the automotive business is to be assessed. This includes, for example, the amount of traffic on the roads, meaning the number of vehicles that use the adjacent traffic areas. The maximum speed limit also plays a part when assessing the location. If it is 50kmph or less, that is a point in favour of the planned car wash. Apart from traffic, it is also important to look at how the surrounding area is used. Proximity to a town centre, for example, has a positive effect. A shopping mall in the neighbourhood should be rated highly. That alone can be calculated to increase visits to the car wash by more than 10%. The site of the car wash facility should also be assessed. For example, whether the wash can be easily seen from the road, whether cars can come and go without problems even at busy times, and whether there is sufficient space for waiting vehicles.
The operator of a car wash may also benefit from positive feedback effects. Numerous car firm owners report that not only the sales of automotive accessories, but also their second hand car business picked up significantly after they installed a wash. The car wash customer became a customer of the car dealer.
High pressure performance
In case of self-service washes, technical considerations are focused on modern high-pressure cleaning systems. Since a water jet can be formed into any shape, they are suitable for a wide range of applications. No other cleaning technology is so flexible. Pressure washers enable the user to work inside and out, horizontally and vertically, irrespective of the vehicle. Besides flexibility this cleaning method has other advantages too. For instance, the right combination of pressure and water volume will remove even stubborn dirt. The high-pressure jet reaches even hard-to-access places and adjusts to uneven surfaces. In addition, the narrowing cross-section of the nozzle significantly reduces water consumption.
But how does a high-pressure jet achieve its cleaning effect? The high impact pressure of water applied at high speed to a dirty surface dissolves bonds between dirt particles and surface. Along with this mechanical dirt removal action, the factors – temperature, detergent and reaction time – all play a role.
A pressure washer’s performance depends first on the pressure and capacity of its pump. However, in many cases, the volume of water and its saturating effect have a greater impact on the cleaning outcome than the maximum attainable pressure and associated dirt-releasing effect.
In burner-heated high-pressure systems, the dirt-releasing properties of water, pressure and in some cases detergent are joined by the temperature factor, which has several advantages. For one, hot water dissolves oils, grease and other forms of soiling better and faster. In practice, a pressure washer using water at 80°C reduces cleaning time by up to 40% compared to cold-water units. The reduction in working time means that the cost of hot-water machines is soon recouped.
Vacuum cleaners in the automotive business
In the automotive business vacuum cleaners are used for a wide range of cleaning jobs, including office areas and workshops, as well as for cleaning vehicles.
In workshops, wet and dry vacuums are used because they can be deployed universally. From fine dust and road dirt to glass splinters and metal shavings, they pick up every type of coarse and fine dirt. Special accessories such as suction brushes, radiator nozzles and pipe dusting nozzles extend the range of applications significantly. An extra-wide floor nozzle is used to clean the workshop floor lane by lane with the operator simply pushing the vacuum along in front of him or her. Wet and dry vacuums remove spilt liquids quickly and easily, and can even be used to clear blocked drains. Slush brought into the workshop on vehicle wheels can be vacuumed up straight away to prevent excessive atmospheric humidity. Oily and greasy dirt that is vacuumed up must be disposed off as hazardous waste or via an oil separator.
Power tools such as orbital sanders and angle grinders can be connected to vacuums with automatic switching systems to remove dirt before it spreads. Dust created by grinding or sanding is vacuumed up on the spot. When the tool is switched on, the vacuum cuts in automatically. When the vacuum is switched off the motor continues to run for several seconds until the suction hose is free of residual dust. If equipped with the appropriate attachment kit, pneumatic tools, too, can be operated in conjunction with vacuums without creating dust. If varnish or filler is to be vacuumed from bodywork, the vacuum must be approved for at least dust class M (application category BIA C).
Essentially, two competing filter systems are used in universal vacuums – cartridge filters and flat pleated filters. They are mounted in or on the blower unit above the suction tank and are designed to remove sucked-in dirt particles from the machine’s exhaust. Modern flat pleated filters have several advantages over conventional cartridge filters.
Flat pleated vs catridge filters
The flat pleated filter is just a few centimetres deep and does not project into the dirt container. In contrast, the size of the cartridge filter reduces the container’s useful volume, so it has to be emptied more frequently.
Since the flat pleated filter is always above the tank’s maximum filling line it remains dry, does not get dirty so easily and therefore lasts longer. Moreover, the machine can be used for alternate wet and dry cleaning without lengthy interruptions, whereas a filter cartridge gets wet as soon as liquids are vacuumed up. When the filter paper comes into contact with dusty exhaust air, the pores immediately become clogged. The flat pleated filter is designed to clean efficiently from outside using an appropriate device. If it occasionally requires maintenance or needs changing, it can usually be removed on the clean side.
Actual suction performance depends heavily on the state of the filter. It deteriorates rapidly if filter paper pores start to clog. Previously, vacuums had vibrating devices operated by a control on the basic machine. Now, an innovative principle enables the filter to be cleaned without the operator having to interrupt his or her work. Puffs of air force fine dust that has settled between the filter blades back into the suction tank, thereby ensuring constant suction performance and extending the filter’s service life. A small lever at the end of the suction hose activates this mechanical process.
If large quantities of fine dust are to be vacuumed up, filter bags may be used in wet and dry vacuums. A liquid-proof version is available so that the bag does not have to be removed if liquids have to be vacuumed up from time to time. For coarser dirt, open fabric or membrane filters can be placed in the suction tank to protect the main filter from premature wear and tear.
Spray Extraction
In the automotive sector, spray extraction cleaners are mainly used for conditioning used cars. They restore heavily soiled seat upholstery to mint condition. In spray extraction cleaning, the detergent solution is applied under pressure via one or more nozzles and vacuumed up again through a suction nozzle. During this process the liquid flushes through the fabric right to the backing. This method gives a very good cleaning result and efficiency. Even dirt at the bottom of the fabric pile is picked up and it leaves little residual moisture. This shortens drying time and leaves fewer detergent residues so the fabric does not get dirty again so quickly. Spray extraction cleaning involves little mechanical stress and reduces soaking, so it is suitable for use even on delicate materials. As a rule, only one cleaning operative is needed.
To improve the effect of detergent, the two-step method is used to clean off stubborn dirt. The cleaning fluid is first sprayed evenly across the area to be cleaned then left for a while to take effect before being vacuumed up. To remove any remaining chemical residues, the surface should be rinsed again with clear water. A dash of vinegar in the water freshens up colours. The reason for finishing with a clear water rinse is that if any detergent remains in the upholstery, it crystallises and the upholstery soon gets dirty again. After rinsing, the car should be aired well overnight.
Alfred Karcher GmbH & Co. KG
