Purchasing Quality Self-service Equipment

Published in AutoLaundry News March 2006

Factors to consider when purchasing self-service car wash equipment are 1) quality of components, 2) ease and need of maintenance, 3) simplicity of design, 4) company support and 5) price. If all equipment were built with the same components and design, it would be easy. Many consider self-service equipment as, “just a pump and motor’. However, it is not that simple. Minor differences in equipment make significant differences in required maintenance and equipment longevity.

Price is not the superseding factor. A low purchase price may indicate higher maintenance cost or lower quality. Seek the advice of owner/operators and manufacturing professionals. These reliable sources have field experience and may be the best source of service history. Weigh the source, place less emphasis on professional sales personnel; instead rely on non-competing owner/operators and professions with little to gain by giving advice.

Quality Components

In the absence of experience, select equipment with components designed to function at higher capacities. The selection of quality components is based on aesthetic quality, durability and lowest real cost.

Aesthetic quality of components will improve the overall appearance of the finished product and generally reflect the grade of the component. The best components have substantial construction and a sturdy appearance. In addition, better component materials will have good chemical compatibility and permanence.

Durability is longevity or the ability of the component to survive. An example would be pumps designed to operate at 4.0 gallons per minute (gpm) at 2,500 pounds per square inch (psi), will last longer operating at 3.5 gpm at 1,250 psi.

Real cost of a component is more difficult to determine. The real cost is equal to purchase price x requirement of repair or replacement. The cost of repair or replacement is significant, due to lost production and operation time. Therefore, solid components are desirable to lower the real cost.

Ease and Need of Maintenance

The highest quality equipment operates for long periods without maintenance while optimizing versatility, performance and machine life. Quality equipment requires less maintenance and has easy accessibility for maintenance or component replacement. Component arrangement should allow access for service with minimal difficulty. Equipment designs should require less maintenance to meet the demands of busy owner/operators.

Simplicity of Design

Simplicity of design may be categorized by the ability to understand operation and the overall reduction of components to perform the task. Components should have logical placement and workings. The simplest designs are easily understood. The equipment should have clear flow patterns. Electrical systems should be color-coded with high and low voltages isolated. Designs should be driven to improve performance and reduce components. Good designs tend to have the best value with the lowest operation cost.

Company Support

The finest equipment manufactured will need maintenance and replacement components. Company support may be measured by equipment warranties, certifications, system documentation and training furnished. The distributor network and proximity to the site will determine response time for service. Warranties are offered for items that will not fail during the specified period. Manufacturer’s issue warranties for in respect to quality of components used in fabrication. Longer warranties commonly indicate a high quality component.

Premium equipment carries Edison Testing Laboratory (ETL) or Underwriters Laboratory (UL) markings and listings to assure proper application of components. All-inclusive manuals for parts and troubleshooting permit customers to self-educate and perform service for the equipment. The best manufacturers provide training seminars and electronic materials (CD’s). The local distributor will provide an important lifeline to insure a profitable facility.

Purchase Price

Usually the predominant factor in choosing equipment is actually the least important. Project costs are driven by land and structure. Equipment costs are a much smaller percentage of the project. Of course, location and appearance are crucial, but so are system reliability and ease of operation. Purchasing equipment based solely on price overlooks reliability, versatility or required maintenance.

Differentiating Equipment

A precursory inspection of self-service equipment reveals similar pumps, motors and stainless steel frames. With closer examination, major differences are found in models, support components and certifications. Better components require less maintenance plus have increased warranties and efficiencies.

Bay Meters

The bay meter is the point-of-sale and is contacted by every customer. It is essential to present a clean, high-quality and aesthetically pleasing bay meter. Quality of the mechanism is determined by appearance, ease of operation, security and dependability. Well-defined instructions permit smooth operation of the system with little familiarity. Customers demand mechanisms that accept money easily, activates the equipment and operates properly. Many bay meter options are available due to varied site locations. The most basic meter box should be stainless steel with a high-security lock, employ a rotary switch, electronic coin acceptor and digital display timer. Up-scale sites will dictate the use of more options.

Notable options include:

1. bill acceptance

2. credit card acceptance

3. piezoelectric touch-button selection

4. cycle indicator lights

5. remote cycle controller to change cycles from the bay hose.

High-pressure Pumps

High-pressure pumps are considered the heart of self-service car wash equipment. There are only a few pump brands used throughout the industry. Pump selection is typically based on familiarity or standardizing with existing systems. Ceramic plunger pumps and the reduction of components have contributed to quieter operation, increased reliability and easier serviceability. Some pump models produce higher pressure and/or volume capabilities; while others will be able to operate dry for extended periods (in case of system malfunction, not allowing water to the pump). When making the selection consider component availability, capabilities and warranty.

Electric Motors

Electric motors which drive bay pumps are the largest energy consumers on the self-service pump module. Motor efficiency is established by National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). Standard (Standard E) motor efficiency is set at 86.5%, while super efficient (Super E) models improve the efficiency to 90.5%. Higher grades of motors will be thermally protected with overloads. The overload protection may either be on the motor, the motor starter or both. The best motor brands have better customer support to answer inquiries and conduct warranty exchanges.

Drive systems

Drive systems also influence efficiency of the motor to pump operation. The timing belt drive is 99% efficient, requires no tension adjustment and has an anticipated life expectancy of 10 years. The direct drive system is 99.9% efficient, requires no tension adjustments or maintenance. However, this system drives the pump at full revolutions per minute (RPM) of the motor, causing higher crankshaft and bearing wear, shortening pump life. The most common drive is a single “Vee” belt. It is only 65% efficient, requires routine tension adjustment and belt replacement every two years. Increasing efficiency with multiple “Vee” belts makes an incremental improvement to 74%, but also requires monthly adjustment and replacement every two years.

Stainless Steel Frames

Although stainless steel frames and tanks seem rather straight forward and ubiquitous throughout the various self-service brands, minor differences play an important role in durability and reliability. Increased metal thickness or gauge will reduce equipment vibration and durability in shipment. By decreasing vibrations, the mounted components will have a longer service life. Component fasteners must be strong enough to withstand years of use. Plastic chemical tanks develop cracks and leaks, requiring repair or replacement.

There are several automatic proportioning valves and fluid feed systems available. The most reliable equipment designs use gravity feed on all cycles, eliminating the need for check valves or failure points. Ideally, chemicals are proportioned into stainless reservoirs to be distributed to the pumps. Component material and chemical compatibility is influential in choosing proportioning valves, since the valves come into direct contact with water and detergents. Stainless steel, brass and plastics are the best component materials.

Electric Motor Starters

Electric motor starters range from a simple motor starter to a variable frequency inverter. The variable frequency inverter allows for maximum versatility with smoother operation, decreased energy consumption and the reduction of components. The inverter operates a standard three phase electric motor at several speeds, allowing the system to deliver several pressures using a single pump and motor per bay. The inverter ramps the motor up to speed, drastically reducing the inrush amperage demanded at start-up. The unit will operate a three phase motor with either single or three phase input voltage.

Motor starters with digital operation (on or off) are used most commonly. Starters are less efficient than inverters and will demand 8 to 10 times operating amperage (motors operating at 9 amps during operation, draw 70 to 90 amps at initiation). Motor starters will only operate phase correct electric motors (single phase electricity will operate only single phase motors). Although starters have limitations, their simple operation is appealing.

Stainless Steel Solenoids

Premium systems utilize stainless steel solenoids for durability and chemical compatibility. Brass, plastic or blended solenoid bodies are available but have restricted application. Brass will crack and chip around the orifice seat, while plastics tend to be less tolerant to heat and have poor thread memory (tensioned threads will loosen over an extended period, causing leaks). Blended solenoid bodies have a mixture of materials and are acceptable for several applications.

However, the seal material is just as important as the body. Common seal materials are Buna, Viton®, PTFE and Teflon®. Consider the characteristics and chemical compatibility of each of the materials for the application.

Buna N or Nitrile is the most commonly used seal material. It is a copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile. It is not recommended for carbon aggressive fluids such as tire cleaner or presoak. Viton® is a fluoroelastomer, offers excellent resistance to aggressive chemicals and seals well with minimal pressure. PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene) and Teflon® are fluorocarbon-based polymers. They offer high chemical resistance, low and high temperature capability and "slipperiness". The products create a hard surface and will only seal well with pressure applied.

Bay Components

Bay components are contacted by the customer and will influence the satisfaction of operation. Stainless steel should be applied whenever possible for clean, aesthetic durability. The overhead boom, wand holster and wand should flex for smoother customer feel and decrease component damage. Bay signage should be colorful, simple and concise. To help with ease of operation the bay signs should be color coordinated with the bay meters; to facilitate cycle selection.

Inlet Manifolds

Inlet manifolds supply water into the chemical reservoirs and through the system. The use of copper or stainless steel piping is needed due to vibration during operation, water hammer induced by positive action valves and pipe corrosion. Copper or stainless piping is also best to reduce leaks and increase durability, but plastic is most common. Metal piping may be crimped, soldered or welded.

High-pressure delivery lines to the overhead bay booms may be thermal plastic hose, rubber hose, or stainless steel tubing. Thermal plastic hose does not retain chemical residue from changing products and is able to freeze and thaw without bursting. Thermal plastic hose has an extremely long life expectancy but, has poor abrasion resistance and must be well insulated from chaffing. Rubber hose will retain some chemical contaminate and even wire-braid will rupture if frozen. Rubber hoses will last five to seven years but have good abrasion resistance. Stainless steel tubing is clean and attractive, although difficult to bend and install. The tubing is will retain chemical residue and is generally affected with freezing. The life expectancy of stainless steel tubing is excellent but is also the most expensive product choice.

Low-Voltage Controls

Regularly overlooked components are the low-voltage controls. Improved safety and simplicity are achieved using components with slightly increased pricing. Fused transformers will protect expensive components from over- amperages and possible damage. Digital bay timer with last minute alert improves customer satisfaction. Pulse weep systems reduce water expense by reducing water usage during freezing conditions. Lighted DIN connectors for all solenoid coils will simplify diagnostics and indicate operation. Plug-in connectors for control wire allow the meter faces to be interchanged for diagnostics and make faster field replacement. 

Although component selection seems tedious, it will influence the durability and reliability of the system more than any other factor. It is the job of the design engineer to make the proper selection for the consumer. But it is the consumer's job to be vigilant and consider all factors. Purchasing quality equipment is a sound business practice and a good investment.