After the warm months of summer end and colder temperatures seep in, you may want to check the condition of the pits at your wash to see if your system needs cleaning.
Although pit maintenance isn’t the most glamorous of tasks, in order to please customers who seek your services, pit repair and preservation is essential to the quality of your wash’s water and the resulting output on each vehicle serviced.
Getting the stink out
Some of the common methods concerning wastewater reclaim at automatic carwashes include:
- Filters;
- Ozone; and
- Enzyme/bacteria.
Although many professionals in the industry would strongly favor the use of enzyme bacteria products, there is no easy way to eliminate pit problems, and it often takes the use of multiple methods to clear the air and the systems used.
One issue that must be addressed is the problem of sludge and dirt removal from the reclaim water containment vaults.
While the combination of aeration and enzyme/bacteria will eliminate and control the odors, as well as petroleum hydrocarbons and other organic contaminants, we still fight the battle of bacteria that is constantly trying to establish itself in the sludge sediment within the reclaim vaults and pits at carwashes.
So what can we, as carwashing professionals, do to help stop the sludge and decay?
Well filtered, well cleaned
Most established companies that manufacture reclaim do an adequate job of filtering reclaim water to a five or 10 micron final product, but usually with a high degree of maintenance as well as high up-front costs.
To fully integrate a sensible water reclaim program you will need two things:
- Eliminate as much sediment in the vaults as possible.
- Eliminate odor(s), petroleum hydrocarbons and other organic contaminants prevalent in the water. This will be an on-going process.
To accomplish this you will need a system to extract the dirt and sediment on its own, or choose to hire a company that specializes in removing and cleaning the vaults every three to four months, this can carry a hefty price tag.
You are responsible
By incorporating aeration along with a monthly introduction of water soluble enzyme/bacteria packets, the odor emanated from your pits as well as the petroleum hydrocarbons and other harmful organic contaminants, can be eliminated.
However, don’t forget about the sludge sediment that will remain in your carwash pits.
In most regions of the country, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guidelines and restrictions require the high water consumer to be responsible for reclaim water as well as sediment to be tested once every year.
Right from the start
A return on investment for a quality pit maintenance system that would clear your wash of odors, petroleum hydrocarbon, organic contaminant, and sediment removal can be less than 18 months, depending on car counts at your location.
Look for a system that will best suit your wash and keep up on maintenance for each of your bays. Ideally, you should be checking the status of waste in your pits regularly, and thoroughly cleaning them each quarter.
Can your carwash operate without cleaning the reclaim pits/vaults every three to four months? Maybe for a little while, but eventually the nozzles become clogged, inefficient as well as corroded and defective.
A simple, consistent reclaim maintenance procedure will pay dividends day after day for the life of your wash, not only in clean cars but in clean equipment as well, and may be something to consider at your wash.
Andy Pazz is the owner of Laguna Ltd, and has been involved in carwash equipment sales, service and operation for over 30 years. He can be reached at marketing@laguna-ltd.com.
For more information on this topic, go to www.carwash.com and enter keywords: pit + cleaning.
