As we are in the midst of the busy car wash season, now is not the time to incur costly breakdowns preventing your wash from generating the revenue that will help you during those leaner months. Between the heavy washing periods during the day, take the time to check the little things that make a huge difference in your wash performance. Routine checks can result in cleaning better, using less chemicals and most importantly keeping your wash open during busy washing times.

Self Serve Washes
In self serve washes be sure to check the following:

1. Dispenser Equipment – Hydrominders, flow-jet pumps and solenoids all should be checked for leaks. Fix any leaks that many have occurred.
2. Pressure Pumps – Check to see if there is any water in the oil by monitoring the site glass for a milky emulsification. The water that continuously bypasses the plunger seal needs to have the proper maintenance done on the seal before it completely destroys that pump.
3. High Pressure Gun Nozzle Tips – If the tip is worn out you will end up using more water and chemical than is needed. These worn out tips can also give a bad customer experience with the possibility of leaking onto the customer.
4. Foam Brush Heads – Check to see if there are worn out bristles or any leaks at the swivel fittings.

In-Bay Automatic Washes
In in-bay automatic washes be sure to check the following:

1. Nozzles – Check the nozzles in the spray arches for wear or elongation. Tips will wear over time making the spray patterns worse and affecting the flow rates. Chemical and water consumption can also increase with worn nozzles.
2. Fittings – The fittings in the pump station as well as the equipment in the bay need to be inspected for leaks. Leaks cause the chemical to run down the wash equipment instead of onto the vehicle.
3. Scrunchy Pads – If your wash has the option for triple foam be sure to look inside the triple foam generators. These pads can become loaded with scale, algae and slime greatly reducing the foaming ability of the chemicals.

Tunnel Washes
In tunnel washes include what was mentioned before as well as some additional checks:

1. Hydraulic Power Packs – Leaks can occur from the pump station to the arches causing costly hydraulic fluid from entering your drain or reclaim system. Be sure to check to see if there are any leaks.
2. Rollers, Sprockets and Drive Chain – They need to be checked for any stretching or wear. To make sure this won't be an issue during the busy season, schedule a routine maintenance to prevent any downtime.

There are more areas that you can check but the key is prevention. Making sure your wash is running properly and there are no issues not only ensures less downtime but allows you to be able to keep providing the wash that your customers have come to expect.

From the Lustra Team – Keep Shining

For more information go to LustraBear.com.