The Automatic Carwash Actually, automatics come in several flavors Hand car wash facilities Self-serve In-bay automatics And …

WOULD YOU LIKE A

CARWASH WITH THAT

GAS ?

The Automatic Carwash

Actually, automatics come in several flavors

Hand car wash facilities Self-serve In-bay automatics

And …

Tunnel automatics

We usually close our eyes … while imagining how badly the car’s getting beat up.

So, what actually happens in a TUNNEL AUTOMATIC ?

Surprisingly, these systems are marvels of chemistry and engineering.

This morning I’d like to show you how a conveyorized tunnel automatic works.

They first appeared in the late 1930’s

You pass through 5 stages

Stage 1 – Pay and Select

Some car washes have their customers pay through a computerized point of sale unit.

The mechanism inputs the wash Price Lookup Code into a master tunnel controller.

After paying the car is put into a line-up called the stack or queue. The stack moves sequentially, so the wash knows what each car purchased.

Stage 2 – The Entrance

The car moves forward to engage the conveyor

The system detects the length of the car

The system keeps track of the wash options the customer has selected

Stage 3 -- WASH The carwash starts cleaning with pre-soaks,

applied through special arches. They may apply a lower pH (mild acid) followed

by a higher pH (mild alkali). Chemical formulas and concentrations will vary

based upon seasonal dirt and film on vehicles, as well as exterior temperature.

Chemical dilution and application work in combination with removal systems based on either high pressure water, friction, or a combination of both.

Stage 4 -- Rub a Dub Dub The customer next encounters tire and wheel

nozzles. These will apply specialized formulations, which remove brake dust and build up from the surface of the wheels and tires.

The next arch will often be wraparounds, usually made of a soft cloth, or closed cell foam material. These wraparounds should rub the front bumper, the sides, and then the rear of the vehicle.

Past the first wraparounds may be a tire brush that will scrub the tires and wheels.

Stage 5 -- Rinse

Some washes have multiple rinse stages, usually offering a protectant as an option.

A tire shining machine might spray silicone tire dressing on the tires, making them look new and glossy.

Next the vehicle is treated with a drying agent and a final rinse.

A "spot free" rinse water, filtered of the salts normally present, and sent through reverse osmosis membranes to produce highly purified water that will not leave spots.

The vehicle is finished with forced air drying, in some cases utilizing heat to produce a very dry car.

Not bad, for a few bucks

Sit back and listen to a few tunes No harm to your car Removes the worst of dirt Extremely efficient use of water No watermarks left over

Well, it’s not perfect …