Mobile Car Wash Question

[imported_MP525i]

hey everyone,



just had a question in terms of tools and supplies i will need. i plan on doing large amounts of cars at a time. again, this isn`t going to be detailing but just washing.



how many gallon tank should i purchase? 50, 100, 200 300 gallon?



what other tools will i need (i.e: compressor, hose/gun, etc.)?



where can i find these products?



thanks guys... any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated. :)



-mike

[kpagel]

I don`t work in the field, but I can imagine that a pressure washer, along with a generator to run it should be at the top of the list. You`ll need to figure out how much water you use per car and how many cars per day you`ll be doing. That will determine how big of a tank you need. Also, look into some sort of deionized water system. It will increase efficiency.

[rollman]

Give the search feature a try . This is a popular question asked here , you should be able to find tons of helpful threads. :buffing:

[imported_MP525i]

thanks guys! :)



yeah, i should have used the search button. :( my bad.



-mike

[SoCal Mobile]

This is an old post but how did this venture work out for you?

Clay Bar (http://thesocalway.com) Wash& Wax (http://socalautospa.com)

[Ron Ketcham]

I would suggest that you have a vehicle or trailer that will handle whatever the size tank plus the other equipment.

For simplicity, figure a gallon of water at 8 pounds, so a tank of 100 gallons is going to be 800 pounds, plus the tank, plus your generator, plus other equipment.

Can`t provide you with number of gallons per vehicle needed, can only go back 20 years of so when I was working with various car companies port ops around the country.

Had all automatic equipment, and since most ports were running 250 to 700 cars a day through their wash system, water use was a cost to be considered.

Average for pre-rinse, 15 gallons, a half a gallon or so for the shampoo mix and 15 gallons for final rinse.

That`s what was the number in LA, in Hpuston, Midlothian, Elizabeth, Tacoma, basically all were found to use aprox the same amount.

Hope this gives you some help.

Grumpy

[imported_WCD]

On the west coast, have not used a water tank or pressure washer in 3 years. It`s less expensive to use ONR and saves a lot of hassle with local laws/enforcement. For a shop, I would surely have an electric unit housed in an equipment room with lines, or an ONR pressurized line.



Rob

[MichaelM]

Rob- How do you handle rough wheels?

[Ron Ketcham]

Rob, would one of Bud`s pressurized stainless tanks work for the ONR?

Not sure since all I use, if not washing with shampoo and water, is the Fast Finish when that`s all one of the old cars need for a quick cleanup.

Around here, no problem with water runoff, but ton`s of gravel roads, dirt holes, clumps of dirt on the lower part of the body.

Been thinking about having Tim look around and see if there is an extra one of those tanks at AI, we bought from the guy out in Colorado, but same tank.

They are handy for lots of things, mainly degreasers, all purposes etc.

Grumpy

[imported_WCD]

Ron,



I use my PDS tank at times loaded with ONR as the pre-rinse as you mentioned. The Detail Caddy is used more of the time as the pump puts out a better and MUCH faster application. If you get the tank pressurized right with a good tip, that will work for low volume stuff- More than 4-5 cars on one load, and it drops pressure from my experience.

Fast Finish- Just found 5 16oz bottles (maybe 22oz) in my storage and started using again. Always liked the product.



Rough wheels: I do not used acids anymore, but in detailing, I use a vapor steamer, so if necessary I hit wheels with steam. Otherwise, PowerClean or Omni APC.



Rob