EPA Clean Water Act: Mobile Detailing

S

Secret Chimp

New member
Does your local government enforce the Clean Water Act? It's a law everywhere in the US that prohibits businesses (including mobile detailers) from being able to just dump their waste water into open sewers or drains. ie....are you required to reclaim your water or make sure that water does not make it's way into open storm drains.

I get around this by washing with QEW or S&W. So no water even hits the ground when I do my work.

If you reclaim your water or otherwise obey the Clean Water Act, what do you do when you come upon business competition that is not heeding the law? Do you tell them it is against the law to just let their water go into the storm drains? Do you just look the other way? Do you call your local municipality or EPA office and make a report?

In my area there are a lot of fly by night mobile detailers that likely don't even have green cards much less the proper insurance and paperwork it takes to run a legitimate business. They run around and wash cars for the equivalent of $10 an hour. And they make it hard for legitimate mobile detailers to get good customers because they all think you charge too much 'because so and so washes my car for $10 and thats a lot less than the $30 you charge'. Would it be antisocial or a55holish of me to report these fly by night folks to the law? The EPA fine or warnings would surely force them out of business or at least make em buy real equipment and become legit.

SC~
 
There are ALOT of EPA laws and restrictions that prohibit quite a few things. The entire water dilemna (In my Opinion) comes down to how they can catch you.[B\] Personally there aren't any water restrictions currently around me and I don't think my neighbors are water Nazis or environmental freaks.

Reclaiming water is quite an ordeal. I'm glad my water runs off to the side of my house near a gravel / hard soil area. Does anyone have an idea for water / chemical disposal?

Honestly if your losing business to people who do "illegal" or cheap work your giving away all the customers that won't value your work! The ones that are willing to pay understand where your business comes from.
 
You are right in that it all comes down to how you can be caught. These EPA regulations are left to local officials for enforcement. Most places don't proactively enforce these regulations because they have bigger things to worry about. Here in SoCal, people are more environmentally focused than they are in most other places I've lived. I am suprised these regulations aren't enforced out here.

When I was out doing some marketing last friday, I encountered 5 other mobile detailers in 2 hours. It's just frustrating to see people paying for car washes where the detailer uses turtle wax, old shirts and a leaf blower to dry off the vehicle. And it's not like these folks aren't multi millionaires! They could pay for a quality wash.

But I guess they are getting what they paid for!

SC~
 
Absolutely true. Its hard, everywhere is different! Don't worry it will play out for ya in the end. Just emphasize what your offering.
 
Secret Chimp said:
If you reclaim your water or otherwise obey the Clean Water Act, what do you do when you come upon business competition that is not heeding the law? Do you tell them it is against the law to just let their water go into the storm drains? Do you just look the other way? Do you call your local municipality or EPA office and make a report?

In my area there are a lot of fly by night mobile detailers that likely don't even have green cards much less the proper insurance and paperwork it takes to run a legitimate business. They run around and wash cars for the equivalent of $10 an hour. And they make it hard for legitimate mobile detailers to get good customers because they all think you charge too much 'because so and so washes my car for $10 and thats a lot less than the $30 you charge'. Would it be antisocial or a55holish of me to report these fly by night folks to the law? The EPA fine or warnings would surely force them out of business or at least make em buy real equipment and become legit.

SC~
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:flameon I would say YES report them anyway you can. Now I'm not a jerk but business is business and that is why you,I, and a whole lot of others use QEW. So folks CAN'T :jump bust us.
I use the fact in all my printed material that I'm in compliance with all EPA regulations and guidelines and that it is a law that all waste water must be contained. You could point out the fact that there are alot of "mobile car washes" around town that don't bother to reclaim and don't seem to (and this is important) "care about OUR enviroment".
I think once you point out to folks that YOU are caring about the Earth that could only return good props to you.
Good Luck.
Derek
 
I have been emphasizing the fact that I am an environmentally responsible detailer. But in newspaper ads and other marketing materials, I try to shy away from sounding negative about other detailer businesses. I think it's bad form to bash other businesses in adverts.

But I agree that it might be time to call the local enforcement.

I have been thinking about offering a $20 exterior only wash (for multi car jobs at a single location)....that will be my least expensive service and will take me no more than 20 mins to accomplish each car.

SC~
 
Yes I agree. Don't bash in advertising but on a face to face it might benefit you to mention the fact that YOU are complying with EPA regs. If you feel(know) that these other "Mobile carwashers" aren't complying or not even a registered business and especially if their pricing is "degrading" ands hurting the Detailing industry I would definitley do something. If you don't, it might just(it will) hurt your business.
Good Luck
Derek
 
I've always found it very challenging to not get water on the ground when washing with QEW. I suppose washing , even with it, could be done somewhat "in secret" inside a garage. There's not a whole lot of water that would fall on the garage floor around the car to cause a problem and not dry in reasonable time.

I'd be interesting in trying techniques that greatly limit if not eliminate water going on the ground entirely when washing with QEW. On the occasion when I would use it, I'd use at least 2 buckets-even the smaller 3 bucket basic kind.
 
I reserve QEW for really dirty cars. Here in CA, we don't get many of those. Most cars have a combination of pollen and dust. So most of my washing is done with S&W. There is no water to hit the ground when you use that.
 
I doubt they enforce it everywhere, otherwise why would they sell those big water tanks detailers use to detail cars with. And i never seen anyone on the detailng boards get in trouble for it.
 
hpracing007 said:
I doubt they enforce it everywhere, otherwise why would they sell those big water tanks detailers use to detail cars with. And i never seen anyone on the detailng boards get in trouble for it.
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I'm not sure how the fact that water tanks are available for sale has anything to do with enforcement of the Clean Water Act. There is no connection. Those tanks are not sold exclusively for detailing use. They are made primarially for agriculture use. And besides, you can be a pro detailer who uses water AND still in compliance with the Water Act. You just have to use a water reclamation system....or wash in a way that all your waste water goes into a sanitary sewer, and not an open storm drain.

SC~
 
Well, the big water tanks are used for cleanup mainly (or so i've seen), like construction clean up. You ever see the city's contractors using a tank and hi pressure washer to blast some concrete? Same thing.

I don't know, i see people lots of business such as people who clean gutters, singles, painters ect who spray stuff all the time and some of their water is impossible to reclaim.
 
hpracing007 said:
I don't know, i see people lots of business such as people who clean gutters, singles, painters ect who spray stuff all the time and some of their water is impossible to reclaim.
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For the most part, the water used by these guys goes into the soil and not into storm drains. It's the water getting into storm drains, and into the waterways that the EPA is trying to regulate. If it goes into the soil, that soil filters out the phosphates, oils and other contaminates so it never makes it's way into the waterways.

You might want to read the Act so you can better understand.

SC~
 
Link it up i guess... i want to read it.

"For the most part, the water used by these guys goes into the soil and not into storm drains. It's the water getting into storm drains, and into the waterways that the EPA is trying to regulate. If it goes into the soil, that soil filters out the phosphates, oils and other contaminates so it never makes it's way into the waterways."

Shoot, if that's true, i think an easier solution than trying to wash a dirty car without water would be to wash the car on grass, or divert the water to the grass using like landscape edging in the big roll or something. But if the driveway is long enough, water never even touches the street, it's on private property, i don't see how the EPA can regulate that. It's the same as any other clean up business.
 
This link has specific info from the EPA for mobile detailers. http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6en/w/pw.htm


If you are working in a place that has grass, you could do as you mentioned above. But I don't know too many customers who would like me driving their car on their lawn, nor do I know many businesses who would allow me to use their lawn like that.

The use of diverters and reclaimers are actually what is recommended by the EPA....or you could just not use water!

SC~
 
I guess QEW would be fine, but damn I'm happy I can wash and let everything run to my lawn! :bigups
 
Thanks for the link.

I don't know, not washing a car with water. I know lots of people use that spray and wipe stuff, but my car get DIRTY. I'm not gonna spray it on a dry, dirty car.
 
If the car is really dirty, you should use QEW, not S&W. You should try it. :) I bet you would be suprised how well it works.

Btw... here in CA, we rarely see cars that are actually dirty. Most have a little pollen and sand dust on them and thats it. No salt or mud or bug guts or anything else I used to see on cars when I lived back east!

SC~
 
In my area there are a lot of fly by night mobile detailers that likely don't even have green cards much less the proper insurance and paperwork it takes to run a legitimate business.
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I am curios to how you determined your competition were illegal aliens and didn’t have insurance? Did you ask to see proof or did yu break into their home and go through their things? Or was it because their skin was a little darker than yours or spoke in a different lauguage?

Also if your threaten by a $10 a wash business then you have to take a long hard look at your business. We also service So. Cal, we reclaim and we don't spend a fraction of a second worring about those that don't.
 
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