Water Quality & Drying Agents

by S. Levy

Are you using a business model that would actually have you choose to eliminate jobs and damage the environment?  Without hands to dry a vehicle, and using chemistry instead,  the exterior-only car wash option is a popular business model to avoid labor expense. If you’re primary cleaners are alkaline presoaks there is a good possibility that you are putting too much alkaline onto the vehicle. Too much alkaline on the vehicles surface prohibits proper drying. A primary purpose of an exterior car wash or in bay automatic is to eliminate labor. However; when there is no labor to help dry the vehicle the only thing left to ensure a dry vehicle is the effectiveness of your drying agent. Either way, a consumer expects a clean dry car.

Not That Simple

Getting a vehicle dry is not just about applying a simple application of drying agent. Yes, the drying agent is important in terms of how it aids in the shedding of water that is left on the surface of the vehicle as it starts to enter the wash rinse cycle. But, it is important to remember that the cleaning products you apply at the entrance to the wash can be just as important as what you are applying at the exit. By this, I mean you should be applying some form of low pH product that contains phosphoric acid. These products really do aid in the drying of the vehicle and neutralize alkaline products.

It’s The Little Things

Not long ago I was standing at the exit end of a new car wash watching vehicles come out. I noticed they were wet even though the proper amount of drying agent was being applied. I asked the owner if he was applying any low pH pre-soak at his entrance. The answer was no. I went back into the equipment room and made some quick application changes. While a low pH product was being applied to the operators wrap around brushes it was not enough to aid in the drying of the vehicle. I switched the application process around so that he was now applying a low pH product through one of his entrance arches. Well, guess what happened. In a short period of time his cars began to come out much drier and his customers were much happier. Sometimes it’s the little things.

Water Systems

Another factor in helping to turn out dry cars is using a reverse osmosis water system. Here’s how Wikipedia defines Reverse Osmosis for car washing:

Because of its lower mineral content, Reverse Osmosis water is often used in car washes during the final vehicle rinse to prevent water spotting on the vehicle. Reverse osmosis water displaces the mineral-heavy reclamation water (municipal water). Reverse osmosis water also enables the car wash operators to reduce the demands on the vehicle drying equipment such as air blowers.

Today if you are building an express car wash a reverse osmosis system is a must. In most cases it is included in the equipment quotation. Many people think that by having a soft water system in their car wash that this would take the place of an RO system. Not true. They are two different systems, providing two different functions. Soft water is certainly extremely important but don’t confuse it with an RO system.

Beads

Some drying agents leave little beads of water on the vehicles surface. I have always felt that these water beads were more susceptible to leaving water spots (because they contain various minerals) than drying agents that cause water to separate from the vehicles surface. When I see water shedding or dramatic water separation, I always feel that the products are working harder to get the water off of the vehicle. The driver should not have to turn their windshield wipers on so that they can see where they are going. The windshield glass should be bright and shiny upon exit.

I’m finding that many operators are now using their sealant applications as a drying agent as well. Usually sealant products are more concentrated than drying agents and will do a better job shedding water than the drying agents. Note that I am staying away from using the word “wax”. Since drying agents and sealants really don’t contain actual “wax” ingredients it would be misleading to call them “waxes”. If you’re promoting certain types of vehicle enhancing appearance products to your customers you should be careful about using the word “wax” in your package board menu descriptions.

Super Sealant as a Drying Agent

If you really want to ensure yourself that you are going to turn out a dry vehicle and you don’t mind spending a few extra pennies to achieve your goal, try using a small amount of your super sealant as a drying agent. Yes they are more expensive than standard drying agents but who are you trying to satisfy, your checkbook or your customer. If you think about it, a more satisfied customer leads to more frequent washing, therefore allowing you to satisfy your customer and your checkbook. Your chemical sales rep will be happy too.

So, it’s not just about a single product. It’s about many different things going on at the same time that can contribute to the final output. It always amazes me how some operators are willing to go to the tenth degree to turn out the best product they can while others are pinching pennies because they are worried that a particular application may cost too much. Penny wise, pound foolish; maybe so, but there really is no reason why you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Put a little frosting on it. It will taste better and your customers will love it.

Mineral Seal Oil

Here’s another suggestion. Don’t use drying agents that contain Mineral Seal Oil, especially if you are trying to be environmentally conscious. MSO is definitely not good for the environment. MSO is like a dirt magnet. Have you ever noticed that your lower rocker panel brushes or mitter curtains located near the air drier tend to get dirtier faster than any other type of material located within the wash? This is because the drying agent spray arch is generally not too far away from the air driers. When the air driers go on, they blow the water containing the drying agent with MSO in it back towards your lower rocker panel brushes or the mitter curtain causing these pieces of equipment to become dirtier much faster than any other piece of equipment in the car wash. In addition, a mitter curtain contaminated with MSO will most likely leave a noticeable streaky film on the vehicle.

Stuart Levy is the president of Clean Car Consulting. The company represents a variety of OEM car wash manufacturer’s products as well as providing car wash consulting services. For more information visit www.cleancarconsulting.com.

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