CONVEYOR HOT TOPICS
Buy now, save later
New equipment may be the key to saving water and electricity in the long run.
BY DEBRA GORGOS | MANAGING EDITOR
The environment and the economy are
enduring the same “save me” plea for help.
Both are hurting, both have gotten a lot
of attention as of late, and both need to be
considered during the day-to-day operations at your carwash, especially now since
both matter to customers as well.
When considering ways to save money
and the environment, the experts Profes-
sional Carwashing & Detailing spoke with
suggested these three updates for your
tunnel carwash:
• A water reclaim system;
• Tunnel lights; and
• VFDs (variable frequency drives).
The pay-off
Adding VFDs or updating your tun-
nel lights might require some extra cash
upfront, but they’ll pay off in the long run,
both economically and environmentally.
Or as Dean Taylor, the system application
specialist for CATEC Water Recovery and
Ozone Systems, said, “If they aren’t inter-
ested in saving money and/or water, they
are taking a very shortsighted view of their
operation.”
Bob Koo, president of AquaChem, who is
also a carwash operator, said that from an
operator’s point of view, people
need to look at their whole opera-
tion and realize that any kind of
eco-based equipment upgrade is
advantageous to any wash.
Solar lighting is a big capital investment that costs a lot
up front, but will pay off down the road. Look at your
location and consider your climate. If the skies are blue
and sunny for a majority of the year, then this is a step
you may want to consider for your tunnel.
Water is not everywhere
Water shortages are not only a
sign of the times, but they’re also
a sign of the future, due to possible low
rain falls, depleting reservoirs and rising
consumption volumes.
Even though they don’t come cheap,
many carwash owners have installed water
reclaim systems over the years to save
money and help the environment, Taylor
stated. He said a good system will reduce
water and sewer use by about 70 percent.
