Car Wash Equipment

About Carwash Equipment and Car Wash Equipment Including: Auto Car Wash, Automated Car Wash, Car Dryers, Car Wash, Car Wash Systems, Car Wash Tunnels, Coin Operated Car Wash, Hand Car Wash, Mobile Car Wash, Self Service Car Wash, Touchless Car Wash & Used Car Wash Equipment.

Car washes are businesses that sell car cleaning in various different forms for commercial and industry use. The equipment is sold to small, local businesses that service the public, or to large companies such as bus systems and taxi cab companies that need bigger car washes that can handle heavy use. Car washes are located in most cities all over the U.S. and are often attached to gas stations, detail centers or are free standing. A car wash equipment manufacturer is a company that provides the equipment and material necessary for various kinds of commercial and sometimes industrial car washes. When starting a car wash business, many opt to purchase used car wash equipment. There are many diverse car wash systems-some work without employees and some operate with many. Automated car washes are popular, and either use brushes or are considered touchless car washes. These auto car washes are often housed in car wash tunnels and use car dryers. Self service car washes are a do-it-yourself alternative to the automated type, and often either accept credit cards or are coin-operated car washes. Customers can take their car to a hand car wash, a more expensive option, where workers clean and do detail work by hand. Sometimes companies start mobile car washes, which is when the car wash equipment is located inside a vehicle that travels to different residences.

Automated car washes have gained significant popularity in recent years. They are very common and come in 2 different varieties-touchless and cloth friction. Touchless uses high-powered water pressure sprayers to clean the car, which either move around the parked car or are stationary sections which the car on moving rails passes through. Only the water and cleaning agent come in contact with the car, which prevents scratching and marking the car's finish. The alternative, cloth friction, uses soft yet powerful cloth to clean the car, which are large, rotating brushes that use soap to scrub the car exterior clean. Both forms of auto car washes use sensors called eyes that a trigger digital control system to enable the washing sequence and adjust to the car's size. All automated car washes are housed in a tunnel, which is often made of glass, has 2 entrances on either side, and sometimes has a set of moving tracks that progresses the neutral car through the wash. Near the end of auto car washes is a drying station, where high-pressure compressors blow air over the surface of the vehicle, drying it before exiting the car wash.

Self service car washes are a less expensive, do-it-yourself alternative to the automated type. They are composed of 1 or more bays, a covered area with a drain where the car is washed. Inside, a water gun with different settings like wax, spray and soap is set on a timer, which is dependent upon the amount of money customers want to pay (the more money they pay, the longer they have to wash their cars). Most of these timed systems are coin operated, but newer wash stations now accept credit cards. The pressure sprayer and foaming brush are joined to a boom, which is a hose connected to a large central pump. The booms are attached to the wall or ceiling of the bay, with plenty of slack so the customer may move around their car easily. Because self service and automated car washes rarely have employees on hand and are machine-run, they are often open to the public 24 hours a day. Many offer waxing and undercarriage cleaning services.

Aside from self service and automated car washes, there are other more expensive and convenient systems that require no customer work. Hand car washes offer hand washing with wool towels or mits, car detailing and hand waxing in about 30 minutes. Some offer interior cleaning, carpet shampooing and vacuuming, and can run up to around $100. Mobile car washes are the most convenient option for car cleaning, as they come to the customer's home with car wash equipment. Mobile car wash equipment is able to fit in a truck or van, and are often on wheels for easy maneuvering. Generally, they offer exterior cleaning, waxing, vacuuming and interior cleaning. Like the hand wash system, this is a more expensive option since customers pay for use of the equipment, man power and the drive. Both of these car washes are for customers with more expensive cars that take much pride in them and don't mind spending a lot of money to have them fully cleaned.     

Using commercial car wash systems has many benefits in comparison to at-home driveway methods. They use much less water than a hose, which is often recycled and always filtered. Using a hose at home, however, is harmful because the un-biodegradable soap, oil and car grime drains into sewers and into drinking water or local wildlife. At-home cleaners can damage a car's finish over time, while the cleaning agents used at car washes are designed specifically for car exteriors, and do not harm the finish. Despite some common misconceptions, using commercial car washes is also more economical, because less water is used per wash.

Types of Carwash Equipment

• Automatic car washes are a popular system where cars are driven into the wash bay and either guided into the washing equipment by conveyors or the equipment moves around the stationary vehicle. Also known as full service wash since these typically encompass the whole process of a complete wash, dry and vacuuming (by hand).
  
• Car washes are businesses where cars are cleaned.
  
• Car wash supplies are any of the materials used in washing cars.
  
• Car wash systems include self-serve, automated, and full service car washes.
  
• Conveyorized hand wash is a conveyor wash, in which workers wash the vehicle as it passes with large mitts in place of mechanical mitters and side washers.
  
• Drying systems vary with site and application but typically the dryer heats large amounts of air and forces it out through a series of nozzles in blasts, which dry the vehicle. Some sites use a special chemical after the final rinse to speed up the drying process.
  
• Mobile car washes are a newer trend in vehicle maintenance where the service providers come to the location of the vehicle with high powered equipment to clean the vehicle.
  
• Self serve car washes have an open bay with a pressure sprayer, and sometimes a foaming brush, which is connected to a large central pump. They are usually coin operated.
  
• Truck washing systems consist of a combination of manual washing and special washing brushes, rinsers, hoses and chemicals designed to clean a truck or heavy equipment.
  
• Waterless car wash systems usually consist of chemicals, which break up dirt and oil to be wiped away and leave a shine on the vehicle. With most waterless systems, effectiveness is increased with frequency of use.