Car wash

A car wash is used to clean the outside of vehicles. They are widely used for cars, less known for trucks, trains, buses or bicycles (including the bike station Münster). A special variant is the most intended for job site wheel washing system.

There are two different types of automatic car washes. A distinction is made between car washes and car washes.

In a gantry car wash, the customer must enter by car and leave it in the rule. The cleaning brushes move independently of the car. The customer can choose the self-service operation, the desired cleaning program often after insertion of punched cards, magnetic cards, smart cards or tokens. Alternatively, the wash program for other equipment is already stored on the card or it must be typed in a previously acquired by purchase, once valid digit combination to activate the car wash.

In a car wash the car is pulled by means of a conveyor belt through a tunnel. The cleaning brushes are stationary and only move vertically or horizontally. In newer systems, there are linear brushes portals that follow the vehicle up to 1.5 meters in order to ensure a thorough cleaning front or rear. A car wash has a much higher capacity than a gantry car wash. One advantage of car washes is that the car will usually not leave the customer needs and the laundry regardless of the program always takes the same length.

Washing operation of a mechanical car wash

A sensor the vehicle dimensions are first determined, on request the vehicle to pre-wash using a high pressure arc that follows the vehicle, pre-washed; this is necessary in textile washing material. On older systems move in the main wash rotating brush around or over the vehicle. The transport through the washing room is effected by a conveyor belt having a feed roller acting on the left front wheel. After patent DE 3732542, the vehicle may not come out of the track. In modern plants mobile textile strips, and more recently PE foam strips are used. Special rotating brushes clean often additionally the rims of the vehicle. Depending on the washing program the vehicle can now be provided with a wax treatment or sub- soil conservation, which protects against environmental influences. The final step is drying. A fan moves over the vehicle and dries the body. Modern car washes feature following the drying fan nor a textile Mitter, who wipes away the remaining water droplets and causes significantly more shine.

A less common way to to clean the vehicle fully automatically, are brushless wash portals and extremely aggressive detergents to wash the vehicle with extreme pressure (up to 90 bar ) clean. However, the operating costs of such washes are relatively high because of the use of up to six high-pressure pumps. These systems can be found mainly in the Scandinavian countries, there is added there in winter instead of salt with grit, the bitumen is scattered. Through this mixture of vehicles brushes would be heavily worn or soiled. Therefore, it is cleaned in the winter months almost exclusively with high-pressure or brushless.

History

1961 Gebhard developed weigela and Johann Sulzberger ( the founder of WESUMAT Car Wash GmbH ), the first wash, which took only two brushes to the standing, washing the car and fit in a normal gas station carwash. The patent DE 1187943 this was filed August 8, 1962.

The first fully automated car wash with coin has been registered by Sulzberger and weigela on 9 April 1964 Patent DE 1294248. The customer was able for the first time to stay in the car during the wash.

1963 built Franz Christian ( Otto Christ AG), the first fully automated car wash, which forms the basis for today's technology.

Brush or rag

In many new washing systems are used instead of brushes mainly cloth to clean to preserve the use of the paint. However, this clean in comparison to nylon brushes worse and usually leave a fine film of dirt due to the low mechanical action. Nylon brushes, however, damage the paint usually only if they are not cleaned regularly.

Since 2000 is used instead of nylon or cloth or textile Polyäthylenborsten increasingly washing material of closed cell PE foam for use. With the same speed as Polyäthylenborsten also gives a good washing result. This washing material leaves no abrasion on the paint and causes no sanding marks by trapped particles. Paint damage are no longer possible.

Washing programs

The most commonly used wash programs are:

• Hochdruckvorwäsche - A high-pressure jet (up to 90 bar ) before the car washes to, rinse extreme dirt and sand, which can cause scratches in the brush wash the car.

• Active Foam - The car is sprayed with a highly active cleaning foam that loosens stubborn dirt to prepare the paint for brush wash.

• Brush wash - The vehicle is powered by three brushes ( two vertical, one horizontal ) scanned by sensors and pressure sensors, thus removing the paint.
• Waxing - hot, cold and sparkling wax can be sprayed after the washing process.
• Special wax - a special wax is sprayed after intermediate drying of the dry coating, and then fixed by the brushes.
• Foam polish - A special wax is without intermediate drying on the paint is applied as a foam and then fixed by the brushes.
• Glanztrockner / drying aid - An agent is sprayed on and causes the film of water runs off as soon as possible prior to the drying process.
• Drying - A horizontal fan ( optional side fan ) follows the contour of the vehicle and so blows off the remaining water drops.
• Underbody wash - The underbody and wheel arches are cleaned by high pressure jets of up to 90 bar.
• Under soil conservation - The sub- soil is sprayed with a special wax to protect it from stones and salt.
• Rim cleaning - The rims are purified by disc brushes or high-pressure nozzles.

Conservation

Depending on the washing plant type l ( car washes ) and 600 l ( washes ) are consumed water to wash your vehicle from about 120. In order to conserve fresh water, the wash water will therefore be collected and used to wash again after clarification and filtration in most washes. Waxes and drying aids are, however, generally applied with fresh water. The wash water are cleaning additives added to remove stubborn dirt. In addition, the wash water slightly alkaline ( pH 7.5 to 8.0). On the vehicles exiting oils or fuels are filtered through an oil separator. In the winter months, road salt also introduced by the vehicles in the wash water, which leads to an increase in salinity of the wash water. Therefore, periodic addition of fresh water added during the winter in order to stabilize the salt concentration at a lower level.