Maintenance For Winter Season

As we head into the fall and winter seasons, car wash maintenance becomes increasingly crucial
to the success of your business. Along with the year-round maintenance that incurs such as
greasing and cleaning, the cold weather brings additional maintenance responsibilities. With 40
years of experience in the car wash industry and seeing everything from mild winters to extreme
winter weather, here are some of the additional maintenance responsibilities that come with the
season:
Make sure all doors are operational. Programmed correctly to make sure the doors stay down
during the wash and whenever possible, keeping as much heat in the bay as you can.
If equipped with any type of winterization package such as rail heat in an In-Bay Automatic, ensure
you have anti-freeze in your tank. Open ball valves to allow fluid to circulate throughout the system.
Set the thermostat above the temperature outside and make sure the pump turns on and runs.
While it is running, start checking all the hoses making sure no leaks. After running it for 10-15
minutes, you should start to feel the hoses getting warmer ensuring the system is working properly.
If your car wash is equipped with floor heat, ensure the system is working properly by running the
system and checking the floor temperature with a temperature gun.
If equipped with a heater in the bay, such as radiant tube heat, ensure the heater is working properly
by setting the thermostat above the outside temperature. Let it run for 10-15 minutes and make
sure the heater is putting out efficient heat.
If equipped with an air purge or weep system, ensure air purge is turned on and check that the air
purge comes on after the wash is complete. Blowing out any water left in all the lines. If you have a
weep system, set the thermostat above the outside temperature and check your weep to ensure it
turns on. Measure the amount of water you weep to ensure you’re not wasting too much water but
ensuring a nice, steady stream of water.
Ensure you have an adamant amount of salt on site to cover all walkways or anywhere there will be
customers; ensuring the safety for everyone on site.
If using a company for snow plowing, ensure they are made aware and to keep you on the schedule.
If you have a self-serve unit ensure the weep is working allowing water to consistently run out,
keeping anything from freezing.
These items will help you ensure success through the winter. Along with these items, check your
carwash daily prior to your busy part of the day to ensure there are no leaks and everything is
running efficiently and as designed. The winter weather can be difficult to deal with, especially for
those in the car wash industry; but following these steps will help ensure that you continue to wash
cars, even in the cold winter weather.
Article submitted by:
James Wren & Brandon Randol – Tech Service Department – Oasis Car Wash Systems