May be doing something wrong

Dale

New Member
Hi,

New to the board and somewhat new to fleet washing and need some advice if someone would help me out.

I have a Cemex 2-step machine, 1500 psi and 4 gpm. It's a remote system for the chemical draw. The dealer told me that the draw is 25:1 on each injector. It has 2 injectors. I do have a hot box tied into the system.

I'm using KO's Bright Alum #207 and #430 for the soap. I was told to cut each at 1:1 and then run thru the machine.

The trailers are coming clean, don't have a problem with that...some of the trailers had not been washed for 2 years. I'm doing gravel haulers and 53' box trailers. However, it's taking way to long to do them according to some of the post I have been reading. I'm lucky to get 2 an hour and I don't stand still. I'm also using that same mix on the tractors.

I'm I cutting the chems to much, should I get straight HF and mix my own? Should I be using a different soap? Seem's that Brown Derby is a good soap....where do you get it?


ANY ADVICE AND HELP WOULD BE GREAT.

Thanks,

Dale Reif

316-393-3042
 

Scott Stone

New Member
There are a lot of things that can effect the speed of cleaning the trucks. 2 years between cleanings can be one of those things. Keep at it, and they will come clean faster next time.

Scott Stone
 

ron

New Member
hello dale.
First off there is more to HF acid then just HF.
Second is you prob cant get even 50% HF acid if you wanted to.
Man that would be some dangerous stuff.
Next is you say that you have a hot box tied into your system.
It should be AFTER the pump. If it is AFTER the pump, is your downstreamer AFTER the hot box? I hope so.
Next is delution.
You are cutting the acid too much for trailer's that far between washing's. Your acid might be OK as a maint but not as a first time.
Lastly, your psi and gpm is kind of low. What size tip do you use?
your cutting the acid by 50% then getting a 25% draw\
so at 4 gpm your getting 4 gal of water to1 gal of chem per min
that 1 gal is 50% water[so that's 1/2 gal of chem] [4 pint's in a half gal]
so your spraying about 1 pint of alum brite per min
that's weak.
with your equipment, 2 per hour seem's real good to me.
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
In most cases you cann't go by what the label says to mix your chemicals b/c they go by clean trucks,you'll have to up your mix rate on dirty trucks.Your chemicals are ok,may want try their Fleet kleen or Dyna,Brown Derby is a good soap but its nothing like 2-stepping.

If your talking about washing two dirty gravel haulers rigs an hour your doing ok with a 4 gpm rig as in not standing still.
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
Dale,just now opening e-mail,I know I'm slow :).

No to getting straight HF and mixing your own,in plain talk thats some bad $ss chit,be worse then dumping a truck load of rattlesnakes with biting corba's on ya.If you think you can handle the snakes find a raw chemical supplier in your area and talk to them,ask to speak to a salesperson.It takes other raw chemicals to add to the HF to make aluminum brightener,he will know and will advise as to what.

The board has a Chat room,hallower at me anytime after 9 pm central time.
 

Dale

New Member
Hi,

Thank you everyone for the responses. I have 2 other units that I also use and understand how they work. This Chemex machine is a lot different. No adjustment on the 2 injectors and both the injectors are upstream and triggered by a switch on the gun as well as a switch for the water release. I guess that's why they call it a remote system. I was told by one of the guys that helped build this machine that I should not have a problem with acid if following up with soap and rinse water for the 2 step. I use a #6-25 tip.

Went and washed trailers this morning, uped the acid mix and the soap mix. Worked a heck of a lot better. Was able to pull 3 trailers in an hour. These trailers hauled rock and had not been washed for 8 mo.

Thanks again,

Dale
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
Keep uping your chemical until it does the biggest part of the work for you,makes it faster and easier.

Can tell by the tip you use your rig is running in relax mode :) ,I use a size 1025,sometimes 0925,lazy mode.

I have 5 friends that upstreams their acid,a year or two is all they can get out of their coils.The acid eats at the metal tubing each time you run it though the coils,they also upstream their soaps.

More then likely you can get a different injector to inject more chemicals into the system or you could need bigger chemical lines to and from the pump and chemical tank.
 

Dale

New Member
Hi again,

What size of tip should be the largest that I should use with this machine?

How much difference in cleaning time if I go back to cold water on trailers and trucks?

Thanks,

Dale
 

Mark

Moderator / Sponsor
Try this nozzle chart.

pressurewasherzone_1766_2803308
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
I think your already at the limit with a # 6 on a 1500psi 4 gpm rig.

It'll take a tab longer with cold water over hotwater,bugs want come as easy.Why not try downstreaming your acid and use the injectors for soap and wax.I downstream by acid,I never run it though the pump or burner as some do.

Are the rockhaulers trailers painted or aluminum?
 

Dale

New Member
All the trailers that I'm doing is aluminum. I did just pick up a contract for 18 53' painted trailers.

On the tips, looks like 6 or 6.5 is it. I might go with the dowstream on the acid. I have 28 53' aluminum box trailers to do this weekend and see what happens.
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
I think your already fairly fast with a 1500psi 4 gpm,the remote is helping with your speed.20 minutes is not bad when washing dirty aluminum rock trailers with your setup.Most of us fleet washers have 5 gpm 3000psi or better,mine is 6 gpm 3500psi,its fast enough for me.The size 10 tip drops the psi enough for fleetwashing without dropping the gpm which is where you gain your speed.

Do the rockhaulers look something like this one.
 

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Dale

New Member
Yes, most of them are like that.

I would like to have a larger machine, guess I have to stick with what I have for now. I was told me that these machines were made to do trailers, I'm surprised that they did not make them larger when they were making the Chemex machines. My other 2 machines are both 4gpm @4000 psi.
 

Dale

New Member
OK, going much better now. Got a good mix on the acid for tractors and painted trailers and not so dirty aluminum trailers.

I changed soaps to a higher ph of 12.8, works much better.

However, on real dirty trailers using KO (straight), I still think it needs to be stronger. Is there another acid that would work better or something to add to the KO to boost the horsepower?

I heard that Bright 10 was good??????????? Lot's of leway to mix?

Thanks again for the help.
 

ron

New Member
bigboy has learned me a thing or 2 and 1 of those thing's is that stuff that has not been washed regular will get better looking and better looking the more times you wash.
dont exspect them to be perfect untill you've washed them a couple of time's.
it's a washer wand, not a magic wand.
p.s. yes their are BOOSTER'S you can buy.
watch the amount of sod. hyd. in your soap because it can turn the raw acided alum brown.[burn it]
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
Sometimes you can mix a high and low PH together and get a better clean.What the high PH want remove the low PH will in some cases.Unless you want to spend most of the day washing on a filty dirty truck you can only get it so clean for the amount of money charged the first time,like ron said,they'll get cleaner the more offen they wash them.Fleet clean and Dyna mixed together works ok when applied on top of HF acid.Alot of chemicals are the same thing only different labels make them different,Mark should be able to tell you the differents in the who what label.
 

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