Sophisticated weep control system reduces wasteful expenses while ...

Schneider Electric Case Study
KRK Products
Willoughby, Ohio
Sophisticated weep
control system reduces
wasteful expenses while
getting fast ROI.
Make the most of your energy SM

Schneider Electric Case Study > KRK Products
The background
“I’ve had experiences with
Schneider Electric products for
more than 10 years, and they have
been incredibly reliable. They
aren’t products I have to worry
about not working again in a couple
years. They just keep going.”
- Rick Krahe,
Co-owner, KRK Products
Gone are the days of hand washing cars with a soapy sponge and a bucket of
water. Today’s on-the-go society demands ways to wash automobiles quickly and
affordably, and the car wash industry has responded. According to the United
States Census Bureau, there are 113,000 auto washes in the U.S. alone. With such
a crowded market, car wash owners must keep their costs low to stay competitive.
One expensive function for many standard car washes is weeping, which runs water
between washes to keep lines and nozzles from freezing in cold conditions. Simple
weep systems inject antifreeze into the line after each wash cycle, which may be
unnecessary and costly during higher activity periods. Basic water weeping systems
are also wasteful because they turn on and off based solely on temperature, without
considering activity levels. Unnecessary water weeping increases water utility bills
and sewer fees, and creates an icy mess in the wash bays.
The challenge
KRK Products, an auto wash operator and builder in Willoughby, Ohio,
saw the need for an intelligent weep controller that could adapt to weather and
activity levels and run only when needed. Such smart control could reduce water
and antifreeze usage, lower sewer costs, and avoid excess ice buildup. After years
of testing weep control settings for optimal performance, KRK Products designed
the Master Weep Control.
To be competitive, KRK Products needed to build the Master Weep Control affordably
but without cutting corners on quality. Based on past machine design experience
and a strong recommendation from a local distributor, KRK Products turned to
Schneider Electric for dependable machine components that fit the budget.
“The reliability and cost-effectiveness of components are essential when building
machinery,” said Rick Krahe, co-owner of KRK Products. “If my product fails, a car
wash can freeze up and it is out of business until it thaws out. I’ve had experiences
with Schneider Electric products for more than ten years and they have been
incredibly reliable. They aren’t products I have to worry about not working again in a
couple years. They just keep going.”
The solution
KRK Products chose the Magelis XBT GC all-in-one HMI and control, which is
part of the Schneider Electric MachineStruxure architecture. MachineStruxure
is a comprehensive automation solution for industrial machines that’s based on
flexible hardware platforms and SoMachine software, a single, modular software
suite. As a combined HMI/PLC solution, the Magelis XBT GC costs less and is
more compact than two separate components.
With an integrated HMI and PLC, Magelis XBT GC has the ability to provide all the
intelligence necessary in a compact size, which is most important when fitting into
an established car wash system.
“We install in very confined spaces,” Krahe said. “Most car wash control rooms
are very crowded so we need to keep enclosures small. By using the compact
Magelis XBT GC, we keep the Master Weep Control small so it fits within the
existing space.”
KRK Products | 2

Schneider Electric Case Study > KRK Products
In addition, Magelis XBT GC provides the flexibility to expand functionality by
adding I/O, making it customizable to fit a wash owner’s needs. The Master Weep
Control is able to handle several bays on a single control, and output capacity can
be expanded inexpensively in the event of future car wash growth.
“If my customers need to expand their washes later, we can expand without
additional control systems,” Krahe said. “We can fit it into one panel and just add
I/O. We don’t have to go through the expense of adding another control panel.”
The Master Weep Control includes other Schneider Electric components, such as
Zelio power relays, AB1 terminal blocks, TeSys D-line contactors, Phaseo power
supplies, and Type T industrial control transformers.
Reducing waste improves operation efficiency
The Master Weep Control is an intelligent system that considers activity,
temperature, and time of day to instantly adjust water flow levels and antifreeze
injections. To understand how much water can be wasted, KRK Products
monitored six manual wash bays and one automatic wash. The manual washes
used 73 gallons/hr at 25 ºF and 146 gallons/hr at 14 ºF. The automatic wash
weeped 255 gallons/hr at 25 ºF and 511 gallons/hr at 14 ºF.
By installing the Master Weep Control, operators can save enough on water
usage, antifreeze usage, and sewer fees to get a return on investment in a single
six-month season.
Running less water in cold conditions prevents excessive ice buildup, which is
labor-intensive to clean and creates an unappealing and unsafe environment for
customers. To reduce unnecessary service checkups to each wash, an optional
modem can be added to the system that alerts operators (via text or central
computer system) of problems such as low antifreeze, depleted soap levels, or
malfunctioning pumps.
Fast setup maximizes profitability
Downtime can be expensive to a car wash owner, so equipment upgrades
must be executed quickly and efficiently. KRK Products can install the Master
Weep Control in a multi-bay wash in a short time because setup is simple using
SoMachine software.
The software features many tested, validated, and documented architectures
that are preconfigured, so the engineer just drags and drops the desired function
block and changes the parameters. Such fast start-up gives OEMs a faster time to
market and lower installation costs too.
All MachineStruxure products use the comprehensive SoMachine software
environment, so KRK Products can program the HMI and PLC components of the
solution with a single download. In addition, the Magelis XBT GC features a USB
port through which all applications can be loaded for quick installation and service.
OEMs can save up to 50 percent in design and implementation time versus other
separate HMIs and controllers.
“The setup with SoMachine software is intuitive,” Krahe said. “It gives me enough
choices of how to write things in a way that makes sense. I don’t have a degree
in this stuff, but I’ve been able to create whatever I’ve needed. The software is
tremendously flexible.”
KRK Products | 3

Make the most of your energy SM
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solutions that transform the way businesses manage their
environment, efficiency, and costs.
As the global specialist in energy management , with operations in more
than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions in energy
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MachineStruxure is the latest addition to the Schneider Electric
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To learn more about KRK, please visit their website at
www.carwashguysonline.com.
For more information, visit
www.schneider-electric.com/us
and enter key code w715v.
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Document Number 0106AC1206
January 2013