JJ Checks In! Like the voice of Obi Wan Kenobi, every once in a while, former editor Jarret “JJ” Jakubowski will pop into my email inbox to let me know he is still out there reading the publication. Not one to formally advise or correct, JJ has a mystical way of saying he still cares. Sort of like the way Andy Dufresne would write to Red, with no return address, or wordy diatribes. Recently, JJ sent over a wonderful snippet from his archives. I did some more digging and unearthed a local carwash story that came along in the Grand Rapids Press newspaper a few years after I retired … and I had forgotten. I finished Photoshopping the wild ‘n crazy photo/graphic today. And thought it probably still has “legs” as a pretty good fit in the Darwin column. Your call, of course. Anyway, here tis. Editor Emeritus JJ Jakubowski CoinOps Were His “The Golden Calf” William Baer was a serial self serve carwash burglar in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan. His latest spree lasted a couple years until he was busted in the act of busting open a coin box. He then led the cops on a 100+ MPH car chase which ended in Baer’s crashing into a police cruiser. At his sentencing he pleaded to the judge that he had become “a changed man through the Power of Jesus!” The judge congratulated him on his “being born again.” Apart from the 5th Commandment, “Thou Shall Not Steal”, he could not change the civil law, “Just because you’ve had a conversion of spirit.” The judge also noted that Baer had been arrested 10 years earlier for another string of SS burglaries. He added that, “to you, coin op carwashes are like the biblical ‘Golden Calf’ to which you are inexorably drawn!” Baer was then sentenced a “repentance” of up to 10 years in prison. The following is t he let t er sent t o t he SSCWN wit h t he dat a Joe Wolfinger compiled: To t he SSCWN Edit or s and Reader s: I have complet ed a wat er loss t est t hat was designed t o det er mine what per cent age of the water that entered the wash bay act ually r eached t he sewer syst em. This t est was designed by the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program which is administ er ed by The Pennsylvania St at e Univer - sity. I thought your readers might find the results very informative. As you can see, any carwash that is paying sewer r at es based on incoming wat er met er r eadings is being subst ant ially over char ged. Even when a vehicle wit h a small sur face ar ea (such as a mot or cycle) was washed dir ect ly over t he sewer t r ap — 12% of t he wat er never r eached t he sewer t r ap! We found 3 major loss ar eas: Evapor ation fr om t he bay floor and walls, dir ect vehicle Car r y Out, and Atomization dir ect ly int o t he air fr om t he nozzle t ip. This is a cost area for carwashes that is going to become more critical as time goes on. We found that the main concern the sewer department had was developing a billing system that was easy for them to administer. What is needed is for our national organizations to develop some more testing data and lobby directly to the Environmental Protection Agency for a recognized percentage of water losses based on the type of carwash. This could then be used as a rate allowance on any federally funded sewer project. Virtually all local sewer departments receive funding from the EPA and this would help prevent inequitable sewer rates to carwashes. You Are Being Over Charged On Sewer Costs! Here’s The Proof ... And A Way To Find Relief. Needed Reprise The following ar t icle is a compilat ion of two articles that were first run in the SSCWN over 10 year s ago. We’r e r epr int ing t hem now because t he info/dat a is st ill per fect ly r elevant , and, unfor t unat ely, t he pr oblem of excessively escalat ing sewer bills has got t en so much wor se in so many different areas around the country. These ar t icles ar e an excellent example of both independent initiative and a willingness t o help ot her oper at or s. Such endeavor s char act er ize many of t he new br eed of t he best in pr ofessional self ser ve oper at or s. So we want to thank Joe Wolfinger (of Solar Shine <strong>Carwash</strong> in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania) for his important pioneering efforts and Larry Mor r ison (East Adams <strong>Carwash</strong>, LaGrange, Or egon) for his valuable followup wor k. We would also encourage ot her s t o do likewise on this and other issues that impact the indust r y. The mor e we shar e, car e and communicat e t he bet t er off we all be. We’ll start with the man who got this ball r olling — Joe Wolfinger — who had been mot ivat ed t o do somet hing when his sewer bill incr eased suddenly and dr amat ically — in excess of $8,000 and virtually “overnight”! Joe knew t hat consider ably mor e wat er was being piped into his wash than was going out via the sewer s, and yet his sewer bills wer e based on his water bills. One gallon of water in “must” equal one gallon of wat er /sewage out ... or so most rate boar ds r eason. But he r ealized t hat befor e he In the trenches — Joe Wolfinger precisely measured the water lost to the sewer after various wash processes. could convince t hose set t ing his sewer r at es t hat he was being unfairly overcharged — he had to accumulat e and pr esent t he r at e boar d hard data to substantiate a request for a rebate or rate adjustment. After some invest igat ion Joe discover ed that Penn State had a program, personnel, and exper t ise t o help. The following t est s wer e scientifically designed and t he dat a compiled under t he object ive auspices of t he Univer sit y. The cost ? Free! 0ur r eader s might be surpr ised t o discover t hat t her e ar e many gover nmental agencies, univer sit y pr ogr ams, and independent organizations around which can pr ovide a business per son wit h all manner of assist ance. Your public libr ar y infor mat ion ser vice and a book called “I nfor mat ion U.S.A.” by M . L esko ar e a couple good places t o st ar t . Bot t om lined — t hese t est s demonst r at ed that of all the water used at a typical self serve car wash an aver age 1 gallon out of 3 does not even get t o t he sewer ! In certain areas sewer rates are a staggering 30% of costs and are literally destroying carwash businesses. I t was the SSCWN’s hope that Joe Wolfinger’s study would provide a springboard SSCWN ........................ ● ........................ F ALL 2001 Flow Rates 1) Pre Soak 7.5 Pints Per Minute 2) Foam Brush .5 Pints Per Minute 3) HP Wash/Rinse (1250PSI) 32 Pints Per Minute #1 . Morning Clean Up A typical morning cleaning: use HP Rinse to push debris toward drain. Sprayed clean foam brush, signs, hose, grease spots, and mat holders. Also cleaned first 4 feet of entrance pad with HP Rinse. TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......144 PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............79,2 PI NTS Of Water Trapped......................34.75 PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................56% # 2 . Floor Clean Up Dollars Down The Drain! 1 can we stem the tide? for more research, organized lobbying efforts, and more effective tools for carwash operators to deal with their local boards of bureaucrats. There has been and is important movement in that direction. The International <strong>Carwash</strong> Association has available some good adjunct data and materials. The video tape “Home <strong>Carwash</strong>ing And Environmental Concerns” produced by the I CA and Tom Hoffman illustrate how self serve carwashes are actually meaningful environmental assets to any community by helping save water resources and protecting ecological integrity. Driving our carwashes out of business hurts more than “just” the carwash owner and his employees. The I CA is also going to release this year the results of an exhaustive 3 year scientific study which will further support the data presented here and that will be of great help to operators dealing with sewerage and other water management issues. The SSCWN wants to again thank Joe for his effor t s and acknowledge his special contributions to our industry which have had a ripple effect far beyond Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. We hope ot her oper at or s ar e inspir ed by his example. (Continued On A Following Page) # 3 . Wall Clean Up HP Rinsed walls between 4’ and 10’ levels. Walls were dry at start. Water that ran off walls followed low spot s of floor t o dr ain — 75% of floor r emained dr y. TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......60 PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............35 PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............10.75 PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................70% # 4. Compact Car Cleaned Sat urn sized car . Used Pr eSoak. Floor was dry at start of wash process. TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......176 PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............96.8 PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............77.5 PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................20% # 5. Full Size Car Cleaned full size, 4-door car . Floor was ver y wet at start of test. No PreSoak was used. Test Procedure 1) Complet ely r emoved all r esidue (solids and fluids) from test trap. 2) All wash and rinse fluids touching floor will drain to trap via standard bay floor designed t o gr avit y feed fluids into t r ap. 3) Est ablished t he flow r at e of wat er for t he var ious wash and r inse ser vices (33:5 Pints Per M inute aver age flow). 4) Typical wash and water usage: • Per for med a var iet y of maintenance/ cleanup act ivit ies t o bay st r uct ures (walls, floor s, signs, et cet er a). • Washed and r insed a wide r ange of vehicles — from small mot or cycle t o a semitruck and trailer. 5) Wait until wash/rinse water stops dr aining into enclosed container (from 5 t o 10 minutes, depending on size of vehicle). 6) Finally — measure water in cont ainer and compar e t o est ablished flow r at es (from wand and foaming brush). A short clean up of the bay floor only — HP Rinse t o push debr is t owar d cent er of bay and dr ain. TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.................72 PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).........................39.6 PI NTS Of Water Trapped......................26.5 PERCENTAGE Of^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................33% TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......297 PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............163.3 PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............124.5 PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................24% (Continued On A Following Page) Joe Wolfinger’s Solar Shine is a 6+1 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The wash’s name was inspired by the impressive bank of solar collector panels on the roof. It’s a demonstration of owner’s genuine committment to the efficient use of utilities and natural resources. The big utility problem here, however, is “where the sun don’t shine” — the sewer. And Joe warns other operators that his fight to cut unfair, dangerously high sewer rates could very soon become their battle too. 6 • FALL 2019 SSCWN ● ........................ 2 ........................ F ALL 2001
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