Fleet Washing in Winter Months

[XSTREAM H20]

This goes out to all you fleet washers that deal with below freezing temps. I am wondering if I am looking too deep into the issue, but how do you operate in the winter? Do you cut your washing to once a month? Is there a temp that you just don't do work in? How do you collect water that is literally freezing before it gets to your way of collecting it? How does the vacuum/collection equipment work in these cold temps? After some deep thought, I am looking to try to expand my Dads business to where I live in mid-state Wisconsin. I am obviously going to need my own equipment since I cannot afford to drive 2 hrs south one way to hook up to my Dads to do my jobs. I live in an apartment complex and do not have a heated garage. Do you have to put antifreeze into your system everyday? What style trailer unit would be ideal for midwest weather? Box truck, closed trailer, open trailer for ease to equipment? I want to do more than fleet wash. I'd like to do flat work as well. To all you who have large fleet washing accounts, do you have to make multiple trips to empty your water you collect? Where do you fill up after you have used all your water on board if you don't filter and reuse? I have a lot of learning to do. If I seem to pushy for info let me know. I know sometimes a person needs to make mistakes and learn as you go much like the guys who started doing all this without anybodys help. I am just wondering if I should just stay away from this kind of work and continue doing what I do or take a big risk for myself and possibly in big.

As always thanks to all who put their input it. Since I have joined this site I spend literaly hours everyday trying to pick up on all the things that are discussed.

[XSTREAM H20]

Any takers?

[Paul Kassander]

Box truck/trailer to keep the equipment enclosed to prevent freezing between jobs. Don't wash below 25 degrees. Schedules will get messed up do to snow and cold so you will have to adjust but in a typical winter you may miss 4 washes.

Recollect what you can what freezes freezes you can't collect ice but you can put down salt to slow of prevent the freezing process.

You can treat and recycle water for flat work but for fleets you really want fresh water. If you are using chems the mobile treatment systems are really not designed for that type of treatment and are very expensive.

[Clean Image]

Paul knows his stuff, I typically don't work below 30 degrees and we miss out on an average of four weeks in the winter in MD. We flush out the lines and pumps with windshield washer fluid to keep from freezing as well. Time of year needs to be a factor in your decision, as far as start up cost and down time. I use a fire hydrant to fill up it takes about 30 secs to fill 525 gal. I find a hydrant near the job site. As far as recycling We have a filtration unit that filters and discharges on site.
hope this helps

[Biodude]

We wash down to 10 to 15 degrees F, depending on sun and wind. We are allowed to stop reclaiming by the EPA in our area due to the wash water freezing before it can be reclaimed. They feel that once it is diluted with the melting snow and mixed with all of the other oils, salts, etc. that have accumulated over the winter it adds little to the final amount of dirty junk in the water. We still lost out on a lot of work last winter, missing about 40 actual wash days. That kinda hurts the pocketbook. Sometimes I get jealous of Paul, Scott, Chris and you other guys that don't have to worry about that.

[Paul Kassander]

Oh I have to worry about it too we had a bad year from December through March we only got out about 4 times...At least it snowed so we had some plow revenue.