Managing Water — In Today’s Challenging Environment?
By Len Graziano and Tracy Smith

Who among us in the car wash industry would not agree that the past two years have been a challenge? In many parts of the country, the weather has been terrible. Add to that the worst recession since the Great Depression, and you can easily understand why the experts place our business near the top of the “discretionary spending” column.

We can either wilt under the pressure, or put a magnifying glass over how we operate our businesses. Doing so will, hopefully, create opportunities to run more efficiently, and give your customers reasons to choose your location over one of your competitor’s when they do decide to get their car washed.

One component of your expenses that has likely gone up fairly dramatically in cost is water. In many municipalities, the cost of water has skyrocketed over the last several years. Often the culprit is an infrastructure that is crumbling and needs to be replaced; or the market has grown and the system has to be expanded. Whatever the reason, in many places water is getting more expensive.

Outside of the expense issue, is the necessity to be a good corporate citizen and to operate a “green” business. Water is a limited resource and more and more people have a need to protect the environment. They want to “do the right thing” when it comes to precious resources. It’s not by accident that the ICA has successfully promoted the WaterSavers™ program. Its message is right in line with issues that are top of mind with consumers today.

As you navigate this challenging business climate; renovate your existing wash; or build a new wash, being mindful of running a cost effective operation that is well thought of in your community has to be at the top of your to-do list.

Effective water management in the context of a car wash operation is defined as understanding the properties of the water at your facility, utilizing technology to ensure that the water you use in the wash process most effectively cleans your customers’ cars, and controlling the costs of the water you use.

Commercial vehicle washes come in many forms, and with a variety of business models. Most of them have one thing in common — the use of water as the solvent to get cars clean.

WATER QUALITY

The first step in effective water management is to understand what’s in the water you are going to use to wash cars at your facility. A reliable water test, at a lab in your area, is the easiest way to determine if there are any treatments necessary to maximize the water’s performance at your wash. For about $100 you can have a lab analyze the water samples you provide them. This profile will give you a “fingerprint” of the physical and chemical characteristics of your water supply.

Once you have this analysis, we always recommend using an experienced car wash water treatment company to help solve whatever problems you may encounter —e.g., if there are hardness minerals or other impurities present. Equipment distributors that have successfully worked with less than ideal water, companies that manufacture water treatment equipment, and experienced chemical salespeople are better resources than simply going to a store that sells conventional residential water softeners. They all have more specific knowledge for solving car wash issues than a generalist would. This knowledge will translate into suggesting alternative treatment technologies, different filters to treat specific impurities, and a blueprint for using chemistries that produce a cleaner car, at a more effective cost per car.

These experts will also ensure that you don’t make mistakes that come from inexperience (one such mistake we have often seen is for the brine discharge from a water softener to be dumped in reclaim tanks). In the end, you, as owner, must do your homework and choose the people who have a proven track record for treating the same issues you have in your wash. Ask for recommendations and testimonials from other customers they have helped.

EFFECTIVE USE

Now that you have successfully pre-treated your water, or if you’re fortunate enough to have really good water with no unwanted substances to remove, its time to decide how you want to reduce the cost of using it — all while ensuring that you continue to get a really clean car. Water reduction can be accomplished by adding a reclaim system; tweaking nozzle sizes; adding another source, such as rainwater; reducing the water used in the wash process or updating equipment in the wash, including toilets and faucets. Some operators use discharge water to irrigate their shrubs and grass. There are numerous ways to accomplish your objective, but never lose sight of the fact you are in the business of taking care of customer vehicles. If you lose sight of that, you can win the battle but lose the war.

COST CONTROL

We are in both the car wash business and manufacture water-recycling equipment. The greatest success in controlling costs while ensuring customer satisfaction has, in our experience, come through effective recycling. There are many available systems that can satisfy the need to reduce costs, and since this article is intended to present an overview, we will not attempt to discuss the differences between available recycling technologies.

We suggest you understand how much fresh water the recycling system you are looking to purchase uses. Some systems use fresh water to backwash, and in some cases there are solenoid valves, which open to introduce fresh water into the system. How often do these valves open, and how much water is used during the cycles? A water recycling system is designed to save fresh water, not to use it. Most often, you get what you pay for — we urge you to do your homework about the claims made by any manufacturer, and see the quality of its finished water products for yourself. The ultimate goal of an effective water recycling system is to recapture, and use, 100 percent of the water from the wash process, excluding online tire shine. Preventing as much discharge as possible to the sewer should be a part of that plan.

Cost-Cutting Tips
Let us suggest some of the other things you can do to reduce your water bills and usage. In some cases, simply downsizing the nozzles on the equipment wet-down arches and undercarriage arch can reduce water usage on these applications up to 50 percent, if not more. Clean, or replace, faulty check valves on your water and chemical application arches. We have seen tunnels with three or more nozzles leaking a constant stream of water 24/7 due to a bad or dirty check valve. Also, plumb a recycled-water feed line to your pressure guns. Most operators spray down their tunnel walls, floors, and equipment daily. Use recycled water for this as well.

Timing of your equipment as the vehicle moves through the tunnel falls in the same category. We have seen a lot of wasted water from equipment pieces that come on too early, or stay on too long. Again, recycling your water mitigates some of that waste, but if you don’t have a recycling system, you can run up a heck of a bill by not constantly checking the timing of the tunnel components.

Two other things we have done at our stores is to replace old toilets and faucets with low usage and automatic systems, and to shut off automatic sprinklers when there has been a lot of rain (unfortunately in Georgia that was all of last year) — no use paying for what you don’t need, and you won’t demonstrate waste to your customers as they drive by.

Fringe Benefit
When we went to get approval for the last car wash we built in Georgia, we were at the end of a four- or five-year drought. Water restrictions were very tight. The zoning board was swayed to grant us a permit because of the presentation made about the savings enjoyed by the effective water-recycling program we were installing. Today, we still get credit for conserving this resource, both from customers and from the county. It has become part of a positive identity for us. Isn’t that the goal for all of us?

You, too, can enjoy the intangible payback of being viewed in your community as “green” or a good corporate citizen. Those of you who have accomplished that know what I mean. If you haven’t yet taken real steps to let your customers see that you are conservation and environmentally conscious, do so immediately. You will be rewarded for it on many levels, not the least of which is more business.

PRIMARY GOAL

In conclusion, the issues discussed above must all be merged with your primary goal of totally satisfying customers. You can’t be so fixated on saving money that you deliver an inferior product. You can’t spend yourself out of business either. Applying a magnifying glass to your use of water is only one place to audit whether you are doing business appropriately in these tough times. Use that magnifying glass effectively on all the elements that make up your business, and you will have the greatest chance of navigating these difficult conditions successfully.

Len Graziano is the president of UCW Management Co., the parent company for five car washes it has operated for over 20 years. UCW also owns and operates Hydro Management Systems, a manufacturer of a variety of reclaim, water conditioning, and RO systems for the last seven years. The company is based in Norcross, GA.

Tracy Smith is the vice president of operations for UCW Management Co. He joined the company in 1997 as an assistant manager at one of the washes. In 1998 he was made general manager of the newest wash, and then vice president of operations for all stores two years later. His responsibilities were expanded to oversee operations at Hydro Management Systems when that company was started in 2002.