Consider Efficiency, Durability, and Visibility When Choosing Your Car Wash Vacuum System and Setup

By David Martin, Equipment Sales Manager-Southeast, Howco Inc.

When it comes to choosing the optimal vacuum system and setup for your car wash operation, there are multiple factors to weigh to ensure efficiency, durability, and visibility for this critical component of your service.

1) Appearance: The sight of vacuum arches, canopies, canisters, hoses, lighting, and customer activity can serve as an attractive marketing tool to let passersby know that a viable, busy car wash is open and ready to serve them.

2) Power and Suction Strength: Look for vacuums with strong suction power to effectively remove dirt, debris, and pet hair from carpets and upholstery. Proper suction reduces the time needed to vacuum and allows faster turn times at each station.Vacuum systems should be engineered for proper manifold size and horsepower for the number of drops needed.

3) Capacity: Explore vacuums with large dustbin capacity to minimize the frequency of emptying, especially if you expect heavy usage.

4) Durability: Choose a vacuum system commensurate with the projected volume of your wash so it will meet or exceed the anticipated demand.

5) Filtration System: A high-quality vacuum filtration system is essential for trapping fine particles and allergens, ensuring cleaner air and preventing clogging of the machine.

6) Attachments and Accessories: Determine the nozzle size, hose type and length, and other useful options, such as small hand-held, high-pressure blower hoses to use on dashboards, consoles, and other hard-to-reach crevices.

Other services/accessories for consideration include mat cleaning, towels, window cleaner, air fresheners, and tire air. Additional vacuum-area services and accessories should be determined by the number of stations, the size of the lot, and projected volume.

7) Ease of Maintenance: Choose a vacuum with easy-to-clean filters and accessible parts for maintenance and repairs.

8) Noise Level: Check local noise ordinances and possible zoning or neighborhood regulations that could address specific noise volume. Customer comfort and overall noise pollution should always be considered as well.

9) Number of Vacuums: The size of your lot and number of vehicle parking spaces for vacuums will determine how many vacuum stations are suitable for each lot.

10) Free or Paid Vacuum Use: Operators should also consider whether to offer free vacuum service to customers (included with the wash) or charge them via cash, tokens, or credit cards.

Free vacuums are a huge factor in marketing wash club memberships, and oftentimes a superior vacuum system will be the deciding factor when customers are choosing a car wash company and its wash club.

Free customer vacuums also reduce the labor costs of having employees provide the service.

Enlist the Howco team’s depth of knowledge and experience to help you identify and position the best vacuum setup for your car wash operation.