Reclaim and Spot Free Equipment Recommendations

Recently attending the Car Care Expo in hopes of concluding my search for a reclaim and spot free system I could not decide on which company/product to chose. We run anywhere from 200-500 cars a day and with indications of drought restrictions in the back of my mind, I need to make a move. I would like to hear from operators on their experience with the various reclaim and spot-free equipment currently in the market.

I have this very same question. I've looked at 4 or 5 different reclaim systems and to be honest I don't know enough about them to make a solid decision. I know sometimes people are hesitant to name brands but, if anyone could tell us what to look for and what to avoid that would be great. I understand every piece of equipment has its good points and bad points but I would like to avoid the bad ones as much as possible. Also, thanks to everyone on the forum for all your help in the past and any help on this topic would be great.

I can see by the beginning of this thread that requests are being made for reference and guidance in helping to evaluate the various pieces of Water Management equipment in a Wash facility. I don't want to cloud the matter and would state that I am an OEM of Equipment, both Reclaim, Spot Free, and Water Treatment.

Going to tradeshows and investigating through publications will let you identify the various OEM and/or suppliers. Everyone will have a solution, but here are some basics to look for.

1) Does the Reclaim Water smell, qualified to year round. Reclaim odors can vary around the country depending on air and water temperature and type of chemistry used. Reclaimed water should have no odor and visually appear to the customer as fresh water when applied to a vehicle.

2) Sounds like from the beginning of this thread, two existing operators are inquiring. Do you currently have reclaim tanks, How Many, How Much Water is stored. To properly operate a reclaim system, you have to have tanks. They are an integral portion of a reclaim system since they are gravity filters.It does not matter what piece of Reclaim you evaluate, the systems will provide a final polishing of the water prior to be delivered to you pumping system and ultimately to the vehicle surface. Performance of a reclaim unit is directly proportional to storage capabilits of a site, particularly in the case of a retro fit. Normally, I reccommend installation of reclaim tanks and associated piping for new construction sites even if reclaim is not initially installed. Then in the future, it is a drop in and go.

3) Look at each piece of equipment for simplicity and quality of construction and components. The equipment is just that, a piece of equipment that you will have to live with and maintain. If you cannot understand the process flow of the unit, be afraid of it,or hope you have a good distributor that keep it in operation for your facility.

4) Do as you are doing now, ask around, but do it with as many as you can. Everyone will have different experiences. If you ask enough, you will see patterns evolve with different OEM's performance of their equipment.

Don't be afraid of Reclaim or Water Management. In the tough conditions we are all facing, analyzing internal cost efficienies is prudent. Look at the cost of implementing a Water Management strategy, there is a financial return. Some will be better than others.

I'll chime in this thread if it persists with my opinions. Personally, I have a wash that was constructed in 2001 and the site has always used reclaimed water. It just runs, some of the customers that know it is operating on reclaim, but if started asking most customers assumed it is operated on city water.

It is not an impossible task, do as you are doing now with Due Diligence.