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Car Wash Glossary Every industry seems to ``speak`` its own language. To familiarize you with carwash terminology, we have taken the liberty of listing several common words or terms:
Acid: A chemical substance whose properties include the ability to react with bases of water solutions to form salts.
Alkali: A chemical substance (such as hydroxide or carbonate of sodium or potassium) reacts and neutralizes an acid.
Alkalinity: A property of water soluble substances (or mixtures) causing the concentration of hydroxyl ions (OH-) in water solutions to be higher than the concentration of hydrogen (H+).
Biodegradability: The capability of organic matter to be decomposed by biological means.
Boom: In a self-service wash, the arm extension that holds a hose and nozzle for washing a vehicle. The boom can be wall-mounted for 180° movement or ceiling-mounted for 360° movement.
BTU: British Thermal Units, a measure of energy
CFM: Cubic Feet per Minute
Detergency: The ability to clean or remove soil. Generally, detergency is associated with the action of a cleaning agent such as a soap, detergent, alkaline salt, or a combination.
Dissolved Solids: Fine particles of dirt and other debris in water not distinctly visible to the naked eye.
Fluid Module: Unit that meters concentrated chemicals from the carwash equipment room to the application in the wash bay.
Foam: Bubbles formed on liquids by the process of agitation.
Gantry: A framework that spans a distance, often moving on wheels
Greaseless: Not requiring lubrication or sealed bearing.
Hp: Horsepower
Impingement: A nozzle capable of producing a high impact water stream when supplied with a source of ultra-high pressure liquid. The nozzle is constructed and arranged to infuse fluid into a high velocity stream of liquid passing through the nozzle to create a bubble rich water stream When the water stream strikes against a surface the bubbles implode, amplifying the impact of the water against the surface
Kwh: Kilowatt per hour
Micron: One millionth of a meter
Motor Control Center: Enclosure containing starters, switching, and overload protection devices for electric motors which are utilized throughout a carwash system to operate motors on different devices and machines.
Ozonation: Process of injecting ozone into water to inhibit bacterial growth.
pH: A measure of the acidity of alkalinity of a solution, numerically equal to 7 for neutralizing solutions, increasing with increasing alkalinity and decreasing with increasing acidity. The pH scale commonly in use ranges from 0 to 14. [p(otential of) H(ydrogen)]
PLC: Programmable Logic Controller
Polish Wax: Foam applicator which applies a colored chemical to the vehicle as it passes through the wash bay. Provides extra service that generates additional revenue and is pleasing to the motorist.
POS: Point of Sale
Psi: Per square inch of air pressure.
Reverse Osmosis: The removal of organic and suspended impurities from water by one or more semi-permeable membranes.
Rinse Aid: Wax-like chemical applied to the vehicle surface after the final rinse for easy removal during the drying process.
Rocker Panel: Portion of a vehicle's side that is below a straight line between the tops of both tires.
Rollover Wash: The type of wash where the customer drives into position and sits stationary while the equipment moves over and around the car.
Self-Lubricating: Pre-lubricated and not requiring additional lubrication.
Self-Serve Wash: A wash where the customer performs all the labor. Generally, the customer drives into a bay and washes the car by means of a high pressure hose and brush.
Spot-free: Carwash industry term synonymous with reverse osmosis.
Triple Foam: Foam applicator which applies three different colored chemicals to the vehicle. Extra service that generates additional revenue and is pleasing to the customer.
Undercarriage Wash: Devise to deliver high volumes of wash water to the underside of vehicles to remove mud and salt.
Water Hardness: Soluble metal salts, (principally those of calcium and magnesium, and sometimes iron and manganese) that when present in water in sufficient amounts cause cleaning problems. These metals remain on a vehicle after the water evaporates.
Weep System: A thermostatically controlled system using a slow water stream to prevent freezing in hoses in cold climates.
- Why I Have to Wash
- Car Wash How To
- City / Area Selection
- Wash Site Planning
- Equipment Selection
- Equipment Selection Pros and Cons
- Automatics Which One!
- Automatics - Friction or NO
- Self Service Criteria
- Published Wash Articles
- Car Wash Glossary
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"Combining Technologies for the Car Wash Industry"
