If you are in the car washing industry, if you have a fleet of light vehicles that have to be washed daily for service, maintenance or aesthetics, then choosing the right washbay can be a very important decision for you. The three big criteria when choosing your washbay are Design, Return on Investment and Compliance. In this article, we highlight features of our commercial Prestige 2 Washpad while discussing some of the key features for a Light Vehicle Washbay.
Washbay Design
The three design areas that you must look at while choosing your washpad:
- Size and weight specifications of what you are washing
- Understanding operational requirements & customizing a solution
- Understanding site requirements for regulatory compliance
The size and weight of your washpad depends on the type of vehicles you need to wash on it. For example, the Prestige 2 has a 2 Tonne per axle rating and can easily accommodate cars, 4WD/Utes comfortably. For buses and trucks, we recommend our Prestige 12 washpads with 12 T per axle rating. The washpad should structurally support the weight. At the same time, a car/light vehicle washbay may have strict size requirements if in case it needs to be indoors or fit a small space. The Prestige 2 is a standard 6.5m long x 5.2 m wide pad that can fit into small spaces. However, being modular and above ground, they can be stacked together to create a longer washbay, if the space and project requires it.
Flexibility and customisation are therefore important factors to consider. Are you looking to drive on and reverse off on the washpad or does your site have the space to have a drive through configuration? Have you thought of whether you need walls to prevent overspray and if so how many? Do your staff have the space to move around the vehicle while washing? How many washes do you do and if so what pressure cleaners are you using? All of these factors can be easily customised on the Prestige 2 as per specifications.
Understanding your site requirement allows you to figure out the best layout configuration you require. You can download the Washbay Wastewater Checklist to help you to estimate the washpad design for your site.
Budget & ROI
When it comes to budget considerations for your washpads, you should measure your current expenses against your long term return on investment. For example, many of our car wash or car rental clients are leasing their premises. The Prestige 2 is designed as a modular, above ground pad that can be used as a permanent wash bay which can be relocated as required. This gives the business owner lot of room to play with when specifying a washpad, knowing that they won’t have to spend a huge amount of investment if they decide to change premises, or re-design and upgrade their current premise.
There are 4 key considerations while looking at ROI. One is the long term sustainability of the washpad, as shown in the example above. The durability of the washpad is also important. For example, the Prestige 2 has its structural pad made out of hot-dipped galvanised steel which makes it very durable and last for years. The last two considerations are installation and maintenance costs. The Prestige 2 can be installed in 1-2 days and requires minimal maintenance. Above ground washpads also saves costs and time in plumbing and electricity work on site.
Compliance
One of the most important factors while choosing your washbay is to check and adhere to council compliance regulations. Compliance regulations primarily involve water efficiency and protecting the environment. At Enviro Concepts, we can explore rainwater diversion, wash water treatment for discharge to sewer or recycling for reuse when specifying a washpad that will help you with compliance laws. If you have specific compliance questions while designing or upgrading your light vehicle washbay, you can enquire through our Free Estimate form. Contact us with your questions or feel free to use our Washbay Wastewater Checklist by clicking on the image below.
