If your car wash presoak is not performing as expected, inspecting your car wash presoak chemistry for water softness, foot valve leakage, and alkalinity level.

1) Ensure the water softener is working properly. Check water hardness. Water softeners can be consuming salt without conditioning water adequately, so it’s important to test water quality.

2) Check the foot valve for leakage. Make sure the foot valve is not plugged and is holding chemical without letting it leak back into the chemical container. Replace if necessary.

3) Determine the alkalinity level. To do so, collect a sample of the presoak from the wash bay. The sample size needs to be approximately 50 – 100 ml. Allow the bubbles in the sample to dissipate, then pour 18 ml into a graduated cylinder. Add 10 drops of “Indicator” to the sample. The sample will be blue in color.

Then, add “High pH Titrate Solution” a drop at a time. Count the number of drops necessary to change the sample color from blue to yellow. The number of drops from the sample can be compared to the ‘Titration Chart” to determine the alkalinity level of the presoak. This number is a point of reference to help ensure consistent wash quality and can be modified by changing tips on the presoak draw tube.

Contact Us today to speak to an experienced D&S Car Wash professional about how D&S Car Wash Equipment Co. is “The Smarter Choice” for your car wash business!