Car Wash Pit Cleaning is Getting Easier

Just the sound of the word sludge conjures up images of a smelly, gooey, black oozing substance. But for car wash operators, it’s more than just a disgusting thought – it’s a necessary part of their job. Operators must learn the proper way to collect the waste and dispose of sludge in the proper way or face serious consequences later. Pit cleaning is not a fun task, so you’ll be happy to hear that collection and disposal has gotten easier. Handy equipment like Suttner’s Sludge Pumps make the process more efficient, cleaner, and safer. Read on for more details about these vacuum-style pit cleaners, along with some helpful tips on how to size your pit and keep it smelling good.

dirty car wash pit

Inconvenient Pit Cleaning Methods

The most common, traditional way to clean pits is by manually shoveling sludge out of the pit. Typically, a wheelbarrow is used to transport the grimy stuff to the spot where you store the waste, or right into a vehicle to take it away for safe disposal. Although inexpensive, this is highly labor-intensive, potentially dangerous, and very messy.

man with shovel and wheelbarrow

You can also hire an outside company, like a septic cleaning service, that has specialized vehicles and equipment to take care of the job for you. Of course, this will be costly and is simply not a reasonable long-term solution for many operators.

Pit Cleaning with Suttner Sludge Pumps

Suttner’s Sludge Pumps offer a cost-effective pit cleaning solution that is relatively simple to use. These devices include a discharge hose and a small pump that you connect to a pressure washer. The high pressure generated by the machine creates a Venturi effect that sucks up waste from your pit. Then, the sludge solution comes out through the discharge hose. While the solution is messy, you simply have to direct it into a dump bed, skid steer bucket, tank, or other reservoir. This method is faster than hand shoveling, and you don’t have to be in the pit for long periods of time – and in some cases, avoid it altogether.

suttner sludge pump

These pump vacuum pit cleaners are surprisingly affordable, with Kleen-Rite selling them for well under $200. That’s well worth it when you consider the time and labor you’ll save. We offer a version with an M22 inlet, and another model with a 1/4” quick connect inlet.

Keeping Pit Cleaning and Waste Removal Legal

Although ordinances and regulations vary from state to state, almost all require testing of waste. Local landfills often have information on what ingredients they don’t allow in their fills, such as arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. Independent labs can also do the job by allowing car washes to submit samples, then receive complete test results in the mail. The benefit of using an independent lab comes from being able to have waste tested before submitting it to authorities. That way, operators have the chance to correct potential problems, which can sometimes be the result of careless customers.

The Right Size Pit

Designing the correctly sized pit helps with keeping it maintained properly. William Zuraff, a former Las Vegas operator, is now a full-time contractor who builds car washes. The ideal pit size, he says, depends on several things.

“First, you need to select the parameters, needs and limits of your pit design,” he says. “How much room does the overall design for the wash allow? Usually, you can look at the site plan to determine this.”

Secondly, you should consider the projected amount of generated waste.

“If the wash is in a rural location with dirt roads, the operator will need a design to accommodate this. If it’s in the middle of a large metropolitan area with paved streets and a mature neighborhood, the needs for sludge removal will be much less,” Zuraff says.

Next, operators also need to consider their preferred method of removal and disposal.

“Some operators are more hands-on, which can save money. Others are not interested in getting dirty and are willing to pay for pumping via vacuum extraction,” he says. “Depending on the amount of time they want to put into designing their pits, and local regulations, operators may be able to design their own disposal system or method of treating and removing the pit sludge, which is cost-effective enough to almost eliminate the financial impact. There are a variety of sand/oil separator designs to choose from, and there are a couple of ways to design the bays to receive and convey the mud and road film to the separators, or pits,” he says. Some methods of design will allow for recycling.”

Get the Funk Out of Your Pits

One of the biggest problems with sludge is the smell emanating from the pits, which can be very offensive. Maintaining the pits on a regular basis will cut down on the odor factor. But even with regular cleaning schedules, you’ll still experience some pretty foul odors if you don’t do anything to address the issue. Thankfully, there are now plenty of deodorizing options on the car wash market that make it easy to maintain a relatively stink-free area.

5-gallon jug of jbs pit deodorizer

Pit Deodorizing Chemicals

Other Helpful Products to Keep Pits Clean

We carry some products that help customers deal with common problems that they have with the grates on their pit/reclaim systems. If you have issues with mud, waste, and trash collecting on the outer holes of your fiberglass grating, try Mud Stopper Grate Plugs. A simple but ingenious solution, these plugs fit into the holes in your grating so nothing can collect in them. That means waste is guided towards the holes closer to the center and reach your pit where it belongs!

Speaking of fiberglass grating, Kleen-Rite has now introduced EZ-Grate. This grate option offers all the benefits of regular fiberglass grating, but is available in smaller sections. They are easier to move around because they’re lighter and less awkward to handle versus large, bulky sections. EZ-Grate is available in 3′ x 4′ sections and 4′ x 4′ sections. It’s also easier and less costly to ship because it can be stacked and have a smaller footprint.

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