Today, as it is the case with almost anything, you have hundreds of car wash doors suppliers to choose from. Unfortunately, without knowing how car wash doors are different from one another, making an educated decision regarding your purchase can be difficult and time consuming.

What types of professional car Washes are there?

Most professional car washes can be classified as conveyor, in bay automatic, or self-service systems.

Conveyor car wash system

The car moves on a conveyor belt while the exterior of the car is washed. The two basic technologies that are available for the conveyor wash cycle are friction and frictionless. The friction wash uses brushes or curtain strips made of cloth or other material to clean the vehicle, while the frictionless uses high-pressure nozzles. In addition, the conveyor car wash is either full service or exterior only. In a full-service conveyor car wash, both the interior and exterior of the car are cleaned. Exterior-only car washes do not clean the interior.

In-bay automatic car wash

The vehicle is parked in a bay and remains stationary while a machine moves back and forth over the vehicle to clean it. A professional in-bay car wash uses brushes made of nylon or other material, soft cloth strips, or automatic washers consisting of high-pressure nozzles.

Self-service car wash

The customers wash the vehicles. A wand dispenses water and cleanser at varying amounts and pressures. In addition, a low-pressure brush may be available to assist in the wash cycle.

When considering carwash doors, you might struggle with several questions. Primarily, do you need them? What type should you get? Are they easy to maintain? Depending on what type of carwash you own or operate, you might be wondering any of the above. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers because every carwash has different needs. But here, we can lay out some basic facts to help answer some of the more fundamental questions.

Time is money. For businesses, losing time because of a broken carwash can add up quickly. That is why there are many businesses that rely on carwash doors to keep their floors clean and undamaged by the elements and careless drivers. For these reasons and more, carwash businesses need high-quality, durable doors to protect their equipment and save money.When you consider buying a carwash/ Truck wash door these are check list before buying decion is made

Noise

Whether you’re looking to reduce noise or just improve the quality of your carwash, Noise pollution, vandalism and theft are some of the problems associated with automated car wash systems that use hinged or sliding doors. A fully automated system uses a raised door to prevent access while vehicles are involved in a cleaning cycle.

Flow of traffic

While there are normally signs or lights instructing a driver when to enter a carwash bay, inattentive drivers may miss these signals and drive in at the wrong time. Traffic congestion and car wash bay flow are closely associated. While you might be able to wash 25 cars per hour with one bay, if the traffic flow is poor, you will reduce your profits substantially. Inattentive drivers can also create backups in the carwash lane, which will slow down and interrupt the flow of traffic. When faced with long wait times, impatient drivers may attempt to cut ahead of customer who are already in the system, disrupting the order.

Wind tunnel effect

It's no secret that the growth of our industry has been driven by innovation. Your car wash tunnel is just a receiving bay for the innovation and product advancements each vendor brings to market in their quest to satisfy the needs of your consumers, and those consumers' desire for better and more convenient car care options. One need that continues to grow is for methods to mitigate the damaging effects of high winds and flying debris on soft-touch paint finishes, as well as vinyl graphics and emblems.

Corrosion Resistance

Pick doors that are corrosion proof or at the very least corrosion resistant. There are new doors on the market specifically designed to accomplish this seemingly obvious task and others that have been modified to attempt it, with varying degrees of success. Corrosion resistant is a relative term, look for doors that use polymers, FRP or stainless-steel construction. Galvanized steel, aluminum and coated carbon steel all corrode fairly quickly when subjected to the wash environment.

Visibility

This should be a standard on any door you choose. A wash that looks closed is closed … to a customer! Having doors doesn’t have to mean the wash looks closed when the door is down. Clear sections are available with sectional doors, again at an extra cost whereas the newer designs provide it as standard. Visibility also provides a feeling of security for some customers. Ambient light through the door reduces the anxiety of pulling into an enclosed space.

Impact ability

Can your door take a hit? All of them can and a lot do but what happens after they’re driven into or through? With a solid style door you are in for car claims for a scratched car, a hefty service bill and lost revenue until you can get the damaged door out of the way. Not to mention the wait for repair parts, you do stock extra door sections don’t you? Another nod to technology. There are now doors that can be impacted, even driven through popped out of their tracks and put themselves back in without damaging cars or themselves.

Parts and Service availability

If you do choose a solid, sectional or Bi -parting door you would be wise to stock extra door sections, cables, rollers, springs, hinges, even cable drums especially if your door service provider doesn’t. Lead times for major door parts can take seven to ten days or sometimes longer. If your service provider doesn’t stock them you should. Almost every type of carwash will benefit from the installation of a door that is well-suited for the specific exposures and situations they are subjected to. The harsh conditions of a carwash require materials that can withstand constant attack of high moisture and harsh chemicals. Typical overhead carwash doors are not built for this type of environment cheap metal or fiberglass doors is not wise, as they will ultimately deteriorate visually, fall apart, rust or fail mechanically.

Over the course of the most recent decades, two clear winners in the carwash door market have emerged: polycarbonate and vinyl doors. Depending on your wash’s needs, one style may fit better than the other; however, both are constructed of corrosion-resistant hardware that can survive the carwash environment. While both polycarbonate and vinyl car wash doors have their own advantages and disadvantages, which door is best for you?.

Car wash owners typically determine the type of door to use based upon function. They will choose a carwash door that best fits the amount of traffic it receives, as well as the environment in which it will be used. While polycarbonate and vinyl doors both hold up in traffic, each one has its own pros and cons. While vinyl car wash doors can be easily operated manually, it cannot withstand the pressure of a Bi - directional pressure washer. Polycarbonate is a more durable door option, but tends to be more expensive and heavier than vinyl.

How do vinyl and polycarbonate doors stack up against one another?

It’s all about the finish polycarbonate is transparent, which leaves it susceptible to damage from UV rays and therefore “requiring frequent replacement.” Vinyl, on the other hand, is opaque and uses less material; it also boasts greater durability “as it can be resurfaced when scratched or damaged.” The ideal system is a combination of both materials (such as micro-textured vinyl on the exterior of the door), which produces a softer surface for customers and delivers added protection for the wash itself.

Car wash and truck wash doors are a primary barrier between the customer and the components that should remain protected from wheel spray. While traditional rigid door designs can be problematic, our high-performance fabric doors provide safe separation, with break-away capability for safety. Our durable, corrosion-resistant components help ensure your satisfaction for years to come. Car wash and Truck wash doors are built to withstand the rigors of a car wash environment, and other high impact wash applications.

However, if door speed is more of a concern, then a vinyl door might be the better choice. Vinyl doors can roll up at 34 inches per second, whereas a polycarbonate door with a pneumatic opener can only reach speeds of up to 18 inches per second.

If car impacts worry you, vinyl doors have the edge, since they are designed to break out of their tracks upon impact and pull back onto the track on the next opening cycle. The polycarbonate doors will most likely suffer damage on impact and will require replacement panels to fix the door.

Finally, there’s the appearance factor, which is simply a matter of preference. The most insulated polycarbonate doors come in five, 5/8-inch thick, clear polycarbonate walls framed in an anodized aluminum extrusion. Vinyl doors, on the other hand, are curtain doors that have only one layer; but, excepting the solid top panel, they come with the ability to mix and match either clear or colored vinyl on the intermediate panels, and these colored panels come in almost any hue. Whichever you choose, both will allow natural light into the tunnel or bay.

A well-maintained door is necessary to your business to be successful. If an overhead door is nonfunctional, your wash bay may not be operational, costing lost revenue and added expenses,” educates Stokes. “The overhead doors are the first major piece of carwash equipment that the customer will see, and it is important that the first impression is a positive one. A clean, well-maintained carwash door is going to invite your customer back or send them to a competitor next time.

Service, Maintenance and Repairs: (All Brands of car wash doors)

All car wash systems and accessories including

• Automatic
• Self-Serve
• Tunnel (Express and Full Service)
• Truck Wash

Certified, factory trained technicians

If one of your washes is having problems and needs something replaced you can count on us to deliver a new part to minimize the downtime. Our service trucks are fully stocked, so if a technician is out on a service call where the owner doesn’t quite know what is wrong, there is an excellent chance our technician has it with him and can get the wash up and running right then. We are very familiar with installation and repair service of car wash and truck wash doors,If you have an emergency door service needed call us, we operate 24/7.

Call us now Phone: (832)736-7699 We are available 24/7 365 days day or night.