# Car wash done back around 2002



## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

Dug up these pics the other day. I mentioned this job in another thread - I had said there were more than a dozen heaters - I was wrong (foggy memory) - looks like nine. They're all old fashioned Bosch heaters staged by turning the temp on each successive heater a bit higher than the last. Primitive, yes, but it works very well.

This is far from all the piping in this ultra-crowded mechanical room - I'm just showing two walls. There's two more crowded walls, a compressor mezzanine over the electrical room (you can see part of it in these pics) and a row of equipment down the middle of the room too. I'll try to find and post the rest. It's unbelievable how much machinery is crammed in one of these things to make a car wash like this work. One of the more interesting jobs of my illustrious career.

I did all plumbing and gasfitting/venting too.

The pics were badly taken long ago with my film camera - long before digital cameras became affordable. That, and the fact that my scanner glass needs cleaning, makes them not so great quality. Sorry about that.


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

interesting, and nice work


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

Nice work Futz. I like it. :thumbup:


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Nice work.


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## markb (Jun 11, 2009)

Did you do the sizing? Or were you working off engineered prints?


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## ZL700 (Dec 8, 2009)

Those are a bit newer than my first Tankless unit 21 years ago, a Bosch ( back then CEC) Aquastar 170. 

Knobs were similar but mine had a open front draft hood and the vent was 6"

Probably not the most efficient but it was endless hot water.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

markb said:


> Did you do the sizing? Or were you working off engineered prints?


I can't remember exactly. Seems to me they didn't have much of anything for a layout. They dragged me over to one of their other carwashes in the next town over and I took notes/pictures and then came back and did what I thought best. The carwash mechanical guys were installing while I was there hooking water and drains to their equipment, so if I needed to know things I just asked them.

It was in a small town where the inspector didn't really even want to come look at it. I bugged him to come inspect the thing, so he did. I wasn't there when he came. I suspect he just took one look and went, "WOW!!! So complex!", and passed it.


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

Looks great, I can tell you take pride in your work. I love, that the way we support our pipe and equipment will tell on your experience and craftsmanship.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

My photography sucked back then! I've been working on taking better job pics since, but this is what I have from those days.

Heater piping closeup









Left end of meter/prv/BFP station









BFP - drain not done yet









Room heater (big combustion air in background)









Vent for room heater









Softener









More piping closeup









Mid-room row of pumps (temporary tool/junk table :laughing


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## markb (Jun 11, 2009)

great looking stuff! :thumbsup: A1


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## DIZ (Nov 17, 2010)

RV20 mini reg?


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

DIZ said:


> RV20 mini reg?


No, those 1/2" regs came with the heaters to cut manifold pressure to 3.5". There's a big single reg in another pic that cuts the main line 2 PSI pressure to 7".


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## DIZ (Nov 17, 2010)

futz said:


> No, those 1/2" regs came with the heaters to cut manifold pressure to 3.5". There's a big single reg in another pic that cuts the main line 2 PSI pressure to 7".


Upon second look, of course it is. Just looked really small on my cursory glance. Nice work.


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## G3farms (Oct 29, 2010)

Looks good, I would have wiped those grapes off of the solder joints though.

Should have at least got a pic of the sprinklers in there!! lol


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Terrific looking job. :thumbup: Is that dead-end on the type B vent intentional?


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

Tommy plumber said:


> Terrific looking job. :thumbup: Is that dead-end on the type B vent intentional?


What dead-end? Are you talking about this?









That's C vent, and yes, it was intentional. I don't remember why I didn't use an increaser. I must have had some reason to buy wyes and plugs.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Futz- my mistake. When I first looked at pics I didn't see the (2) vertical vent connectors connecting to the larger manifold. The dead end looked alot longer.

Great looking work. Nice and neat. I'm not surprised that no one picked it apart, I didn't see anything amiss.


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

Don't they sell copper split ring hangers up there? 


Very nice looking job, futz.


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

Do you still put 1/2 your ball valves upsidedown?


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

plumber666 said:


> Do you still put 1/2 your ball valves upsidedown?


Heh :laughing: I've had this argument over and over. Seems like every different plumber has his own opinion on how to do that.

On water I'll generally put them so the handle points in the direction of flow - unless I think it looks better the other way.  The valves don't care which way they're installed.

On gas it's handle in direction of flow on horizontal lines, but always handle up on vertical lines.

The yellow handle valves in these two pics were pre-built (and crooked) manifolds the car wash mechanical guys handed me to connect, so the valves were the way they wanted them.


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## WaterBoy (Mar 4, 2010)

*Wow!*

I wish I could learn how to do that! Very nice!


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

WaterBoy said:


> I wish I could learn how to do that! Very nice!


You'll learn Grasshopper......you'll learn.


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

plumber666 said:


> Do you still put 1/2 your ball valves upsidedown?


 
:laughing: I bag on everybody about valve position!! As far as I'm concerned, there's one way to put a valve on a horizontal pipe, and one way on a vertical pipe. Period. Except for the other bjillion ways to do em.


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