Engine Cleaning (Hot Pressure Wash or Steam Clean) - Several Questions

[AdamsImport]

So I have been looking into cleaning engines, not just detailing the top part and the plastics, but thoroughly cleaning the whole thing in effort to either make the car look good or to help find a leak. I have been doing a lot of research locally, and online but I figured I would ask the community and maybe someone will have already done this and can shed some light...


Are any detailers with a location currently doing this? What if anything are you doing to abide by regulations with storm water? We are trying to figure out what exactly we need to build or buy in order to prevent polluting storm drains with cleaned engine residue.

Right now we are subletting all of our engine cleaning to another location, and it's beginning to add up, so we figured we should do it ourselves.

This shop has the residue coming down through the grates, but then where does it go?


Also which tool would be best, PSI.
We have been looking for Hot Water Pressure washers with 3000 PSI,

but there is also a company that offers a Hot Water Pressure Wash , that will also use Wet Steam @ 1000 PSI

 

[Vegas Transplant]

Are any detailers with a location currently doing this? What if anything are you doing to abide by regulations with storm water? We are trying to figure out what exactly we need to build or buy in order to prevent polluting storm drains with cleaned engine residue.

This shop has the residue coming down through the grates, but then where does it go?

1).That looks like a disaster waiting to happen - water getting in where it's not supposed to be.
2).If it is a licensed shop in Cali - then it would have a containment system,designed to separate water/oil; periodically inspected by the state/county. In Vegas our traps were inspected by the Clark County Water Authority .

3).I suggest inquiring from your licensing authority on the regulations concerning run-off.

My .02 hand. Or call Ralph Nader:laughing:

 

[AdamsImport]

Awesome,
Thanks I spoke with the county water guys and they gave me the few options we have.

Basically a water basin with an oil/water separator just liked you said. It will have to be inspected as well..

Any tips on a unit for cleaning engines? Hot Water Pressure Washer? Steamer? Hot Water + Steamer?

 

[armanslr]

You need a special oil separator we have one at my location. Learn a bit about engines, it will help you a lot. Don't get electrical things that wet, dry fast with air. Clean top of engine when cold. When trying to clean underneath oil stains let the car idle first to make the oil looser.

 

[pixelmonkey]

step 1 - do a search on youtube for porsche dry ice blasting
step 2 - drewl
step 3 - contact a few different dry ice blasting mfg's
step 4 - contact your bank and request a loan to purchase machine

the cost is high, but the results are amazing!
chris<pixelmonkey>

 

[AdamsImport]

step 1 - do a search on youtube for porsche dry ice blasting
step 2 - drewl
step 3 - contact a few different dry ice blasting mfg's
step 4 - contact your bank and request a loan to purchase machine

the cost is high, but the results are amazing!
chris<pixelmonkey>

Wow those are nice indeed, a little way out of my price range. I would have to have a line of people waiting to get dry ice blasted in order to pay something like that off...

Maybe it'll be something on the wishlist in the long run.


In the mean time I will be seeing the difference between the Hot Pressure Washer vs. the Combo Units w/ Steam