What a strange year thus far 2020 has been. I’ve spoken with a lot of you personally and by email in other cases. Up until March, it seemed things were starting off as per usual. Oh sure, we heard about this bug which was circulating in Asia, but it won’t affect us! And then the flood gates opened. Business was all over the place. Some washes were forced to shut down completely, others by choice. The ones still open reported everything from “We are really busy.” To “Things are so slow.”

What we here at Pelco experienced was a general increase in service-related calls. Everything from some general repairs to adding or replacing equipment and systems. The reasoning seemed to be there was now enough downtime to take care of things that had been put off or only being considered.

I don’t know if it is because a second wave of the virus has appeared of simply that winter -with its hopefully busier washing season - is coming and owners want to get more done, but service calls have once again picked up.

Whatever the reason, now is the time to take stock of how your business is running and what you need to keep it running during the coming wash season. 

• Turn on your de-icing system and make sure it is running properly and is full of antifreeze (propylene glycol mixture). Better to fix those kinds of things now rather than wait until the really cold weather comes and you find things are not working properly. 

• Check out all your weep systems and look for faulty check valves and solenoids. 

• If your pits need pumping, this is a good time to do that as well. Don’t forget about your chemical mixing systems. Ensure your products are mixing properly and working as they should.

As always, Pelco is ready and waiting to help in any of these areas. Remember to call or email us with anything you require to make your business run smoothly and profitably throughout the winter season.