Rinsing method and apparatus for car-washing installation
OwnerHorst Burgerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A car to be washed is moved longitudinally along a path through a washing station, a prerinsing station, a rinsing station and a drying station. At the washing station the car is scrubbed with hot, soapy water. In the prerinsing station the car is sprayed with water mixed with a surface-tension-increasing agent. In the rinsing station the car passes under a curtain down which flows a film of pure water. The curtain is formed of a multiplicity of parallel vertical filaments that conduct this rinse water with the surface-tension-increasing agent as a substantially continuous film over the vehicle.
Claims13
In a method of cleaning a car wherein the car is treated with soapy water, the car is then prerinsed with water to remove most of the soapy water and then rinsed with clean water to wash off the remaining soapy water, and the clean water is dried and driven off the car by an air stream, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- mixing the prerinse water prior to use with a surface-tension-increasing agent to render the surface of said car slightly hydrophobic;
- and
- pouring said rinse water from an overhead dispenser onto said car under substantially atmospheric pressure as a substantially continuous film, whereby said film runs off said car substantially without leaving drops behind said dispenser having a downwardly extending curtain formed from filaments, said rinse water being poured by flowing the rinse water down said curtain while maintaining the lower edge of said curtain in contact with the car being washed.
In a car-washing apparatus wherein a car to be washed is displaced longitudinally along a path at an advance speed past a washing station wherein it is treated with soapy water, then through a prerinsing station and then through a rinsing station wherein the soapy water is rinsed off the car with respective prerinse and rinse waters, and then through a drying station wherein water remaining on the car is dried from it, the improvement comprising:
- a prerinse-water dispenser at said prerinsing station;
- means connected to said prerinse dispenser for mixing a surface-tension-increasing agent with the prerinse water prior to use on the car;
- a rinse-water dispenser at said rinsing station
- said rinse-water dispenser having a downwardly hanging curtain, formed from filaments whose lower edge engages said car as the car passes under said dispenser;
- and means for pouring clean rinse water down said curtain substantially as a continuous film under atmospheric pressure to said car, whereby said film runs off said car substantially without leaving drops behind.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.