WNV helps Chichester clean up
Washing equipment provider WNV-Systems has designed and installed a complete new automatic wash system facility for Chichester District Council.
The council approached the firm along with other wash companies to tender on the design and installation of an automatic vehicle washing facility, not only to wash its own fleet but most types of vehicles, thereby giving the council the ability to offer out its use to commercial operators and turn its investment into an ongoing profitable revenue stream.
The facility needed to be able to wash vehicles up to 5m in height and 18m in length, and offer three-brush rollover capability with a high-pressure wash option for irregular shaped vehicles.
Automatic under-chassis washing was required, enabling all vehicles including hybrids and full electric to be cleaned to a full MOT standard. This needed to work in conjunction with a water reclamation system capable of recycling up to 95 per cent of retained water.
The system would need to be safe and easy to operate, work constantly over long periods without reliability issues, and reduce current water usage. Hot pressure wash systems were also required for manual detailing. Installation was to be integrated with a major depot overhaul, and the entire washing facility was to be housed in a standalone open-ended building.
Chichester District Council was experiencing challenges in keeping its fleet clean on a regular basis. The requirement to thoroughly clean vehicles prior to resuming service in the local community was showing traditional manual washing was no longer practical or cost-effective.
The council awarded WNV the contract as it was deemed to offer the best ‘cost/benefit’ package of being able to fulfil all requirements and capabilities – allowing all council fleet vehicles to be cleaned along with a fully automatic under chassis wash system designed to operate in harsh environments and clean to MOT test standards.
This gave the council the opportunity to considerably reduce the health and safety implications of manual pressure washing, as guided by Health & Safety Executive (HSE) regulations.
The initial design of the system required installation of a deep 1.5m x 18m pit with safety flooring to work as a catchment tank to recycle water used during the wash cycles.
WNV worked alongside architects to design a complete wash area with a footprint of 7m x 24m. Groundworks were designed to accommodate the building and plantroom areas, ensuring the entire wash bay area provided a fall back to the central pit. After design stages, the civil works were completed, and the framework for the building erected.
The equipment was installed alongside a new water reclamation unit housed within a plant room. A dual card and code reader allows external users to automatically use the facility.
The council now has the opportunity to utilise its investment as an ongoing revenue stream, allowing it to advertise third party use of the installation.
WNV reports that the system has proved extremely successful following commissioning and customer sign-off, and the firm is continuing its partnership with Chichester District Council, offering support and maintenance as well as looking to innovate the facility to operate with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR).
Kevin Carter of Chichester District Council said: “We are really pleased with WNV as an experienced partner. Following a seamless installation, they helped us identify how to best operate the system for the many different vehicle options we were planning and proved to be very proactive in this regard.”
WNV-Systems has been developing wash systems for local authorities for over 25 years, and cites its aftersales service, support and maintenance options as key benefits of its offering.
