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tunnel freezing up

evergreen

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I have a 90 ft tunnel in Michigan and I'm having a hard time keeping the end of the tunnel at the dryers and most of my wraps from freezing up in the winter. Needless to say its resulting in a poorly cleaned car. What temp is too cold to wash? Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my tunnel from freezing?
 

Earl Weiss

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I have a 90 ft tunnel in Michigan and I'm having a hard time keeping the end of the tunnel at the dryers and most of my wraps from freezing up in the winter. Needless to say its resulting in a poorly cleaned car. What temp is too cold to wash? Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my tunnel from freezing?
Do you have one of the plastic type roll up / sliding / Bifold type doors at the exit?

What types of heaters do you have.

I am in Chicago and a tunnel this size stays thawed with 2 ceiling mount gas forced air heaters and no doors down to zero. But, my tunnels with exit doors stay warmer.

One mistake I have often seen with the ceiling mount heaters is that they are often positioned where they will suck in more moist air than they would if positioned differently.
 

E.Joramo

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grammar warning: Reply contains run-on sentences

We don't have wraps, but when it gets cold we leave the doors shut. when we get a customer we open the entrance doo, bring them in, close the door, prep them off and place them on the conveyor. From there we stop the track once they clear the blowers, finish drying them off, wipe the door jamb and open the exit door so they can leave and shut the door to retain heat.
Erik
 

jfmoran

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Kerosene heaters placed in tunnel will help. I have also placed the wraps or mitters on override and run them with water flushing them to keep them from freezing.
 

Earl Weiss

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Kerosene heaters placed in tunnel will help. I have also placed the wraps or mitters on override and run them with water flushing them to keep them from freezing.

Ditto. Have used the "Torpedo" heaters myself on occasion. Got the ones that run off diesel and Kerosene.

Don't typicaly need them unless a heater goes out. It has saved my bacon. On a rare occasion I may have set it up when things got really cold.
 

evergreen

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Thanks for the replies fellas. I have a glass exit door that generally stays up because the controls for it are broken and I need to get an electrician in. I know that a working door will help greatly.
As for the Kerosene heaters... is there any dangers with water getting in them? Could I just pick up a couple and run them daily to keep the chill off?
Thanks for helping this Newbe
 

Earl Weiss

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As for the Kerosene heaters... is there any dangers with water getting in them? Could I just pick up a couple and run them daily to keep the chill off?
Thanks for helping this Newbe
HAve not had any danger issues. Have had issue if positioned where it could suck in water. Kills the heater. Also back end could freeze. So, position the back end where this will not happen.
 

evergreen

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Thanks for the info guys. But it is now 45 degrees in michigan in January... I might need any extra heat this winter.lol
 
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