Control Should Not Be Complicated: Inside a Dosatron-Run Express Wash
When a wash is designed right, chemistry control disappears into the background — no venturi tips to swap, no tangle of tubing, no argument about who mixed what. That was the takeaway from a visit to Octopus Car Wash, a new express site in Winter Springs, FL, where owners Sherman Williams and Pat Secord built an experience-first wash on top of a deliberately simple back room.
A wash that turned a chore into an experience
Octopus set out to deliver a clean, fast wash with environmentally friendly products at a fair price — then went further: colorful foam, playful car projections, and system operations kept quiet at 70 decibels or lower. The customer-facing show is memorable; the reason it runs reliably is behind the scenes.
The back room: clean, simple, water-powered
No time-consuming venturi tips. No tangled tubes. Just a streamlined Dosatron Vehicle Wash System doing the metering:
- Powered by water — no electricity to the dosing units, one less failure point in a wet room.
- Space-saving — direct on-demand mixing removes stock tanks and mixed-chemical pumps.
- No tips to change or unclog — the frustration of clogged and "between-size" venturi tips is gone.
- Easy to train — staff learn to set and adjust the injectors quickly, so managers spend time on the wash, not the wall.
Why "set it and forget it" is an operating strategy
An external ratio stem means dilution is dialed once and locked — add the Dosa-Lock and it stays locked. Because delivery is volumetric (V_conc = D × V_water), no controller is needed to hold the ratio through pressure swings. Control is simple because the physics does the regulating — exactly what Pat Secord means when he says"control shouldn't be complicated."
Quick Field-Reference — Keep the Ratio Honest
A non-electric proportional injector gives you few components in the wetted path and a verifiable ratio. The most common issues and fixes:
Symptom | Probable root cause | Corrective action |
No / low concentrate draw | Air leak on suction; worn seals; clogged foot-valve strainer; empty drum | Seal fittings; replace kit; clean strainer; refill |
Ratio reads low vs. setpoint | Cavitation from excess suction lift (>12 ft) or viscous concentrate | Relocate drum closer; select right ratio; rebuild |
Ratio drifts over time | Wrong seal for chemistry pH | Fit Aflas (high-pH) / VF (low-pH); add suction filter |
Foam spitting / inconsistent | Supply-pressure fluctuation; air in line | Fit pressure regulator; bleed line; check check-valve |
The bottom line
Octopus proves the point Dosatron makes to every operator: a memorable wash up front is only sustainable if the back room is boring — reliable, simple, water-powered. Cut the tips, cut the tanks, cut the electricity, and control gets simple again. The same single-source logic extends past dosing: ARO moves the concentrate, Champion supplies the air, Robuschi runs the vacuum — one Ingersoll Rand portfolio behind a back room this simple
Reach out to us