Mobile detailing is a little different than a mobile car wash in that you spend a lot more time on each car and make a lot more money on each car you clean. In mobile car wash, you can end up doing 5-10 cars an hour with a crew of 2 or 3, whereas, with mobile car detailing, you can work alone, with no employees (an added benefit) and spend 1.5 or more hours cleaning a single car. car. Let’s talk.
You see, not too long ago a person asked me about equipment as they wanted to start this business and do it part time but didn’t want to invest a lot of money in equipment to start with. They had some equipment, a portable generator, a vacuum cleaner, and a very small water tank, about 35 gallons. They were concerned about what type of pump to buy for the detail washing portion of their car;
“I was looking at a pump called the Delavan PowerFlo 12 volt. Would this size pump work for the size of tank I have? It’s a small pump I found. I’m not sure how well it would work. Once I get started I wouldn’t mind get a bigger tank and update my setup to optimize for customers once I get established.”
Small pumps like the one you mentioned may not be the best option due to low volume and low pressure. This particular brand of pump is fine, decent quality, and perfect for a few uses, but maybe not for washing multiple cars and doing it quickly. Why will you wonder?
Well, if you have a low volume, you will need a higher pressure. If you have a higher volume you can get away with a lower pressure, but it will deplete your tank too quickly, see that issue. It might be best to find a 55-gallon plastic drum and hook it up to a Walmart electric pressure washer or one you find at Home Depot since it already has a generator. Generators put out 110, not 12 volts, you see.
If you have a generator, why bother using a 12-volt system that would have to run off the vehicle’s battery? I could start small as you suggest, however for the price of a 12 volt pump you could probably buy a cheap Chinese made pressure washer and then when you upgrade later you could get a Honda 5hp pressure washer with a 1500 PSI pump and get a 100 gallon pan tank.
Even if you start with a perfectly acceptable shoelace while you’re getting your feet wet, you still need to think strategically ahead and keep your options open. Please consider all this and think about it.
