Actually there is a difference; that is in the amount. The EPA
regulates the amount of oil and other petroleum products that any city
or state can have in the natural bodies of water resulting from the
runoff from the streets and roadways. This is known as storm water run
off. Virtually all automobiles (and especially our beloved LBC's) leak
oil and other automotic fluids, which pretty much stay in one place,
until it rains. Then they travel with the water into the storm sewer,
which then runs into the streams, lakes, and rivers.
Back to the comparison between washing your car (or engine) and changing
your oil down the car wash drain. Most states (I know for sure in
Texas) require car washes to have grease and oil separators between
their wash bays, and the City's sanitary sewer. Which brings up the
last issue: car wash bays drain into the sanitary sewer system that
undergoes treatment at the local waste water plant, and NOT into the
lakes and streams-that's where the storm water runs off to.
If you are truly concerned about how much oil is going into your natural
bodies of water, you would quit driving that oil leaking British car,
and not be concerned about someone washing their car body or motor at
the car wash.
Perry Robinson
Environmental Health Inspector and British Car Owner
Texas
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scott Hower [SMTP:howersl@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 14, 1999 4:03 PM
> To: Gary Davis; Ajhsys@aol.com; mgs@autox.team.net; nagy@duq.edu
> Cc: msg@autox.team.net
> Subject: Car wash crud...
>
>
> Gary,
>
> I've always heard (but never bothered to confirm)
> that commercial DIY carwash water must be recycled.
>
> --Scott
>
> P.S. Don't use that foamy brush- or at least rinse
> it off first. Lord knows what it last scrubbed...
> greasy block, an undercarriage, Doug Russell's
> privates
>
> #:O
>
>
>
> --- Gary Davis <6GPRO.GDAVIS@ibr6gw82.gp.usbr.gov>
> wrote:
> > How would the practice of cleaning the old oil off
> > of your engine at the DIY car wash differ from
> > pouring your recently-changed oil down the storm
> > water drain? Seems to me, either way, it flows
> > directly into your local stream or river.
> >
> > Gary Davis
> >
> >
> > >>> <Ajhsys@aol.com> 10/14 12:19 PM >>>
> > In a message dated 10/14/99 12:40:10 PM Eastern
> > Daylight Time, nagy@duq.edu
> > writes:
> >
> > << BTW...since is it so thickly covered in grease
> > and gunk...without using
> > a pressure washer, what do you recommend using to
> > clean the engine and
> > tranny? >>
> >
> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> >
> > Get a few spray cans of GUNK (really, that's the
> > name) and spray it on the
> > engine. Scrub it a bit with a scrub brush and hose
> > it off. Really think
> > stuff will require several applications. It works
> > best if you can warm the
> > engine a little before application. I usually do
> > this at a DIY car wash so I
> > don't have to worry about all the droppings.
> >
> > Br careful about spraying water in the distributor
> > and coil.
> >
> > Allen Hefner
> > SCCA Philly Region Rally Steward
> > '77 Midget
> > '92 Mitsubishi Expo LRV Sport
> >
> >
>
>
> =====
> Scott Hower -> howersl@yahoo.com
>
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