2 January 2007

A Canadian customer recently asked me to compare the MART Power Wash Process with the JRI Jet Spray. JRI had sent them a quote and specifications for their JRI PCS-7272 Model. MART quoted its HURRICANE 72 to meet the requirement for a 72 inch Table and 73 inch Work Height. If JRI had available and could have furnished all of the options that MART included in its bid, the cost of the two Systems would have been comparable.

I suggested to the customer that they send me the complete JRI quote and specs so MART could provide the comparison they sought, and asked them to send our quote and this memo to JRI so that JRI could also comment. This way the customer could make an informed decision of which machine to install.

The customer was also sent the comprehensive MART In-House Report that explains the differences between Power Washing and Jet Spray. This Report was written for our own people and not intended for general circulation. The JRI quote and specifications are on file at MART. Arrangements can be made to review them on request.

This Report is based on the data taken from the JRI quote and specifications. The JRI specifications were incomplete and lacked detail, so a comprehensive analysis of the engineering and performance of the JRI was not possible. Having explained this, following are the comparative highlights …

1. JRI primarily builds light duty washing machines for the automotive markets so its equipment is not engineered to remove high concentrations of sludgy soils or handle the heavy soil loading through its suction filter, pump, plumbing, manifold and nozzles. An owner of this JRI model, doing heavy soil removal, could reasonably expect marginal wash results, much daily and weekly maintenance, and frequent solution cleanouts and recharge.

2. As to rugged construction and quality, quoting from the JRI specifications, the empty weight of this JRI Model is between 1,000 and 2,254 lbs, depending on its load capacity. The JRI WEIGHT CAPACITY UPGRADE TO 6,000 LBS costs $14,548, which increases the load capacity to 6,000 lbs and the weight of the machine itself to 2,254 lbs by adding a heavier turntable hub and turntable components. By comparison, the base MART HURRICANE 72 weighs 8,400 lbs and, with the Sludge Scraper option, 11,800 lbs. JRI states in its written disclaimer that its table is rated at 6,000 lbs when the load is centered on the table. It is almost never the case that a wash load is centered. More to the point, an operator will never know where the center of a load is, especially when several components are being washed at the same time. The load factor must take torque into account, which means that wash loads will always be offset.

3. When comparing the two machines, note that MART is providing its Sludge/Surface Scraper and AirLift System for waste management and removal, plus the MART Oil Skimmer, whereas the JRI only offers a light duty commercial grade skimmer. Without the sludge management options that MART offers, the JRI machine will quickly load up with soils and need frequent solution changeouts.

4. The JRI 15 Horsepower simplex wash pump, at 200 GPM and 75 PSI, may flood the parts but cannot deliver enough impact pressure to remove the difficult soils. It should be noted that this JRI spec gives the performance of the pump under test conditions on a test bench, and not at the nozzle tips of its washing machine. This pump spec does not account for suction and discharge losses, which can be considerable. MART is the only U.S. washer maker that provides nozzle performance data. The 70 Horsepower Duplex (turbo) Pump System in the MART quote maximizes flow and pressure, measured at the nozzles, which is 431 GPM total flow and 18 GPM per nozzle, at 190 PSI. Velocity at the MART nozzles is 168.0 ft/sec which is the velocity of many shot blast machines. . For an excellent article that explains pump systems, click here.

5. Most of the soils to be removed are grease entrapped. JRI claims that its 36 kW electric heater elements will heat the solution to 140 degrees F. Grease begins to soften at 135 degrees, and must be heated to at least 180 Degrees F. so that it flows like water. This is why MART provides 80 kW of electric heat or 380,000 BTU when heated with gas or propane. The second reason for the higher operating temperature is that the aggressiveness of the chemical doubles with each 10 degree rise over 160 degrees F. The third factor is that the heat source must make up for the heat losses (a) caused by the ambient temperature parts load soaking up heat as the parts heat to wash temperature and (b) to replenish the heat losses as the steam exhaust pulls and discharges vapor from the cabinet, and fresh ambient temp water is added for makeup.

6. JRI provides a mild steel reservoir for its Recirculating rinse. Fresh rinse water, especially when heated, is extremely corrosive. The components associated with the rinse system should be made entirely of non-corrosive materials. To guard against corrosion, MART only uses stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant materials in its Auto Rinse System.

7. JRI requires a very expensive Service Agreement contract while MART provides its full service One Year Factory Warranty at no charge, and extends this Warranty to Two Years at no cost on the condition that the maintenance schedule in the MART operating Manual is met.

8. It should be noted that companies that purchase and install this equipment do NOT want washing machines, they want clean parts. JRI makes it quite clear that it will build and sell a washing machine without knowing the intended use of the machine. Under its specifications titled Chemicals and Cleanliness, JRI identifies issues and problems associated with incoming water supplies, and the selection and use of chemicals. But the choice of chemicals is left to the customer, and JRI does not recommend a chemical that it warrants will clean the parts to the required cleaning standard. JRI even suggests that the operation of its machine could require RO and DI water, the cost of which would make the operation of the JRI washer very expensive for most companies. More specifically, JRI admits that it does not know the application or cleaning requirements or soil loading for this washing machine, or the standards to be met. All the above disclaimers are in the JRI proposal in the event that its washing machine does not meet the needs of its customer. By comparison, MART will not configure or quote a Power Washer without first fully understanding the application. If the customer does not have cleaning standards, then MART will assist in writing the standards. For an excellent article on how to select a washing machine, click here.

9. MART has over 7,600 installations in heavy duty applications worldwide, and we publish a list of many hundreds of MART Users (attached). The list reads like Who’s Who in rebuild and new manufacturing. Phone numbers and contact names are available for anyone on the list that a prospective customer may wish to call. A customer might request the User List of heavy duty owners from JRI for comparison.

10. As a final step before purchasing a washing machine, it is always a good policy to compare the operating manuals of the machines being considered. The manual cuts through all the rhetoric and sales claims, and explains in detail how the machine will be operated and serviced, and the results that can be reasonably expected.