It’s been a long winter and we are all ready for the summer. Of course we quickly forget how miserably cold we were and will be complaining about the heat. If chemical products could complain, they would tell you that you need to pay attention to problems that heat can cause. We all know that chemicals can’t talk, they just perform – if you want to keep them at peak performance – PAY ATTENTION TO THE BUNG!
Drying agents, sealers, clear coat protectants and all surface protectants
Here’s the chemistry behind the surprise…These products usually contain a complex microemulsion concentrate which is the key to water displacement or water breaking. In addition they can contain a variety of paint protectants (silicones, waxes like carnauba,) along with a myriad of fragrances and dyes. This whole mess of ingredients can be quite thick or viscous and therefore difficult to dispense into water. However the formulators have learned to use various thinning ingredients to reduce the viscosity for ease of dispensing.
Chemistry lesson is over, what’s the problem?  It’s one of evaporation! And the culprit is the container bung. When bungs are left out of drums, it provides ventilation to the inside ingredients. This process is accelerated by the rising summer temperatures not only outside but in chemical rooms. The inside temperature rise can be further accelerated if these products are stored next to hot water heaters. Under hot conditions, some of the ingredients can evaporate through the open bungs into the atmosphere. As evaporation continues the left over product slowly thickens and in some cases the product will even gel. Product can stop flowing through the foot valves and nothing but water will land on the car resulting in potentially unhappy customers and unhappy owner/operators.
Detergents
More chemistry…Â Heavy duty alkaline detergents used as touchless alkaline presoaks, prep gun detergents, friction prep soaps, on-line tire cleaners, high pressure wheel blasters, etc. require a special balance and stabilizers to keep all the wetting agents in solution with the alkaline builders. Evaporation of water can cause a major ingredient separation with the alkaline ingredients sinking and the essential wetting agents floating. Cooling the product will not “put it back together”.
What’s the problem here?  Just like the waxes, CCPs, ASPs – leaving out bungs allows for evaporation and your product might gel. You might be washing with half a product, getting poor results and once again, unhappy car wash customers.
What you can do to avoid cleaning headaches:
1) keep both bungs in the drums at all times
2) keep both bungs in the drums at all times (something this important merits repetition)
3) run foot valve tubing through a knockout in large bung
4) wrap a small rag around tubing for added plugging of a knockout
5) avoid storage of drums next to water heaters in chemical rooms
6) if drums are stored outside use an overhead sun protector
