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wright11
Senior Member
Canada
159 Posts |
 Posted - 03/13/2008 : 12:08:13 PM
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| hi all, has anyone had any problems using pressure washers inside of there bus...floor rot, electrical problems etc.??????? |
Edited by - wright11 on 03/13/2008 4:37:05 PM
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L.J.D
Senior Member
United States
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 12:27:38 PM
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| never used a power washer but i have hosed them out. did one today rear heater hose broke and filled the buss with coolant. |
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Thomasbus24
Administrator
USA
4545 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 1:03:20 PM
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| Avoid this at all costs! A mop and bucket is the only way water should be introduced to the bus' interior. I've dealt with rotten plywood, rusted out steel AND very expensive repairs to underseat mounted video recording equipment. |
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NathanW
Advanced Member
United States
313 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 2:34:43 PM
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| I'mnot sure a pressure washer would actually clean the inside of the bus. All it would seem to do is spray the dirt all over the place. A regular hose maybe, but not near the video equipment. |
Nathan--Driver Extraordinaire |
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IBTMech
Top Member
USA
973 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 4:12:28 PM
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Pressure washing is overkill and messy. I've had to hose out a few buses due to heat pump, hose and core failures. I jack the front end up about three feet and flood the floor with water.... no nozzle... and then dry it with a couple fans and a heated garage.
Fortunately, we don't have any underseat video equipment or rear engine buses. |
If it doesn't fit, FORCE it.
If it breaks, well, it needed replacing anyway.
Pullin' wrenches for 45 years. |
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ModMech
Top Member
USA
948 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2008 : 08:00:42 AM
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I would definatley NOT use a pressure washer inside the bus. If you get water under the floor covering it WILL get between the plywood layers and then under them causing rapid corrosion of the STEEL underfloor. In *some* states there is no plywood requirement, so this could be worse.
I suggest that you use a mop with HOT water and do not soak the flooring at all. A good detergant and HOT water will do everything that is safe and effective for cleaning. Afterwards a good floor wax on the sides (NOT THE ISLE!) will help prevent future problems. |
If you want customer service, you NEED an International! |
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Mechan1c
Top Member
USA
853 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2008 : 10:48:38 AM
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| We keep our transit buses 18+ years and allow no running water in the bus. Spec marine grade plywood as well. |
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Wolf0r
Top Member
USA
2181 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2008 : 1:16:08 PM
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| Make sure you poke through the drain holes on a Bluebird. Under each body section toward the wall, poke them from under the bus. |
“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson |
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raytobe
Advanced Member
USA
293 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2008 : 3:31:07 PM
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| We've always hosed the conventionals out for vomit, coolant, or just routine cleaning. Drive up on ramps and open the back door. Never gave it a second thought. I've yet to see one develop floor problems because of this either. |
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Harrison Fire
Senior Member
United States
175 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2008 : 03:59:45 AM
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| I was the body (rust) guy for a fleet of Thomas buses. All the buses got a summer cleaning, lift the seats, scrape the goop, jack up the front, hose (garden hose only!) and scrub the floor (use wash and wax- looks nice- sweeps easier) and let it dry overnight. Then all the inside panels, seats and dash got washed with soap and water. Often during the school year, if a large contribution of bodily fluids needed removal, it got hosed out the back door the same way. This makes a nice clean bus but you pay for it. I was replacing several 3800 dashes a year at $600 each. The girls tried to be careful with plastic over the dash. They still splashed water, had to banish the hose from the front. Had lots of passenger heater motors smoked. Rear and side panel rust replacement changed my opinion of running water inside my buses. The insulation was often damp after months of sitting with slimy, nasty looking science experiments growing between the panels (washed the summer before!). And the smell of some would drive you out. If you keep your buses for a really long time the running water inside will rot out your bus. As the salty slop brought in by boots in will. Barrier and seat bolts rusted off. Aluminum floor trim riddled with holes. Seating track turned to jelly. Damned is you do, Damned if you don't. Have my own fleet to take care or now- oldest is 92. HF |
My Fleet? (6) 93/99 IH 3800 Thomas and Blue Bird, Hydraulic Brakes, Manual and Auto Trans, (10) 00/06 FS65 Thomas Air Brake and Auto Trans, (2) 06 C2 Thomas and (2) 09/10 IC CE 300, Plus 3 more from another District |
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IC-CEiswhereiwannabe
Advanced Member
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2008 : 06:04:11 AM
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Yes, I just started another topic about floor rust in IC buses. My bus is a 2005 IC-CE and it does a lot of running. I do my 5 and 1/4 hour school bus run (with three schools) but also charters for our coach department, train new drivers on routes in it, and do two well-known large college shuttles in it. In other words, that floor gets pretty dirty and has to be pressure washed maybe once a month.
I mentioned in the other topic that I recently discovered rust near the rear wheel wells (where the water sometimes pools) This is not a good thing for a bus that is so new.
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Why can't U C what I C in IC? |
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misterbill
Advanced Member
United States
306 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2008 : 1:16:37 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Harrison Fire
I was the body (rust) guy for a fleet of Thomas buses. All the buses got a summer cleaning, lift the seats, scrape the goop, jack up the front, hose (garden hose only!) and scrub the floor (use wash and wax- looks nice- sweeps easier) and let it dry overnight. Then all the inside panels, seats and dash got washed with soap and water. Often during the school year, if a large contribution of bodily fluids needed removal, it got hosed out the back door the same way. This makes a nice clean bus but you pay for it. I was replacing several 3800 dashes a year at $600 each. The girls tried to be careful with plastic over the dash. They still splashed water, had to banish the hose from the front. Had lots of passenger heater motors smoked. Rear and side panel rust replacement changed my opinion of running water inside my buses. The insulation was often damp after months of sitting with slimy, nasty looking science experiments growing between the panels (washed the summer before!). And the smell of some would drive you out. If you keep your buses for a really long time the running water inside will rot out your bus. As the salty slop brought in by boots in will. Barrier and seat bolts rusted off. Aluminum floor trim riddled with holes. Seating track turned to jelly. Damned is you do, Damned if you don't. Have my own fleet to take care or now- oldest is 92. HF
I like this post. It is interesting and informative. Sounds like you know what you are talking about. I'm thinking about copying it and putting it up at work.
Also-I like the picture! We are owned by a big company in the Sit-tay. I think we are the 'red neck' terminal. There are farm tractors, hay bales and cows at our terminal. I think that the people here would like your picture! |
High School Friend-"Hey! How are you! Well, I guess you can't be doing too well, you're driving a school bus." |
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Harrison Fire
Senior Member
United States
175 Posts |
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Brad Barker
Administrator
USA
874 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2008 : 11:12:00 AM
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It is not recommended to wash out a bus with running water or pressure washer. I definately would not use a pressure washer. Think about what it is doing. Any crack, pin hole, penetration, etc is going to have water forced into it. Another BIG issue is getting water spray into underseat heaters, heat pump motors, video equipment and around drivers compartment water spraying or splashing up into electrical components in and around the dash area.
Out here in the Western Rust Belt we only allow running water in a severe emergency such as multiple vomit spills. I have found that if a driver waits till the floor is dry, then sweeps the floor daily and as needed mops the bus with a mop and bucket, although the work is more intense the results are very good. One tip is once the floor is spotlessly clean use a commercial floor sealer on the floor. Apply 4-6 coates allowing it to dry in between each coat. Floor cleaning afterwards is much easier. This has to be done once a year. |
Brad A. Barker |
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IBTMech
Top Member
USA
973 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2008 : 3:49:23 PM
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Thinking about it for a while..... the only buses that we have hosed out in the past 24 years (my tenure) have been Bluebirds with the body mounted booster pumps that leak all over the floor.....thankyouverymuch.
No Thomas or IC problems. |
If it doesn't fit, FORCE it.
If it breaks, well, it needed replacing anyway.
Pullin' wrenches for 45 years. |
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n/a
New Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2017 : 01:34:30 AM
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Hi Everyone, i was looking for suggestions on best pressure washer. I think i landed here and can get nice suggestions from here!
Please i don't believe on internet reviews, real user are welcomed to suggest me ***Spam Link Removed By TB24, contact admin if you wish to have your account unlocked*** |
Edited by - n/a on 08/20/2017 9:52:11 PM |
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AW
Senior Member
52 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2017 : 09:53:40 AM
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A pressure washer or garden hose in our buses would be an immediate write-up offense.
I use a fairly stiff scrub brush on an extension pole with hot soapy water, then use a cotton string mop to rinse. |
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bwest
Administrator
United States
3820 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2017 : 09:38:40 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by vancilwa
Hi Everyone, i was looking for suggestions on best power washer. I think i landed here and can get nice suggestions from here!
Please i don't believe on internet reviews, real user are welcomed to suggest me best power washer 2017
If you are asking about opinions on pressure washers, you would be best served to start a new topic. Many will also want to know what you are going to use it for and other information such as the kind of power you have access to and it you think you're interested in steam capabilities. |
Bryan |
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bfaulkner
Senior Member
168 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2017 : 1:21:06 PM
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| We jack up and wash out our buses with hose and soap bucket once a summer. We lift the front about 3 feet to get a good slope. The only floor problems we have had are special needs floor tracking. The aluminum tracks get gooey and peel off the floor. Multiple body shops have told us this is from the salt not the washing. When it comes to reg. ed. we have had no floor or wall problems even back to our mid 90's buses. |
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dferrell
Senior Member
102 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2017 : 5:35:07 PM
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| We have all transits and back in the good old days we used to back onto ramps and pressure wash as needed. Once everything went electronic, we thought it would be a good idea to stop. Now we just mop. We never had any problems as a result of pressure washing though. The floors sure look nice when you're done! |
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Thomasbus24
Administrator
USA
4545 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2017 : 05:32:05 AM
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| To quote a Thomas rep many years ago... "If you hose out the inside, don't call me and ask me to warranty the floor." Of course Thomas would rust out if you so much as drove past shaker of salt, so it was neither here nor there. |
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bwest
Administrator
United States
3820 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2017 : 05:34:37 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by n/a
Hi Everyone, i was looking for suggestions on best pressure washer. I think i landed here and can get nice suggestions from here!
Please i don't believe on internet reviews, real user are welcomed to suggest me ***Spam Link Removed By TB24, contact admin if you wish to have your account unlocked***
I thought his wording was strange. However, we've had some ask questions from a non-English speaking country and the translation sounds like this. Was just trying to no be judgemental.  |
Bryan |
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Thomasbus24
Administrator
USA
4545 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2017 : 06:36:20 AM
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Yeah I was in the same boat...just figured we had a new friend who didn't use English as the primary language. Then came the link.
Hey, at least it isn't like it was a few years ago with 100+ spam posts a day. |
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Topic |
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using pressure washers inside bus
