# Q for mobile valeter(waste water)



## stephen2982 (Jul 7, 2011)

okay, i have seen this being discussed before but without any real clarification.

where do you guys let the waste water from pressure washing, and even the buckets from the wash stages?

this is for valeters/detailers who don't have a unit.


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## stephen2982 (Jul 7, 2011)

bumping up


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## Sapphire (Oct 6, 2011)

You dont really have a choice, The waste water from the jetwash runs to the nearest drain, And that goes for emptying buckets too. Thats what drains are there for after all, Waste water.


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## stephen2982 (Jul 7, 2011)

i've heard alot of conflicting stories about this issue, some say you can't pour it down, others say you can.

obviously you can't help the pressure washer water unless you use a bung under the car to catch it, but then there's buckets, wet/dry vacuum if needing to empty it etc.


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Sapphire said:


> You dont really have a choice, The waste water from the jetwash runs to the nearest drain, And that goes for emptying buckets too. Thats what drains are there for after all, Waste water.


No they're not, they're for surface water not waste effluent. I shouldn't complain though as the more crap morons put down the surface water the product I sell to clean it so it can back through you taps.



stephen2982 said:


> i've heard alot of conflicting stories about this issue, some say you can't pour it down, others say you can.
> 
> obviously you can't help the pressure washer water unless you use a bung under the car to catch it, but then there's buckets, wet/dry vacuum if needing to empty it etc.


There's no conflicting info it's against the law end of story and you can be fined for it - heavily too. Below is a direct quote that most water companies will provide you with.
If your business plans to discharge trade effluent into any public foul sewer within our supply area, you must get our permission before any discharges take place. This is a legal requirement under the Water Industry Act 1991.


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## Panther (Jan 19, 2012)

Ok, im a little confused.....

This topic is in regards to when you wash a car and the water runs down the road into a drain? And then once finished with your shampoo/rinse/wheel water, you pour it down the road.

Your saying this is illegal? I apologise if i have missed something.....


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## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

Panther said:


> Ok, im a little confused.....
> 
> This topic is in regards to when you wash a car and the water runs down the road into a drain? And then once finished with your shampoo/rinse/wheel water, you pour it down the road.
> 
> Your saying this is illegal? I apologise if i have missed something.....


In regards to the OP question, within most local authorities yes it is illegal under the PPG13 as stated here:

http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/PMHO0307BMDX-E-E.pdf

Some local authorities are enforcing and fining businesses for this.....


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Panther said:


> Ok, im a little confused.....
> 
> This topic is in regards to when you wash a car and the water runs down the road into a drain? And then once finished with your shampoo/rinse/wheel water, you pour it down the road.
> 
> Your saying this is illegal? I apologise if i have missed something.....


Yes it's illegal, especially so if you're a business.


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## stephen2982 (Jul 7, 2011)

so how are the numerous valeters getting away with washing vehicles that isn't on a dedicated unit? say on the road, driveway etc


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

stephen2982 said:


> so how are the numerous valeters getting away with washing vehicles that isn't on a dedicated unit? say on the road, driveway etc


Luck over judgement. It's actually worse in a unit as you're technically producing chemical waste that needs disposing of correctly.


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## stephen2982 (Jul 7, 2011)

hmm seems a big price to pay if caught out, what is the correct procedure then? collect, or get permission for it to go down the drain?


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## Panther (Jan 19, 2012)

Christ, and its as if we dont pay enough for the local services....

A new revelation in my local county is that we now are only allowed one large bag for household rubbish every week...... WHAT AM I PAYING MY COUNCIL TAX FOR?!?!?!?!?

For the love of christ, we are being robbed from every angle! 

So, just to get the understanding right, if you go to a persons home and wash their car, you are ment to collect the waste water and dispose of it correctly?? What about if they wash their car the next day? Do they have to collect it?


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## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

The guideline is for everyone, but only enforced against businsses !


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## Panther (Jan 19, 2012)

Any ideas on fines/charges? How much does it cost to remove? Where did Polished Bliss get there water catcher thingy?


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## mike13098 (Jan 21, 2012)

i have a licence for waste water and also a licence to carry hazardous chemicals

(this is not for valeting) but its the same principle. the chances of me being caught are 0.1% but its a good selling point when tendering for jobs to say you are SEPA registered for waste/hazardous discharge


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## J1ODY A (Nov 28, 2008)

Panther said:


> Any ideas on fines/charges? How much does it cost to remove? Where did Polished Bliss get there water catcher thingy?


You one of life's worriers... lets ask if anyone here has ever been fined?


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Panther said:


> Any ideas on fines/charges? How much does it cost to remove? Where did Polished Bliss get there water catcher thingy?


Hazardous waste is ~£100/ton.


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## walker1967 (Sep 12, 2010)

What if your are using enviro friendly goods ?


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## Hasan1 (Jul 1, 2011)

bigmc said:


> Luck over judgement. It's actually worse in a unit as you're technically producing chemical waste that needs disposing of correctly.


Units use foul drains


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Hasan1 said:


> Units use foul drains


Not necessarily.


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## stephen2982 (Jul 7, 2011)

so mobile, suck up water, or do you leave it?


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## Panther (Jan 19, 2012)

I currently leave it, and until i get asked, i will blame ignorance


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## Nath (Jun 20, 2010)

Sorry to bump an old thread, but i've had first hand experience with this. NO PROOF, NO PROBLEM. Wash away any suds etc and they haven't got a chance of prosecution.


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

Nath said:


> Sorry to bump an old thread, but i've had first hand experience with this. NO PROOF, NO PROBLEM. Wash away any suds etc and they haven't got a chance of prosecution.


Untill some nosey old dodger has you on film!!!


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## Rollini (Mar 23, 2012)

I've washed a few people's cars on their property and most of the time the water has gone onto the road and down the drain but until now nobody has ever mentioned this is illegal or said am I allowed etc. So play ignorant if caught then go from there... With bucket water etc I put down drains on the persons property


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2012)

We've been mobile valeting for 21 years and have only once, about 15 years ago, been approached by the water authorities. That is because a resident didnt like us operating outside his house. The Anglian water guy pulled up within minutes, asked us if we were cleaning engines and went off satisfied when we said no. Different authorities will have different views to washing in the street I'm sure, but it is illegal for ANYONE to wash a car ANYWHERE that doesn't have proper safe disposal mechanisms set up, environmentally safe chemicals or not! Have no doubt about it.
We lost a contract with a very large well known furniture company because the dirt on a lorry is classed as 'trade waste'. We contacted environmental health Govt. dept.to clarify that it was all nonsense but they tore a new hole in our a*s*s and lectured us on the dangers to rivers and salmon levels.
To sum up: you'll probably get away with washing on the street but will have to kiss a*se if anyone pulls you up about it.


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## anpictum (Feb 7, 2011)

I'm all for doing my bit to save what’s left of this beautiful planet but this is just another example of big brother gone mad. I downloaded and read through the DEFRA document mentioned in post #7 and considering the list of legal requirements for anyone washing a car I'm surprised this isn't headline news and featured on a Panorama Special. So, let’s say you drive your car through a very dirty week in winter until it’s caked in salt, brake dust and grime of all sorts and you park it on the road in a heavy storm. You then leave it there until the rain has washed a certain amount of that muck onto the road and then, while the roads are running with water, pop to the shops for a paper. Now the heavy spray is washing the muck off the wheel wells and the underside of your car - it all goes down the storm drains with the rest of the run off from gardens and driveways which also contains nasty chemicals like lawn weed killers and fertilisers. This, I assume, is all legal - I haven't yet heard of someone being fined by DEFRA for polluting the environment with weed killer which ran off their lawn or brake dust that fell off their wheels during a heavy storm. Likewise, I am unaware of any Sunday morning car washer who has been asked to cough up a large fine for allowing the runoff from his PW to run down the road. The fact that this runoff becomes” Trade Effluent” as soon as he employs "Cleancars -r-Us" to do it makes my blood boil. I can wholly understand DEFRA monitoring businesses that produce waste on a large scale but valeters, either static or mobile are not contributing extra amounts of pollution to the surface drains. We are merely washing cars as a service. If valeting was outlawed and each car owner had to clean their own car then would the level of pollution drop? Of course not. The key word in that document is “Business”. I have a fastidious friend over the road who washes his Jag three times a week - on the road. I’m pretty confident he will be able to do that until the day he dies without attracting any interest from DEFRA. But if I park my shiny red van outside his house and do it once for him for profit then DEFRA expect me to adhere to a whole bunch of regulations, many of which could substantially increase my running costs. I don’t mind having essential rules and regulations which actually achieve improvements for us all and I suppose I could accept these regulations if they were even handed but to say Joe Publics’ runoff is dirty water and my runoff is Trade Effluent is quite plainly bonkers.


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## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

I used to do mobile valeting before i got a "real" job, I did waterless valeting, so no issues with the authorities. The environmental blurb i used in my flyers got quite a lot of wrk from the council and local taxi firms. The waterless products available now are much better quality, i'm surprised more mobile valeters don't use them.


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## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

pete5570 said:


> I used to do mobile valeting before i got a "real" job, I did waterless valeting, so no issues with the authorities. The environmental blurb i used in my flyers got quite a lot of wrk from the council and local taxi firms. The waterless products available now are much better quality, i'm surprised more mobile valeters don't use them.


Yes must admit, since reading some of the threads on these forums, that I am moving a little towards minimizing the water and chemicals that I use; at least those chemicals which will end up in the drains etc. Using a steam cleaner on wheels and instead of a TFR pre-wash (for lightly soiled cars) removes the need for wheel acid etc. though of course there will still be brake dust and the like which will run off.

I do carry a waterless detailer as well, but again, I only dare to use this on lightly soiled cars.


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

pete5570 said:


> I used to do mobile valeting before i got a "real" job, I did waterless valeting, so no issues with the authorities. The environmental blurb i used in my flyers got quite a lot of wrk from the council and local taxi firms. The waterless products available now are much better quality, i'm surprised more mobile valeters don't use them.


So your saying Car cleaning is not a "real" job?

i earn more doing car cleaning than i do working in the office job that ive been in for 6+ years!!!


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

With regards to waste....

i use as many chemical free products as possible and i clean on the road, on peoples drives etc.

I use cones etc when cleaning road side just to cover myself. 

i doubt anyone is ever going to come knocking, if they do i will fight my corner!

also this document everyone keeps referring to, note the first page basically says its aimed at static cleaning, not mobile!. and thats the way i have taken it, so if they come knocking, ill say it doesnt mentioned mobile valeting, only car washes etc.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

dave89 said:


> So your saying Car cleaning is not a "real" job?
> 
> i earn more doing car cleaning than i do working in the office job that ive been in for 6+ years!!!


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

Yes per hour.


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## piston_warrior (Jul 25, 2012)

dave89 said:


> Yes per hour.


Per week?


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## deefer (Feb 27, 2013)

I have spoken to my local water authority (Anglian) the local council and the enviormental agency about this.
The Council & Enviromental agency both said it was down to the local water authority.
Anglian water said there was NO PROBLEM what so ever with run off water from a mobile valeting service going down the drains. (they also said as a business, a mobile valeter CAN use hosepipes during any hosepipe bans) BUT if the washing was to be done from a fixed location then oil traps would have to be installed to prevent too much oil/grease going down one drain.


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

matthewt23 said:


> Per week?


Per week?

Well if I was to do as many hours car cleaning in one week as I do in the office the. Yes.

I don't see how per week is relevant, if per hour is more then so will per week and per month (provided I'm working same hours car cleaning as I do in the office. But at present I only do car detailing 4 times a month around my office work (just until car cleaning gets going) but the 4 days car cleaning equates to 6 days in the office (after costs, insurance and tax etc )


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## dave89 (Mar 12, 2013)

deefer said:


> I have spoken to my local water authority (Anglian) the local council and the enviormental agency about this.
> The Council & Enviromental agency both said it was down to the local water authority.
> Anglian water said there was NO PROBLEM what so ever with run off water from a mobile valeting service going down the drains. (they also said as a business, a mobile valeter CAN use hosepipes during any hosepipe bans) BUT if the washing was to be done from a fixed location then oil traps would have to be installed to prevent too much oil/grease going down one drain.


Good to know, so I need to contact my local water company


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