SECTION 4
Plumbing
GLASS WASHING MACHINES
12
Before connecting the water supply lines, clean all
pipes or any other connectors to remove chips,
pipe dope and other debris. The spray pipe holes
can be easily clogged.
A water supply line and accessible drain will be
required for filling, cleaning and draining the
detergent and rinse tanks and pumps. Ideally, a floor
drain should be located close to the Washer for run-
off and cleaning.
The supply line should feed the last rinse section with
80ºF to 110ºF water. Cold water can be used, but
under high humidity conditions, glass may not dry
adequately.
The Washer should be piped so that one shut-off
valve will turn off all the water to the Washer. If a
temperature control valve is used, a hot and a cold
line should be connected to the correct side of that
valve. If there is a separate shut-off valve for each
hot and cold line, a setting for each can be set to
achieve 100ºF. Adjust the temperature by metering
the hot and cold flow. A separate shut-off valve
should control a hose to clean the Washer and fill the
tanks.
Most Washers use a recirculating water system.
Water from the fresh rinse collects in the
recirculating tank. The tank has an overflow that
must be connected to a drain. The drain lines from
the drain pan and recirculating tank should be
adequately sized to prevent water from building up in
the pan or the tank.
Both the detergent tank and the recirculating tank
should be connected from the bottom coupling to a
floor drain. Install a shutoff valve to maintain the
water level of the tank. The level should be within ½
inch of the overflow coupling.
Fill the tanks with water through the pumps
(turned OFF) by pressure to eliminate trapped air
that may result in pump seal failure.
If the overflow coupling has a direct connection to
the drain, no shutoff valve is required. Do not
interconnect the overflows from the two tanks; this
will result in one tank draining into the other. A
union on each tank should be used to connect to the
drain. This will facilitate easy removal of the tank
for cleaning or other service functions.
Water Requirements
If the Washer uses de-ionized water, it is
preferable to use stainless steel or PVC pipes for
most plant water or well water. All connections
should be watertight to prevent any leakage.
If de-ionized water is used without installing
stainless steel or PVC piping, excessive corrosion
on the wetted parts of the Washer will result. This
will severely shorten the life of the machine.
If softened water is used in the Washer, excessive
corrosion on the wetted parts of the Washer will
result. This will severely shorten the life of the
machine.
Softened water will not improve the washing process.
Softened water replaces the metal ions in the water
with sodium ions, leaving salt spots and films on the
glass. This reaction may not be visible immediately,
but may appear on the glass later. This is most likely
to result on the inside of insulated glass units after the
desiccant has absorbed all the moisture from the
inside surfaces of the glass.
Reverse osmosis is an ultra-filtration process that
removes suspended compounds in the water, such as
hard salts and calcium. Although this treatment will
not remove dissolved ions, it may improve the water
quality without the risk of damage to the Washer.
