The calling card for some rental companies interested in building a service-based following could be higher quality and cleanliness of an installed party tent. Other companies may attempt to use competitive pricing as their advantage, performing only general spot cleaning during peak tenting season with a full cleaning during the off season. This training video by Aztec Tent identifies one method of cleaning tents . Companies with a large tent inventory depend on specialized washing equipment to produce a more consistant quality of cleaning. This post describes how Event Central maintains our high quality product.
Machine Washing
At the center of our cleaning process is a well designed work space and specialized washing equipment. We dedicate warehouse space measuring 50 feet by 40 feet within our 32 ft. high building where we perform all our washing and drying indoors. The washing machine is a Teeco Tent Washer that includes an integrated high-volume hot water tank. When tent vinyl returns from a rental, the wash technician conducts an inspection. If cleaning is necessary, a pre-set formulation of Ecolab chemicals is selected on the machine. A typical wash load uses 100 to 125 gallons, filling the tank within 30 seconds. After the final rinse, the tents are removed from the washer, draped on a powered truss system, and raised to the ceiling. A pair of 3-phase high-volume fans provides a constant flow of air across all surfaces to insure the tent is dry before being folded and stored for the next rental. Our production facility can wash and hang between 2500 and 5000 square feet of vinyl in a typical day.
Quality Control
With this washing system, it does not matter if the tent was returned from a muddy ground-breaking site, or a rainy Harrisburg Arts Fest. All tent vinyl gets processed and graded before it is stored on shelves, waiting for the next rental. During rainy weeks, like the many we endured in 2011, the tents may not require washing but must immediately be hung to dry to eliminate the possibility of mildew.
Whether you are a prospective customer or a tent rental company looking to establish your own wash system , we invite you to tour our facility to learn how we are able to provide you with our best quality product.
Scott,
You have obviously put a lot of thought into developing an efficient system for cleaning tents. It is amazing that 125 gallons of water is used to fill the machine and does so in just 30 seconds. You have a state of the art system.
Didn’t know if you would share a diagram of how your truss and hoist are all hooked up. We just recently bought a teeco and are in the process of streamlining.
Frank,
If you are ever traveling up into the Mid-Atlantic region, I would be happy to give your a tour of our facility.
Andy Mattrick – GM