10 Vacuum Security Tips
Projecting a secure image helps avoid problems

Vacuums can be a great moneymaker--assuming the cash makes it from the units to the bank. Vandals, fortune seekers, professional thieves and others may seek to prevent quarters and dollar coins from reaching the business's bottom line. In the worst case, the store owners or employees who collect the change may even be at risk.

Doug Rieck, of Manahawkin Magic Wash in Manahawkin, NJ, says he thinks vacuum theft is on the rise. He's taken measures including security cameras and others to reduce the risk.

Vacuum security isn't always an impossible task. A series of basic security measures can reduce the chances of break-ins. The best advice, says Gregory Pack of MetroWash in Birmingham, AL, is to consider security while buying the units.

"Order all security options available on the vacuum," Pack says. "This represents a relatively small cost of the total package, and if it prevents one theft during the life of the vacuum (5-10 years) it has paid for itself."

Rieck adds that many vacuum owners are now opting for pre-formed vacuum islands. They include built-in security features such as vaults that help make the islands more secure.

Other suggestions for vacuum security include:

1. Project impenetrability

Make sure doors and any openings in the vacuum are tightly attached, and make sure the unit is firmly attached to the island or pavement. Nothing screams, "Break into me!" like shoddy locks and loose doors.

Rieck says it definitely pays to look tough. He uses weather stripping on doors so they close tightly and securely and won't rattle if they're jiggled by someone sizing up the equipment.

The vacuum units should also be securely attached to the concrete island, with welded or tamper-proof bolts/nuts. The protruding bolts can also be peened over with a hammer to ensure the nuts can't be removed. The anchor bolts will have to be cut or ground off if the unit has to be removed, but the vacuums won't be going anywhere.

2. Consider a coin-collection system

A vacuum collection system keeps coins far from the vac islands.

Coin-collection systems can be installed when the vacuums and any other coin-operated equipment is placed on the site. They can use a vacuum system to collect coins. One system, called Vac-It-Up, will suck the coins to a safe or vault either in the carwash equipment room, the back office of the wash or another secure location.

They can be added afterwards, though this generally necessitates tearing up the lot to place the lines leading from the equipment to the safe under the pavement. Rieck says the units are often very practical for self-service carwash bays, but may be less so for stand-alone vacs, especially those at the perimeter of the lot.

3. Place units in full view with bright lights

Vacuums should be visible and well lit, even if the store is closed at night. "Resist the temptation to place the vacuum in that unutilized space that is not visible from the store or the road," Pack says.

Bright lights lessen the chance a vandal can work uninterrupted, as does a prominent location that can be viewed from the road. High visibility makes a thief feel less safe.

4. Consider a coin vault

The most secure way to keep quarters at the vacs is to have them drop from the coin slots into a vault embedded in the vacuum island.

"When possible, vaults are definitely more secure," Rieck says.

The vaults, set into concrete, generally serve two vacuums or however many are incorporated into the vacuum island. They securely hold $250 to $1,000 worth of quarters and their limited access and strong materials make them extremely difficult to tamper with.

5. Use tokens or other payment systems

Tokens, combined with signage, give thieves no reason to try to enter the equipment at all. Tokens dispensed from a secure changer mean there's no reason for a thief to hit the outlying vacuum units.

Electronic payment systems will likely also reduce theft at the units. If customers have to use a swipe card or smart card to activate equipment, there's no cash to steal from the unit.

6. Keep equipment in working order

Some theft rises out of frustration rather than criminal intent. If the unit won't start when a customer drops $1 into the vacuum, the equipment is at risk. Either the store owner or an employee should regularly drop quarters into the vacuum to make sure the equipment starts and runs the advertised amount of time with appropriate suction.

If it doesn't work, say so with signage and get the vacuum repaired as quickly as possible.

7. Don't forget to secure the clean-out doors

For uneducated thieves, the second door seems like another opportunity. They may damage the units thinking that they can reach the coin box and its quarters through that part of the vacuum. For others, the clean-out door may be as far as they want to go.

"Some people think there's a gold mine waiting for them in the dirt," says Pack. "They will come by and remove the dirt, looking for change and jewelry. They rarely clean up after themselves, and your employees will quickly tire of cleaning up the mess."

Inquire about clean-out door options when ordering the vacuum. Equipment suppliers may offer additional options to make cleaning a bit easier.

8. Empty coins regularly

While this doesn't prevent thefts per se, it limits damage and discourages any thief from striking again.

Frequent emptying may become an even more important factor with the advent of the dollar coin. Not much larger than a quarter, vacuums using the coins will enjoy nearly quadruple capacities in their coin boxes and vaults. The temptation, then, may be to postpone collections and increase intervals. Don't.

It's a sure bet that if a criminal strikes it rich for several hundred or even thousands of dollars simply by hitting a vacuum or two, he'll be back for more. Next time, even greater security measures may not deter him if he thinks the payday is large enough.

9. Install clear signage

Another key part of deterrence is advertising. If the units use tokens, say so. If cameras are trained on the equipment, make that clear as well.

Clear instructional signage may also help customers avoid lost coins, which can also trigger vandalism or theft. Signs that tell who to contact in case of broken equipment may also reduce customers trying to get "refunds."

10. Employ security cameras

Security cameras will deter crime, and they also aid in catching the culprits should vandals or criminals strike. Some systems let operators keep an eye on their washes and equipment 24 hours a day through cameras connected to the Internet.

Rieck uses this type of system to watch over his self-service wash locations. In the last several months, he's already stopped one thief who robbed coin businesses from Ohio to southern New Jersey.

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