Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! JohnDow Service Equipment products which prove to be defective in material and workmanship within one (1) year from the date of purchase may be returned freight prepaid for repair, replacement or credit at the discretion of JohnDow personnel. If JohnDow inspection discloses no defect in material or workmanship, repair, replacement or return will be made at customary charges. This warranty does not cover failure of parts or components due to normal wear or damage, wear which in the judgment of JohnDow arose from misuse, abrasion, negligence, accident, faulty installation, or tampering.If you have a question about a specific product, please reach out to us by calling 1-800-433-0708 or fill out this form.

Yes. We offer a variety of low-profile oil drains designed for larger vehicles that range from 17- to 25-gallons in both poly and steel. These oil drains also come with manual or air-operated pump capabilities.

We work with a variety of distributors throughout the United States who sell our service equipment, both in person and online. If you already have a preferred shop supplies distributor, we suggest starting with them to find the equipment you’re looking to purchase. If you don’t have a preferred distributor, fill out this form and we will connect you with the right fit.

To use an oil filter crusher, you will need a stand and FRL if:

• your shop currently does not have a place to mount the crusher; and 
• you do not have a proper air line with FRL in place. 

Water in air lines is not a good thing for oil crushers or other air-operated equipment. We recommend a separate FRL for your oil filter crusher to maintain clean air and ensure the proper use of air pressure.

Because of environmental regulations, most states require repair facilities to drain or remove more than 85% of used oil from a filter before disposal. If you hang filters upside down or stack them in a corner of your shop to let the oil drip off, the process could take all day or all night. Plus, you’re taking up valuable storage space, and you may not reach that 85% mark.

An oil filter crusher removes more than 95% of the residual oil from a filter. This is a much more efficient way to dispose of used oil filters because there’s no waiting for hours for the oil to drip off. Also, compressed filters take up less space. This faster process is safer for the environment and keeps you in compliance with regulations.

First you need to get a filter crusher. These filter crushers remove more than 95% of the residual oil from the filter and make disposal much safer for the environment.

To crush a used oil filter, you simply place one filter in the crushing chamber with the open end of the filter facing downward within the area surrounded by the six centering posts. Then you close the door to activate the crushing cycle. When the unit stops running or runs noticeably slower, the crushing cycle is complete (NOTE: the crusher will not operate with the door open). Raise the door and carefully remove the crushed filter.

The more viscous the fluid the faster it will take to evacuate. Warm oil or other fluid will flow faster than colder fluids. Also gear oil may take more time to evacuate than a traditional 10W30 weight oil.

Unfortunately, there is no application data (year, make, and model of vehicle) for fluid evacuators, so you need to make sure you have the snuggest possible fit with the probe going into the dipstick. JohnDow Industries (JDI) Equipment’s fluid evacuators come with six probes that vary in width and length. Our steel fluid evacuators come with adapters for Mercedes, BMW, and Volkswagen.

Any non-caustic or non-flammable fluids are ok to use with the fluid evacuators. The more viscous the fluid, the faster it will evacuate. Warm oil or other fluid will flow faster than cold fluids. Gear oil may take more time to evacuate than a traditional 10W30 weight oil.

Fluid evacuators remove used oil and other non-flammable fluids from almost any vehicle using compressed air and an on-board venturi vacuum system. They work best when the fluid is warmed up. To do this, idle the vehicle for a few minutes to get the fluids more viscous, then the evacuator will operate more efficiently.

Shops who do oil changes or other fluid management work should have a fluid evacuator on site. If your shop works on import vehicles regularly, chances are at some point a vehicle will come in without a drain plug, where you’ll need to perform a fluid evacuation through the dip stick. Many import vehicles do not utilize drain plugs anymore. If you come across damaged or cross threaded drain plugs from a previous shops work, evacuating the oil will save you costly additional expenses like paying for an oil pan that was damaged by another shop.

Additionally, some vehicles have skid plates blocking the oil pan. Taking this skid plate off can take up significant time. Using a fluid evacuator from the dipstick virtually eliminates this method.

Most of the time, this happens when something falls into the downtube, like a nut or bolt. If this is not the issue, give us a call at 1-800-433-0708 to help you troubleshoot the issue. 

Oil drains vary in price depending on features, capacity and the type of material (usually plastic or steel). For an economy-style plastic drain (like our 8- or 18-gallon oil drains), you can expect to pay around $120 – $200. Larger capacity plastic drains can be as much as $700 in some cases. For steel self-evacuating drains (like our 18- to 25-gallon oil drains), you can expect to between $250 – $800 each.

When you’re shopping for an oil drain, you should take a minute to ask yourself a few questions:

1. How many oil changes are done in your shop daily? This will determine how big your oil drain needs to be.
2. How do you store waste oil, and do you have a suction pump? This will lead you to the best oil drain style: self-evacuating or pump-assist.
3. Do you work with expensive vehicles? This will help figure out whether to go with a poly or steel oil drain (You could damage cars with a steel version).

How big your oil drain needs to be
If oil changes are your main service, you need a large oil drain—possibly several of them. If your specialty is in another area, you can get by with a smaller oil drain.

Larger Oil Drains
You should invest in a large oil drain if changing oil is the main focus for your shop. A 25-gallon or 27-gallon oil drain would be ideal if you do a significant amount of oil changes on a typical day. You may even want to consider having multiple oil drains if oil changes are your primary service.

Smaller Oil Drains
You need to go with a small oil drain if your shop’s specialty is something besides oil changes (such as brakes and alignments). An 8-gallon or 18-gallon oil drain would be more suitable in this case. A small oil drain is a more affordable option for lower-volume repair shops, or even for DIYers at home.

The oil drain style you need
When determining whether you need a self-evacuating oil drain or a pump-assist oil drain, consider the following:

Self-evacuating oil drains use shop air to empty used oil and get the equipment back to the service floor. Capacities include 18, 25, and 27 gallons. An 18-gallon oil drain works well for shops who don’t do a ton of oil changes and have fewer bays, where shops who have an oil change focus with multiple bays would need drains that hold 25 or 27 gallons of oil. No auxiliary equipment—such as a diaphragm pump—is needed, so the initial investment of a self-evacuating oil drain is lower because you don’t have to add the expense of a diaphragm pump.

A pump-assist oil drain lets you hook up a suction hose directly to a full oil drain and transfer oil from the drain to the waste oil tank. Shop air usually runs the suction pump. Pump-assist oil drains can vary in size from 8 gallons for a smaller shop with a couple of bays to around 30 gallons for a high-volume operation with multiple bays. Shops already using a diaphragm pump can benefit the most from using a pump-assist oil drain to empty used oil, and then get back to work quickly. 

Determining if you need a steel or poly oil drain
Steel oil drains hold up well and can last a long time. But if you’re working on higher-end or specialty vehicles, you may want to consider a poly oil drain. If a technician bumps an expensive car with a steel oil drain, there could be damage left behind.

Our steel oil drains come in the following sizes: 16, 17, 18, 22, and 25 gallons.

If you are a lower-volume repair shop or a DIYer, an 8- or 18-gallon poly oil drain would be more suitable for your operation. If you are a bigger operation and want a poly oil drain, we offer them in the following additional sizes: 17, 22, and 27 gallons.

A pump-assist oil drain lets you hook up a suction hose directly to a full oil drain and transfer oil from the drain to the waste oil tank. Shop air usually runs the diaphragm suction pump.  

Pump-assist oil drains can vary in size from 8 gallons for a smaller shop with a couple of bays to around 30 gallons for a high-volume operation with multiple bays. Shops already using a diaphragm pump can benefit the most from using a pump-assist oil drain to empty used oil, and then get back to work quickly.

Self-evacuating oil drains use shop air to empty used oil and get the equipment back to the service floor. Capacities include 18, 25, and 27 gallons. An 18-gallon oil drain works well for shops that don’t do a ton of oil changes and have fewer bays; whereas, shops that have an oil change focus with multiple bays would need drains that hold 25 or 27 gallons of oil.

With self-evacuating oil drains, no auxiliary equipment—such as a diaphragm pump—is needed. So, the initial investment of a self-evacuating oil drain is lower because you don’t have to add the expense of a diaphragm pump.

JDI’s Auto-Check Technology is exclusive to our self-evacuating oil drains. It utilizes a check ball in the bottom of the downtube to automatically seat up when shop air is hooked up to the drain. No one else’s drains work this way.

Auto-Check Technology eliminates the need for a large ball valve in the downtube. It also makes emptying the drain much easier for the shop technician. There’s no need to remember to close the ball valve when hooking up shop air. This avoids oil geysers that most shops have experienced at one time or another when using other self-evacuating oil drains.

Steel oil drains hold up well and can last a long time. But if you’re working on higher-end or specialty vehicles, you may want to consider a poly oil drain. If a technician bumps an expensive car with a steel oil drain, there could be damage left behind.

Our steel oil drains come in the following sizes: 16, 17, 18, 22, and 25 gallons.

If you are a lower-volume repair shop or a DIYer, an 8- or 18-gallon poly oil drain would be more suitable for your operation. If you are a bigger operation and want a poly oil drain, we offer them in the following additional sizes: 17, 22, and 27 gallons.

It depends. You’ll need to make your decision based on the way your business operates.

If oil changes are your main service, you need a large oil drain (20 gallons or more)—possibly several of them. If your specialty is in another area, you can get by with a smaller, 8- or 18-gallon oil drain.

Larger Oil Drains
You should invest in a large oil drain if changing oil is the main focus for your shop. A 25-gallon or 27-gallon oil drain would be ideal if you do a significant amount of oil changes on a typical day. You may even want to consider having multiple oil drains if oil changes are your primary service.

Smaller Oil Drains
You need to go with a small oil drain if your shop’s specialty is something besides oil changes (such as brakes and alignments). An 8-gallon or 18-gallon oil drain would be more suitable in this case. A small oil drain is a more affordable option for lower-volume repair shops, or even for DIYers at home.

Still have a question? Email us at CustomerService@JohnDow.com, call us at 1-800-433-0708, or fill out this form.

We source materials from across the world, where many of our products are made and assembled right here in the USA.

We ship all of our products from our Barberton, Ohio facility, zip code 44203. 

The experts on our technical team is well-versed in all of our products. If you have a technical question, you can email us at CustomerService@JohnDow.com, call us at 1-800-433-0708, or fill out this form.

If you need replacement parts for any JohnDow product, please email us at CustomerService@JohnDow.com, call us at 1-800-433-0708, or fill out this form.

For most of our products, yes. You can find instructions, or the User Manual, at the bottom of each product’s page. Included are any relevant documents under Resource Downloads.

Some products require professional installation and expertise, where those instructions are provided at the time of service.

If you already have a preferred distributor, we suggest starting with them to find what you’re looking to purchase. If you don’t have a preferred distributor, fill out this form and we will connect you with the right fit.

We do not sell direct, however you can find all of our product offerings through popular tool and equipment distributors. If you already have a preferred repair facility equipment distributor, we suggest starting with them to find the equipment you’re looking to purchase. If you don’t have a preferred distributor, fill out this form and we will connect you with the right fit.