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Basic Guide To Washing Houses and Low Rise Buildings
First make sure the pressure washer you use puts out a minimum of 4 gallons of water per minute and less than 1000 PSI. The pressure can be changed by changing the nozzles on the machine, not the unloader. The unloader is a safety device, and adjusting a machine’s unloader can affect its performance. Find a good butyl-based cleaner that can be used through a downstream injector, M5, X jet or other application method.
The best way to clean siding for new contractors is by using the soap injector that is usually built into the machine. A soap injector will allow you to pull the soap from the container, mixing it in the machine with water and then allow you to spray the soap onto the surface using low pressure. To use a soap injector, you must use the black nozzle that comes with the machine for it to draw soap. Before applying the soap, thoroughly wet down all vegetation in the area and then cover the plants. When applying your soap, always wet down the surface and windows first to prevent the soap from flash drying on the surface. Start by applying the soap from the bottom up while making sure the soap is not being forced under, and behind the siding. Once the soap has been applied, allow it to dwell on the surface for 5-10 minutes but don't let it dry. After the soap has broken the soil free, rinse the surface from the top down to make sure all of the soil and soap has been removed. Then wet down the plants again and move to the next soiled area and repeat. Following these basic steps will result in faster, more effective cleaning and will minimize the potential for damage to the surfaces being cleaned.
Author: Henry Bockman
President, Commercial Restorations
http://www.CommercialRestorations.com
1-800-787-0062
When power washing with an X-Jet, you automatically dilute the cleaner at some ratio. If you have to dilute a product before you run it through your X-Jet, the math can get pretty confusing. Let's start with the basics of x-jets, and advance to Combination Ratios.
For a 4 GPM pressure washer, the following proportioner chart applies: Open xjet proportioner – 1.6:1 Gray xjet proportioner – 2.5:1 Black xjet proportioner – 5:1 Beige xjet proportioner – 10:1 Red xjet proportioner – 16:1 White xjet proportioner – 30:1, and so on
Example 1: For our illustration, we will use Power House concentrate for a house wash. This cleaner’s label advises you to dilute the product at least 15:1 before applying to a painted surface. To use Power House straight from the jug (full-strength), you could simply use the XJet with the red proportioner and get an application @ 16:1 (which is fine).
Example 2: If you have lost your red proportioner, you could add 1 gallon of water to 1 gallon of Power House and then use your beige proprtioner. Because you “cut” the cleaner 1:1 before it went through the X Jet at 10:1, you would actually end up applying at a final ratio of 20:1 (which is OK).
Example 3: If you didn’t have any proportioner, you could “cut” the product by mixing 9 gallons of water with 1 gallon of Power House. By the time it ran through the X-Jet @ 1.6:1, your final application rate is actually 16:1.
The math here can be complex and confusing at first, but look at it this way. If you add up the total number of gallons resulting from the first cut of the product, and then multiply that number times the ratio of the X-Jet proportioner you select, you will find the overall dilution rate. In Example 2, the first cut produces 2 gallons of diluted cleaner. Running those two gallons through a 10:1 ratio gives you the 20:1 final ratio. In example 3, which is a little harder to understand, you have to see that you have 10 gallons of diluted cleaner which you then run through your X-jet at 1.6:1 – which gives you a final ratio of 16:1.
So let’s put all this higher math to some practical use.
For discussion purposes, assume that you will use about 10 gallons of a good cleaning mix to completely wash a 3-4 bedroom (2400 sq. ft.) ranch house. You can easily clean 5 or more of these houses with a single jug of Power House.
To make a KILLER STRONG housewash product using Power House and 12% bleach, mix 1 gallon of Power House with 5 gallons of water and 4 gallons of 12% bleach. That gives you 10 gallons of cleaner, with the Power House diluted to 10:1 and the bleach is cut down to 4.8%. Running that through the X-Jet with no proportioner (1.6:1) gives you a final dilution on the Power House of 16:1 and cuts the bleach to 3%. This is the strongest solution of bleach you should ever use to wash the dirtiest, moldiest house.
To make a NORMAL housewash product that still foams and cleans well, make a mixture of 1 gallon of Power House, 7 gallons of water, and 2 gallons of 12% bleach. Once you put this mix through the XJet with no proportioner, you end up with the Power House at 16:1, which is great. The bleach will end up at 1.5%, which is ideal too.
To use Citrus Cleaner as a KILLER STRONG house-wash, mix 2 gallons of the cleaner with 4 gallons of 12% bleach and 4 gallons of water. Once you put this mix through the XJet with no proportioner, you end up with the bleach at 3%.
To use Citrus Cleaner as a NORMAL house-wash, mix 2 gallons of the cleaner with 2 gallons of 12% bleach and 6 gallons of water. Once you put this mix through the XJet with no proportioner, you end up with the bleach at about 1.5%.
NOTE: If you are adding other ingredients to your mix, such as Wet Wax or So Soft, the extra ingredients are usually added in amounts like 2-4 ounces for a 10-gallon mix. Use your own imagination to make your house-wash mixture the best it can be for your customers.
The Economics: The cost of 1 gallon of Power House is under $10. The cost of 2 gallons of 12% bleach is somewhere around $4. The combined cost of the entire batch of cleaner then totals about $14. With the job worth $175 - $350, the cost of materials is as little as 3%. Doesn’t get much more reasonable than this! Unless, of course, you discover our Citrus Cleaner. The cost of a comparable amount of cleaning power using Citrus Cleaner is just under $8 per house. Once you have added 12% bleach to the mix, you have spent lass than $10 on the job for your cleaner. With the job worth as much as $350, you are spending just over 3% on materials for this job!
This article was submitted by Pete Marentay, from Sun Brite Supply.
See more information about pressure washing houses and buildings
See more information about pressure washing houses and buildings
See more information about pressure washing houses and buildings
