Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

I am always open to new ideas but isn't there a lot of overspray when downstreaming with a pressure washer? Any issues with vegetation?

-- Edited by Ray Wilkinson on Monday 7th of October 2013 09:39:34 PM

We use both a mixed method of pressure washers downstreaming w/ our roof tips. Pool cages screens can fly with too much psi. that and the soffit areas. Now brick or stucco, some pressure. I need to vote 2 of the choices Art.

I like to down stream with my PW because I can do more. As I'm working around the house theres always things that need cleaning. I just like the PW better. Rinsing with a garden hose just don't cut it for me.

All depends on the surface we are cleaning and severity of staining....but we usually:

1) Downstream
2) Dedicated Pump
3) X jet......(maybe 2x a year if that.)

Vinyl siding is almost always downstreamed by us.

We Soft Wash siding just like we do the roof shingles but with a diluted solution. Ground guy rinses with a garden hose. Like Zach, we save the pressure washer for concrete but sometimes have to use it on tough areas on brick siding. About 2-3 feet from the botttom, it gets pretty nasty and even though we are in Florida, we have red Georgia clay that doesn't come off with the Soft Wash mix and needs a little "encouragement" from the pressure washer to come off.

We use #40 nozzles with 5.5gpm pumps when downstreaming. The chem goes on at less than 150psi making the overspray about the same as a chem pump. Vegetation is watered before we apply chem, during the dwell time, and after the rinse. Years ago, I would apply all chem with a chem pump. I just got tired of dragging 2 hoses around the house. Downstreaming and rinsing with large orfice nozzles just works faster for us, and I can get by with carrying alot less chemical.

No, unloader will stay the same, set at 3000-3500psi. Just use large orifice nozzles 0060, 0040, 1540, 2540. We run a small ball valve between chem tank and injector to turn the soap on and off.

I apply with my all-flow and rinse with PW. I have a guy on bushes with PW the whole time I'm using all-flo with house wash. Buy Down streaming can be less work and faster because of only using one hose and only need one guy to do the Job. But In my case my ground guy would have nothing to do if I down streamed. I'm all for quicker and easier 

There are two systems I use for vertical surfaces. One is a modified SWS skid to which I've added a booster pump. The other is on our large commercial trailer with which I use the booster pump (  Dayton 3/4 hp)  to both deliver the chemical mix and the rinse water. On the large trailer we've added a second booster pump ( Dayton 1 HP) for rinsing only. 

I put in a couple of links to show the booster pumps in action.

 

Game Chaser wrote:

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I use my pressure washer and carry a 3 & 4 banger with me. 7 tips cover most situations. I had a guy walk up to me today. He said don't hit the brick with high pressure you see where the last guy ruined it. I ask him to take my gun and pull the trigger. I placed my hand in front of the tip. He squealed like a girl. I reminded him I wasn't cleaning his brick and assured him that he was receiving a soft wash process. He had never heard of it.

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 +1

soft wash to apply cleaners, booster pump to rinse.

I think the booster pump is used more on commercial jobs

Ray do you run S/H threw the Booster pump or just clean water

Yes I am using the same pump and hose for application of chemical and for rinsing. Technically it's not a garden hose, it a 1/2 inch Goodyear hose with a psi rating of 250 psi. We dwell chems usually for 10-15 minutes.

On a roof, or delicate landscaping, I'll add a the second pump and another hose for additional rinsing.

Process for a house wash:
1) pull up, stretch hoses, tape plugs, identify problem areas
2) lead guy makes mix while assistant floods landscaping
3) chems applied to 1/2 the house.
4) lead tech has assistant switch valve to water.
5) rinse chemicals off first half.
6) wash second half of house
7) rinse all landscaping again.
8) wrap up
9) repeat steps 1-7 two more Times in a day
10) drink a scotch.