Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

Philip McCullough · RIP

Maintain Your Equipment

Fred W · Guru

Yea.....I let one go too long. Remember there is MORE south of the arm and a burned butt is no fun!

PowerShine Property Services · Veteran Member

ouch, an old boss of mine fried his leg on his first ever roof clean. he wore pants and it soaked right in. He was in the hospital and out of work for 3 weeks.

Chris Mozick · Approved Exteior Cleaner

I always tell my guys if you feel a small burning sensation to stop and rinse the crap out of it so you don't have that problem. Wow

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I HATE, HATE, HATE leaks of any kind. I never have o-ring leaks. Ones that are prone to leak,.like the 1/4" on trigger guns,.are changed every (2) weeks. Wasteful,..maybe,..never leaks though. Always hated having to stop and fix an o-ring leak. So I started being pro active.

* O-rings can be flipped in some cases to fix a leak,..won't last long,.but will get you through a few days in most cases.

**For those who aren't aware,...The brown VITON are tougher than the EPDM.

Jeff

-- Edited by Jeff Wible on Tuesday 14th of March 2017 05:33:22 AM

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

One of my pet peeves Phillip. Equipment is so easy to maintain! When you see the pictures of my rig I have a hose reel still working that is seven years old and has only had one manifold replaced. When O rings leak, work is stopped and they are replaced. I buy bags of chemical resistant 1/4" and 3/8" every time we get low. A dental pick and less than 5 minutes... no burn! I learned my lesson early on when someone told me that the fabric gloves with the rubber palm work. I tried and regretted it soon after with many burned fingers. Now I wear one glove on the left hand for changing tips. One of my guys folds over the cuff just in case.

I am so glad you posted. So many don't do a good job of keeping equipment well maintained and then either brag or whine. I'm a cheap guy. I can make a pump last for more than a season because I rinsed it. I saved some money and the time to replace it. Here's a must on all of our quick connects. After each use they get a liberal coat of a lubricant rust inhibitor I get from my supplier. I also spray anything in the truck that tends to get rusty like the door hinges and rollers. The list goes on to anything steel. Plain and simple, I like for things to last!

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

On the subject of gloves,..the Nitrile gloves at Harbor Freight are a great deal. They are a heavy 9 Mil. ,..and chemical proof against most anything we typically use. I put these on first and then a pair of Atlas 370 gloves over them. Very good dexterity even with the (2) layers. I can pick up a penny with no issue.

Last year I also bought a pair of Salisbury 5000 Volt gloves. I always have them on "hand" in a 'Glove" box on my 12v hand truck sprayer/Tool Cart (AKA) Maid Cart.. As referred to by a friend of mine. These gloves makes me feel better now when spraying around electricity. Not complacent..but feel better at least.

*I have added to the cart since I last posted about it,..It has a 12V 2 GPM pump with wheelchair battery. 50' hose reel with chemical proof manifold. No chemical ever touches the reel form the inside. (2) Upright brush holders.
The above mentioned glove box. The cart has hangers for two triggers,.. one for the hand truck sprayer and one for the pressure washer. I use this hand truck sprayer for applying gutter cleaner,.Purple Power. But I have also used it for SH and acid spraying.

Keeps the work area very organized. Also gives a place to lean a brush or hang the PW hose when not in use. Better than bending over.

Ok,..I tend to go off on a tangent, Ha,Ha..

Jeff

Fred W · Guru

Don't forget to spray your ladder hinges!

Aqua Boy · Veteran Member

painful!

I've learned to get down and rinse.
Burns like that can wreck the day and week.

DirtyRoofcom · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Been there - done that! I had a slow drip and it was HOT that day didnt realize it till the end of the day. Now i always rinse myself and the gun throughout the day. I keep a old towel on the truck that i soak half of it with fresh water and keep the other side dry. When i get a little overspray on my face or neck i can rinse off, wipe with wet side of towel and dry with dry side of towel. In the summer Im constantly rinsing this towel out and it dries in the sun.

Ive been using these gloves from home depot they last a long time and are not expensive. Every couple days i rinse the insides out.

www.homedepot.com/p/Grease-Monkey-PVC-Coated-Cleaning-Gloves-Large-X-Large-24203-08/202759384