Gutter Squad

Have a home with medium slate blue vinyl siding that I washed yesterday (the siding is about 22 years old - the owner has not had it washed and has been at the residence for 19 years). The siding came clean, but there is a layer or patina of oxidation on it (kind of like the kind that gets on cheap vinyl outdoor furniture after a number of years). Any thoughts on getting this "patina" off the siding. Homeowner is happy with the cleaning, but I'd like it to look better. Did a scratch test with my fingernail on one side and found that there seems to be a glossier "hard" layer beneath the oxidized patina. Thoughts appreciated - considering just taking a stiff bristle to it...

I've got two 13 hp Hondas that are each giving me some issues. Engine #1: Starts right up and seems to run strong. However, when you stop the flow of water out of the pump, the engine quickly dies. It can be started right back up without problem and again runs strong, until you release the trigger on the nozzle... then dead in seconds. Engine #2: When the engine is off (and maybe when running?) gas drips out right by the carburetor from a plastic. Ummm... nothing else seems to be long. I could just take therm both to the small engine shop... but I've replaced the carbs on both before and do the normal maintenance on them... was hoping for a couple pointers - sure someone has encountered the same issues before.

OK... might seem silly, but I've never really paid attention to the site glass that shows the oil level on a pump (the only pump I have that has the site is my CAT 6G40DX - which just became my prime pump with my 4.8 gpm pump dying on me). I've never looked at the site glass before with the engine running... so, what should you see through the site glass? Just the oil in there? Should the oil be sitting level with the red dot at rest?

Does anyone out there have any experience with a RKV5.5G40? It is the 5.5 GPM direct drive pump that AR offers. I posted last year about buying a ts2021gr (gear-driven) pump... and have done absolutely nothing with the business in the past year. I sold my van, my trailer, and a good deal of other assorted equipment and am planning on just having one primary 13 HP unit and another 13 HP unit as a back-up (already have a smaller CAT pump on that one). Any thoughts? I am thinking that everyone is going to go for the ts2021gr... but thought I would put this out there. The AR is half the price of the General pump... but sometimes you get what you pay for, too. Thanks!

Excellent thoughts - I have a pretty old direct drive that still runs fine - I also have just two (ha ha) AR pumps that are completely shot sitting in my garage (both were stripped off 13hp Honda engines that I bought off craigslist from some disgruntled home-users... both left out over the winter with water in them). Regarding other equivalents when talking about gear reduction pumps, what are other good choices besides the ts2021? I am open to suggestions and have never owned a pump over 4.8 gpm. I am STRICKLY a house washer... I don't do concrete and I decided a couple years ago that I wasn't going to do decks anymore (really satisfying results... but I don't like going back to the same house 3 or 4 times to finish a job).

I don't have a current "lead" but get one or two calls a week that I am not interested in either due to the location (distance) or the nature of the job (commercial vehicle washes, roof cleanings, oil on concrete, etc.). Just a few days ago (while on vacation down in Tennessee) I got a call requesting truck washes on a fleet for a fairly well known local bakery... gave them a no-can-do... but I wish I could have referred them to somebody. I run cold water only and have downgraded the size of my arsenal. I am only doing sub-3000 sq. ft. homes on softwashes and gutter cleanings (along with the easy wood jobs). Looking for others in the general area that might be interested in taking some of these jobs. Would appreciate something in return, as some of these jobs might be in my "service area." I work full time in an office, go to school full time, and have a family that I'm raising... love pressure washing... but can only do the really close by niche jobs due to time constraints. Let me know if anyone is out there and interested. My website is real & I am still doing service calls, so I'm not a silly lead service or anything. I'm not a lowballer, but my prices aren't premium either... so you could expect that same from the people that call me. Search "dayton ohio pressure washing" or "springfield ohio pressure washing" and you'll see I'm page ranked 1 on Google. Thanks - Nate

Before next season, I am thinking about setting my 13HP Honda with a gearbox driven pump. Does anyone have a TS2021GR? They are sold on Dultmeier for under $700 and didn't know if anyone had any experience with them. Looks nice since it comes as the pump & gearbox in one. I own a CAT pump and do not want another. An old post talks about a gearbox and a Comet 5.5 gpm pump. Anyway... thoughts? Second, the rural area I live in has a decent number of homes that have well based water supplies. My largest pump that I have normally used is a 4.8 gpm pump and it at times seems that it is being starved for water. With a gearbox pump, it appears I can easily draw from a tank from prior posts... what gal size should I get? 25, 50, 65? I really don't want to carry much water. Also, does it make sense to double feed a pump that is only 5.5 or 5.6 gal? I plan on plumbing it with PVC, not hoses. Thanks

Appreciate the input. I always hate posting something in a forum that has similar content to other threads - again appreciate getting it addressed specifically for what I had cooking my head! Mathew, I will probably give you a call when I get closer to assembly (months away). Happy someone else actually has a TS2021GR or a reasonable facsimile (I think you meant that was what you have), there are a few threads that relate to gearboxes, but no one ever mentioned this model. Do any of you have an opinion on float valves? The hudson looks nice... I have not ever assembled a float valve in a tank setup(except in a toilet, LOL). How are they used in relation to a smaller tank? I would assume they are mounted internally... but how? Would I be crazy to plump tight and not use a float? I can't imagine the pressure would go over the 125 PSI max input - especially through 1" PVC reduced to 1/2" PVC. I like the idea of a 50 gal tank. I used to have a 100 gal AG skid sprayer with a 9 gpm pump that I used for roof cleaning before abandoning that line of business. Also - I do like the CAT pump that I have... I just don't want to lay out the money for another one! I'll probably sell the one I have her before too long. I am a long way from returning to this full time... I have downsized myself almost into oblivion and want to get back in gear - It looks like I will likely have to leave my corporate job in a year to finish college and want to be in decent shape with the business again before the 2012 season.

I have been using something similar to this for a while. I only use it on houses where I have cleaned the gutters by hand previously (so that I know what is up there and don't end up shooting pebbles or who knows what at the neighbor's house). I just took a heavy "T" and attached it to the gutter cleaning hook, then put a 15 degree nozzle on both ends. Works well and in the same way you don't lose control of the lance since the two nozzles balance each other out. It is still fairly easy to hit the edges of the shingles, though. You can go up and down a house with 100 feet of gutter and be done in 10 minutes or less (if you cleaned it the prior season and there isn't 300 pounds of sludge). Follow it up with a quick rinse along the gutter line to get rid of the nasties and you're done. Not good for people who care about their landscape or get their windows professionally cleaned, though. Gutter hook - $10 Two nozzles - $8 "T" - $5 One nipple - $2 Total = $25 with same results

I haven't posted since 2008 (and wasn't really much of a contributor then - but loved the knowledge gained). I went on a hiatus from washing in the early fall of 2008 (economy) and got a cozy corporate job and decided to finish school... Anyway, the house washing bug keeps biting me and I've decided to re-open on a part-time basis (combined with the fact that I am getting 2 calls a week for house washes even though I haven't had an active ad since 2008). Here's my question: Since starting, I have always used Simple Cherry. I have been looking at E-Spec for years, but have never taken the plunge and tried any of their products... but they sound so nice in the descriptions. Can anyone shed some light/make some recommendations?

Do any of you use a floor sander (orbital)? I've got a 14" Powr-Flite floor scrubber/sander that I picked up last year and never used. I've got a couple questions: 1. If I run this on a deck, am I going to get swirl marks from the circular motion of the driver? 2. What grit should I use? Thanks

Never mind - that last link was for an air hose reel. LOL

Why don't you just get an air hose reel? They are cheap and readily available.

That seems like an awfully long time for a structure that size. What is the GPM of your pressure washer & what kind of chemicals are you using?

Anybody have a good place they like to get the sanding discs from?

Dan, How long have you been using that pump? I've been thinking about switching out the 4.6 GPM pump on one of my 13 hp direct drives (cheap knock off pump from China). Did you but it from PressureParts or somewhere else?

Here are some pics of a test patch that I did on a deck quote about an hour ago. Sorry for the low quality, my digital camera battery was dead (so I used my phone's camera). I am curious if you guys think that this will come up well enough to do a semi-transparent (with minor sanding). I planted a seed for the customer about a semi-solid in the event it did not strip well. They don't care - they just want it to look better. It came up better than I thought it would. Used HD-80 at 10 oz to a gallon ratio. Let it dwell for about 5 minutes (and did scrub a little). It is about 52 degrees here as well. The test spot was in a corner that seems to not get sunlight and is less exposed to the weather due to an overhang. I also did the bottom of a spindle nearby and had similar results - little bit of stain down in the grain, but not very noticeable. I told them those probably would not come out without sanding. I also suggested replacing the spindles.

Another question - I've never put a dark semi-solid over something light before. If I'm able to get it to a point where the light remnants are just in those hair thin cracks, will a dark semi-solid correct the color in those areas... or are they going to be really noticeable? This is something the customer wants to do now (they have some kind of gathering happening in early May) - I advised them they would need to go dark. A neighbor has a deck a couple houses away finished in a very dark nutmeg-like color and recommended something along those lines. I think I can get most of this stuff up - it was not put on very thickly by the original owner of the property. Should I steer them to another solid in a better wood like tone? I have actually already quoted the job - with two different options... 1. Strip and actually be able to apply a semi-soild. or 2. Strip and apply another solid. I think I'm just rambling at this point. This deck has me thinking a lot. I've tried taking off solids a few times before (not for customers, though) and they didn't come up nearly as easily as this stuff did (or at all).

Castrol Super Clean or Wesley's Bleche White - both are pretty "charged-up" butyl based cleaners that you can pick up in the store (look in the automotive section). They will strip the paint off the gutters if you aren't careful, but they will clean almost any gutters. F-13 from Pressuretek works well (I use it in my house wash mix). It is potassium hydroxide based and really will clean most gutters when mixed into your housewash like it is advertised.

You can go higher in the GPM with the 13 HP engine. You'll just have a lower maximum PSI. HP x 1100 / GPM = PSI So... something shy of 2400 PSI as maximum from 13 HP @ 6 GPM.

$1.95 direct from the chem supplier in Dayton, OH.

From the video and the appearance of the nozzle... It is just a 0040 nozzle with an elongated body. The distance he is getting is the same (or worse) as you would expect with a 0040 nozzle and a 4 GPM machine.

Pressuretek has them (as do a few other places). Here is their link to the bigger nozzles. Just drop down to the 20, 30, and 40 sizes. These are threaded, so you do need to buy the correct corresponding quick connect (QC) plug. Spraying Systems Nozzles - 1/4" Meg Nozzles Regarding draw - I can get my 4 GPM unit to pull up 150 feet of hose with a 0020 nozzle (though not as much as with a larger nozzle). On my 4.8 GPM, I need to use the 0030 or larger. The other thing you can do is just buy a 1/8" hose barb x 1/4" MIP at Lowe's or Home Depot or where ever. They cost $2-3 and the orifice is about the same size as a 0040. As long as you have a 1/4" QC plug sitting around, you could test and see if your downstream injector is up to the task (I am assuming you have a high draw injector?)

Looks like fun. I've had a couple homes on the older western side of Dayton (old factory area) that had YEARS of soot, grease, diesel fumes and the like. Ended up going to F-13 and even F-18 in some areas (also but some butyl based stuff to make sure it did the job - that was a HOT mix). I am a Simple Cherry fan as well, but the regular mix certainly wasn't handling those houses.

Does anyone have a wiring diagram for a 12V Beckett burner? This is mounted on a Landa portable hot water unit - an older MVP series (or equivalent) I believe. Most of the decals/badging on this are worn away... so, I only know that the "frame" of the unit was a 2500 PSI set-up (GPM unknown - probably 3.5-4 GPM). Same for the burner, can see part of the info, but model # and such are worn - it is 12V, though. Thanks