Beth n Rod

Graco recently released a new line of Fine Finish Low Pressure Tips, which allow you to spray at about half the pressure as the old Fine Finish Tips.  I thought this might be useful info for those who've stayed away from using an airless to apply stains & sealers due to excess overspray, as well as for those airless users looking for an improvement.  I've used their old fine finish tips for years to apply stain, and I'd agree that even with a small tip and the pressure turned up just enough to create a good spray pattern, that overspray was often an issue.  Since it's been steady rain here in Portland, OR for most of the spring so far, I've only done 2 stain jobs, but on both occasions I've had the chance to use the new Fine Finish Low Pressure Tips, and the difference is amazing.  I'd definitely look into them if you're using an airless.
Here's a link for those interested.  
Graco Fine Finish Low Pressure Tips

Rod thank you for quick reply. I was leaning towards a Titan 440i I heard a lot of good reviews on these machines. Thank you.  

Graco 395 or Titan 440 is pretty standard.  I've been a painting contractor for 28 years so I have quite a few smaller pumps.  They also sell a Graco 390 and Titan 400, both of which are good little pumps, and cost a little less than the 395/440 respectively.  . 

Bought 2 Titan sprayers. 1-440i and 1-640i back in 2006.
With only minor up keep and hose/gun replacements they have performed
without any problems as long as the proper cleaning regimen is followed.

Replaced pump seals a couple of times. Next time I will let a shop do it instead...I messed it up.
Now it leaks.
Rod

Just curious to see what brands of Airless Sprayers others prefer or like to use. I have used a Graco but time has come to add a new one. I know that many use or make thier own, however if you use an airless sprayer which brand service you best is it Graco or Titan and what model. Thank you   Mike 

Well I did the percarb and citric follow up and this is the end result.  Much better than just using the Olympic Deck cleaner.  Now I get to wait for the deck to dry out and try to stain in between!!  Decided to go back to the AC Cedar Semi-trans instead of the solids.  Was leaning towards the solids after the deck wasn't cleaning up very well.

There are those who use pumps for washing houses but many prefer either downstreaming or applying with an x-jet/m-jet or other injector system.
My suggestion is you try both and see which works best for you regarding the equipment set up you have.
Rod

G'day All, I'm setting up another downstreamer and see that the "operating pressure" is, in this case, 5500psi (pressure in system upstream of injector created by the small orifice inside the injector). So, as my pump is only rated at 3600psi, this particular injector is not suitable. An "operating pressure" of 3600psi or less is needed. I have got this correct, haven't I? I've been looking at specs and comments too long & my head hurts. Will more beer help? http://www.generalpump.com/PDFs/100874-Injector.pdf

What I thought was something I had not done for about 5 years turned out to be almost 8 when I came back to this site and found pics and posts from the last time I did this.  Anyway, last time I used Stainsolver, citric neutralizer and AC Semi-Trans.  So last time I researched and researched and went this route.  This past week rolled around and I found I had a free day so I decided I was going to clean the deck and then seal it later.  This time my research consisted of going to HD & Lowes and getting Olympic Deck Cleaner.  While it did clean the deck the wood looks more washed out now instead of PTW and this is probably due to the presence of bleach in the product.  Any suggestions on how to get the wood in a better state before staining or do you think anything else is needed?  I still have to clean most of the rails as I ran out of product.
Thanks for any additional information.  This forum was very helpful last time when I actually took my time!!!

Hey Dave a matter of fact you can clean both with 12v but run one tank for your roof mix an a seperate tank house wash doing only residential ! Just doing roofs your leaving a lot of cash on the table! It's a pain in the but using 2 tanks but depends on your cash! A small investment in a pressure washer an DS is the way to go .But for roof cleaning you would still need a tank an designated pump.Not to knock Xjeting. Do a little research on this forum an you decide whats best for you.
 

I want to be the very best I can at my service I offer, I would never wash a home with a 12 volt, maybe a stucco home to apply chemical but rinse with a 10 gpm for sure

Not new just finding my way back. Hi everyone! 
 
 

John what do you charge for cleaning a tennis court that size. I had a request one time and I did not get the job Client received a lower bid just curious.  Thank you in advance Mike

Thanks for the advice about cleaning the courts. I did get the job done - and it came out great.
Courts: Asphalt with green/Blue and white lines.
Problem: Baked on dirt - not mould - was the problem as the drainage was not great and they allowed it to go uncleaned for years. City and mud collected all over the courts and worst was drain areas.
Method: I did it with a 28" surface cleaner - 10GPM at 3000psi/200 deg hot water. By the way - I never used my recovery system as I was using an old (non recovery) MTM / Whisper wash (1 spray bar with a spray tip at each end)- I found some 1/4 8005 (80 deg 5GPM 1/4 spray tips) and we used a monster back pack blower (RedMax EBZ8001) to move the water away from the cleaner to the lower part of the courts.
Use of Chemicals: Bleach / De Limonene / Caustic used in high strength with various spray methods and dwell times - did not scratch/budge the caked in GA clay and mud.
Note: All courts should be designed to drain naturally - from the furtherest point from the drain (highest point) to closest to the drain which is the lowest point. We still had to flush a bunch of water. We didn't damage the courts at all while cleaning and didn't have to watch for overlap marks as we were not under cleaning (barely cleaning) or eroding the surface away leaving racing marks/overlapping lines on the courts.
Rob


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Rob Rose,

Look into having a pool filling company bring in a truck. Obviously that costs but at least you will have a flow to keep up.
We use them when well supplied homes can't keep up. It's in the verbiage that the customer pays for it directly (keeps us
out of the transaction).
The tanker trucks are usually 3500-4000gallons
Haven't had to use the tanker trailers yet. (thankfully)
 
Rod

Hi Rob
Bleach is your friend as most of the problem is mould - If very dirty I'll use a strong mix (about 6%), if not I'll start at about 3%. Your s/cleaner needs to be between 1000 & max of 1500psi - don't be afraid of the overlap. Then rinse a lot, sometimes twice to get rid of all the dirt & paint (I use a 2540 at 7gpm)
https://youtu.be/Dn73yq9V0-c sorry about the link, I can't remember how to embed - i really need to get back here more often

Thanks Rod
I told them to get a hydrant meter as there is a hydrant right there. Closest school water is 400' away which does not help either.
Pool filling company - didn't even know about them. Now I have seen tanker trucks (non potable water for 3-400 a day) from United Rental for road and construction. How do pool filling companies charge - by the hour? I would need them there for the day...$$$ This is a job to help a local school clean their courts and I wanted to be low...


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We do our own but have a tech who helps with the technical side of it.
Rod

I was asked by a plumbing company to clean grease traps and sump pump pits. There disgusting and are covered with sludge. The plumber wants to swap out the pumps and wants to work in a stink free environment. I have my staple products but curious what you guys are using.
Thanks
 
 
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 We used  Go Daddy web builder seems to be pretty reasonable. Also had a tech help me with technical side of thngs. 

Hello Dave and welcome to this board.  Evidently there are pros and cons to every method that you may choose.  If you are considering using a twelve volt pump for both applications house washing and roof cleaning there are some things to consider.  Twelve volt pumps are mainly used for roof washing as they are very durable hence the air pump are also used exclusively  by roof washers due to the durability to the Sodium Hyprocloride. If you are trying to save money and use one machine for both applications roofs and house washing I would consider a gas driven pump, the drew back is that these machines are not very durable so you would have to do some research to find what fits you best.   If you want to do roofs I would suggest you look for some one in your area that is willing to take you under thier wing and provide you with some training.   The key to a successful operation is to have to the proper training that will definitely save a lot of head aches in the future.  One name that comes to mind when it comes to roof cleaning is Chris Tucker, a very nice man that will help get going.  Good luck to you.   

No Problem.
We use a 5gal cubetainer to avoid spills when house washing.
Personally, didn't care for the delay in DS'ing waiting for soap to fill/empty the line.
Added to the time in my thinking but that's just me. Instant gratification eh?

Keep in mind the hazards of a chem tank on a trailer and the hazmat issues/penalties if you
are involved in an accident and have a spill. We all drive safely but there are those few who
make driving on the road perilous at times as you may well know.

Food for thought.

Rod
 

Hi. I have been on pressure washing forums for over 20 years. I started out on the old delco board when it was just a very long thread. There was so much activity and so many people posting all the time. I really loved to interact on the forums and learn and bounce things off of fellow contractors. In the past few years the forums have really started to wain and less and less people are posting. I know the answer. Everyone is on facebook. Their are tons of groups and a lot of the people that used to post on the forums, are now regulars on the facebook groups, myself included. I for one am not really that thrilled with this development. If you are somebody that came up using the forums, facebook can be a nasty place sometimes. I have decided to start posting on forums again and try to get off of facebook. Maybe other people will get sick of the BS and follow suit.
Also Beth. Since I was last here I changed the name of my company. Can you tell me how to change that in my profile?   

I have an extension wand in my shop you guys can have it. Never used a Coress so I cant offer my opinion on them. But i own 5 xjets and have purchased 10 over the years.
They are an invaluable tool for our industry and anyone who uses them would understand how well they work and how much time they save you as an operator.

Our House Mix when made properly cleans most gutters. When we have gutters that are resistant we can X-jet a stronger application on just the gutters and we have great success with that. If we have gutters that are still resistant we then move on to F-13 or gutter Zap. You need to be careful with these products because they can damage other surfaces around the property but they work great. We keep awesome on our trucks for small touch up but we in no way want to manually clean all gutters by hand because the time it would take would make us lose money.