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Robere

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Posts posted by Robere

  1. Posted · Report reply

    Oxalic Acid would work as a mild version.

    Phosphoric would be stronger and more aggressive.

     

    Rod

    Thanks Rod. I have oxalic acid. I'll ty it. It was recommended to me by someone to try Barkeepers Friend. It took it off, but it takes scrubbing by hand with a sponge. I'd sure like to get away from that remedy. I didn't want to put anything on it that was too strong. I'll try the Oxalic. Thanks again.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Depends on whether it is true 'blue stone' or colored.

    Best thing is if it is colored just pick up a bag of it and add it to the areas affected.

    Otherwise, rinse as best you can while keeping it in the joints.

     

    Rod

    Thank you Rod. I went by there today and it did not leave a stain. I was concerned.  I did rinse it really well as soon as it happened. Maybe it is fake Bluestone. Thanks for your advice.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Window cleaning. Removing rust stains from stone. Why?  "Hello Mr painter". "While your here, can you wire up these outdoor lights for me"?

    Stick to what you know, & you wont have these problems.

     

    Did you even read my post? You are very insulting. How does that help me? Yes, I've cleaned windows for 30 years but I've also pressure washed for 15 years. Is it not possible for a person to do ( and know about )more than one thing in their profession?  If you read my post, you'd see I was using the citric on CONCRETE next to the Bluestone and some ACCIDENTALLY got on the Bluestone. I KNOW how to get rust stains off concrete and that's what I was doing. I'm just honered to have someone like you on this forum that never had an accident while doing their job. Thanks for the info.

  7. Posted · Report reply

    You say you have been cleaning houses for 12 years, just curious as to why you are using a 4 gpm machine?   

     Havent been on here in a while.. So because I've been pressure washing for 12 years, I should have advanced by now or what?

     My main business is window cleaning. I don't want to haul a big tank of water around with me and its not worth it for me to invest in a bigger truck, trailer, tank, pressure washer etc.I'd say pressure washing is maybe 25% of my business.  I really dont even like pressure washing ( mainly working with bleach ), but it supplements my business quite well. I know I'd get done quicker, especially on concrete ( I do have a surface cleaner ) with a bigger machine, but its just not worth that kind of investment for me. 

  9. Posted · Report reply

    X-Jet draw ratios vary based on GPM not PSI. The higher the GPM the weaker the solution that you'll be able to spray.

    With no proportioner at 4 GPM the mix ratio is 1.6/1.0.

    If you used straight 12.5% SH you'd be spraying SH at 4.8%. This is calculated as:

    12.5/(1.6 + 1.0) = 4.8%

    I assume that you're using 5% household bleach? If so, the SH content in your receipe is 1.2%, which is about right.

    Your receipe = 3 gallons 5.0% SH and 2 gallons of water. So:

    (3 x 5.0%)/5 Total Gallons in Pail = 3.0% SH

    3.0%/(1.6 + 1.0) = 1.2% SH coming out of the gun.

    If you used the grey proportioner the SH % out the gun level would decline to 0.9%.

     

     Those figurs makes my head hurt . lol .. As the title of my thread states, I'm using 8.25 bleach. It's the ultra bleach....

  11. Posted · Report reply

    The difference between wand and trigger setup is night and day.

    Use an enclosed container( because it will splash around) and bungee strap that bad boy to the two wheeler.

    I literally have "trotted" through housewashes. It cuts down the overall project time if you ask me.

    Youll learn to move quick with a two wheeler. ( or your helper, whatever the case)

     

    A two wheeler is essential in my trailer.

    8.8 lbs. per gallon can get heavy carrying by hand.

    Not to mention that it takes focus away from the task at hand. Washing the resi.

     

    I have even mounted a hose reel on my two wheeler for the xjet hose.

    Ok, I've taken your advice and rigged me up a 2 wheeler to hold my chemicals and hoses. I'll try it out Monday. If it all works, I'll attempt to post a picture. Thanks.

    Beth n Rod reacted to this

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Put your bucket on a two wheeler, then you don't have to carry it.

    Lose the proportioners.

    With 8% use more of it in your mix than water.

     

    Coil the loose xjet hose on the two wheeler.

    Lose the wand, and just use trigger section.

     

    You will be able to work much faster, with a stronger and more efficient mix.

    There will be less fatigue on the body.

    Thanks. I've never used the proportioners. Using a 2 wheeler I'd have to get the X-Jet Pail so it doesnt splash around, which is fine. I've been using a 5 gallon gas container. I just may take your advice on the 2 wheeler. Just one more thing I have to fit in my little truck.  I've found that on a nasty house, 3 gallons bleach to 2 gallons of water works well.

     I've never used just the trigger section but I have found that I like a 2 foot wand. I'll try just the trigger part and see how I like that. Thanks.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    The x-jet or m-5 jet without a proportioner is 3:1 (3 parts water to 1 part chemical)

    If you are looking to improve the performance of your mix, you need to add more alkalinity.

    Simple cherry is a simple detergent.

    What you could use is a degreaser that contains sodium hydroxide to increase the spectrum and reactive range of bleach

    making it more effective at lower concentrations.

     

    I use 1/3 gallon in a 5 gallon bucket of water along with other chemicals for my mix and it does the job fine.

    We brush all of our houses to get the best result, but I never have any problems getting off anything that is

    mildew, mold, algae or typical pollutants such as dirt and pollen.

     

     

    If you need it stronger, you can adjust the formula to contend with difficult spots such as gable vents which tend to have a great deal of mold and carbon.

     

    Rod

     

    I've never had to use a brush on a house. I've cleaned houses for over 12 years with the method I described in my origianl post and it works great. What I'm trying to get away from is having to haul water around in my container along with my bleach and SC. My thought is, if I put just bleach ( household ) and SC in my mix, and use a proportioner, I could get around the house a lot farther before having to refill my container. I have to carry the 5 gallon container around the house with me. I'm not looking to change my method. I'm just looking for advice on which proportioner to use with straight household bleach. I've read that its recommended to use the 16-1 for 12% bleach. Since the bleach I'm using is 8.25% , should I use maybe a 10-1 ?  5-1 ?

     I use a 4gpm, 4000 psi cold water unit..Thanks

  15. Posted · Report reply

    I've been washing houses for years. My main business is window cleaning. I work by myself. I've used the X-Jet for yrs using 3 gallons of bleach ( or less ), Simple Cherry, 2 gallons of water and no proportioner in the X-Jet. I can't buy the 12% bleach because buying 50 gallons of it would degrade before I used it all. It's simpler for me to just go buy gallons of bleach when I have a housewash job.. I've looked up ratios using the proportioners, but all I find is the mixing ratios with 12% bleach. My question is. What proportioner would be recommended if I were to not delute the bleach, but rather pour a few gallons of bleach in a container, mix Simple Cherry with it and don't add any water?? Any idea. Thanks..

  16. Posted · Edited by Robere · Report reply

    Looking to buy another Pressure washer. I have a direct drive 4000psi 4gpm now. I've done a lot of research and it's hard to find much feedback on the clutch/pumps. Would it be better to buy a belt drive with a clutch rather than a direct drive? I'm needing a portable unit, not a trailer mount. Something I can load up a ramp by myself. Thanks for any input.

  17. Posted · Report reply

    CLASSICPW....... I know the houses you are speaking of. Some houses just stay that way. The people don't care. I hit the ritzy neighborhoods and find that the ones with just a little mold are the ones that respond. They usually say " Yeah I've been meaning to get to that".

  20. Posted · Report reply

    I sometimes drive around during slow times and look for dirty houses to wash. I get a few houses this way. I always give them a discount price because I'm "hungry". I was wondering how many of you do this when things are slow. And when you do, how do you go about doing it? I don't want to walk on someones property and I hate to knock on doors and bother people. Ive put fliers on peoples door before, but hate doing that. One time I just looked at houses from the street then took down the addresses and mailed them bids explaining I was slow at work. Some people told me they admired the way I went about it and liked the way my letter was written. I got 2 or 3 houses out of 10 doing this and I did'nt have to bother anyone.

    Anyone use fliers and if so how do you go about distributing them?

  23. Posted · Report reply

    I've been pressure washing for about 12 years now. I got me a surface cleaner last year and love it. I have a 4gpm,4000 psi washer.

    When I do concrete I dont use chemicals. The cleaner works good on its own. Maybe I'm not mixing the bleach strong enough , but I have'nt seen where bleach really does much to concrete. My problem is, if I do something like a driveway, I find myself doing part of it, then having to turn off the washer, take off the surface cleaner, put on the wand and rinse where I've cleaned ( before it dries) , then put the surface cleaner back on and repeat until done. If the sun is on the driveway I have to swap quite often. If I let the grime dry very long before rinsing, I loose all the time I should be saving using the surface cleaner rinsing all the grime away. I'm putting extra wear on my pressure washer stopping and starting it. What am I missing here?

    If I do a sidewalk, I just tilt the surface cleaner to rinse. But this doesnt work too good on a driveway. Thanks.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Artillary fungus. I tell my customers it will not come off with pressure washing. I also tell them it's from their mulch. I clean windows also and saw this stuff on windows for yrs and never knew what it was. I have to scrape it off with a razor blade. Now that I know what it is, I charge extra to have to scrape it off.

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