PressureX

So I tried the AllBrite (Butyl Degreaser) as you said jeff, (should I try to find some Purple Power/Castrol Super Clean) it didn't do anything but foam just a little bit and was a bit slippery, but other than that, nothing. Now to what Len said about the Weather Wrap. That could be a possibly since I have also noticed just earlier that also the foundation (brick part under the vinyl) has red streaks on it now, which leads me to believe no oxidation, but more like solution went behind the siding and basically washed away the color on the weather wrap. But why does Solution get behind the siding? Leads me to believe that the Hardie Plank isn;t installed correctly. I found this little exerpt: Given, that comes from a Siding Company website, but there still has to be some truth behind it. I really dont know what to try anymore. Wouldn't the Melamine not only get rid of the red streak, but also the actual paint of the house?

My local Home Depot has it. It looks extremly cheap if you wanna know my opinion. =]

With Diesel reaching close to $5 / gallon ... I dont know. lol.

Thanks for all the help. I did notice that the paint could be basically scratched off chalky. Jeff, butyl based cleaners or oxalic won't damage the paint or siding?

Well, I told him that this has never happened, and it looks like oxidation in the paint. The thing however is that the home is only 2 years old. I don't see how we used too much bleach. 1 gallon of bleach, 0.5 gallons of allbrite and 3.5 gallons water.... Same as we always use. Now I'm not 10000% sure if some faded or if that's the actual color. Scrubbing it, it came of slightly, not 10000% but better if not scrubbed at all.

So i just went back to re-evalute the situation when its dry. It seems like it "faded" and left transparent light red marks as seen in the picture above. So I went and found out what paint those houses have, and found out that it is Sherwin William Exterior Latex paint. Any suggestions? I'd really hate to re-paint his house, afterall, we have done nothing different then we would for a normal vinyl house, and this has never happened.

Doc, you also buyin me the first beer just for being me? haha just kidding, let me stop hijacking this thread ;)

So, I never ran across any, but I just did. Now I am curious if I need to do anything different than on regular vinyl siding to clean it? For regular vinyl I use 1 gallon of 12%, 0.5 gallons of AllBrite, and 3.5 gallons of water with the X-Jet. Now has anybody ever ran across Hardy Plank siding? And if so, do I need to look out for anything? Thanks.

Awesome. Thank you Doug, I'll just use the same mix.

Seems like that guy is dead :o crushed the driver side of the truck :o poor fella.

I post occasionally on craigslist. Not very many callers, but it gives my website hits. I had 1 job off of craigslist in the past month.

I just noticed the same problem on my my X-Jet. Def. is rusted.

It sucks. literally. Today was the third time this month that I have canceled a job because of thunderstorms. And ... where is the rain? :lgbonk:

$35 for 5 gallons is ridiculous though. I was even looking at walmart yesterday like it was said in the other thread, but they didnt have crap, lol. Thinking about just using regular bleach and using about twice as much as I would 12%. Grrr SunBrite has to re-open.

wow! very nice job! :)

Because I highly doubt anybody here puts the bleach through the components. Everybody either Downstreams (Downstreaming) or uses an X-Jet, both of which mix chemicals after the water has left the pump. I attached a picture of the X-Jet M5. You connect the piece in the middle in the quick connect on your wand, then that hose connects to the X-Jet itself and hangs in the bucket of chemicals, which in turn will draw the chemical up to the tip and sprays out, therefor it never comes in touch with the pressure washer itself.

Actually it was $191.92 ;) Im not sure if many do this, but I use the exact same method to do estimates everytime. We measure out the house etc. and multiple it by our numbers. Very simple actually, but yes, we also do cent amounts.

Speaking of which, I saw an old (probably 1990) toyota tacoma today, rusted to hell and back, with a big sign on the side stating "1 or 2 story pressure washing: $79.95" I almost couldnt believe my eyes. So I called the number, got the guy to give me an estimate, sure enough, $79.95. So I did an estimate on my house, I ended up charging $191.92. But of course when asked more about him ... no proof of insurance nor any business license.

I haven't used Home Depots Brand as far as soap goes. Are you SURE its 12.5% bleach? if so, ask how old it is hence Bleach weakens over time. I simply use a soft bristle extendable brush, extension poles, and the right mix of solution. I sometimes use our 2.6 GPM 3000 PSI backup machine that we had gotten from home depot, just takes longer, so the washer isn't the problem. Check out these 2 products I personally recommend for house washing: Simple Cherry from PressureTek QWIC AllBrite from SunBrite Supply By myself, with the 2.6GPM/3000PSI machine, a 2 story house shouldnt take longer then 2 1/2 hours including set-up and tear-down. It will also be "squeeky clean".

Right now I'd say you're lucky you dont have a cracked vinyl siding and wand marks and water damage at that home. Like everybody else said .... NEVER use a 0 degree tip. Get yourself a X-Jet M5 and a 5 gallon bucket. Mix 1 gallon of 12.5% bleach (not the normal clorox off the shelves, get actual 12.5% bleach, some pool suppliers might carry it), mix with 1/2 gallon soap (I use QWIC AllBrite from SunBrite Supply) and 3 1/2 gallons of water. Mix all that in a bucket, stick the X-Jet in there, and apply the solution from bottom to top. Let it sit 5-10 minutes, then turn the soap off on the x-jet and simply rinse. I NEVER use direct pressure, I could use a water hose as a matter of fact and the dirt comes off, too bad the water hose doesn't shoot 2 stories high. Like Beth said, grab yourself a snack and a drink, and read read read. In my opinion "Pressure Washing" a house has very little to do with pressure itself.

Ok, so I just had a customer call where we did her house 2 days ago. She said one of her flowers in her flower bed went from blooming to being crisp and brown and was wondering if there was anything she was supposed to do and didn't do (she wasnt complaining since it was a $2 walmart flower) but I am just curious how that happened. I am sure that some chemical dripped on the flower bed when I was cleaning the upper portion of the home and the solution came down through the gutter drain, but can 1 gallon of 12.5%, half a gallon of QWIC AllBrite and and 3.5 gallons of water in an x-jet do that? I had never experienced it and frankly offered to replace the flower. Just was wondering what I can do in the future to prevent such things from happening, or if it could be prevented. Thanks!

I figured thats about the only way, however, I never had such a problem before :o Guess I will start covering those darn things from now on ;p

Name: Steve Durham Address: 106 Loch Drive Cross, SC Phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx Appx.Sq.Ft.: Siding: White vinyl Call me if it's closer to you than me.

Well, we did the house today. VERY nice guy, initial cost was $191.something ... he ended up paying $260 ... the initial price plus "a little tip". I didn't realize how much he had paid at first, so when I got back to the office I called him to tell him he gave us $260 ... he said "I know, I meant to do that." so yeah .... anyways, the job is done, lol.