Jump to content

Doug Black

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    222

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Posts posted by Doug Black

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I recently purchased a 3000psi 2.5gpm washer to do my 1500 sq ft, 2-story home and driveway. Upon using it for the first time, I spent close to two hours using it and didn't even get my house half done.

    That's very small.

    Firstly, I spent a good bit of time wrestling with the stock hose that came with the washer. It constantly wrapped back up around itself so it was pretty much useless. Not only that, but certain areas didn't even get very clean.

    1) My first question is regarding downstreaming vs upstreaming. I have been reading on the difference on how they work, but I don't know how I tell which one I have? There is a tube coming from the bottom with a siphon on the other end that I put into my chemical solution.

    No one here runs chems through their machine. The easiest way to do get something called an XJet. Call Xterior and tell them your size and they will send you one.

    2) My second question is, how do you calculate how much chemical you need to cover a certain amt of square feet? For example, lets say you need to cover 1000 sq ft of siding and 500 sq ft of driveway, how do you calculate how much you need? I used about a gallon of solution and didn't even do half of my house. I called my manufacturer and they said my washer mixes in 20:1 ratio. The back of the container says it covers 5000 sq ft. I mix according to need. Typically use 3-5 gallons on a home.

    3) Third, how do you wash around areas with plants in the way? The bottom of my house is brick, and in the front, there are plants/briars growing RIGHT UP against the brick. I need access to the brick to get at the moss growing on it. How do I do this without butchering the plants?

    Stealthily apply chemical and then ninja clean?

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]17084[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]17084[/ATTACH]

    4) Choosing chemicals. Ok. So I've been reading a lot about chemicals. How do you decide what to use? There are so many out there. I see a lot of guys mix chlorine or bleach with various things. Should you just use a chemical the way it comes, or mix stuff with it? I know this can be dangerous.

    The most basic of mixes is bleach and a surfactant like Dawn. Almost everyone will use a little bleach, depending. Many other chemical can be used. For your purposes, just try bleach and dawn starting out.

    Right now I have this stuff by a local company called Monster that I got from Northern Tool. I bought the "concrete cleaner" and the "house cleaner." Should I return it and get something else, as well as get an aftermarket downstreaming kit so I can use whatever I want without worrying about pump damage?

    5) Accessory selection. I have been reading quite a bit about different nozzles, telescoping wands, brush attachments, etc. Frankly its a little overwhelming and has me confused as to what I need.

    a) Telescoping wand vs x-jet/laddersaver/similar

    I can get a ladder saver nozzle and an adjustable downstream chemical injector kit for a good bit less than the price of a good telescoping wand, and not worry about wrestling with the wand. However I would like to do my roof at some point as well. Which is better?

    b) Turbo nozzle vs cheap surface cleaner. Home depot sells turbo nozzles for around $35 and they have a cheap 15" surface cleaner as well. the "ez cleaner". Do I need both? I have a driveway, a rear patio, and front porch with pressure treated railing around it

    c) Brushes. Do I really need the kind that attaches to a pressure washer? Or can I just get the regular type? My siding has these black spots that didn't really come very clean, from my reading I think they are plant spore spots.

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]17083[/ATTACH]

    Regular kind. Brushing your house is great.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Hello been lurking for a while...first post.

    Looking at a large brick work project and was going to get some outside opinions. I have done a lot of residential brick jobs but none this big. A lot of it looks like the photo I posted below. What % would you charge extra for this heavy cleaning job? Would you attack this with your regular brick/mortar cleaner?

    My thinking is prob a 30% increase in price over my regular brick jobs (normally not this bad in our area) and maybe a little more chemical.

    I know some of you guys work where brick gets this bad just not the norm for us here.

    Thanks,

    JR

    Go strong sodium metasilicate type base with high surfactant, low-low mid sodium hypochlorite and other goodies in range with that recipe. DO NOT use a mortar cleaner.

    I'd charge extra for the mix but the mix itself will save a lot of power washing time but it's kind of a wash.( I did a very large (long) privacy brick

    fence in Raleigh this way.)

    After spraying I went back over with a 21 inch surface cleaner. On the other side I had to use a wand and it took a bit longer, but it also had a good amount of vegetation.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    I just had a gallon on BT200 delivered a few days ago. I've read a lot of good things about it (pictures looked good too) so I thought I'd give it a shot. A regular customer called last week telling me he spilled oil and antifreeze on his driveway. We'll see how it works Monday morning.

    PS it was about 65 dollars delivered by UPS.

    If you had some I would try three different tests...2 on driveway...one at 4 days the one at one day on concrete. The other a little in a container with the bt2000 the other as a control to see how much it eats? Also find out how long it has sat there?

    Other people report that they put this on for a little while then wash off with a caustic but I can't fathom how it have enough time to work unless it were Stephen King strength?

    _______________

    It is reported that Tide has enzymes and has a partnership with a local business here....

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Here's a picture of my first Armstrong Deck which is about 3 years old now. I took these pictures last summer when the deck was bout 2 year 2 months old. This deck gets full sun on the surface so the floor naturally could use a light maintenance coat, but as you can see from the railings and side view where the plants are there is no mildew here. Not sure if thats the proof you wanted Doug, but if you've never used AC, they'll gladly send you a free 5 gallon pail and I think you'll be more than pleased with mildew performance.

    THANK YOU Charlie! Just telling me would have been enough but the pictures are great. I'd say the deck is doing great and would definitely try it.

    Do you know if Armstrong Clark is affected by the VOC rules here? Also do you ever cut it any with thinner?

  14. Posted · Report reply

    [Rod posting]

    A.W.P.A. (American Wood Preservers Association) recommends that any wood that has been pressure treated or kiln dried (includes cedar and redwood) be sealed within 2 weeks of installation.

    The old adage of waiting for 6 months to a year was for wood to become seasoned. That was made obsolete once pressure treatment and kiln drying were instituted to help with the dimensional stability and rot, fungus and product loss as a result.

    .

    Rod!~

    Are they saying build deck, pressure treatment, then seal or are they saying build deck and then seal?

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Traditionally linseed oil has been avoided and only time will tell if the supposed fortified formula will stand THE test of time.

    Most stains will mildewcides are borate based but linseed is a special case for growth. To really assess the new claims you'd have to know the specific chemical or chemicals they are using. If a company doesn't release them then personally I don't use it.

    The deck DID look good though!

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Here you go.[ATTACH=CONFIG]16928[/ATTACH]

    On yours I would grind down the bad spots, pressure wash, let dry half decent, then follow the instruction on the repair video on this link: http://www.concretenetwork.com/fix-spalled-concrete/fixing-a-spalled-driveway.html

    Even then though, shear could still result next year, especially since your problem is very topical; this is why I suggest grinding it down a bit first to help prevent that.

    Alternately, you might try a silicone application, but that would not look too good. For that just pressure wash and apply to seal the pores.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Charlie, I like the way the semi looks on to pf your pic. I hadn't even thought about the corner being worn down or chipped making the line look bad. Thanks.

    Doug, is that 3 colors with the 2x12 in a darker gray?

    Tony,

    You have a good eye! The first coat was actually in a lighter color, then the decision was made to match the siding which was darker, and that picture was taken after one coating just the sides with the darker...

  25. Posted · Report reply

    I really only know TWP. Duron carries it, as do many lumber centers. The color on TWP 200 after a year is about half or less that of initial application but I think it looks better that way. Maintenance of TWP is not bad either. TWP doesn't come cheap but sometimes you can cut it a little, depending...

    There is a recent post on here entitled fence restoration that shows Bakers. That looks good.

×