Wallydog

Gday Cleaners! My machine is a 3200psi, 3GPM , 8HP engine washer. Bit on the small side. Im just about to buy a flat surface cleaner too and am seeking advice from you pros on whether I should purchase either the 16" hover Whiraway or the 18"one with castors? Has my machine got enough GPM to drive the 18" well or would it be more appropriate to get the 16". I thought id chime in too as one of the members is having the same quandry although he obviously can drive a larger flat surface cleaner. It would be a crying shame if the one I bought didn't clean properly. I have had advice by one contractor who thought the 18" might be pushing it and the 16" inch more appropriate and on the other hand i have been told that the 18" will be a top choice, casters and all? I need the pros advice here and i would really appreciate your comments on which would be the most effective size cleaner. Cheers Wallydog

Hi all. Have a job to repaint a deck with decking paint. Whats the best method of preparation.....should i pressure wash(hot water or cold?), or just scrape it down with a scraper? How much "water pressure is required to do that prep? Cheers wallydog

Hello all. I was considering trying my hand at gutter cleaning. Need some advice, first some thoughts if i may, Rates of pay here in Oz for power washing seem quite a bit less. We get $50 - 75 an hour max. Just reading some other posts its not seen as a profession but as a form of unskilled cleaning here. Probably seen as the same pay as a person who mows a lawn. Trouble is our equipment is worth far more and should be remunerated more i would think. That aside the point of the post is ask what is the prefered methods of gutter cleaning. Do I need to get a ext wand and a gutter elbow piece and use the washer or do i get up on a ladder and scoop it out the traditional time honoured way. If I use the washer wouln't it just splatter mud and debris on and off the roof edges? That would make for more cleanup time? Yours in pressure Wdog.

Have a comet 3030 AXD? pump with a 8HP engine. Rated at 3200PSI more likely 3000psi at 3GPM. I don't understand the nozzle charts? I wanted to choose a couple of nozzles so that i may be able to retain the max GPM but have less pressure. im interested in a 15 and 25 degree nozzle. Can anyone help me with some numbers for sizing the nozzles. thanks Wallydog.

Nice link OTP thanks again. I had a bit of trouble understanding the common charts that are around but I have figured how it works. Wallydog

Nice one Roger. Looks great. Top job. What size surface cleaner did you use? pressure washer GPM? PSI? How long did it take you? WAllydog.

Has anyone got one or used a 16" Steel eagle floater surface spinner cleaner and can you tell your opinion of it? thanks wallydog

Thanks OTP. Its just a case which part of the US the unit is posted from depends on the expense of the freight. I don't know why but I got a couple of quotes from Florida based companies and its quite reasonable. $172.00 freight to Australia whereas occasionally i get quoted $300.00 as with the steele eagle company. i emailed LArrys suggested company and are waiting for them to get back to me. They do the whisper wash models which are no doubt a good choice but if i can i would like to get a steel eagle as they look more ergonomic and light to use. Will float nicely even at 3GPM which Im running at the moment. Its monday morning here as i type this but its Sunday in the US. 12 degrees and the wind is howling here in Canberra. Wallydog.

Thanks Larry I have emailed them. Ill let you know how it goes. Cause i live so far away freight can expensive. Over here the average price for a 16" surface cleaner is $1400.AUD. Theres 2 main players over here and they are roughly trhe same price. Thats why even with somewhat expensive freight it makes more sense for me to buy from the US. Wallydog.

They are great OTP. Just what Im looking for. I got in touch with the steel eagle people and the freight was $300.00 . If i can source it from Florida the freight is nearly half that. Do you know a purveyor of fine steel eagles in Florida OTP? Wallydog.

Tony you have 5GPM to play with and that'll run just about anything quite well. Jons advice is good. 24" will be good for your setup. Pretty BIG. Should get jobs done quickly. Me, i have a 3GPM, 3200 psi setup and i have to be careful what im buying because theres a hell of a lot of conflicting advice on what will work well and what doesn't. It looks like I might get the whisper wash 16" at 15lbs in weight and quality build my 3GPM washer should match it nicely....i hope. The whirlaway is 18lbs in weight which would be more suited to a 4GPM to make the thing hover properly. For me its the above or sell the lot. I'll make my mind up in the next few days. I see the Steel Eagle make a fairly cheap 16" floater but im not sure whether they are durable , feel free to advise me anyone. Wallydog.

That was a ripper yarn. I had a good snicker on that one. Wallydog

Didn't read too much of the other posts, but here in Australia, in my city its around the $1.40 a litre. Not sure what that equates to in Gallons but damn expensive/. i just got rid of my V6 car and bought a little Toyota Corolla . Its a bumpy ride compared to the old car but cheap to run. Still costs $70.00 to fill. Wallydog.

Coleman

I have easy access to 40w non detergent oil used for my air compressor. Can buy it anywhere. Lots of compressors here. Does anyone have great concerns about using the 40w non detergent for the pressure washer pump as opposd to the recommended 30w non detergent. ? If the lawn mower oil is going to foam its not going to bond and lubricate very well. Sorry to harp on this but its important. The supplier of the machine said to use lawn mower oil and i had a feeling that was not going to do the job properly. Wallydog

Rod, the 30 weight oil, is that the same as the oil you put in the sump of 4 stroke lawn mower engines? Or is it a more specialised oil. I emailed comet pumps and they said they now use tractor gear oil in all their pumps. that must be a generic oil you guys have but i don't know what weight that is? Over here in Oz a gear oil means 80w/90 or thereabouts and thats far to heavy for those pumps. Surely? Wallydog

Hello. What is the best method of removing gum from the concrete pavement. I imagine hot water will remove it but does it leave an indentation in the concrete or a stain? Do I have to be careful with pressure? Is there a special chem that helps with the removal of gum and does it take a long time to remove the gum? i have a shop owner interested in having his shopfront cleaned and is riddled with gum. Maybe i should avoid this job? What do you think? Cheers wallydog

Ron and others thanks so much for sharing that. I did take the job and completed it. it took a lot longer than i anticipated but I got in there and just got it done. Im not completely tooled up, on this occasion I used a scraper and scraped as much of it off as possible on my hands and knees, and used alkaline degreaser on the concrete, and finished it off with the wand and hot water, 15 degree tip, cleaned the area methodically as you do with a wand. I am trying to close a deal on a flat surface cleaner which is going to speed things up for me as the wand is too slow period. Im waiting on whisper....something, i forgot their name already. Errr age is catching up. Wallydog

Thanks Rob. I ve emailed the good people at whisper wash and asked for a quote on the 16" Ultra clean model with and without casters. I notice that the hover one is very light compared to the whirlaway so i think theres a good chance of it being easy to use and from what i gather its good quality. Your input is greatly appreciated. wallydog.

Thanks Rob. I ve emailed the good people at whisper wash and asked for a quote on the 16" Ultra clean model with and without casters. I notice that the hover one is very light compared to the whirlaway so i think theres a good chance of it being easy to use and from what i gather its good quality. Your input is greatly appreciated. wallydog.

Rob, Ive been considering my options and want to buy a flat surface cleaner. My washer puts out 3GPM a little light on water. i notice you say that even at 4GPM that, that may not be enough to lift some of the hover type cleaners properly which leads to prem brush wear and i would say it would get hard push around. I was considering a 16" hover whirlaway. Do you think a 18" on castors would be a better option? or do you think the 16" will be suitable? Getting more confused than ever Thanks Wallydog

Phil what you say makes sense. One prob, I can't find a suitable 16" FSC with castors. I think casters is a better way to go. The 18" has much the same config ie, two water jets and the 2 bars. 1" extra on each side. Could this make a serious difference in perfomance? Is it likely the 16" would be way better for me considering the 3GPM and 3200PSI. Im pulling my hair out as the jury is 50/50 on what works best. Im worried that the 16" will be hard labour because its a hover type and casters will be easier going. But then Im thinking that the 18" might be snail pace work which is not the way to go either. Ideally a 16" with casters is the way to go. Wallydog.

OTP, I mean't 25 degrees. Sorry about that. Im not the sharpest knife in the drawer! Yet.

Thanks for the tips. I do have a hot water burner attached to my washer so I think with a 35 degree nozzle I'll give it a shot and degrease and clean it down afterwards. thanks all for your help. Wallydog.

Hello. Im still fairly new at this and are learning as I go. I have been applying chems with my single lance and a bucket of pre-mix I make up with the low pressure nozzle. Would having a double lance speed this process or Should I use an adjustable chemical injector when doing patios, pavers and alike? Im trying to determine the quickest and best method of doing basic flatwork. is it best to apply chems and let it dwell and rinse? Or should i rinse, and pressure clean using an adjustable chemical injector on a single wand? Whats the advantages of a dual lance? Bit confused wallydog.