Aplus

I hope that everything works well with your new setup. My experience has been that there are trade offs for every way you do things. There is no perfect way to wash a house. Personally, I feel there's better application control using an xjet. If I'm using a dual lance wand, downstreaming is ok, because I have the variable control, which is very conveniant. Washing trucks is a good application for d/s. When a 12' Extendawand is attached, how would I switch between d/s and rinsing, without changing tips? The flow control knob on the injector is back in the trailer, right? The only advantage I see is not having to carry around a pail. If 6136 is a multi purpose or mobile wash soap, then it probably doesn't have all the ingrediants necessary to be a complete house wash product. Emulsifier Plus however, has several ingrediants that were added to enhance the performance as a house wash specifically, such as wetting, chelating, rinsing, and emulsification properties. Bleach for the most part does not like to be blended with other chemical products. Many chemicals in the mobile wash industry can create an explosive situation when mixed with sodium hypochlorite. Practice good safety, and good luck.

No it is not safe to wash soffits with pressure. Water can be driven thru the vents right up into the attic. The only thing separating the attic from the drywall underneath is the insulation. There is no way that I know of to not have the black water drops from the vent holes. I apply soap and rinse at low pressure, and spray with a more side-ways approach, to try and reduce the amount of water that sprays inside. You will also find that soffits are generally not well constructed. They are often made of vinyl, and are laid between two aluminum trim strips. There's not much holding them in, especially on mobile homes.

This youngster is getting in practice for WoodStock 2020 !!

Looks like you're the only one! HMmmmm.

Be careful with gas stations! There are so many contaminates on the concrete you'll have quite a high octane brew by the time you're done. And of course you're supposed to recover the wash water. There are lots of concerns to cover. I'd suggest using the search function on this board to find as much info as you can, then ask questions from there.

Where?

I would think in most cases the contractor grade Zep would be a stronger mix than the retail version. Imagine the product liability that would go along with powerful chems in untrained hands.

Tim, Does that mix work well enough that you just spray it on, and then are able to rinse with low pressure, and get the house clean?

Steve, I have a buddy in the biz in the Spring Lake area, that's why I asked if you were near there. Yes, the Emulsifier works well mixing by the batch. That's the only way I do it. I dump the 40# bag into old pails that previously had HD-80 in them, and carry one on each trailer. I mix two measuring cups per pail. By weight, that is approximately 10-11 oz per cup. I had to experiment a bit to find what worked best for me. I don't like mixing up whole drums because I just don't have enough storage area. During winter cold months, I round up all my chems, group them in a circle, and cover with an electric blanket set on low. It keeps them just warm enough to prevent freezing.

For me, licensing means a city license to operate a business, and a DBA license thru the county. I've never been questioned as to what 'licensed' means, but I would tell them that it means I am registered thru the county, and licensed in the city to do business.

Robert, I have not noticed the addition of wax to cut down on suds. The emulsifier plus provides plenty of suds. As Ron mentioned, it is JET Dry that I add a small squirt of into my house wash mix. I don't know it it's more economical than other ways, it's just how I do it. Actually, I haven't noticed anybody selling a similar rinse aid by the gallon. Anybody have a source for that?

In every pail of house wash mix, I include a small squirt of Cascade rinse aid, and 4 oz of wax. The wax is a cherry scented variety that is commonly used at car washes. It is a sheeting wax, which means it makes the water just 'sheet' off, as opposed to beading. One additional feature of the wax is that the cherry scent helps to mask the chlorine odor.

A lot of the stuff I carry has never been needed/used, but you can never tell when something is going to fail. Most common failed parts for me have been: o-rings, connectors, high pressure hoses, and unloaders. Now, you need the tools to be able to field repair the items mentioned. One thing I would really like to have onboard is a vice. No, not the bad habit type, but rather the clamping type.....:)

It took me a couple years to build up my spare parts inventory. It was just too expensive to have everything in both of my trailers. I probably have a grand in tools and spare stuff in each trailer.

My take is that if the concrete is not excessively oily, then hot water alone will often do. I do some drive thru's at fast food restaurants, and the area by the order box, and the pickup window are usually pretty heavy with drippings, and hot water alone does not achieve satisfactory results. However, the length in between these areas usually does not require chems.

Or maybe get some of those new fangled "spinner" wheels.

I was thinking maybe John Candy.

I like the emulsifier plus. I tried several home brews, and none of them worked as well as the emulsifier. There may be better products, but I haven't tried them all. The emulsifier plus works well, and it's reasonably priced, so I haven't had the need to change.

I always wear long pants, even when staining, because I don't like getting stain on my legs then having to use paint thinner to clean it off. I have light grey t-shirts with my logo that I supply for everyone to wear in the warm months, and sweatshirts with logo for the cool months. Nitrile gloves, respirators, dust masks, ear plugs, goggles, etc, are available for anyone who wants to use them. I also keep bug spray & sun block readily available, although it's not theoretically ppe.

Henry, Could you fax me a copy of the post card? Thanks... 734-676-0140

Has anybody ever tried a Coke eye wash, or is this just pure theory? Would an eye doctor recommend Coke over water or regular eyewash to irrigate the caustics from your eye? :thinking:

Happy Birthday Buddy!!!!!

Robert, I'm not sure why you feel you have to sand. If it's just Behr semitransparant, it will strip easily with a product like HD-80, which you can order from Beth on this board. I rarely have to sand, and if I do, it's just to touch up an area or to smooth out a hand rail. It's all in the chems and your technique. I'd be in the $750-800 range for strip, neut, stain. Two guys to wash in about two hours. Three guys to stain by brush and roller in about three hours. May seem too fast, but we do so many jobs that we just fly thru decks like this one.

What kind of finish is on there now? It looks like Penofin or maybe Behr.

The first one kind of looks like Pee Wee Herman. Which pic is it then where your balls are being broken?