White WASH

Hey Pressure Washing pro's! My name is Shawn, I'm a 10 Yr. owner of a Professional Window Cleaning business in AZ, and I'm moving towards adding pressure washing to my business. I was mainly intending to stick to residential pressure washing, mostly flatwork, and some house washing. But I do clean windows for some commercial property management companies, so if the opportunity arises to bid and land some commercial flatwork I'd like to be able to have the right equipment. I bought a residential style pressure washer (2.7 gpm, 2700 psi) just to see how well it would work and it was fine for just cleaning some dirty sidewalk, but I'm looking to upgrade to professional equipment. I've been researching every thread I can find on equipment, chemicals, methods, etc. on this and 2 other BBS (pressure washing institute & ptstate), and I have only learned enough to bring up more questions. I'm planning on using a surface cleaner and realize this means a minimum of a 4gpm machine. I understand hot water cleans better than cold. I've been looking at used equipment, new equipment, and trying to determine what the best option is for me to buy right now, with a limited budget. So the title of this thread is the main question I'm looking to get you pro's opinion on. If you could buy a brand new 8gpm cold water unit (with the ability to add on a burner later) or a brand new 5.6 gpm hot water unit, (mainly for flatwork, keep in mind), regardless of the brand (I'm not trying to start a brand war here), which would you buy and why?! Thanks.

Nigel, 1)How do I know the diameter of the coil? 2)My budget depends somewhat on who I buy the system from... Here's the two machines I was choosing between thus far, but have continuted to look around after hearing bad reviews at this distributor's communication & handling fees for phone call orders (Envirospec).This is the 5.6 Hot Water Unit (deal ends in a few weeks) (the last one in the list 8.6 gpm). 3) Cool Video Nigel. Thanks for sharing. Mr. Jerry Sirocco,I can see that you are a very experienced manufacturer. I called your company today for prices on bulldog units as they look great on your site, but there's no prices on the website of course. Thanks also for the detailed info you posted on WCR yesterday. I do have some questions about it though. You said the following: "1. friends don't let friends buy pumps with unloaders build into the head of the pump. ..they are more difficult to troubleshoot,..they are more expensive to rebuild,..the rebuild does NOT last as long with the unloader in it,..they will NEVER be "Long-Term-Low-Cost." 2. Direct drive pumps.. were designed to be pressure fed..they can last 4 years between seal kits, IF plumbed with a high-volume bypass, ..and IF properly treated...that's only about $275 in pump parts n labor in 5 years...just keep your fingers crossed you can separate pump from motor when you need to.But.. Running more than 50ft of suppply hose....or using cheap 5/8" id hose instead of contractors' grade 3/4" hose..I've seen direct drive pumps get 2 years on a set of seals, but the average is only 12 months,even if you never let it overheat in bypass (with the trigger-gun off).On "repair day", expect to also repair shaft-key damage,and replace a check valve set every other time.. that's over $1000 for 5 years, IF the pump isn't tossed into the "bone-yard" before.I didn't even add the possible cavitation-damaged ceramic plungers or cracked head at a valve-seat.... that can be another $200-400. each time !Belt drive..I've seen 5 years out of a set of seals, used several days per week,but 3 to 4 years is more likely,to a system that isn't always getting the "perfect water supply".Unloader-Valve replacements every 4 to 5 years.. 3 years is most common.Shaft repairs are only a "direct drive problem".. but do add a set of belts.Cost for 5 years, on average..$ 375. including labor...and the pump can last 12 to 20 years, depending on how you treat it.These numbers are based on a 4gpm pump with competitive parts pricing..Newer models are coming out with more "model-specific" kits..with "elevated prices". Some are now double or triple the above costs !..Stick with the AR and Comet models..Especially Comet FW, HW and RW series, AR's SXM, RK and XW series, orGeneral's good ol' TS2021 and EZ series are fine,..just don't let'em run low on oil.. aluminum-alloy is NOT as heat tolerant as forged bronze rods.Also,I didn't add unloader valves to the above numbers..high-speed pumps eat TWICE the unloader-valves, or more ! Cavitation KILLS ! 3. NEVER buy with a built-in unloader valve..they are made to TAKE your money. period.And..if you "invest in" belt-drive, like you should..MAKE SURE it has an external bypass hose,MORE than 2 feet long, and MORE than 1/2" id.We use 5/8" x 5ft on 4gpm systems..and seals last several years, because you can set the wand down for a few minutes.. without overheating the seals." MY RESPONSE: So what I got out of that was... 1. don't buy a machine that has the unloader built into the pump. How would I know if that were the case on any machine I were looking at buying? For instance could you tell if that were the case on either of the machines pictured above? 2. don't waste your money on a direct drive PW, spend the extra money up front to save money in the long run, get a Belt drive PW. 3. NEVER buy with a built-in unloader valve.. ( I don't know what this means! Again, how can I determine if this is the case when trying to shop online?) Thanks.