fireandrain

well, Client didn't want lattice stained.. shes growing vines on the lattice. Yeah, I agree, but couldn't talk her outta it... whadya gonna do? Actually, I didnt include the picture of the 2nd deck. Its about 4 times the size of the small suspended. Depending on the wind tomorrow, I may be painting in the smaller of the 2 decks. Heres a pic of the 2nd deck, it bumps out from the house a good 30ft. so spraying shouldn't be an issue, wil cut in the first few deck boards by hand though... oh, also those stairs, right up against the house...

Let me start by saying that my Steel Eagle 24" was the BEST investment I ever made with my residential pw business! Thanks Mark!:lgwave: Everytime I break that thing out, I smack myself for not picking on of these things up 2 years ago! Really, if your even half way serious about making a profit doing flatwork, you need to by one of these! They are awesome! Okay, that being said, I was wondering if anyone could share their "techniques" for using their SC. Personally, my latest challenge has to do with dealing with the hose getting in my way while I'm operating the SC. Anyone have any good techniques when it comes to efficiently using their SC? Frankly, I was thinking of hiring a guy to JUST deal with my hose while Im operating the SC. That tension thing really burns my arm out! Im already dealing with Carpal Tunnel and I really wish I could figure out how to, 1) Reduce tension created by the hose dragging behind me, and, 2) Figure an operating "system" that would somehow help to get that confounded hose out of my way when I drive that thing down a walkway! Anyone care to share the technique they have developed when they use their surface cleaner? Thanks!

I'm having a heck of a time finding this stuff! Can someone share a link where I can pick some up? Thanks! Im in N.California

Hey guys, so I went to mix up a batch of Dawn mixed with 3% bleach. Thought I read on this forum that this was a good all purpose cleaning mix. On the Dawn it says " Do NOT mix with Bleach"...so, naturally, I DID! :lgwave: About 1o minutes later I felt like I was gonna pass out, so I masked up and got rid of the concoction. I'm trying to get a good tip on a bleach/detergent mix that would be effective applying with my deckster and would take on mossy/moldy brickwork with an attitude. Is this Dawn/Bleach mix as bad an idea as I think?

Right on guys! Yup, got the mosmatic swivel, LOVE IT! Also, ordered the harness, see how that works! Thanks for the tips.

HA! Thats some funny stuff! I think I need to brush up on my threading rules!

The typical suspect for a N. California redwood deck here. No presence of failing finish. Curious how you guys would deal with it. I'd wet it down, soak it with efc-38, 20 min. dwell, and rinse @ 800 p.s.i. Soak it again with citralic, and rinse. Any other approaches?

Cant figure out how to roll this thing around with a full 5'er of seal mounted to it! Any tips? Can I pick up more of the 3/8" hose and QC without the loss of pressure? Also, didn't come with a "box" to cover the battery terminals. Should I be concerned about blowing myself up when that seal drips on the terminals?

Ah ha! I figured it out! Spoke with Tracy today @ Sunbrite, AWESOME guy! Man, very helpful. Sorted me out with the battery cover and gave me lots of great tips on using the Deckster. Had a blast with it today! If you dont have one, get one!

So my first day with my new Deckster. Got the thing all rigged up finally (thnkas guys for all the tips~didn't have any manual with this one, and it sprayed well . The problem, and it ended up being a BIG one, was that when I released te trigger on the un, the darn thing just kept spraying~thin but steady stream of seal... What a mess! A job that should have taken my 3 hrs at the most, ended up eating 91/2 hrs.and I still have a couple more to put in tommorow! Yipes! Caled Sunbrite and they said that I might have an obstruction in some mechanism or another~ seemed to make sense, but i just got the thing a few days ago! I flushed the system out with h20, about 10 gal worth, but still, the same problem, darn thing wont seem to stop spraying. This caused a heck of a mess, had to spray constantly, then frantically disconnect from the QC and back brush the freakin mess it left behind. Im REALLY bummed about his first experience with the Deckster and now 2 days behind my packed schedule... Anyone have any ideas on what going on with this gun? anything I can do to fix it? I have another 2500 sq. ft. to shoot tomorrow and Im dreading having to pull out the pump-up! Thanks!

Well, it was the trigger, working with a temp gun right now and I LOVE the Deckster! If you still are using those pump sprayers, run, dont walk over to Tracy @ Sunbrite and pick one up! They are AWESOME! Figured out the issue with my gun, and Tracy talked me through it like a real pro. I dont know if its ok to 'promote' anyone on here, but I really received some outstanding treatment today! Thanks!

Yowza! I just ordered the battery cover from Sunbrite. Surprising that, for liability sake, the cover is not included with the unit! Also, do any of you have 2 batteries mounted on the unit? Curious how many hours of spray time the pump operates on with a single 14.4...

Thanks for the link Shane.. unfortunatley there back order 2-3 wks... anyone know of where i can find a replacement any, well, soooooner? Maybe I can rig something up with a wagner gun? trouble is deckboards will be a pain without the reach of a lance... wait though, can i just use a pw lance with a certain deg. tip?

hey guys, thanks for the info on the other poll! Whoooooops! Im embarassed that I put mine up now! Hey, Rod, feel free to axe my poll if you want, I dont want to crowd the board with a redundant poll. Thanks!

I'm going to be doing some aggregate and conc. flatwork this week, going to use EFC-38 for the first time. There is alot of mildew/moss on the surfaces so Im thinking about mixing in some bleach and spraying it w/ my deckster... Is mixing bleach with efc-38 a good idea? Don't want it to blow up in my face! Im guessin' its okay based on the chem props of the efc38. Any thoughts?

So when you guys talk about downstreaming the stripper, do you mean mixing it up with water, dumping it into a 5'er and dropping your chem hose from your pressure washer into the mix, then spray it through your pw hose? My understanding is that you should never use your pressure washer for spraying any sort of caustics... Am I wrong? Enlighten me! And how do you regulate what kind of dilution from your pressure washer? I use 4GPM 4000 P.S.I cold units~exclusively residential.

Quicker clean w/ f-18 over the efc38... Ive used the f18 before, stripping a nasty latex stain.. just nervous about using a caustic to clean.... guiess it would be faster though..

Hey guys, hope your having a great weekend! So I got a great deal on a new Deckster from a friend of mine, trouble is, no manual! I'm gonna order one from sunbrite tomorrow, but for now, I cant seem to figure out how to get this thing hosed up correctly! I attached some pictures that show how its currently configured. Main thing, I have no idea which hose drops into the sealer??? He has a bunch of quick connects already hooked up, just don't know if he did it correctly... If anyone can help me make heads or tails of this I'd appreciate it~ Ive got 3K sq. ft of deck to spray tomorrow and I'm bit up a creek right now. Thanks!

Makes sense Rick. That ReadySeal is really the stuff,eh? I'm gonna have to put a big order in on Monday!

So you'd strip it rather than go with the precarb,eh? Makes sense, you think it would rinse off faster/cleaner? Im just new to caustics and feel a bit more secure working with the efc38 due to surrounding vegetaion... hmmm

Hey thanks agin Rick! Great tip on not using the handle for the bucket! I saw that bungee in your pic, great idea! i just got done loading it up into my truck for tomorrow's job and was curious about that handle/pale holder set up. I'll bing an extra bungee tomorrow! Curious about your opinion re: not using the deckster for chems. I've heard different things on this board... As long as clean it out each time, do you think Id be OK? I have a srs600 shurflo unit, waiting for a new pump. Maybe I'll give the shurflo the task of dealing with chems and reserve the deckster for the sealing... Thanks!

Hey guys! Okay, so I just desined my new spring 2007 advertising mailer. Its a 6x9 Postcard that I send out to my target market. I get the addresses from InfoUSA ( an address database seller ). The "Lamorinda" part is the area where I do business, mostly upscale residential addresses. Just thought Id share it for you guys to weigh in on. Thanks!

Oh, and I just have the filter, no coupler for it. It slides onto the hose, but remains loose.....

Thanks guys! Wow, Rick, maybe someday my unit will look as cool as yours! So I figured it out! ANd, WOWWWWW Its awesome! I cant believe I ever used anything else to apply soaps,strippers,etc! This is gonna be great! Just need to figure out how best to transport this thing to my jobs~running short on space in the back of my truck. Do you guys removed battery when transporting? And, if I understand you right, ALWAYS re-attach the QC's after use? Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh, and how do i adjust the pressure on the unit?