577-Jersey

I guess it depends on your area, but Elemonator is basically all we use in our house wash. I've seen Totally Awesome at Dollar General, but never used it. We use F13 from Pressure Tek for gutter stripes & to boost bleach strength when needed. Adding more surfactant (soap) also means more time rinsing.....for sure a fine line.

Phila. Phillies when very young.  Grandfather and father took me to some games down to the old Connie Mack stadium.  Saw Sandy Kofacx pitch a no hitter.  In the early '80's was at the Spectrum for every home playoff an finals game of the '76 Sixers.  Moses Malone was so dominating, Kareem was just beat up.
 
Been a fan of the Eagles mostly, with a long time interest in the Raiders of the NFL.  Suffering for many moons.

Okay - who are your favorite teams for Football, Hockey, Basketball, and Baseball? (and any other sports you might like.
 
I'll start. For football I love my Redskins and for hockey I love my Washington Capitals!
 
Have not followed basketball in years, but was a Washington Bullets fan way back when that was their name. I guess they are Wizards now?
 
I have never been a baseball person but I would pick the Orioles - Maryland team.
 
Beth

Totally agree I am hoping by posting this unfortunate tragedy some one new to the industry would read it and prevent another

Hydraulic oil is not necessarily a lubricating oil.
It is designed with a density factor for the purpose of limiting compression differential.
Made to displace air which compresses so easily in order to provide a safe hydraulic fluid.

ND (non-detergent) oil is typical for pumps because of the sealed compartment they operate in.
I would stick with oil designated for use in pumps and change them based upon the operations manuals specifications.
 
Rod

I use synthetic pump oil and had very good results. I have changed the pump oil per manufacturer suggestions and I have never had any issues.

I used to spend upwards of $300.00-$400.00 per month on House Wash detergents for Down streaming etc... I ran out one day and the wife said here try some Dawn what can it hurt. I never looked back!!! Now I may spend $40.00-$60.00 on Dawn per month and to me it works a lot better than all that fancy soap that is WAY over priced. Dan your a micro mananaging #'s kinda guy...Do the math on that one!

There is very little risk of tracking bleach into the home or killing grass if your downstreaming THEN pressure washing. I like PWing first then downstreaming bleach last. Both ways work, and there is so much water in the grass by the time you finish the risk is nil.

Shock your clorine if it starts to weaken.

I've let a 15 gallon keg sit outside all winter here in Massachusetts and it was fine in the spring.

I use a 1540 (or 2540) and a 0040 to apply soap. If you create back pressure by closing the ball valve a little bit you will shut off the downstreamer.
Vi-ola! You're shooting just water with a nice fat low pressure stream.

Turn the soap off at the gun with your ball valve. Just tighten it up a little and rinse with your low pressure soap tip.

Our downstream injector is around 10:1 we use 2 gals 12% sh and 2.5 gals water. I have never gotten on a ladder to do a house wash.

It is indeed a great source of info if you just starting out. I purchased the power washer guide and I can say with certainty it is money well spent

My AR direct drive pump has worked wonders for me, will be repacking it this week for the first time. It sucks right out of tank no problem, even though it's direct drive!

Cat pumps and AR pumps have served me well.
Cat pumps are pricey to repair from what I have heard but barely need more than new seals and packings.
I think most pumps will perform well and last a long time if care is taken to change the oil regularly and keep the inlet filter clean. Also, limiting the use of the thermal relief valve helps add to the life of the pistons, seals and packings.
Rod!~

When I am done soaping an area, I remove the siphon hose from the chem bucket, and drop it in my water tank. When it's not drawing chems, it's drawing water. I started doing this 6-8 months ago when I bought a new GP fixed injector, and that same one is still going strong.

I only use the Long Arms for really tall houses.
The rest of the time we use Sherlock poles 8-16'.
The locking mechanism is more durable and actually uses a metal pin.
The parts are available to replace anything when it breaks so you don't have to buy a whole new pole
unlike the long arm poles that require complete replacement once any part of it breaks.
 
Rod

I bought that book over the summer and even with 20yrs doing my Powerwashing business I still learned a lot from it. Highly recommend it for newbies and long time powerwashers like myself.

Its highlighted where you typed it,,thanks so much..my wife said she would get it for me for Christmas.

I would love to buy the pressure washer book but $150 is a little out of my reach right now,,I have to get a few of these small jobs out of the way and save $$ first.Plus the buy link is dead(not highlighted blue),it doesn't click for me?
 I spoke with Tom at ACR he is my neighbor,,I am going to the round table in March too learn as well.
 Thanks for all your help its been great.
 
Regards
Tom

Tommy,
 
You are located in Phillipsburg, NJ?  Holy smokes, you could almost spit to ACR Products.  Thought I had it good here in Ringoes.
 
I've been doing business with ACR for 13+ years now.  They have been key to keeping me in business.  We're not true pressure washers, but use a fair amount of specialized equipment, various chems, exterior wood stain, etc.  Tom and crew have fabricated custom equipment, maintained PW's, and have just been a terrific partner.  They carry more parts than I had any idea existed.  Highly reccomended.
 
ACR carries some used, but tested and maintained PW's.  I would suggest visiting and talking with them first.

Actually I started using LA's Simply Awesome this year and have had fantastic results. I put 1/2 gallon in 2 or 2-1/2 gallons of water and apply with a soft brush. I always first spray my downstream wash mix and then my tech falls in behind me brushing the gutters. So far this year it has not let me down. It had been very effective. I finally got around to taking some b/a pics today. I've got to start doing more of these pictures.
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