One Tough Pressure

Thanks Dave, No work today, it's Sunday. Lucky me.

But Beth did not say anything, that was Rod talking. Concrete, I vary between 120° & 200° depending on soil. On kitchen equipment, I run full open at 200°. I do quarry tile quite often as well, and usually run about 125°

What are you trying to do? They do have sumps that can detect water and turn on to remove it down to 1/8". I do not have any model numbers, but if you do a search I am sure you will find something.

I do not have any run dry sump pumps, but the ones I use are from Little Giant and Wayne. Both have auto on, LG does 40 gpm, and the Wayne does 80 gpm. Both perform well with hot water and are AC powered. I will have to clean them up a bit to get models numbers. Trash pumps are usually gas powered and centrifigul, requiring water for cooling to prevent seizure. Most sump pumps will allow for solids so the need for a trash pump is not needed.

If you know the product, then check the label for clean up procedures. This will most likely be a solvent application rather than a degreaser. I have never needed anything more than hot water to remove tar, and for the stubborn spots, I used low pressure and high heat to stay on it, but not tear up the concrete.

Set your gun up like the picture I linked to and you can get rid of that heavy ball valve. Hate when those handles go stiff on you, and the carting around of extra weight. For the price of that ball valve, I can buy a toolbox full of O-rings

I have qc's on the end of my gun. If I need water to rinse my hands, or flush out my X-Jet/hose, I take the wand off and do it with low pressure. Providing that the heat is not cranked up, it is a quick and easy way to take care of small tasks. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=566

The pictures shown in this snopes link are from an undetermined cause. Although the story claims they are from a spider bite, maybe they are from a water injection injury. Either way, it shows that something minor can turn major. http://www.snopes.com/photos/brownrecluse.asp

Please note that anyone taking Dale up on his offer to experiment with and without gloves, does so at their own risk. Obviously this is dangerous, but there just may be some kamikaze out there who may try it. One of the many goals for people in this business and others, should be to have a success in what they do. Protecting ourselves from potentially dangerous substances should be a top priority. It may take years for effects to show up, but when they do, it may be to late to do anything about it. Quoting Paul B again, "Safety first & make it last"

Rob, What you do in your business and how you monitor your workers is one thing, but to say what you did is foolish. I have worn many things on jobs that you say you would tell the contractor to "get lost". Most people have not asked, but for the few that have, I just explain that being exposed to something on a daily basis may be hazardous to my health and that I will do my best to prevent any injury or illness from my working environment. You have no idea what people get done in a day. After wearing certain items all day long, you get accustomed to them and forget they are even there. So you were in the printing biz for years, and say that the chems used for Pressure Washing are "childs play". That could get someone killed. Hopefully they read more than that part, and avoid serious injury. Each person needs to determine what PPE they need to wear and just get used to it.

Philip, Did you seek professional help? Might not be a bad idea, even if you feel it will be fine. You are lucky, it could have been worse.

I noticed that Home Depot had 4000 psi Goodyear hose in the locked cage by the paint sprayer section. Not sure of the cost, but it is decent hose that would pay for itself soon, as it will last. Check your local HD out and see if they carry it. May try Lowes as well.

My main work is concrete cleaning, and I always explain to the customer what will and will not come out. This way they are well aware of what to expect at the completion of work. I have had customers look at spots or wear and tear of the surface being cleaned and they will ask, "what about this?" I explain whatever needs to be said about the situation so that they agree it is as good as it is going to get. With the exception of a couple of verbally agreed upon small side jobs, I have not experienced anybody not willing to pay, or any possible lawsuits.

Pricing is always a subject of discussion and it is difficult to give prices when there are many factors that we have to guess at. I would say to give this guy prices for a one time cleaning as well as a maintenance schedule and let him see that he has choices. Many companies offer multiple prices depending on service and often highlight the "Best Deal" package to attract attention. As far as what to charge this guy, I would charge him the first time cleaning fee. Unless these things are in really good shape, why would you want to give him the discount when he may only come around once a year? Say that you give him the deal price, and then he wants more frequent service? He would then expect a deal for the increase in cleaning and then you have to discount your already discount price., or explain that he already got the deal. Price it fair, but leave some money for yourself as well. As far as the windows go, I would just do them as I can knock them out pretty quick.

Maybe it needs to be sanded to smooth out the rough surface, and give a good contact area. Did you clean the surface with anything prior to applying the stickers?

Never hurts to look on Ebay either. Some good deals can be had, if you know what to look for. Try Pressure wash (er) (ing) Power wash (er) (ing) Powerwash (er) (ing) Pressure cleaner (ing) Pressure trailer Power Trailer also use a specific brand name that you may want. Some people do not know what they have and list it in the strangest of spots.

If you use flat hose, it will need to be unrolled completely, and any curves in the hose will need a larger arc. You may find it is more trouble than it is worth. I tried flat hose on my sump pump and it was a nightmare. As far as storage, I keep mine on a hand held electrical cord reel. I have used it as a back up but for the most part it just stays put.

Brian, Welcome to the The Grime Scene. There is nothing wrong with putting equipment in a truck bed, but you may run out of room fast. Also the wieght factor of what you put in is a consideration to think of. What type of washer do you have? You may or may not need a tank, depending on your unit, and water supplies in your area. The use of a van can get quite stinky from chems and fuel. A good venting system will help, but may not eliminate the problem.

Paul, According to my air drawing, it looks just like a 6. Can you prove otherwise?

I am not exactly sure why it burst, but would suggest you get some hose rated for 3000 psi. I have a pw that someone gave me, a 2400 psi unit, and the hose that came with that thing is really scary. Feels more like plastic, than rubber. I played with it one time for a few minutes just to see if it worked, other than that, it just sits there. In the Landa catalog, they call this hose "hobby hose". Did you by any chance play around with the unloader, maybe to change pressure or just to see what it does? If that is the case, then you may have adjusted the unit to above 2600 psi and with the spike of letting off the gun, blew the hose. Just a thought.

Sure there is, draw your 6 backwards, from the bottom up.

MR BIG SHOT: Joe grew up in Sudbury, then moved away to attend college and law school. He decided to come back to Sudbury because he felt he could be a big shot at home. He really wanted to impress everyone, so he returned and opened his new law office. The first day, he saw a man coming up the passageway. He decided to make a big impression on this new client when he arrived. As the man came to the door, Joe picked up the phone. He motioned the man in, all the while talking. "No. Absolutely not. You tell those clowns in Toronto that I won't settle this case for less than one million. Yes, the Appeals Court has agreed to hear that case next week. I'll be handling the primary arguments and the other members of my team will provide support. Okay, tell the Crown Attorney that I'll meet with him next week to discuss the details." The "conversation" went on for almost five minutes. All the while the man sat patiently as Joe rattled instructions. Finally, Joe put down the phone and turned to the man, "I'm sorry for the delay but as you can see, I'm very busy. What can I do for you?" The man replied, "I'm from Bell Canada and I came to hook up your phone.

I come across paint quite often in residential work, and my preferred method is low pressure and high heat. That way you can really hit the paint with heat and not chew up the concrete. Start out with low pressure and work your way up to the ideal pressure. Turbo may be faster, but you never know what the condition of the slab is underneath the paint.

N9ice truck indeed. Would be really cool if that box was around everything, and then had roll up doors like a soda truck. To bad it won't fit in parking garages.

Chad, The best way to reduce pressure is to use larger orifice nozzles, or a dual lance. When you change pressure with the unloader that alters the flow as well. The ideal thing is to lower pressure when needed, but keep the flow at the rated gpm for the machine, which in your case is 4 gpm. When you need full pressure again, it will nickel and dime you to death trying to get it right. The unloader is designed to take the load off the pump when you let go of the trigger. Without the unloader, you would need to run an open gun, or else something would explode (hose, gun, pump etc) when you let off. If you want to be able to switch between items without shutting down the machine, you will need to either use a ball valve on the end of the hose, or have quick couplers on the outlet side of the gun.