One Tough Pressure

http://groups.msn.com/hotwaterwizard/powerwashclipart.msnw This site has alot of line art for pressure cleaning. You will have to check with John, The Hot Water Wizard to see who owns what, and if their are any restrictions on photos/drawings.

Chris, I should of answered your emails in public, some could have helped others and now they will never know. Well, they will if they ask. You already have this info, but for others, the best prices I have seen for the vacu boom is at Higher Power Supplies. Beth is adding new stuff to her arsenal all the time, so check with her for items, and see if she carries them. https://www.thegrimescene.com/Store/

Once I make up my mind as to set up, I will post a picture of the new arrangement. I must say it is not what All American had planned when they made it.

Thanks Dave, I have a 120 volt skid and use the generator from that for the lights/burner. I also have a larger generator that I use, but not for the lights. Jon, That was last year, The generator has been playing musical chairs and has moved. In the truck for now.

HA HA, Why not just buy some chrome wheels and be in the original cool club?

Scott, There are many situations that you can clean concrete with hot water alone, but it will be at your discretion. I do not encounter to much mold, so do not have much to say there, except that it can be removed from concrete with hot water, whether it is killed or not is another question. Bleach is commonly used for this, and by the time you are done, should be very diluted, as to not cause a problem with the sanitary system. I am looking into adding a sand filter similar to what is used for swimming pools to see if it will add anything more to my current filtration system. In my area, I have no problem, dumping to the sanitary sewer in most cases. I try to stay away from harsh chemicals and solvents as they are usually not needed, and also do not filter out in my water recycler. I try to reuse my water when I can, and I do not want to run extreme things thru my pump.

Let's shoot for the 21st. Location to be announced depending on who is coming.

California Meeting, who's interested?? Seems like most of us are Southern, but I know Carlos from New Look is up North. Last year, everyone had plans on the scheduled day and no one could agree on a good day, so their was a small meeting with only two. Would be nice to increase the numbers this year.

Trailer before I reconfigured it a little for the new vacuum. The black box at the back is the oil water recycle unit, and cleans the water down to 5 microns. Not drinking quality, as many have asked, but just fine for washing, and then a fresh rinse. Scroll up and you can see the front view of the recycle unit. On the front of the trailer, where you see the soap rack, I now have my waste tank for the vacuum. It has a sump pump inside, that pushes the water to the recycler which then has another sump pump, to push it thru the blue polishing filters, and then to the rear tank of the trailer. I have both tanks plumbed to the pump, and can draw off either one, or both using ball valves.

Kohler Vacuum

The first year, I did have a Waste Haulers permit and a Permit to discharge. I never dumped at the City Plant, as it was easier to dump at home and was allowed. My water is also considered re useable, so that I can haul it without permits and such. After the firstyear, the Director of Public Works said don't bother. The treatment plants vary by City,, and some have better systems than others. The ones with the older systems, want frequent tests of your water as it can throw their system way off if you dump alot. Although I can, I have yet to clean a gas station, so my water does not get really dirty, like it would there. However the treatment unit is rated for it. I plan to add a few items to it to improve the water quality, just been putting it off. I also have a chlorine floater in my reuse tank, to freshen it up a little. These Cities really have no clue as to what you are going to produce in your wash process and that is why they want to perform tests, but that is normal, so expect to hear that often.

The water in my reclaim unit itself is not considered haz mat material. It is also not large enough to require a permit, even if it were to be classified haz mat, which I recall as being 500 gallons.

Scott, I recover my water using a vacuum system, which then uses a sump pump to push it thru my oil water seperator, which filters down to 5 microns, which is suitable for reuse. I then have a few options. I can recover and reuse, so that by the end of the job, I have used most of the filtered water. I can dump on site in the sanitary sewer, if permitted at the location, or I can haul it away. In my case, since the water is reuseable, I do not need a haz mat license. That may vary from place to place.

Over time I have read multiple posts regarding pumps and their true abilities. Seems that more often than not, that belt driven pumps are run in what some call a "safe mode" and that with proper experience, they can be sped up a little to increase output. And this is being done without any damage to the pump. I am not a pump expert and have not had the joy of rebuilding one just yet. May be sooner than I think if I add the nitrous though. Okay, just kidding about the Nitrous. Who has successfully increased their pump output, and had it last for a decent amount of time? Apparently it can be done, if you know what pulleys to use. My rig has a General TS1021 pump which was rated at 3500 PSI and 5.3 GPM. What can I get out of it as far as more GPM without burning it up in the first hour? I know that some of you know quite a bit on this subject, so please, let's hear it. And a last minute addition to this. I looked around a little for 1021 specs and General's website lists this pump as 3000 PSI and 4.5 GPM max, running at 1125 RPM. I do not know how to check RPM of the pump, but have tested pressure with multiple gauges and it was 3200 psi with 150 feet of hose. I have also checked gpm and it does slightly more than 5 gpm. So unless All American has already sped up the pump, then I got the wrong sticker on my pump. Go figure.

Rob, I merged the threads for you all in one place. They get merged by date and time, so that explains the order they show in.

Thanks Bruce. As I mentioned earlier, I am not really wanting to do this, but want to understand the theory behind it. In another post, I made reference to bypassing water, so that my GPM was less than the pump is rated for and that is what I am going to do. I am happy with my 5 or so gpm and do not really need much more. When I do, I will get the trash pump out for 152 gpm and hang on tight. I actually byapass water on that too, otherwise I run out mighty quick. It is nice to know the limits of equipment and what it can do if really needed.

Just remember, that it is not the car that you drive, but the size of the arm hanging out the window.

Welcome to the board Wendy!! I use gloves, nothing worse than getting burned from HOT water. I also use eye protection, as replacements are not cheap. Hearing protection is my best friend, as I have 3 engines going at once. I prefer the muff style as opposed to the ear plugs. Helps keep the ears warm too. Leather steel toe boots, as I do not want to lose any toes. Can't figure out why people will wash in sandles, not worth the risk. I am lagging in the respirator dept, but do use dust masks, and bandanas when blowing areas prior to washing. Have MSDS sheets for each chemical I have on board, and have read them priuor to actually needing them. Would like to add an eye wash staion to the trailer, but am lagging there too.

Thanks Paul. My engine rpm is 3450 as I have a tach/hour meter hooked up. I will look into a tach for the pump shaft, and Safe practices will be used., but If for some reason I do not post anymore, you know I was not safe enough, and lost my fingers. :eek: I am not really planning on doing this, but would like to understand the theory behind the process. I would like to know the pump rpm though, and will check into this.

I was waiting to see which one you would pick.

Say a pump usually runs at 1450 rpm. That is what some have called "safe mode" They claim it can be increased somewhat from their and not exceed the pumps max rpm, thus not reducing life in a signifigant way. Only repeating what I hear from others and looking for some more correct answers. Who here is the pump expert?

oh Ron, look what you started now!

And don't forget bypass to just use less water for what ever reason. I want all of the above and by next week, I will have that bypass valve installed. I will use my Dual Lance as a broomstick and fly back to the truck on long hose runs.

SSHHHHHH Paul, don't tell anyone, the walls have ears.

Thats 3500 psi at 210° using my turbo as close as I can get right?? Then I wait five minutes and seal it up, using my hose end pesticide sprayer. Presto, Concrete cleaner turns to wood restoration specialist.:D Anyone have some extra jobs i can practice my theory on??;)