One Tough Pressure

Changing the tips is the best and most consistent way to achieve this. If you change the Unloader, then you are affecting flow also.

Looking into this company, does anyone know anything about them? http://www.industrialairsolutions.com/industrial-vacuums/nikro-vacuums/nikro-vacuums.htm

My machine is 3500 psi and it came with 4500 psi hose. I figure that if the manufacturer set it up this way, I would keep it this way. I am not exactly sure what the percentages are, but if the hose says 4500 psi, then it is actually over by a certain percent, so in reality, my hose is overkill. That as it may be, I call it cheap insurance. It just gives that extra bit to safety and that is the most important.

My machine is 3500 psi and it came with 4500 psi hose. I figure that if the manufacturer set it up this way, I would keep it this way. I am not exactly sure what the percentages are, but if the hose says 4500 psi, then it is actually over by a certain percent, so in reality, my hose is overkill. That as it may be, I call it cheap insurance. It just gives that extra bit to safety and that is the most important.

What do you mean pass a regulation and impose fines? Here is the current set up, not sure if it applies to all States, but it does apply to many. City fine $2000.00 per day State Fine $10,000 per day EPA Fine $25,000.00 per day They can give you a warning or a fine depending on their attitude for the day.

I am saying that Bonding shows potential clients that you have done your homework, on your employees. They do not want a crook in their place and this is a measure of good faith to show that you are not just hiring anyone, and that they are checked out.

Ron, A sump pump can be added to any vacuum that has the room inside, so I say yes to that one. Dave, Now that is what I call a vacuum, 5000 CFM!!!! Can you get that in a wet rating?

John T, Why would you want to fight the EPA? The impact of Pressure Washing hurts everyone. Sure, no one wants to hear that, but it is true.

Who here has converted their regular washer unit into a true Steam Cleaner? When I say true, I mean when the water is bypassed on the HP side, so that the water is superheated and their is very little runoff. Not including the high temp hose and open gun, it is only a valve to bypass the water, but I can not find them, and dealers want B I G dollars for them.

Maybe on my next one, my current setup does not easily allow for those changes.

Insurance would be to cover any items that you break or damage, such as their precious computer equipment. The Bonding, would be a way of showing that you have done some homework on your employees, and are not employing some convicted bank robbers, ready to make their next heist.

That may very well be possible, but to what extent I do not know. I am not a burner expert, but they are rated for a specific amount of water. Larger nozzles and blowers may end up reducing the life of the coil, and they are not cheap to replace. I am not sure what the cost of nozzles and blowers , plus the labor to have it installed and calibrated are. I just wanted him to check on the burner before he spends a good chunk of money for a new pump and then finds out that he no longer has hot water and has to spend even more to fix it.

Water recovery is not as hard as some people think it is. Sure there are companies that sell very expensive setups and they look real nice, but it can be done on an affordable budget.

Wow Dave, You have a nice setup there. You kinda lost me on adjusting the flame on the boiler and adjusting the pump itself. I will have to go back and check my equipment, but I do not think that those two are easily done, as it is now

Joel, Guess I missed this post a little while back. One thing to check out before you switch that pump. What is the rating on the burner you have? Upgrading to a bigger pump is a good idea, but if the burner that you have is not big enough, then you will have 5.5 gpm of warm water, rather than 3.5 of hot.

Ron, Don't cut yourself short. It is the same theory as what you know now, just on a smaller scale, with more attention to the watre and where it goes.

It is not the water coming out of your pressure washer that they are concerned with. It is the dirt that you are removing and the chemicals that they are concerned about. Even a small cold water pressure washer with no chemicals, will release more grime, than a big rain event will. (not referring to dust, leaves, etc)

Yes , as long as your Insurance and Bonding are up to date. Those are two of the most important items that they start with.

Sure Ron, cold water in small places is ideal due to the steam factor. But regardless of water temp and pressure, flow is a problem also in somebodies house while doing their kitchen or bathroom floor. So even with the water jet, their is a problem. A regular portable carpet machine with a souped up pump would be the most economical and safest for interior cleaning. Although a shop vac and a portable pump would do the trick, a carpet machine would be self contained for clean and dirty water, the vacuum and the pump. Easier to drag around and looks more pro than a milk crate full of junk.

Okay, here it is. They have changed their site a little and it was much more user friendly this time. http://www.3m.com/us/mfg_industrial/commcare/solutions_cleangrout.jhtml I have not done any Residential tile cleaning, only Institutional, so almost everything was able to get wet. One of the most popular add ons for carpet cleaners is Tile and Grout Cleaning, due to their low volume equipment, it's perfect for indoors. Here is a system that I have used many times. It is 250psi and did a good job, just very time consuming, as you have to run the water down each and every grout line, using a zero degree tip. http://www.kaivac.com/kaiwhiz.htm Here is the larger version that has 400 psi. http://www.kaivac.com/kaivac.htm And here is a new product that I just discovered when getting the above links. http://www.kaivac.com/kairate.htm Now, I must say that these are not cheap. The small one on top was nearly $3000.00 2 years ago. They could be built for much less, if you are handy. They basically are self contained indoor pressure washers. They have a vacuum, a pump that is similar to a Flojet or Shurflo, a clean and dirty water tank and downstream soap injection. They were designed for Large areas, where down time of filling and dumping water would be to time consuming. In a Residential setting, the areas are much smaller, so I would reccomend looking at these machines and building your own.

Have read more than a few times of people that use dish soap as a surfactant in their house wash. What do you do with all the suds? I mean when I wash some dishes, it foams a lot, I could not imagine 2 cups of it put thru my machine and then falling in someones plants. What am I missing here???

When you say Rotary machine, I think of a Standard 175 RPM Floor Scrubber. If this is what you are referring to, then yes you can. The pads are only somewhat effective, as they can not do a great job on the porous grout. 3M makes a pad for concrete and gouted floors that works great. Their website is a pain in the rear to search, or I would give you a link. I have used the # 73 version on both of the surfaces above and it did a good job. However, depending on the size of the floor, then you can use a deck brush, to avoid machine rental. , Aside from a good chemical, the other issue is a good rinse, to flush the dirt out of the pores. If I can find a link without falling asleep on the 3M site, I will add it here later.

Grout cleaning is a low pressure application. Usually in the 800-1500psi range. The chemicals should do most of the work, and the PW is doing a deep and thorough rinse. Grout is a fragile item, especially on some older floors. I recall the Gekko as a surface cleaner for use with a carpet van and not sure about the Hydro. Using reduced pressure, you can use your PW to clean grout with hot or cold water. However, keep in mind all the water that will be used. You must have adequate drainage or some fast moving people with wet vacuums nearby. Carpet cleaning units average 1 to 2 gallons per minute, while a regular surface cleaner usually needs 3 gallons to operate. I gave some thought to adapting a Gekko like tool to my washer, since they require less water and gpm to operate. Using bigger tips and bypassing water from your pump on the High Pressure side will turn a regular 5gpm/3000psi machine into a carpet cleaner.