Buckeye

I copied in an article that I ran across about WD-40. It has many uses as you can see. Has anyone used it to help protect their couplers, nozzles and injectors from corrosion. It seems to me it can't hurt after you have rinsed everything off. Chris Here is copy of article..... WD-40 AND ALL ITS USES Who knew...... WD-40 also known as: Water Displacement #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. The workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling (also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home. The executives decided there might be a consumer market for it and put it in aerosol cans. The rest, as they say, is history. It is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master." There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year. It gets its distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you. When you read the "shower door" part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stovetop...Voila! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed. HERE ARE SOME OF THE USES: *Protects silver from tarnishing. *Cleans and lubricates guitar strings. *Gives floors that "just-waxed" sheen without making it slippery. *Keeps flies off cows. *Restores and cleans chalkboards. *Removes lipstick stains. *Loosens stubborn zippers. *Untangles jewelry chains. *Removes stains from stainless steel sinks. *Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill. *Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing. *Removes tomato stains from clothing. *Keeps glass shower! Doors free of water spots. *Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors. *Keeps scissors working smoothly. *Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes. *Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide. *Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers. *Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises. *Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open. *Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close. *Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers. *Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles. *Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans. *Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling. *Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly. *Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools. *Removes splattered grease on stove. *Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging. *Lubricates prosthetic limbs. *Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell). *Removes all traces of duct tape. *Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain. *Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers." *The favorite use in the state of New York--WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements. *WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states. *Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch. *WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag. *Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone! *If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start. *It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! *Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks. *Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40! * P.S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL*

I'm thinking of switching to downstreaming from the M5. I have a 4GPM machine. Would a size #25 be better for me than a #40. I'm thinking of getting both a 25deg and 00deg sray pattern for the chem application. Also, I usually pull out 200' of HP hose. How long does it take to clear the line of chems when rinsing and about how much chem is wasted when I clear the line. Thx, Chris

I made an earlier thread with an excel spreadsheet to help determining housewash formulas......check it out and see what you think. http://forums.thegrimescene.com/showthread.php?t=8187&highlight=excel Chris

I was watching another guy pressure wash today and he never changed tips on his wand when switching from low pressure soap application to higher pressure rinse mode. I never got a chance to ask him about it as I had to run an errand that couldn't wait. So my question is in regards to this setup. Is there a way that you can syphon from your soap and then rinse afterwards without changing tips? How is this accomplished?

I am going to set up a chemical tank that I can downstream from. The following web site has a tank I'm interested in or if I can find one similar for cheaper. I like it because of its cone bottom design. http://www.plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=135 My main question is whether or not to hook up the plumbing from the top or the bottom. How does hooking up the plumbing from the bottom effect my syphoning? Any hints, tips, ideas and critique would be helpful. Thanks, Chris

I tested the draw rate as soon as I got the new injector with just straight water. 10 to 1 was best I could get. No line obstructions and yes it has a ceramic ball. It is however a High Draw Injector/Non-Adj, Ready to Go from Mobi Clean, so maybe there is a difference uising the variable rate injector. Thanks for your reponse, Chris

I feel like such a newbie..lol...which I am..anyway, I never knew about dual lances until this morning or I should say I've seen them mentioned but never researched it. Everyone I've always talked to or seen on these message boards has said they love downstreaming and that they switch tips to acheive the syphon vs rinsing stages. This dual lance thing seems like the way to go or am I missing something. Seems like it would save some time and mess always having to switch tips back and forth. Any feedback would be appreciated. Ahhhh the joys of being a newbie. Thanks again, Chris

Thanks Guys, I'm just using a 15 gallon tank now....nothing fancy. I like the idea of 2' of plastic pipe that John mentioned. I might try that. Question for Keth....You say you downstream 5 gallons of SH 12.5% and 5 gallons of housewash detergent....what draw rate do you get on your downstreamer?? I can only get a 10 to 1 ratio on mine and at that rate the SH hitting the wall would only be 0.6%. You would have to have an injector that gets 5 to 1 to get in the range of 1.25% SH hitting the wall. Where do you get your injectors? I tried the one from Mobi Clean that claims a 20% draw rate which would equate to 4 to 1. I doubted that I would be able to get that good a rate but I thought I would at least get better than my current 10 to 1 ratio or 9%. I was wrong and the best I can still get is 10 to 1. Just curious if you are doing something different to get a better draw rate. Thanks again for everyones replys..!! Chris

Has anyone used the Simple Cherry housewash from Pressure Tek..? Just curious on results. Thanks, Chris

I made a House Wash Ratio Calculator in Excel. It helps me to figure out my ratios and what percentage of SH I have hitting the wall. I hope it helps out. Chris ratio.xls

I figured I would have got some responses on this one. Maybe I confused people with it. Once you pull up the excel file, you can change the values in yellow to suit whatever mixtures you are trying to formulate. Or maybe I'm just slow and everyone does this in their head. Chris

I landed a job where the customer would like me to come back monthly for cleaning. My question concerns the concrete. She has over 4300sq ft of concrete surface area. Can I continue to clean it monthly with my surface cleaner at 4000psi and not damage the concrete? Won't I eventually keep slowly eating away at the concrete? I surely do not want to replace 4300sq ft of concrete at my expense. Newbie seeking assistance..! Thanks in advance. Chris

I'm just starting out and was wondering what was the best method or chemicals for cleaning stucco. Basically it is new construction with mud stains. Thanks for any input. Chris

I created a machine specific "Nozzle Excel Spreadsheet". Just enter in you GPM and PSI for your machine and it will give you the Actual PSI for different nozzle sizes. I hope you enjoy. Chris Macine Specific Nozzle Chart.xls

If you click on the link above it pulls it up in a browser. Better to right click and save it to your computer and pull it up with you MS Excel. If it is not sized right for your screen, you can adjust the zoom in Excel to show all columns and rows. The Nozzle Size column goes from 1-60. If you don't see all the rows you will have to adjust your zoom. Chris

Has anyone used the Simple Cherry house wash from Pressure Tek..? Just curious on results. Thanks, Chris

Thanks everyone, I have called Bob and ordered my stuff. Bob has been great. I just hope he isn't sick of me yet. I think I've called him about 10 times by now..LOL. I'm excited to try out the downstreaming technique, I know I will love the time savings. Keep the tips coming. Thanks again, Chris

In case some of you missed a thread from the "Tools, Equipment & MTC" section, here is a link to the thread. It involves buying a water tank at Wal-Mart and setting up an enclosed chem tank........ http://forums.thegrimescene.com/showthread.php?p=69306#post69306 Chris

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Here is my setup, the same as Dan's from Wal-Mart and I got the hose fittings at Ace Hardware. I couldn't find a 3/8"barb with 3/4" threads attached so I improvised. I found a 3/8"barb with 3/8" threads attached then I just found a 3/4" thread with an interior 3/8" threaded reduction. It works great but I just wish I was able to find them all plastic. No big deal I guess, I'm just anal and like uniformity. Anyway here are pictures of my setup. Just screw the lid back onto the bucket from Wal-Mart and “Walla " you've got your enclosed tank system for about 1/2 the cost of the one advertised at Sun Brite. The material from Ace cost around $7.00.

Hey guys, I'm new to the pressure washing business. I'm starting part time as a side venture and these forums are great. Thanks for all the great information. It has helped me not look like such a newbie..lol. Anyway, my question is in regards to the length of the low pressure chem hose that goes to my M-5 X-Jet. How long can it be? I was thinking about getting 50' of low pressure hose so that I wouldn't have to move my bucket as much. Also, how much high pressure hose do I need to do average sized homes? I have two 50' high pressure hoses but 100' doesn't seem to cut it for geting around the whole house. Can I keep on adding 50' after 50' or is it better to get a 100' hose and add on a 50' when I need it? Thanks again for all the great information provided. I couldn't have done it without you guys. Chris

Hey Rod, I have a 4 GPM machine, what do you think is my max length for my chem hose to the M-5 X-Jet. Thx, Chris