CCHSNC 14 Report post Posted January 17, 2004 I have used emulsifier plus and rowletts citri clean mix. I have had good resolts with both but I'm not sold out yet. Which is your favorite?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 jsavoy 14 Report post Posted February 1, 2004 Wow where you get it from so cheap? You buy it 55 gal drums? Let me know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Guest rfitz Report post Posted February 1, 2004 Last year I bought 100 5 gallon jugs from them, after telling the owner of my new set up and me new 20 gallon chlorine tank on the van, we agreed that I could just pull up close to the door, and they could fill that tank with the hose they use to fill all their 5 gallon jugs with, I told him I would be there at least twice a week, thats 40 gallons a week, so we agreed on that price, believe it or not chlorine is pretty cheap to make, even if you go in and only buy 5 gallons a week you still only pay retail $1.55 a gallon, so really he is only giving me a 30% or so discount, but I will take it, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 jsavoy 14 Report post Posted February 1, 2004 Cool ,Yes I know where chlorine comes from. They make it all around where I live. It comes from brine or "salt water". Ok well thanks for the info anyway. Take care. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Chappy 138 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Why do you need a rinse aid? What is the purpose. Jon C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Firedkm 14 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Jon, Where I live the water is pretty hard. The rinse aid will help suspend the minerals in the water and make it easier to rinse off. At least that is my understanding. It has help to stop the nasty streaks on the windows for me. I am probally going to stop using the rinse aid this year. I am working on setting a water softner in my trailer. James, Would you explain you process in cleaning a house. If I could cut my time down even more that would be awesome. I thought I had a big improvement on my process last year. I do know that besides switching to the x-jet, the soap I started using(citracleen) had a big improvement on my time. This soap just seems to work alot faster than others I have tried. By the way, Thankyou for having a nice debate about use of bleach or chlorine. I really hope people can make there own decisions by what has been said and maybe learn something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 JustMe 14 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Rfitz has it down to s science and his trick is the soap he uses as well. This is a great thread, lots of opinions as well as debates and education.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 bulletproof 14 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Dale, I use the same mixture as you , but I sometimes use the green power in place of the citracleen same amount. It does a great job also, but I fancy that it rinses alot easier. I use 10% pool chlorine instead of 12% Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Guest rfitz Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Why Rinse aid is used, ? mainly it eliminates all streaking on glass surfaces, and cuts your rinse cycle by approx. 40% which is what takes the longest when washing houses, buildings, etc.. Why do you think every self service car wash uses it in their rinse cycle..? Chems. are always cheaper than Labor/Time, good example, next time you wash your car do it by hand, and rinse it like normal and really pay attention to your windows on your car when rinsing with just normal water, then go thru a self serv., car wash and during the rinse cycle, look at your windows, the water just beads and runs right off it disperses it in such a manner, it cant streak, so it is doing the same process on the siding, sofits, shutters etc.. essentialy no streaking, or spotting but mainly I love it because I can rinse a side of a house say 50 wide by 30 tall in under 10 minutes, another plus is I tell the homeowner when they hire a company to wash their windows, they will only need to have the insides done, which saves them half the money on getting their windows clean, by the way if you guys arent using 6136 soap and 6126 rinse aid from Bob at www.pressuretek.com you are really hurting your business, try it and you wont go back to what you are using, it's alot cheaper and alot better than what you are using now, I wouldnt use anything else, give him a call and order some, it will blow your mind... Good Luck, Hope this helps... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 jsavoy 14 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 FIREDKM email me if you want I posted my method a few post above. If you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them. jsavoy@cox.net Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Paul B. 523 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Rob, "I have some neighborhoods that I have to x-jet the chlorine 3 or 4 to 1 just to kill the first layer of mold, and the repeat that again, some of these people have never had their house washed and they are 70-80 years old and well over $750K in price, now for houses like that I know I have to wash twice I usually charge double, maybe $500-$900 range thaey are in bad shape.." What type of exterior are you cleaning? If the house is that old, it's not vinyl siding and most likely not even aluminum siding. If it's painted wood and that old, the paint is most likely lead based and in poor condition. Cedar siding was not popular in the 20's and 30's and would also be in poor condition if never cleaned or treated. In any case, I wouldn't touch a house like that. I've always been amazed at why houses over $300K would have any vinyl siding on them. It takes all kinds, I guess! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Guest rfitz Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Paul, Im sure when they were built they were wood sided, and as people move in and renovate, they have vinyl or alum. siding put on, Vinyl here in st. louis is very popular, even on homes over $500K... so to answere your question homes in this area, are mostly old wood siding that needs to be washed then repainted, or old steel siding.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Paul B. 523 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Rob, My question/statements were based on your statement of: "...some of these people have never had their house washed and they are 70-80 years old..." In any case, I understand what you are saying. My amazement is still there for anyone wanting vinyl siding on a home over $300K. Be it popular or not, there is nothing pretty about vinyl siding! (I suppose these are the same people that buy $750K houses on 1/4 acre lots.) Some of the newer style siding (two toned or multi-toned) looks like it's always dirty. People are always offended that I offer to clean them. - well, ...They look dirty! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Guest rfitz Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Paul, Another siding I learned the hard way was stucco/concrete these were a nitemare, for now on, my price on these will be double than a reg. wood or vinyl sided home, the spider webs, just wont come off, you have to rinse, brush, rinse brush, etc.. I hate those, I hope I dont get too many calls on these Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Paul B. 523 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 We don't have a lot of stucco homes in this area. A few homes from the 50's, that's about it. Most stucco/Dry-vit is commercial construction. A spider brush works well. 10 minutes around a house while it's still dry gets 95%. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 squirtgun 122 Report post Posted February 2, 2004 Rob, Brushing spider webs dry is the way to go.I have tried both ways,and wil never go back to wash and scrub.Paul is right when he says you can get about 95%. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 CCHSNC 14 Report post Posted February 3, 2004 I have noticed when I use the emulsifier plus the spider webs come right off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Guest rfitz Report post Posted February 3, 2004 I tried that, and about 5 others and nothing worked, although I never just tried brushing first, then washing, I will try that next time.... THX Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 dfox99 14 Report post Posted February 3, 2004 Great thread, here's my 2 cents... Rinse Aid, wonder why if soft water cleans better, and a rinse aid assists in softening water by suspending the minerals, why not put it in the soap mix? Keep in mind bleach or at least the liquid form of sodium hypochlorite loses its potency after a few weeks. Don't buy more than you can use. I use the Xjet and citraclean, clorox (because I can't justify buying a 55 gallon drum before it would go bad), rinse aid, wet wax and some foamer. This does a good job but I really haven't tried anything else...only been doing this one season. I too do two sides then rinse. I rinse the windows before I move and keep them rinsed. I have an onboard softener in addition to using the rinse aid because I live in the NE and the water runs hard. I even final rinse the windows with a liquid cascade mix with the xjet. Windows aren't bad when finished but they're not perfect either. I constantly test my water hardness coming into the tank to determine that the softener is working properly and keeping it charged. I prefer to apply the soap and rinse with the xjet close up tip...as high as I can reasonably reach and soap. I do this as not to force water under the siding since sometimes that will cause weeping and yellow stains that you can rinse and rinse but still need to go back and wipe. I don't use a lot of soap mix either. Approximately 5 gallons of mix for a ranch. Maybe two jugs for a typical 2 story around here. I also have a downstream setup with my rig. What I was thinking of doing was still using the xjet for the wash, but then using the dual lance to apply the onboard rinse aid I have mixed up (usually used as a final rinse when washing cars). I would do this in hope of a shinier finish on the siding but don't know yet until I try it. I also want to try a couple of other soap products just to compare. Questions... Rob Fitz, what size of nozzle to you use for the rinse? Doug Fox Upstate NY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Guest rfitz Report post Posted February 4, 2004 For what its worth, E-spec put out a 2 page spread in one of their catalogs of why not to use an X-jet to wash homes with, this isnt me saying this, I am just telling you what I read, ? Anyway, I use very large orifces to wash and rinse with, I use a 0070 to apply soap, and a 0050 to rinse, keep in mind, these tips blow the x-jet right out of the water, I get a heavy low pressure stream of water hitting the house, when doing gutters I use a 0030, and really cuts down on brushing, let me know if you need a good source for tips and chems, and you may only resort to the x-jet once in a while... Just my opinion... Hope This Helps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 JustMe 14 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 How do you thinka dual lance setup would work for houses? what tips would you use if using that setup or is it a waste of time using a dual lance on a house? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Guest rfitz Report post Posted February 4, 2004 A dual lance would work fine, but would get heavy after a while, when all you need to do is either change tips, or pull your downstream soap line out, I prefer changing tips, knowing exactly at what pressure your tip stops drawing soap will eliminate alot of walking back and forth to your rig, First I rinse windows, then soap 2 sides, walk back put soap line in rinse aid, rinse 2 sides, then rinse windows on other 2 sides, then soap, then rinse reel up hoses and off to another job, 1 guy with my set up, could easily wash 2-3 decks a day, or 3-5 houses a day, or a little of both is actually what I like doing, it breaks up your days, and I always try and schedule it so I never have a staining/painting job, on the same day as a wash job, you can be much more efficient, however with the hiring of several full time employees this year, Im sure this will be unavoidable... I plan on doing alot more selling and estimating, and have my employees doing the washing and staining, but Im sure it will take a while to get them up to speed, I actually start interviewing in 2-3 weeks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Paul B. 523 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Doug, The rinse aid technology is fairly complicated as it pertains to formulations and there are many different types of rinse aids on the market. You can put rinse aid in your detergent mix, but you have to be careful to choose the correct product. Originally dishwashers had a separete rinse aid dispenser. As the consumer forgot to fill this dispenser, dishes were not being rinsed properly which shifted companies strategy to start adding time release water conditioning and rinse agent beads to the detergents which are released in the rinse cycle. Most rinse aids that are formulated to be used in the rinse cycle, counteract foaming action. If you put these types into your detergent, they start breaking it down. Many of these rinse aids also work by reducing/neutralizing the pH level. Depending on the rinse aids effectiveness, you may or may not see a drastic reduction of your detergent's effectiveness. In any case, look for commercial products that are formulated to be combined with high pH detergents such as Citracleen (which has concentrate ph of 12.8 and 1% Dilution ph of 11.3). I'm sure the supplier can tell you if their rinse agent is formulated for use in Citracleen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 JustMe 14 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Rob, Bob just called and pretty much told me the same thing, had a good conversation with him about tips and wands and I now have a much better understanding. He told me about how far you shot water at a bow target, holy cows that is impressive! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Paul B. 523 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Rob, You need to remember that for a large number of folks out there, downstreaming does not work (or work properly) when hose lengths are in excess of 150 feet. The X-jet is a solution for those folks. I guess washing and rinsing 2 sides of a house at one time depends on what size the houses are that you are washing, how dirty they are and if the sides are exposed to the sun in 95+ degree temperatures. Here is the typical size (vinyl sided) house we wash. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Paul B. 523 Report post Posted February 4, 2004 Here is another: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I have used emulsifier plus and rowletts citri clean mix. I have had good resolts with both but I'm not sold out yet. Which is your favorite??
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