Is 3000psi 2.7 gpm enough?

[jake16 14]

Hey guys! Brand new to the site and have gotten some really good info from some of you already. I am looking into doing some pressure washing on the side for some extra money and potentially looking into making it a career for myself. I presently have a pressure washer that I purchased for chores around the house that is 3000psi, 2.7 gpm. I was just wondering if this would be strong enough to tackle some small residential jobs with. If so, what kind of chemicals should I start out with so that I don't ruin anyones driveway or yard with drainage. I have done my walkways and driveway a couple times never using any chemical. The results were decent and enough to satisfy me, but it is a different ballgame when you are charging for your services. Any advice you guys could give me would be much appreciated. Thanks

[chris francis 15]

Jake it will work but the time it is going to take is a lot longer clean with that machine then say pw that is 3000psi with 5.5gpm. What are you looking to do with what kind cleaning there are alot soaps out there use alot like simple cherry some like zeps brends up to the user.

[MudDuck 20]

Jake thats not a machine you could even think about using for what we do.

Chris, that was the worst response / advice I've ever seen given here to anyone. Pretty irresponsible given the professionalism this sight is here to promote as well as the presence of company your in here too.

It will not work. It does not push enough WATER to be effective on anything. Notice I said "push enough water" not pressure. You have to be at least 4 Gallons Per Minute to even start thinking about even a small job. Low GPM with lots of pressure = bad job with probable damage. You could do a better job with a garden hose and that wouldn't compete with anyone in this business on any job. Sorry but the comparison is like you decided you wanted to be a NASCAR mechanic (on the weekends) and walked into Dale Jr's garage looking for a job with the tool kit you found in the trunk of your wifes car. Spend a few MONTHS reading here and you'll get the gist of what you need to start out with. You don't need the "mac daddy" rig but that thing is not what is required to do this kind of work. Not being ugly just read and read more. Welcome to TGS by the way.

Edited October 15, 2008 by MudDuck

[chris francis 15]

What I am trying saying it will work but it will take him alot longer to clean house than comerical pressure washer I donnot know if he already has it or looking I was giving him compersion of the two types machines. I started out with 2700 machine from Lowe's doing family homes learned after two years comerical way to go but I was not able to get comercial pressure washer when first started and alot can not when they already have one so say try small do family homes learn from them go from there.

[MMI Enterprises 289]

You'll hate life trying to do flat work more than say 500 ft. or so with that small a gpm. Now if you were a woodie and set up correctly it could do some work for ya. Kec guys or engine bay work though probably want some heat along with that low a flow.

I pretty much consider that size machine about useless myself.

5gpm for commercial flat work is abit slow if not for surface cleaner equipment to help speed things up. If all yer gonna do is resi drives and house wash though a 5 gpm is fine. You can get by with a 4gpm.

[chris francis 15]

You'll hate life trying to do flat work more than say 500 ft. or so with that small a gpm. Now if you were a woodie and set up correctly it could do some work for ya. Kec guys or engine bay work though probably want some heat along with that low a flow.

I pretty much consider that size machine about useless myself.

5gpm for commercial flat work is abit slow if not for surface cleaner equipment to help speed things up. If all yer gonna do is resi drives and house wash though a 5 gpm is fine. You can get by with a 4gpm.[/quot

I went from 2gpm to 4 gpm still take long time on big houses hoping after xmas upgrade 8 gpm just speed things along I have seen some post about larger gpms over 10gpms were are they finding machines to handle that much water.

[Joe Ortiz 14]

Well i started with an electric PW from H.D. I was doing decks on the island and at a local resort here. I can say that 1200 psi and 1.5gpm @ 14yrs old made me about $800 a mo. one summer. but it did take a looooonnng time to do a 6x12 deck. so it will work if you got the time. but you should only stay in the res. market.when you get a chance to buy a bigger machine dont go under 5gpm. good luck and dont tiger stripe.

[Russ Spence 76]

Hey guys! Brand new to the site and have gotten some really good info from some of you already. I am looking into doing some pressure washing on the side for some extra money and potentially looking into making it a career for myself. I presently have a pressure washer that I purchased for chores around the house that is 3000psi, 2.7 gpm. I was just wondering if this would be strong enough to tackle some small residential jobs with. If so, what kind of chemicals should I start out with so that I don't ruin anyones driveway or yard with drainage. I have done my walkways and driveway a couple times never using any chemical. The results were decent and enough to satisfy me, but it is a different ballgame when you are charging for your services. Any advice you guys could give me would be much appreciated. Thanks

My advice is simple, find a contractor that will let you do some labor for learning, go with them and see what you think, you will then know what you are up against and can form a more educated oponion first hand.

[MudDuck 20]

With a 2.7 gpm HOME OWNER unit your not getting enough water on one spot at one time to flush it clean so what do you do? Crank some pressure into it? He's talking resi work by the way. You want to go ahead and recommend the red tip here while your giving advice. To someone who admittedly does not know what their doing? He's ASKING if he can use his home owner unit to start professionally contract cleaning. The answer is absolutely NO and to say otherwise tells me you don't know what your talking about. No you don't have to have an 8gpm hot unit by no means but you do have to have enough flow to do the job effectively. If you can't or won't drop 1k into a 4gpm cold unit plus the accessories you think he's going to drop that much on insurance for a year. Re read his post #1, "I presently have a pressure washer I purchased for chores around the house. I was just wondering if this was strong enough to tackle....If so, what chemicals should I use so I don't ruin...." Your not doing anyone any favors suggesting you can "get into the biz" with a home owner machine and no experience. He is ASKING a question that the answer is unequivocally is NO. By no fault of his own he's going to do a sub par job giving the industry another black eye because the HO now thinks.." I hired a pro to do the job this year and he did no better job than I did with my own little PW last year so I might as well do it myself or get Joe hack @ 99.99. And tells how many neighbors and or family the same thing when its not true but the perception is the same. You know how many people wind up hiring a pro that gets shocked at how much better the pro did than they did last year with their HO unit and tells everyone they know? Tons. And mostly it was the equipment that was the difference but every job he gets with his 2.7 unit thinks you or I can not do any better were just charging 350.00 more for nothing. F..n irresponsible. Your not only setting this guy up to fail or get sued your killing the rest of us. I don't want to get personal or tiffy but I see you don't have a business name and giving bad advice for both the guy asking and the industry so you might just want to leave it alone. This is a professional forum not "ask a hack".

Jake, Russ in the previous post has some great advice there. Not saying you have to go get a ton of equiptment to get started but that machine is not enough to do pro work. Youll kill your market and your future biz name trying to force it. Good luck and hope to see you here for a long time.

Edited October 15, 2008 by MudDuck

[Cajun Cleanin 64]

You use the same chems you use to clean your own house and the other families houses that you have already washed with it.I have washed hundreds of houses and I don't have a 5gpm machine.I started with a 3000 psi 3 gpm machine and washed alot of houses with it, as a matter of fact I would still use it when I wash a house and driveway sidewalk at the same time the helper would do the cement and I would wash the house so you can wash with it.Will you be fast NO,will it be clean it depends on your work ethic if you are honest and do good work it doesn't matter you will get it done.

To say you have to have this machine or that machine to do a good job is BS the machine doesn't decide when the job is done or if its good you do.

Cement work you will go broke trying to make it with that machine,stick with the house and deck washes until you can upgrade or grind it out and try it, your choice.

Call Bob at pressure tek he can advise on chems to use he sells em.There are several others that sell chems on these boards that will help you out.Research the posts and call them.

I don't want a war with anyone but if you want to do this work and work hard you can.That being said this is not for everyone this is a real job that is learned over years not days and the lessons can be very expensive when you screw up someones house or deck so get legit with insurance,lic., etc

[John Orr 206]

I started my company 8 years ago with a 2.5 gpm/2500 psi machine. I only used it for foundations as I could/can wash most houses without a machine. The secret to washing a house is not pressure, its in your recipe. As I recall, your machine would work just fine with an X-Jet for.

By the way, I quickly realized that 4 gpm is a minimum for serious washing (drives/decks) and downstreaming chems. I now use 8 gpm/3000 psi. Finding a local "mentor" would be ideal, though you may have better luck with someone out of you area.

[Celeste 341]

Part of what I think may be being missed here is not whether or not the job CAN be done with this unit but HOW LONG he can do business with it.

Once upon a time there was a guy who had a company that used a GARDEN HOSE and was successful with his methods. He's not been around for awhile meaning (a) he's busy as a one-armed paper hanger with his garden hose method or (b) it just wasn't meant for the long haul. I won't speculate - maybe he still lurks?

What some of this boils down to is - it's going to take you longer to achieve the results that a higher flow machine will provide. Time is money so the longer it takes you to finish that $250 job, the less you are netting at the end of the day. It's a slippery slope from there - you're not making what you potentially could, therefore you can't grow at a decent rate (meaning upgrading to a more efficient machine).

I have to agree with the Duckman on how you are setting up your future - you HAVE to set yourself apart from the rest of the world that can go get a machine like that - it is why there are professionals and diyers.

Celeste

[MudDuck 20]

I'm just gonna say this and be done with it. My argument wasn't that A HOUSE can't be cleaned with a DIY machine, it can if you want to spend all weekend doing it like a HO. You could do it one cup of water at a time if you wanted to BUT his apparent obvious intention was to get into this business at least part time and was wondering if the equipment he had would be efficient to do so. The answer is NO and I don't understand why someone "in the business" would tell him "yea it will work". Giving this poor guy the impression he could or should start up. Keep in mind too Jakes in FLORIDA!!! PW's are a dime a dozen down there with good equiptment...How many of you guys would be on here posting laughing your ***** off about seeing some guy washing a house with that machine. And someone HERE is telling this guy sure go ahead it will work...Are you serious? My issue isn't with Jake and his 2.7 unit it's with someone 1) either screwing with this guy which isn't called for because to Jake he's looking for a serious answer to his question,,or 2) doesn't know what he's talking about and giving someone bad information or at least mis leading. Good lord theres enough hacks out there as it is ripping people off doing inferior work ON PURPOSE why would we encourage someone to do it unknowingly? If he had come on here stating "I JUST opened a new PW biz in Florida and got a 2.7 unit from HD, what soap do I need to use?" He would be laughed off the sight. Saying "yea it'll work" is at the very least mis leading him into thinking he can upstart a real PW biz. The guy is asking this forum a REAL question and he needs to be given a REAL answer. To me it was an irresponsible anwser to his question and I just couldn't let that go.

Ask yourself this,,,would you sub a job to a guy who was going to pull up in a mini van and unload a 2.7 GPM Home D unit and a garden hose and do the job under your company name? If you say no then why would you tell him to do it under his name?

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Hi Mud.... You sure yer done? Doesn't seem anyone wants to argue you.

I'm just gonna say this and be done with it. My argument wasn't that A HOUSE can't be cleaned with a DIY machine....

Perhaps a step back and consideration of the fact that everyone including Chris did indeed followup what you perhaps would call bold statements which may actually just be THEIR experience with enough language to not misguide this Jake fella.--

See you do it yerself as well-i.e-

it can if you want to spend all weekend doing it like a HO.

This Jake fellas first and only post has plenty of language that implies, if not straight up consedes that he already understands it is abit small machine for serious work.

What ya think?

[Cajun Cleanin 64]

What size machine does it take to be a real PW?It is obviously more than 2.7 gpm.3 gpm,4gpm,5gpm if you have an 8gpm machine does that mean your more of a PW than a guy with a 4 gpm machine.Please,give me a break.It sounds like some people don't want anyone to start a biz from the ground up.

To say Oh,you have to have a 5 gpm hot machine and at least $5,000 worth of other stuff to be a real PowerWasher in the real world.I think you are a real PW if you can satisfy the customer that's it.I can't believe I can't be a real Power washing contractor unless I have some big over rated machine.HAHAHAHA I'm dieing here.

So Joe blow goes into his local distributor and throws down $15,000 for a big machine and a trailer the whole works,NOW he's a contractor because he has the equipment and hes ready to make a good impression on his customers because he has a big ole machine.He can wash a house right now because he has a bigger machine than me?I don't buy it.

There are guys on these boards that don't use pressure washers to clean, does that mean they are hacks?there are guys that wash houses with brushes are they hacks?

Give the guy a break he asked for an answer and we gave him our opinions.I know you can wash house with a 2.7 gpm machine I've done it and I can guarantee there are others on this board who started with a similar machine or less.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Yes, you can start with the one you have but keep in mind that you will need to re-invest in a better unit to help you with your production rates.

3000 psi is fine for low end flatwork but the gpm needs to be higher than 5gpm to be not only effective but faster. It's not just the washing that is a factor but the rinsing and the faster you can do it the better your profit margins will be. More gpm means more water and that means faster rinsing capabilities.

Hot water is also a factor which helps get the job done quicker and aids the chemicals you may use to work better without having to use so much of them. ie; you use less chems with hot water. This means more profits and lower job costs.

Rod!~

[PressureX 14]

I haven't read every post on this, but here is my take on it.

When I started out, I used a 3000 PSI @ 2.8GPM Machine from Home Depot. And honestly still sometimes use it for very small jobs. Back then, I did a 2 story house worth about $300 in appx. 2 1/2 - 3 hours X-Jetting. That included Set-Up and Tear-Down (I didn't have a trailer, had to put the PW, waterhose, etc. etc. in the back of the SUV).

So yes, it does work. But now that I moved on to a bigger machine ... im def loving it.

As far as GPM and rinsing go. Def. having a small 2.7GPM sucked. I spent about 2 minutes applying chemical to 1 side of the house, and about 20-30 minutes rinsing ... lol.

Edited October 25, 2008 by PressureX

[jake16 14]

I appreciate all of your responses to my question of whether size matters or not. I have a full time job where I spend most of my time in the field instead of behind a desk. I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to you guys as frequently as I would like to.

I certainly will not try to tackle any large jobs that I think will be unmanageable. I have an idea of what my machine is capable of and, i would not even attempt a large job. I just don't have any experience doing work on anything but my own house. I also don't have any experience with any chemicals except for the stuff you can buy H.D. I was just looking for some pointers on what might save me some time, because I know it will take much longer with my machine. Or is it even worth the hassle?

Most of the work would be friends and family to start. Just looking for a little extra income. I have the work ethic and the desire to satisfy others, so it is not even a question whether I would make sure the job was done right. Even if it took a whole weekend to do a 10' x 20' deck.

I have had an interest in starting my own pressure washing company for a while now. I was just wondering if i should just invest in a new machine now or get my feet wet with the one I have.

My parents have a pool with the old school cement surrounding it. I don't even know what they call it but, I know my machine cleans it. So there are uses for a machine that is as small as mine. That I am sure of! I did not want to offend anyone by asking such a newbie question and I appreciate some of your motivational responses. I am only 23 years old and I have an entrepreneurial spirit. Just looking for my niche in the world. Again, sorry for the late response and thanks for your help.

[FLORIN 21]

I have been told that its not the size that matters but the motion of the ocean:lgsideway. I started with a borrowed 2.7 gpm machine out the back of a jeep cheerokee. It took me half a day to do a house wash but it did get the job done. Used that until I was able to stash enough money and invested in a pw rig with hot water. Now i am looking for even bigger and better to get my biz to do even more volume.

[dsp powerwash 14]

Knowledge of what your doing is most important.A tool is just an extension of the person doing the job, and some guys need bigger extentions than others.

[Rick2 42]

Hi Jake

The machine is going to be too small for what you want but you've heard that already. Not only that but consider the quality of the pump attached to the unit. These small pumps will not hold up to the kind of work we do. It has to run it the hot sun for hours on end, six days a week. The "Home Depot" machines will never stand up to this kind of labor. You'll blow that pump in a day. You don't have to spend a fortune to buy a decent machine but never go cheap. Do research into a good pump and good engine. Spend a little more than you were expecting and you'll be fine. I started with a little 11 hp Honda and a Cat pump 16 years ago. I now have 3 more superior machines, new truck and several trailers but I still have the old powerwasher I started the business with. Aside from replacing the unloader 3 years ago it still runs fine.

[kcpowerclean 14]

Knowledge of what your doing is most important.A tool is just an extension of the person doing the job, and some guys need bigger extentions than others.

well said, pretty heated topic. Either way, guys shouldn't be so disturbed by the fact that other people want to start a business. Everybody has to start somewhere and obviously he is at the right place to learn. And I think we can all agree that knowledge should precede everything else in business.

[ERADicator 14]

Either way, guys shouldn't be so disturbed by the fact that other people want to start a business.

I don't think it's so much that anyone was disturbed by someone wanting to start, as it was wanting to make sure they started right.

Everybody has to start somewhere and obviously he is at the right place to learn. And I think we can all agree that knowledge should precede everything else in business.

Definitely. Supposedly someone can learn to swim by being pushed into deep water, but I'm glad I learned through a different method. :D Jake16 already had an idea of what to ask, and he sure knew the right place to ask it.

I'm a new guy too, and I've gotten tons of good info from the folks on this site, even if it sometimes seemed like the advice wasn't being delivered in the most patient "tone."

While reading the thread, I was listening to a couple of Eric Clapton songs. ("Pretending" and "No Alibis." Kind of appropriate when hacks are mentioned, eh? ;) ) Clapton is kind of an example of what others have said (okay, heavy paraphrasing here): It ain't just in the player's fingers, it's in their head and their heart, too.

Can I play guitar? Well, yeah, sorta. Can I play like E.C.? No way! Got the guitar, got the tube amp, got the effects pedals, and it's still "no way." (Some people say I sing like him, though. :D ) But the day I stop trying to learn more than what I already have learned . . .

(Larry) KING: Do you still play as good, guitar?

CLAPTON: Well, if I didn't feel I was improving I would definitely quit.

KING: Improve?

CLAPTON: I think that's an axiom that I would have to hold for myself.

KING: Not as good, better?

CLAPTON: Not even 'as good'. I need to know that I am actually getting a little bit better all the time. And what proves that is for me to go see someone like B.B., because I know it can be done. I see him do it so I know it can be done.

Something tells me Jake16 will do alright as a washin' guy, and do even better once he upgrades his equipment. Go get 'em, Jake.

[Note to self: Nothing less than 4.0 GPM. ;) ]

[kcpowerclean 14]

I think you make some good points and comparisons.

I just think that style and substance are both important when delivering a message. That being said, some people could definitely improve on their delivery for the sake of others and themselves.

[Roishe Cheng 14]

I have a 2.7 gpm/3000 PSI machine with an X-JET M5. The spray can get up to two stories on my machine with no problem. I consider myself a pro-DIY (difference between being a professional with equipment that can function in a manner to make it worth my time and be profitable). I don't think I could make three stories with my machine and X-JET which is fine because the houses I wash (family and friends) are all only two stories.

I have the X-JET pail and make my own house washes using chems sourced from PressureTek. I would never dream of using this machine for daily production line work as the rinsing as other pros have stated is "slow."

I have used this setup to wash 2 story houses, decks, awnings, fences, driveways. It works but the rinsing speed takes some time.

You can do a lot with the tools you own, provided you are ingenious but having real intelligence comes with KNOWING the limitations of your gear.

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

Here's a thought. When you start out schedule all your jobs on Saturday and rent a pressure washer with enough GPM to get the jobs done.

You will make a little less profit but since this is part time and you have a JOB then you should be able to sock the cash away for an upgrade and in very short time.

That is what I am doing except that I don't have a JOB and can schedule on different days of the week. Making less money for now but I am building with CASH.