Newbie questions

[kcpowerclean 14]

Hi guys and gals,

I have a few basic maintenance questions.

1)I have a ridgid brand trigger and wand assembly that I have been using for over a year and I want to get the suttner easy pull gun from Bob at P.T.

-Is this a good trigger gun? Also, what size wand or lance (I still don't know the difference between those two) would you recommend I put on the end of it? I was leaning towards 36". I stand 5'11" tall and just do residential house washes.

2) I just got a turbo nozzle from Bob and I love it to death! That thing rocks. I don't have a surface cleaner so that thing seems like the best thing since sliced bread.

-Do you guys who have surface cleaners always use them for concrete walkways around houses or do you guys often use a rotating type turbo nozzle?

-Why does that thing have to be pointing downward when it starts? That is what a notice said when I opened it. Does it matter?

Lastly, my machine doesn't start if I pressure in the line so I have to either keep the trigger pulled when I pull start it or I have to take the wand off of the line and let water gush out.

-Is this just cause my machine is ghetto cheap, or is that the way all power washing machines work?

Thanks and I look forward to getting edumacated by y'all

[Joe Ortiz 14]

Get the 48"wand and any gun you like. how many gps is your PW?do you downstream?yes i always use a surface cleaner for concrete. you should call bob and tell him about your prob. with the PW he might be able to sell you some sorta valve to help you out.

[kcpowerclean 14]

my machine is 2.8 gpm. Cat pump. 7 hp suzuki

Yes I downstream, but I haven't tried it yet with 250' of hose. Hopefully there is not back pressure.

I was able to downstream with my old 80' of hose, but that's a big change. I sure hope it draws though because out her all you need is a basic house wash and being able to keep the bucket in the house for whole wash would be ideal.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Oh god, I just had a thought. Somebody quick, give me some wrenches and teflon tape!

How about a surface cleaner with rotating nozzles? What a monster that would be!

oh, sorry, back on topic, what Joe Ortiz said is good :cool:

Rod!~

Edited April 30, 2009 by Beth n Rod

[Timo 25]

Oh god, I just had a thought. Somebody quick, give me some wrenches and teflon tape!

How about a surface cleaner with rotating nozzles? What a monster that would be!

Rod!~

Rod,

Don't laugh. I've heard stories of a local guy working on just such an animal. For cleaning hog barns.

[deach 14]

The easy pull gun from Bob rocks. I wouldn't put a lance (wand) on the gun at all, I'd put a quick disconnect on the output of the gun. Then I'd probaby buy a 1 foot, 3 foot and then a longer lance. Put the quick disconnects on the lance and just switch as needed. You can probably do without the one foot one and only use the gun but I prefer to shoot from the one footer just seems to work out better for me. (as opposed to no lance at all)

[kcpowerclean 14]

The easy pull gun from Bob rocks. I wouldn't put a lance (wand) on the gun at all, I'd put a quick disconnect on the output of the gun. Then I'd probaby buy a 1 foot, 3 foot and then a longer lance. Put the quick disconnects on the lance and just switch as needed. You can probably do without the one foot one and only use the gun but I prefer to shoot from the one footer just seems to work out better for me. (as opposed to no lance at all)

Great input. Will do. Do the o-rings give out often having a 3 foot lance on it or do they hold up?

[deach 14]

I don't think the o-rings wear out that much quicker...I've really never kept track. Always (and I mean always) have spare 1/4 and 3/8 o_rings with you. There's nothing worse than having to run and get one in the middle of a job. I can honestly say I use the 1 footer the most for house washing. I just like to have "something" on the end of the gun. One of my guys just usually puts the tips in the gun, and my daughter almost always grabs the 3 footer so she can use both hands I guess. As you progress you'll find less and less use for long wands on the house washes. An actual paint prep (where you use pressure to get loose paint off and such) is a different matter.

Good luck.

[kcpowerclean 14]

I don't think the o-rings wear out that much quicker...I've really never kept track. Always (and I mean always) have spare 1/4 and 3/8 o_rings with you. There's nothing worse than having to run and get one in the middle of a job. I can honestly say I use the 1 footer the most for house washing. I just like to have "something" on the end of the gun. One of my guys just usually puts the tips in the gun, and my daughter almost always grabs the 3 footer so she can use both hands I guess. As you progress you'll find less and less use for long wands on the house washes. An actual paint prep (where you use pressure to get loose paint off and such) is a different matter.

Good luck.

thanks for the info greg.

To be honest, I don't even own an o-ring tool or have any spare o-rings on my rig. I've had one bust on the job too. I had to change the whole coupler, what a mess.

I'll get my act together and pick some up from Bob. I'm starting to believe that he he is them.

nice site by the way. I saw your company name and thought, "that's rad, I should have named my window cleaning company 'Window Busters.'" Then I realized that window busters had a horrible ring to it.

[deach 14]

Thanks, Prowled around yours a bit too, looked good. Honestly you can use almost anything for an o-ring tool, I've used just a flat head screw driver to get them out, just be careful. The name came out from years ago looking thru an old auto trader, and saw an old ambulance for sale, and me and the wife both said it at the same time LOL. I think you're right about staying away from "Window Busters" LOLOL An old dental pick works nice or just honestly what you can find to get the old one out. I've used a paper clip bent around before.

Anyway good luck to you out there. Anything I can do to help let me know.

[larryh 65]

Your unit has a pressure trapping unloader. As you crank the engine pressure builds up and locks the engine down. You can purchase an easy-start valve to solve this.

At 2.8gpm your water volume is too low to effectively run a surface cleaner. Your next major investment should be a higher volume unit {5gpm or more}.

Quick coupler O Rings will have a tendenancy to fail when the coupler is installed at the discharge of your gun. People have a habit of using the QC as a swivel thus causing them to fail.

With 240ft of pressure hose you may have trouble getting your injector to work.

Let me know if I can help.

[FullBlast 14]

Rod,

Don't laugh. I've heard stories of a local guy working on just such an animal. For cleaning hog barns.

Yep Thats right. 4 spray arms with turbos. Run them with 9-10 GPM, but more would be better.

Barns with plastic floors.

[FullBlast 14]

Hi guys and gals,

I have a few basic maintenance questions.

1)I have a ridgid brand trigger and wand assembly that I have been using for over a year and I want to get the suttner easy pull gun from Bob at P.T.

-Is this a good trigger gun? Also, what size wand or lance (I still don't know the difference between those two) would you recommend I put on the end of it? I was leaning towards 36". I stand 5'11" tall and just do residential house washes.

2) I just got a turbo nozzle from Bob and I love it to death! That thing rocks. I don't have a surface cleaner so that thing seems like the best thing since sliced bread.

-Do you guys who have surface cleaners always use them for concrete walkways around houses or do you guys often use a rotating type turbo nozzle?

-Why does that thing have to be pointing downward when it starts? That is what a notice said when I opened it. Does it matter?

Lastly, my machine doesn't start if I pressure in the line so I have to either keep the trigger pulled when I pull start it or I have to take the wand off of the line and let water gush out.

-Is this just cause my machine is ghetto cheap, or is that the way all power washing machines work?

Thanks and I look forward to getting edumacated by y'all

First off welcome to the forum, you came to the right place to learn a lil.

The turbo nozzel has a porcelain tip that spins on a porcelain surface and there is just a lil play between them, if you have it pointed up it will slam the two porcelains together and will chip them, maybe not right away but it will. Take it from a guy that probley has put more hours behind a turbo than a fan nozzel. I got one trailer that 12k hr with 3 pumps mounted on it and 90% of those hours are with turbos. WEAR EAR PLUGS!!

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rod,

Don't laugh. I've heard stories of a local guy working on just such an animal. For cleaning hog barns.

Aren't we all a bunch of power crazy water jockeys!?!?!?

Bad enough when we were teens we needed the speed, now we supplement it with blasting power. LOL

What can I say, it rocks the cat box!

Rod!~

[kcpowerclean 14]

Hey guys, thanks for the help.

Just got a 13 hp honda with a general pump. It says 4gpm and 3700 psi, but it reads at 3100 psi and probably only pumps out 3.5 gpm.

Either way, it rocks compared to the older unit. I also love my turbo nozzle.

I was thinking of adding my two machines together. I have a friend in San Diego who told me he had good success with this. Have you guys tried? Any word of caution before I go blow up my high pressure hose with two machines?

[ERADicator 14]

What a great thread. I hope I can remember all the things I just learned in a few minutes of reading this. ;)

Okay, Greg says 36" and shorter, and gives some "whys and wherefores." Joe says he likes a 48" wand. Joe, would you enlighten this noob on why you prefer the 48" wand?

After reading about those "Busters" company names, I'd be tempted to get an old ambulance, but I'm in the market for a truck with Hy-Rail gear. Having worked in Cadillac and Pontiac ambies back in the Seventies, I don't think I could stuff enough equipment into one, much as I might enjoy owning one.

GraffBusters! :cool:

[plainpainter 217]

Don't overthink the equipment - just go wash with the 13hp powerplant you have now. your psi doesn't register 3700 probably because the unloader isn't turned all the way in - or you need your pump repacked. Either way who cares - 3100psi is way more than you will ever need - and no machine will sustain 3700psi even in perfect condition while the trigger is deployed, that's only when you aren't spraying.

Think less about equipment and more about sales. I have a similar machine and I have a 5.5gpm machine - still haven't used the 5.5 after two years of owning it.

[kcpowerclean 14]

Don't overthink the equipment - just go wash with the 13hp powerplant you have now. your psi doesn't register 3700 probably because the unloader isn't turned all the way in - or you need your pump repacked. Either way who cares - 3100psi is way more than you will ever need - and no machine will sustain 3700psi even in perfect condition while the trigger is deployed, that's only when you aren't spraying.

Think less about equipment and more about sales. I have a similar machine and I have a 5.5gpm machine - still haven't used the 5.5 after two years of owning it.

Hey Dan, I like you. You are a straight shooter, huh? I guess that I'm just more concerned about playing with my new toys. I'm kinda developing a passion for that, but I need to remember your advice because playing with my toys doesn't pay the bills.

[plainpainter 217]

These boards are infamous for guys trying to out do each other when it comes to equipment, trucks, rigs, etc. The thing you have to remember is the bottom line why you are doing this to begin with. Before you get jealous with the guy with the 11gpm 1700psi two man skid - there are all sorts of factors you have to weigh. What's your average water source? Can you compensate with a large water tank, e.g. 225, 325, or 525 gallon tanks. And what kind of equipment do you need to haul that kind of water. And even if you could get by on a house wash - what if you had 5 in a row with anemic water supplies what then?

I am washing homes with 13 hp machine right now - and when the muni supply is good, i.e. 6-7 gpm's. I can't put a dent in my 35 gallon buffer tank. But when muni is like a mild supply in the range of 3-4 gpm's, even my 13hp machine starts to really drain the tank after a mid-size house wash.

And lately my hands are starting to hurt - I have a 5.5gpm machine - I wonder what that would do to my hands. And there are guys with 8 gpm's.

Bottom line you don't need loads of equipment to do some serious work - my setup is laughable, yet I easily make $1,500/day off my own back when I am booked. But it is marketing and advertizing and selling that got me to that point.

[kcpowerclean 14]

Dan, I would like to get a small buffer tank as well. You mind if I shoot you call in the next couple days...

[One Tough Pressure 580]

These boards are infamous for guys trying to out do each other when it comes to equipment, trucks, rigs, etc.

Maybe your point of view, truth is the folks with large setups and nice trucks are just proud of what they have and rightfully so as they did not get that way doing no work or trying to "out do" anyone.

The thing you have to remember is the bottom line why you are doing this to begin with.

To make money and in most cases you have to spend money to make money.

Before you get jealous with the guy with the 11gpm 1700psi two man skid - there are all sorts of factors you have to weigh. What's your average water source? Can you compensate with a large water tank, e.g. 225, 325, or 525 gallon tanks. And what kind of equipment do you need to haul that kind of water. And even if you could get by on a house wash - what if you had 5 in a row with anemic water supplies what then?

And one of the most imporetant factors in larger equipment is will it help you make more money, which takes us back to spending money to make money.

I am washing homes with 13 hp machine right now - and when the muni supply is good, i.e. 6-7 gpm's. I can't put a dent in my 35 gallon buffer tank. But when muni is like a mild supply in the range of 3-4 gpm's, even my 13hp machine starts to really drain the tank after a mid-size house wash.

That can be a factor in some areas, but in his area, he will not encounter that problem very often if ever.

And lately my hands are starting to hurt - I have a 5.5gpm machine - I wonder what that would do to my hands. And there are guys with 8 gpm's.

Conditioning for the job solves most problems, and I do not mean being an avid gym visitor. Stretching before and after each job is the best start and often the solution.

Bottom line you don't need loads of equipment to do some serious work - my setup is laughable, yet I easily make $1,500/day off my own back when I am booked. But it is marketing and advertizing and selling that got me to that point.

Very false and misleading. That all depends on what kind of work you are doing and what else you would like to do.

Customer perception

Job requirements

Goverment requirements

are just a few

So while you may make decent money while you are booked with laughable equipment, most will not and they will fail then complain how hard it is to make a buck.

What percentage of your income is from washing vs painting and other non washing related services.

I have seen many where you want to limit the new start up and fully believe that minimal investment is the key to success. May work for a few, but not most.

Starting small and working your way up while affording what you have and making a living is vital.