X-Jet or Shur-flo

[VanDiesel99 14]

100 ft of hose is not always going to reach where you need it. What if you were on a three story roof and you couldn't reach the other side? You would have to get down, move your dolly around to the other side of the house then get the chem line up the other side of the house. I am assuming your setup is on a hand dolly. I have been using the x-jet from on top of the roof, so the distance it shoots is irrelevant. And I am really looking for something in the 3 gpm range.

[RyanH 14]

Something you can try is using both a shurflo AND an Xjet. The Xjet works like your mouth sucking a straw....have you ever squeezed a Hi-C box while trying to drink from teh straw? MUCH more than you anticipated comes up. By using the shurflo to push the chems up the hose, and the Xjet to provide a lower pressure against which the shurflo pushes, you can get greater distance with the shurflo and a greater draw with the X. Position a ball valve near your Xjet inlet so you can adjust the opening (valve throttle) and increase or decrease the chem flow through your outlet. The downside to this is you will have to tug along on two hoses...high pressure water and low pressure draw line. Just a cheap thought.

[Dale 16]

CCPC & VanD..yeah mine is on a cart so I don't know if it would be practical for 3 story jobs. But if there was no problem with pushing it thru 200-300 ft of hose maybe you could hook up qd's and add length.

I've haven't bought an x-jet yet because every pic I've seen that demos the distance it shoots seem to have an enormous amount of overspray mist. Maybe I'm not seeing it right. Has anyone had problems with chem. overspray inadvertantly cleaning or waterspotting someones windows or clean spots on someones siding when your only doing the roof or spotting someones car parked in the drive etc. I know some people have no problem spraying deck strippers with the jet but I can't see how someone can finesse stripper under handrails and such with that kind of stream

[Jesse 15]

I have good luck with a modified backpack sprayer and x-jet attached.

Next year I will use 15% chlorine with the porportioner so I will not have to refill it as often.

Tried to post a pic. but it didnt work out.......I hate computers

[Mike Williamson 198]

I was doing roofs the same way...hauling 6+ 2 1/2 gallon jugs of chlorine up the ladder, up to the peak of the roof, dragging the Xjet bucket and the pressure hose, etc...by the time I was set up to go, I was worn out! I decided months ago to try the 12v pump idea. I was going to try to get a decent flow at a cheap price, so I ordered a 4.5gpm 40psi flojet. It sucked. So I kept doing it the Xjet way. Last month I got a smaller, 1.8gpm 80 psi shurflo, and it works great. Takes a bit longer to coat the roof, but there's much more control of chems, and I don't kill myself getting set up.

I have my pump mounted on the trailer, with 200' of 3/8 braided hose.

You could try using a 3.8gpm shurflo mounted on a cart with a battery...That way, you don't need as much hose, and you may be able to get the 2-3 gpm you need. With chlorine, 1gpm or so is just fine...Takes me about between 30 minutes and an hour to coat a roof on a typical 2000 square foot or so house. Often I don't need to rinse (that's using 10.5% sodium hypchlorite in a 50/50 mix). It's so much easier to just grab the hose and start applying chems.

I thought about the roller pump idea, but didn't like the idea of having so much run-off. Using the 1.8gpm, I get very little runoff.

If you're concerned about having to shut off the roller pump, you can set it up so it'll bypass back to the chem tank when chems aren't flowing. I just think 7+gpm is too much chem.

I am debating on how I am going to setup my roof cleaning pump/setup. Right now I use the x-jet for the roofs I do, but its nothing but a pain. It gets the job done but it can't draw the chemical up to the roof from the ground, so I have to take 5 gallon bucket up on the roof(not fun). Then I have an extra hose to work with while on the roof(not fun). Then everything gets a fine mist of sodium hydroxide on it(not good). I have not yet experimented with the shurflo pumps but I have heard they have a problem pushing the chemical great distances(150-200ft) without losing a lot of flow. I need at least 2-3 gallons per minute at the peak of a roof. The problem is I can't really get that flow rate without using something like a roller pump with a gas engine setup. The problem with that is, once your up on the roof you don't want to get back down for any reason(such as turning off the extra gas engine). Plus the extra maintainence and worry involved with another engine. One idea I had, was using an electric motor/roller pump that I could plug into the polarized outlet on my skid unit. That way once I climb up on the roof I can use my remote to start the pw'r then the roller pump is ready to roll. Since its an electric motor there is little/no maintainence and it won't have to be shut down after I apply the chem. My problem is that I know very little about electrical applications. What would be compatible and what wouldn't. How the roller pump and motor would act when not in use, what kind of switches(pressure/flow) the roller pump has. If this setup would even work or not. Any helping hints would be appreciated.

[VanDiesel99 14]

Yea Mike, I was hoping that Flojet was going to work out because it sounded like good stuff. Your right 7+ gpm is too much chem, I would like for a steady 3gpm or so. The bypass idea would work but I hate to have another engine running while I am up on the roof. If would be nice if everything could be controlled remotely or by pressure switches and the like. Maybe my idea is flawed, I will see what I can come up with and get back to you guys about it. The shurflo would work too but I would just like to be able to coat the roof quicker.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Yea Mike, I was hoping that Flojet was going to work out because it sounded like good stuff. Your right 7+ gpm is too much chem, I would like for a steady 3gpm or so. The bypass idea would work but I hate to have another engine running while I am up on the roof. If would be nice if everything could be controlled remotely or by pressure switches and the like. Maybe my idea is flawed, I will see what I can come up with and get back to you guys about it. The shurflo would work too but I would just like to be able to coat the roof quicker.

Another idea that would work, if you don't get adequate flow with the 3.8gpm is to use TWO pumps. Not sure if you could use one hose, or if you'd need two.

[Mathew Johnson 123]

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[squirtgun 122]

Matt,

Are you using about the same amount of chemicals or has there been an increase with the inline pump?

Also,if you can please post some pics of this set-up.so everyone can get a better idea of what it should look like.

[LyonsPressureWash 14]

Great thread....To go back to the original question. Get the x jet for applying soap to houses. Flojet or shurflo pump for applying cleaners if you want full strength. I held off getting an x jet because I thought $159 bucks was a lot for a nozzle and a short hose. Well now that I"ve used one, I kick myself in the backside because I didn't do it sooner. I've cut my time almost in half. Most houses are now done in two hours, that's cleaned up and in the truck. I'll be ordering another before next spring, just in case this one somehow gets broke. No way do I want to go back to the old way of applying cleaners with flojet. I still use the flojet for roof cleaning, but only because I don't think the x jet will apply it strong enough. But then again, I haven't tried it yet. Still learning on the roof cleaning part. But have had great results lately without rinsing (thanks to heavy rain).

[Mathew Johnson 123]

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[Mathew Johnson 123]

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[Beth n Rod 1,279]

This thread has some great info in it.

Beth

[Lou Beach 14]

Hey Matt, great meeting you at the roundtable

Can you check your link for the pics?

It's not working.

Thanks

[newlook 265]

he might have a picture up on his website also

www.pwscleaning.com

[Mathew Johnson 123]

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[Washaway 64]

Something you can try is using both a shurflo AND an Xjet. The Xjet works like your mouth sucking a straw....have you ever squeezed a Hi-C box while trying to drink from teh straw? MUCH more than you anticipated comes up. By using the shurflo to push the chems up the hose, and the Xjet to provide a lower pressure against which the shurflo pushes, you can get greater distance with the shurflo and a greater draw with the X. Position a ball valve near your Xjet inlet so you can adjust the opening (valve throttle) and increase or decrease the chem flow through your outlet. The downside to this is you will have to tug along on two hoses...high pressure water and low pressure draw line. Just a cheap thought.

This is a good idea except that you have to take into consideration the flow rate of both pieces of equipment. If for example your Shurflow is pushing more than your XJet is allowing to exit at the other end then you may run into problems with burning out the Shurflow switch or even the motor.

With a bit of tweeking you can make something like that work.

[Mike Williamson 198]

This is a good idea except that you have to take into consideration the flow rate of both pieces of equipment. If for example your Shurflow is pushing more than your XJet is allowing to exit at the other end then you may run into problems with burning out the Shurflow switch or even the motor.

With a bit of tweeking you can make something like that work.

Burning out the motor or the switch isn't an issue, that's what the switch is designed for. I often run mine with a smaller tip, causing it to cycle on and off constantly, and have not had any problems.

My feeling is that if you need a higher concentration of chems than the Xjet can provide (or draw either longer or higher distances) and you need more flow than the shur-flow can provide, a roller pump type setup might be in order.

[Degraffreed 21]

What is a "Roller type" pump set up? Any pic out there?

Degraffreed

[Don Phelps 85]

Here is a pic of a roller pump. They're normally used on a gas-powered small engine (attached to driveshaft) and their primary use is farm applications such as spraying Roundup, fertilizers etc. I've tried both a roller pump setup as well as the ShurFlo. They both work, but the gas-powered setup has more moving parts and the pumps tend to fail more often than the 12 volt setups. With gas/oil being a re-occurring expense and the pumps not lasting as long, it's easy to see why most eventually choose the ShurFlo. A ShurFlo can be purchased for under $100 and it pays for itself quickly.

On the other hand, the roller pumps usually generate more pressure and allow a greater shooting distance. Which will allow some to clean roofs from the ground if they're steep-pitched.

[RyanH 14]

This is a good idea except that you have to take into consideration the flow rate of both pieces of equipment. If for example your Shurflow is pushing more than your XJet is allowing to exit at the other end then you may run into problems with burning out the Shurflow switch or even the motor.

With a bit of tweeking you can make something like that work.

I'm not sure I understand....pumps work off a pressure differential. Ideally, pulling a vacuum on the outlet end should help the pump out. If you increase the pressure on the outlet, you will get a decrease in flow; if you decrease the pressure on the outlet, you will get an increase in flow. By using a shurflo at the source pumping into an Xjet, you help to overcome the pressure drop through the hose. Besides, if the pressure at the outlet is too high or builds up, the switch cuts the flow off. My worries would be if you are pulling too much vacuum (like a really high pressure washer flowrat) and causing pump cavitation.

[PLD 14]

Here is a pic of a roller pump. They're normally used on a gas-powered small engine (attached to driveshaft) and their primary use is farm applications such as spraying Roundup, fertilizers etc. I've tried both a roller pump setup as well as the ShurFlo. They both work, but the gas-powered setup has more moving parts and the pumps tend to fail more often than the 12 volt setups. With gas/oil being a re-occurring expense and the pumps not lasting as long, it's easy to see why most eventually choose the ShurFlo. A ShurFlo can be purchased for under $100 and it pays for itself quickly.

On the other hand, the roller pumps usually generate more pressure and allow a greater shooting distance. Which will allow some to clean roofs from the ground if they're steep-pitched.

I have one that is rated 11gpm/110psi @ 1.5hp and 22gpm/110psi @ 3hp.

[Mike Williamson 198]

I have one that is rated 11gpm/110psi @ 1.5hp and 22gpm/110psi @ 3hp.

What kind of pump is this? Roller pumps aren't rated by HP, but rather by RPM. Granted, they need a certain HP to get them turning and keep them turning, but having 1.5 as opposed to 3 won't make it put out any more flow.

[PLD 14]

I believe it's a flowpro. But you are dead on. One pully arrangement for 11gpm, another half that size (on the pump) for 22gpm. The spec sheet dictates the HP required to move that much water. I just thought that HP related to the conversation a little better that RPM.

[cdposey26 14]

I have kind of skimmed through this thread and did not read the whole thing, but I found this chart to be very helpful in deciding which model pump to buy. Just look up the chemicals you plan on running through it and how it should hold up.

http://www.shurflo.com/pdf/industry/CCChart.pdf