Switching From X-Jet M5 To Downstreaming

[rick77 14]

I've used the X-Jet M5 exclusively ever since I started power washing houses. The M5 is great but hauling the chem bucket sucks so I've decided to switch to downstreaming.

I bought a new belt driven Honda 13 4GPM 4000 psi from Bob at Pressure Tek back in May and have just ordered four nozzles for downstreaming that Bob helped me choose for my gear. I use 200' of high pressure hose so I can leave my machine on the trailer.

I feel that with Bob's help and from reading this forum I've got the equipment that I need for my particular work load but I've got to find a good house wash mix for downstreaming.

With the X-Jet M5 I used 10 oz. of Simple Cherry, 3 gallons of 6% bleach, a shot of Dawn, and water in a 5 gallon bucket. On houses around here that mix was quick and sick.

Now that I'm switching to downstreaming I'm thinking I'm gonna need to beef up my mix a bit. 12.5 % SH is not readily available here in town. I'd have to drive about 50 miles to get it and it's pretty expensive compared to the low prices I've read about here on the forum.

I see that many of you will use 2 gallons of 12.5 SH along with Simple Cherry per 5 gallons of mix so I'm assuming I'm going to need to use 4 gallons of 6% to match that in my mix. I guess I'll find out when my downstreaming nozzles get here just how well this mix with 6% SH will work.

Do any of you downstream using 6% bleach? How many gallons per 5'ver?

[douseahouse 21]

i use 12.5% but there are times when i run out and have to use household bleach. i make sure what i get is 6% and i usually buy it from big lots for 1.50 per gallon. if i have to use household bleach then i do not dilute it at all. i just add my own little goodies to it (sc, dawn, etc) and spray away. my downstreamer is basically rated at 10:1 so i am hitting the house with around .06% as far as i can estimate. this is actually a weak mix but has worked well for me when i need it.

good luck,

rando

[rick77 14]

Thanks for the helpful info Randy! So I guess it's very uncommon for for folks to use 6% on a regular basis.

A gentleman by the name of Bobby Weir (a member here on The Grime Scene forum) called me yesterday and talked to me for quite a while telling me a wealth of helpful information. So here's a Shout Out to Bobby Weir from Mt. Pleasant, SC. I enjoyed our conversation. It's amazing how much one can learn from talking to a veteran in the business.

I've been at it for 2 years and have only X-Jetted so far. I got 4 downstreaming nozzles and a J Rod 4 way nozzle holder today from Pressure Tek. I tested the nozzles out and they are much softer and seemingly more efficient than the X-Jet M5. I'll be downstreaming for the first time tomorrow. I'll be using 6% for now until I can find a source for 12%. I'll be doing my house and a friends house in trade for hosting and building my website. I can't wait!

Thanks guys!

[k2waterwerx 14]

Thanks for the helpful info Randy! So I guess it's very uncommon for for folks to use 6% on a regular basis.

A gentleman by the name of Bobby Weir (a member here on The Grime Scene forum) called me yesterday and talked to me for quite a while telling me a wealth of helpful information. So here's a Shout Out to Bobby Weir from Mt. Pleasant, SC. I enjoyed our conversation. It's amazing how much one can learn from talking to a veteran in the business.

I've been at it for 2 years and have only X-Jetted so far. I got 4 downstreaming nozzles and a J Rod 4 way nozzle holder today from Pressure Tek. I tested the nozzles out and they are much softer and seemingly more efficient than the X-Jet M5. I'll be downstreaming for the first time tomorrow. I'll be using 6% for now until I can find a source for 12%. I'll be doing my house and a friends house in trade for hosting and building my website. I can't wait!

Thanks guys!

Rick I just did the samething. Did my friends house and composite deck for a complete web set-up. No money exchange so no money for the government to waste!

[gutterdog 14]

Same thing I said before. Im not against downstreaming. Make your bucket stronger.

Edited September 12, 2009 by gutterdog

[gutterdog 14]

on roof cleaning... down streaming and xjet, plan 2 days, lol. have to get chems up there strong enough to do job regardless of dwell.

[rick77 14]

Rick I just did the samething. Did my friends house and composite deck for a complete web set-up. No money exchange so no money for the government to waste!

Smarter to Barter when you can ehh!

[rick77 14]

Same thing I said before. Im not against downstreaming. Make your bucket stronger.

That's the plan man.

[PressurePros 249]

Rick, I notice a marked loss in strength of chems using anything over 150' of hose.. even on the 4 gpm machines. I now keep 150' on all my reels. One job out of 20 requires more than that. Another thing that can starve flow is having restriction at the gun. Use a gun rated for at least 12 gpm. Another thing I learned is that undersized downstreamers will draw more. The downside of doing that is you have to pull the downstreamer to rinse or it takes a bit longer. All of these things should help you overcome the downfalls of using store bleach. I agree with Rando above. you may have to go with all bleach and just add your soaps to that.

Good luck. Let us know how you like it!

[rick77 14]

I'm probably gonna have to bite the bullet and drive out of town and pick up a 55 gallon drum of 12%. Up until several months ago I didn't have a place to store a drum but now I do.

It looks like downstreaming takes more chems than x-jetting so I'll be able to use the 55 gallons quicker than before. It's plain to see there are pros and cons to both x-jetting and downstreaming.

[PressurePros 249]

You won't use more chemical, you'll use less. One five gallon bucket should do a whole house (smallish house). We average ten gallons (six gallons of 12%) on the houses we do.

[RSuds 24]

I know that a lot of guys will not like this but after doing it all ways I found that the best way is to put the soap threw your pump and turn a valve on and off. You can have 400 feet of house on your reel and we now have 2 valves (1 at the pump so you can turn it up or down for less or more chemical, most of the time it is in the same spot) and another one to turn on and off. You can put the chemical on with pressure so reaching high spots with a 30 gal or 40 gal 0 is easy. we have a lot of diffrent machines all CAT PUMPS (seals last the longest and best pump around) but the 10 gal. pump will do jobs so great and fast. I do need to replace seals 1 or 2 times a year but it is so much faster it is worth it. We do a lot of town houses and building also so I could not get away with out having at least 300-400-(500-1000 added to the lines for bigger jobs) feet of house on each reel. If you tried it I think you would like it.

[rick77 14]

Well, I am now officially a downstreamer. Everything went well on my first day of downstreaming even though I only had 6% SH instead of 12.5%. For my mix I used close to 5 gallons of $1.50 per gallon 6% SH from Big Lots, 16 oz. of Simple Cherry and a shot of Dawn in a 5 gallon bucket. Of course no water was added in the mix.

Using my 4GPM, 4,000psi machine with 200' of hose and the downstreaming nozzles that Bob at Pressure Tek chose for me the chemical draw was perfect. This is great news because I need every bit of 200' of hose on so many of my high end residential gigs.

It was a great thrill to not have to lug around the soap bucket and hose!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The dwell time with 6% wasn't bad at all and the results were very nice. I want to get a 55 gallon drum of 12.5% SH in the near future but until then it's nice to know that 6% SH will do a great job downstreaming.

I look forward to trying this new downstreaming setup on a large 3 story house. Many of the homes I do are 3 story so that will happen soon.

Thanks for all of the valuable input!

[gutterdog 14]

Thanks for the helpful info Randy! So I guess it's very uncommon for for folks to use 6% on a regular basis.

A gentleman by the name of Bobby Weir (a member here on The Grime Scene forum) called me yesterday and talked to me for quite a while telling me a wealth of helpful information. So here's a Shout Out to Bobby Weir from Mt. Pleasant, SC. I enjoyed our conversation. It's amazing how much one can learn from talking to a veteran in the business.

I've been at it for 2 years and have only X-Jetted so far. I got 4 downstreaming nozzles and a J Rod 4 way nozzle holder today from Pressure Tek. I tested the nozzles out and they are much softer and seemingly more efficient than the X-Jet M5. I'll be downstreaming for the first time tomorrow. I'll be using 6% for now until I can find a source for 12%. I'll be doing my house and a friends house in trade for hosting and building my website. I can't wait!

Thanks guys!

Good luck with the downstreamer. I bought one too but still stuck on the xjet. Let me know how it goes! I know chems have to be stronger. I could probably figure that out.

I've shared ideas with Bobby on the phone too. He is good people.

[gutterdog 14]

You won't use more chemical, you'll use less. One five gallon bucket should do a whole house (smallish house). We average ten gallons (six gallons of 12%) on the houses we do.

REALLY????? HMMMMMM... Please tell me how? Its only like round 12 bucks I think for 5 gallon of 12.5. Yall gonna think I'm crazy but its like the cell phone company I just pay what they say!!!

Just did the math from receipt today. $2.75 a gallon. 13.75 a 5 gal bucket plus tax. Ahhh I was close, lol

Tell me how... How I use less chems????

(came back to ask that)

Edited September 16, 2009 by gutterdog

[gutterdog 14]

Well, I am now officially a downstreamer. Everything went well on my first day of downstreaming even though I only had 6% SH instead of 12.5%. For my mix I used close to 5 gallons of $1.50 per gallon 6% SH from Big Lots, 16 oz. of Simple Cherry and a shot of Dawn in a 5 gallon bucket. Of course no water was added in the mix.

Using my 4GPM, 4,000psi machine with 200' of hose and the downstreaming nozzles that Bob at Pressure Tek chose for me the chemical draw was perfect. This is great news because I need every bit of 200' of hose on so many of my high end residential gigs.

It was a great thrill to not have to lug around the soap bucket and hose!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The dwell time with 6% wasn't bad at all and the results were very nice. I want to get a 55 gallon drum of 12.5% SH in the near future but until then it's nice to know that 6% SH will do a great job downstreaming.

I look forward to trying this new downstreaming setup on a large 3 story house. Many of the homes I do are 3 story so that will happen soon.

Thanks for all of the valuable input!

Hey Rick! There is something I'm missing here. How do you get the liquid up so far without a ladder or the xjet? Using the downstreamer? I got the same 4gpm, 4000psi gig.

Seen somewhere... I think... ??? A gun thing? Forgot the name. Used with the downstreamer. I dont know what its used for but I assumme the " gun" name must get the height?

[rick77 14]

Hey Rick! There is something I'm missing here. How do you get the liquid up so far without a ladder or the xjet? Using the downstreamer? I got the same 4gpm, 4000psi gig.

Seen somewhere... I think... ??? A gun thing? Forgot the name. Used with the downstreamer. I dont know what its used for but I assumme the " gun" name must get the height?

Gutterdog, I may be missing something myself but I don't exactly understand what you are saying.

[gutterdog 14]

I know that a lot of guys will not like this but after doing it all ways I found that the best way is to put the soap threw your pump and turn a valve on and off. You can have 400 feet of house on your reel and we now have 2 valves (1 at the pump so you can turn it up or down for less or more chemical, most of the time it is in the same spot) and another one to turn on and off. You can put the chemical on with pressure so reaching high spots with a 30 gal or 40 gal 0 is easy. we have a lot of diffrent machines all CAT PUMPS (seals last the longest and best pump around) but the 10 gal. pump will do jobs so great and fast. I do need to replace seals 1 or 2 times a year but it is so much faster it is worth it. We do a lot of town houses and building also so I could not get away with out having at least 300-400-(500-1000 added to the lines for bigger jobs) feet of house on each reel. If you tried it I think you would like it.

I have a general pump. and its breaking down. water gets into the oil now. How easy is that to fix. It was suggested to just buy another pump.

The pump is breaking down because I used to up stream chems till this year.

There are advantages to up streaming as downstreaming.

How easy is it to repair my pump versus buying another one?

[gutterdog 14]

Gutterdog, I may be missing something myself but I don't exactly understand what you are saying.

Sorry Rick. Found what i needed. The ladder saver. A way to downstream and get the chems up there like the xjet. I may become a downstreamer. I'm certanly gonna look into it!

[rick77 14]

Sorry Rick. Found what i needed. The ladder saver. A way to downstream and get the chems up there like the xjet. I may become a downstreamer. I'm certanly gonna look into it!

Call Bob at Pressure Tek and he can set you up with four nozzles that cost under $16.00 that you can downstream with. You'll be able to shoot chems and rinse higher than you can with the X-Jet. No need to go back to the trailer or truck to turn the valve off on your downstream injector so you can rinse. Switching the nozzles takes care of that for you.

I now see the rave about downstreaming. It makes toting the bucket around look so ridiculous. You've got the machine, all you need is 4 nozzles.

[RSuds 24]

How do you get the chemical on with 300' of hose??

[Chris S 14]

99% of my house washes can be done with 200' of hose. If the rare occasion arises that I need 300' of hose, I just put a downstreamer inline 200' from my gun. This FAR outweighs x-jetting or any other method in my opinion.

[rick77 14]

99% of my house washes can be done with 200' of hose. If the rare occasion arises that I need 300' of hose, I just put a downstreamer inline 200' from my gun. This FAR outweighs x-jetting or any other method in my opinion.

The same here. Most of my accounts can be done with 200' of hose. Occasionally I'll add a 50' section of hose for extra long reach. I still get great chem draw (via my fixed

General injector) with 250' of hose.

That's a great idea to place a downstream injector 200' before the gun when you add a 100' section of hose for a total of 300' reach. Just be extra careful not to turn the chem bucket over in somebody's lawn as you pull the hose.

[Cat Powerwashing Inc. 17]

Dont you guys bust alot of hoses throughout the year downstreaming? I have been xjetting forever. I have 50 ft. of poly hose and my guys may have to move the bucket 2 or three times. No big deal. I like the fact that I can control my mixes in a 5gal. bucket.

[John Orr 206]

Dont you guys bust alot of hoses throughout the year downstreaming? I have been xjetting forever. I have 50 ft. of poly hose and my guys may have to move the bucket 2 or three times. No big deal. I like the fact that I can control my mixes in a 5gal. bucket.

Why would downstreaming cause hoses to burst? The pressure is the same, though if you use a flow-type (K-7) unloader with either method, there is no pressure - except when actually spraying. Using a flow-type unloader with a 0/40 (shooter) tip, there really is no pressure and by varying the orifice, it is possible to spray 2 and 3 stories with virtually no drift. (Personally, I would be more concerned with buckets being tipped-over on a customer's lawn.)

Controling the mix is no problem when downstreaming either.

Edited June 2, 2010 by John Orr

[rick77 14]

Dont you guys bust alot of hoses throughout the year downstreaming? I have been xjetting forever. I have 50 ft. of poly hose and my guys may have to move the bucket 2 or three times. No big deal. I like the fact that I can control my mixes in a 5gal. bucket.

I've yet to bust a hose while downstreaming. I did buy an extra 100' grey non marking hose this year in case a hose does go bad but it hasn't happened so far.

If you didn't have to move your soap bucket and 50' soap hose 2 or 3 times ( or more likely 10 to 15 times while x-jetting) you may not need extra guys on your crew(s).

To quote fellow power washer by the name of Bobby Weir, "I don't work for that hose, that hose works for me". My point is that my 200' of hose has worked for me with no problem whatsoever even though chemicals run through it. I'd rather the hose work for me instead of me working for the hose by me dragging a soap bucket around at the end of the gun. I didn't realize just how unnecessarily hard I was working (dragging soap bucket around) back when I X-Jetted. When I switched to downstreaming I saw the light. LOL!!

If one of my hoses craps out on me due to downstreaming so be it. That hose will have served me so very well and saved hundreds of hours of lifting and toting a soap bucket and hose (or dealing with a soap cart).

And when that hose goes bad my back is still good. I can easily buy a new hose but I've only got one back.