..Basically sounding off on the age old... House Wash Dilema ..

[jeffex11 121]

HOW TO GET THE MIX ON THE HOUSE?

I know this crossroads has been reached by many p-washers and soft washers . But the Question is still ...to x-jet....downstream ...or a dedicated pump system to apply the house wash mixture ?

I have done all 3 ....except not an actual x-jet but a rigged up high pressure shooter .

This spring I set up a 12 volt pump 16 gal tank system. I hooked up a 150 ft hose reel with a spray gun that would shoot about 25ft. It paid for itself on the first 2 jobs . The only problem is that chlorine is a beast on all the connections and the pump is loosing power. Yesterdays job we were down to about 15 ft on the range ....even after a battery check ....

I looked at the Bandit system and one on Sun Brite ..roofster ... that are dedicated pump systems . They claim they are built to withstand the harshness of the chems ...

Today after reading many x-jet threads ....and with my pump system loosing pressure .......with a job looming this Monday ...I think at the least I will put the x-jet on my trailer and get my hand truck out of the shed to tote the 5 gal around.

Luckily my son does most of the work these days but I still need a system that is simple to use .

My pump system cost me about $125 for the hose reel...hose ..connectors ...and the gun I already had a tank sprayer for my lawn business and a 12 volt battery in the shed . My son would pull up to a job and unreel the hose . Turn on the switch and he could do a large house in 2 hours with this system. We developed a rinse system using the pressure of the garden hose . 2 large houses were easy with this system .....3 if they were close enough in travel time

IN may cases he did the house wash without getting the pressure washers out .....I am interested in the Bandit system as it looks heavy duty but at $1,400 vs $150 for an x-jet ...today I'm headed to buy the x-jet and I will work on a more durable system of replacement parts for my current set up .

I could use a more than 60 psi 2.2 gpm 12 volt pump the tank came with ...to get more height and some stainless connections to step up my system . After all these years in this business it is still fun to experiment with new ideas and process' to make this work easier and more profitable ........

Edited May 11, 2012 by jeffex11

[CobraPowerHouseWashn 14]

My $400 roof pump system I made. Paid for first time I used it.. I have never seen x-jet in action. My take is I don't want to carry buckets or back pack.. just switch nozzles.. Downstreamer for me.

Edited May 11, 2012 by CobraPowerHouseWashn

[Timo 25]

Water hoses are for flower beds. On your day off. Electric pump - not enough agitation.

I, like you, am often looking for something else. I think i may have found it. Eight gallons a minute to soap with. Ten gallons a minute to rinse with. No nozzle switching. No rinsing with a twenty tip and pretending to be soft-washing while your shoulder muscles scream. I like it.

[bigchaz 157]

Downstream injector - 11 dollars. Only one hose to mess with. I for one don't even see how it's even a question any more these days

[AAPaint 14]

Funny that. I never learned how to do anything else but downstream. Drop hose in bucket, spray soap, rinse, done. Bucket stays with the rig, no moving anything but wand and hose.

[jeffex11 121]

I got a call from Jack in NJ and he gave a glowing review of the M5 x-jet ....What I decided to do was....drum roll please.....all 3 !!

x-jet.....get a new down stream ( built in on pump doesn't work any more) add on ...and fix my hose reel system with stainless or plastic connections to withstand the chlorine and a new pump.....all of this is WELL below the cost of a Bandit or roofster system

[Cleaner 14]

Everybody has there own way of doing things.I started off downstreaming and it is the easyest and fastest way to wash a house.I tried the x-jet/M-jet and used my roof setup to wash houses also.The downstream method is the only way for me.

[plainpainter 217]

Jeff - you still brushing houses?

[Gunnerm1 14]

Up until recently I had always used a separate trailer mounted 12 Volt chemical pump, tank and a yellow chemical hose to apply chlorine. The pumps themselves are relatively sturdy however I found that the pressure switches fail every few months. I found a cheap source of replacement switches on E-Bay.

The biggest headache was that I found myself constantly fighting corroded fittings, and lances that were completely clogged with rust.

On a regular basis, I would arrive on a job, pull my chemical hose, and find that I had little to no pressure. Then I would have to find the clog. Sometimes it would be a clogged lance, sometimes a clogged valve, sometimes the pressure switch would have failed. It is just a major pain.

So I ripped that crap off of my rig, pulled out the old x-jet, attached 60 foot of hose, and dropped the end in a bucket. I will never go back to a 12volt system.

I attach quick connects to the X-Jet, and snap it on the end of my ball valve. With a male quick connect acting as my spray tip, I can adjust the flow with my ball valve and apply chemical and soap about 3 stories high. If needed, I attach my extension pole to reach higher. I find that the added water volume of the x-jet helps to agitate the dirt and mold. It is truly like a cross between softwashing and pressure washing.

I do like the idea of downstreaming, after all who likes lugging a bucket around. I think I will give that another try. I could not get it to draw the first time I tried it.

Edited May 24, 2012 by Gunnerm1

[Gunnerm1 14]

In my last post I mentioned that I was going to give downstreaming another try. Well I did, earlier today as a matter of fact. I used a brand new injector that came with my 8 gallon machine, which is matched to the machine. I know I set eveything up right. I Dropped the pressure down with a black chemical tip, and very little soap and bleach made it to the business end of my wand. I used straight 6% bleach. I went over lightly molded siding several times with little to no effect. I could tell I was getting some soap, it was drawing, but just not near enough to get any real work done. I switched back to my x-jet and got the job done.

I think the main factor is my length of pressure hose. I carry 250 foot of hose on my reel. I need almost all of at at least 1 out of every 5 jobs. I dont want to shorten my hose. I guess Im just destined to carry a 5 gallon bucket.

Im all ears and open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

On a side not I just recieved my order from Pressure Tek. Super fast shipping. I ordered Simple Cherry, F-13, and his low pressure tip kit. I have used Dawn for years, but going to give Cherry a try.

Lets hope Simple Cherry works as great as it smells.

Edited May 24, 2012 by Gunnerm1

[Guy B 70]

In my last post I mentioned that I was going to give downstreaming another try. Well I did, earlier today as a matter of fact. I used a brand new injector that came with my 8 gallon machine, which is matched to the machine. I know I set eveything up right. I Dropped the pressure down with a black chemical tip, and very little soap and bleach made it to the business end of my wand. I used straight 6% bleach. I went over lightly molded siding several times with little to no effect. I could tell I was getting some soap, it was drawing, but just not near enough to get any real work done. I switched back to my x-jet and got the job done.

I think the main factor is my length of pressure hose. I carry 250 foot of hose on my reel. I need almost all of at at least 1 out of every 5 jobs. I dont want to shorten my hose. I guess Im just destined to carry a 5 gallon bucket.

Im all ears and open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

On a side not I just recieved my order from Pressure Tek. Super fast shipping. I ordered Simple Cherry, F-13, and his low pressure tip kit. I have used Dawn for years, but going to give Cherry a try.

Lets hope Simple Cherry works as great as it smells.

That's because you're using the wrong size injector. Change to a 3-5 gpm injector and it will pull like mad. Trust me 8 gpm units are all we run.

[Cleaner 14]

That's because you're using the wrong size injector. Change to a 3-5 gpm injector and it will pull like mad. Trust me 8 gpm units are all we run.[/quote

What Guy said.

[Gunnerm1 14]

That's because you're using the wrong size injector. Change to a 3-5 gpm injector and it will pull like mad. Trust me 8 gpm units are all we run.[/quote

What Guy said.

Ill give that a whirl and see what happens. Thanks

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

M-jet works wonders for application.

Rod!~

[Gunnerm1 14]

Thanks Tony, Guy, and Rod.

I took a bit off all of your advice and ordered a 3 to 5 GPM injector, and an M jet 13. Ill try to downstream with the small injector, and if that doesn't work it'll be back to the bucket carry, but with a really awesome M jet.

I had been throwing chemical up with an Super Sud Sucker, attached to a ball valve. I used a ball valve to vary the flow as needed. Kinda like an M Jet. Last week my Super Sud Sucker started to fail.

Just goes to show, there are numerous ways get chemical on the house

[Christopher 102]

This thread is too funny! hahahahaha

The old debate of the downstream vs. X-jet and now...............downstream vs. X-Jet vs. tiny chemical pumps (hard to stop laughing, sorry) hahahahaha

All are just tools for the job, you decide what is best for you.

If you want a good overview of what most people do, start using the search button and start reading from a very long time ago and see what most are using, what most people like to use to get the job done quickly. Just because people are softwashing does not mean they are going out and buying an electric pump to apply chemicals to houses as this will not get rid of the dirt dauber nests up high or wasp nests up high or other things up high where you need high volumes of water or to reach up high like over 20'. I have many electric pumps that I use to transfer chemicals and I have several of the X-Jets that I use, probably once every year or two.

People will be debating this until the end of time and everyone has good and bad things to say about every tool out there, you need to try them and see what you want to use every day and what makes you the most productive and do a great job.

See how long people take on house wash jobs and compare you to them and see what tools they use vs. what you use and decide what you want to do, don't just take people's word for things, see for yourself and decide what is best for you.

I will tell you that if you spend some time reading, read what the guys use that do the most house washing will be a big clue, chances are you will not be using 3 different tools on the next job and spending a few hours on an hour job but that is up to you, only you know what your time is worth. If the homeowner has had their house professionally cleaned in the past, they might be wondering what is taking you so long, I hope you are not trying out 3 different tools and say that you are learning how to wash houses on their property, on their time and without a lot of experience, just saying.

Good luck.

- - - Updated - - -

This thread is too funny! hahahahaha

The old debate of the downstream vs. X-jet and now...............downstream vs. X-Jet vs. tiny chemical pumps (hard to stop laughing, sorry) hahahahaha

All are just tools for the job, you decide what is best for you.

If you want a good overview of what most people do, start using the search button and start reading from a very long time ago and see what most are using, what most people like to use to get the job done quickly. Just because people are softwashing does not mean they are going out and buying an electric pump to apply chemicals to houses as this will not get rid of the dirt dauber nests up high or wasp nests up high or other things up high where you need high volumes of water or to reach up high like over 20'. I have many electric pumps that I use to transfer chemicals and I have several of the X-Jets that I use, probably once every year or two.

People will be debating this until the end of time and everyone has good and bad things to say about every tool out there, you need to try them and see what you want to use every day and what makes you the most productive and do a great job.

See how long people take on house wash jobs and compare you to them and see what tools they use vs. what you use and decide what you want to do, don't just take people's word for things, see for yourself and decide what is best for you.

I will tell you that if you spend some time reading, read what the guys use that do the most house washing will be a big clue, chances are you will not be using 3 different tools on the next job and spending a few hours on an hour job but that is up to you, only you know what your time is worth. If the homeowner has had their house professionally cleaned in the past, they might be wondering what is taking you so long, I hope you are not trying out 3 different tools and say that you are learning how to wash houses on their property, on their time and without a lot of experience, just saying.

Good luck.