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Barry M

help on guns n' lances

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No, its not Guns N Roses but guns n lances that I'm confused about. I don't like the one that came with my new cold water unit. I dont know much about them yet but seeing how the hose they gave me with it, isn't even rated for as much psi as the machine and it leaves black marks all over the place, I'm guessing the gun is also a cheap piece of crap! Its a 36" dual lance GIANT, and it's as heavy as a VW. I'm sure it has its place. But I'm going to be Xjetting houses mostly at first and I wanted to put together a good quality lightweight wand that will last. I will eventually have a lot of different sizes and types like a lot of you do. But to start I'm looking for a good all around wand. I started to look on a site to put one together, but to a newbie it was very overwhelming. Insulated or non insulated, stainless steel or aluminum, what's a good size for house washing, who makes a good gun? My machine is rated 3500psi 4gpm please help.

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You will only need insulated if you run a hot machine. No sense in lugging around the extra weight if you are running cold only. If you plan to x-jet then no sense in lugging around the dual lance either.

The gun and hose should be rated a minimum of what you machine is putting out. Some hoses are marked and some are not. All guns I have seen are marked and Giant is a decent company, so i would feel confident that they have it marked.

I like the Suttner ST-601 guns. They are a straight thru gun and mighty durable. I use it for everything, x-jet, lance, dual lance, and surface cleaner.

I am also a fan of the Giant 21290c guns, but they just sit in the tool box now. I keep them handy as back ups and loaners.

Did you get your unit locally? If so, then go back there and get the gun that is rated correctly for your machine.

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Yes I did get it locally. The machine is 3500psi the gun is fine its rated for 5,000 max I just didn't know how durable it was. The hose they gave me is rated for 3,000psi which would be under rated, correct? Well I'm glad to here that Giant is a good brand but your right I don't need a dual lance. What length do you like for house washing? Also do you like aluminum or stainless?

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I have both stainless and aluminum wands and do not have a preference. I have different lengths, from 1' to 4' and a extension poll. I also use the XJet.

It would be best if you had the correct hose for your unit, and I would say go back and straighten those sales people out.

I bought this set off ebay a couple years back and it has served me well. ebay listing

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Yes I did get it locally. The machine is 3500psi the gun is fine its rated for 5,000 max I just didn't know how durable it was. The hose they gave me is rated for 3,000psi which would be under rated, correct? Well I'm glad to here that Giant is a good brand but your right I don't need a dual lance. What length do you like for house washing? Also do you like aluminum or stainless?

I don't see the big difference b/n the aluminium and the stainless option.

The insulated portions help with grip but are primarily for safety when working with hot water (not the case with you) therefore if you wish to safe a few bucks then you can opt for non insulated.

As far as the sizes are concerned you must have atleast a 4' and a 6' wand. Anything more than that is job specific and less agrevation.

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Part of the purpose for the insulation is also to make the lance easier to hold onto. The plastic insulation comes in all different sizes, so to keep weight down, just install it on the areas that you will hold on to. Makes the lances more ergonomic.

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Aluminum is less durable than stainless steel. But, I like the lighter weight 6' aluminum extension pipe for getting that extra height on days when wind speeds are 10-15mph. Winds higher than that are carrying chems 2-3 blocks away.

As far as insulators on the lance, I save the money and just wear a pair of canvas gloves over the nitrile gloves to insulate me from the heat.

Working with temps above 125*, I switch to the lance that came with the unit which has a side bar handle for insulation. You can also buy these and install them yourself. They are adjustable to move up or down the lance to adapt to any operators arm reach.

For vinyl sided houses, I do not recommend temps above 120* because of the possibility of warping the siding.

Rod~

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