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Barry M

What order of cleaning

Question

If I was hired to wash a customer's roof, exterior gutters, vinyl siding, wash/seal deck attached to the house, and wash concrete drive that runs right up to the deck, in what order would I clean these in?

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I agree, to a point. What you buy also depends on what you can afford, and how much you use it, and what you're using it for. If I was doing just the occasional driveway or sidewalk, a cheaper unit would be fine.

There's only a couple of hundred dollar diff b/n a cheaper and a top of the line surface cleaner. The cheaper ones will break down quicker and if you can't fix them yourself then very soon you'll have paid just as much in parts and labor as if you'd have bought the other one. And let's not take into account the headache if it breaks on the jobsite (which it always does........things tend not to break when they're not being used) and the aggrevation it causes due to downtime and having to return to finish the job (unless you have a backup unit).

I wouldn't waste time replacing parts that aren't broken, though it's a good idea to get replacement parts so when/if you need them, you have them. I wouldn't buy from a rental place...people trash that stuff too much, and they don't sell until it's worn out....

If they're not broken then yes, don't replace them. However my thought process was based on the following........if he's never owned one before then how will he know whether the bearings are perfect or just a little/little+abit/completly worn? This way he'll start out with new inner parts and later when they wear he will notice the difference.

There's nothing really wrong with the rental units (except for the inner parts!!). I wouldn't trust them to take as good care of it as most of us do with our equipment. Once again this is why I suggested changing the bearings and such.

If the plastic cover is in one piece and the aluminium handles aren't bent out of shape then you are safe to go (you'll still end up with a good as new unit for half the price.....it just won't be as shiny)

I think that it's only fair to mention that I have never bought any used equipment.

Whatever you get, get it soon! Wanding a drive is just nuts. You either spend a HUGE amount of time, or you wind up with substandard results. It's hard to clean well and evenly with a wand without spending a LOT of time doing it. Time is money! A surface cleaner should pay for itself in a very short period of time.

Time is money!!!! They pay for themselves.........and your shoulders will thank you!

Side note: if you are doing a lot of flat work then pay attention to the following.........when pushing the surface cleaner away from you, the brush at the end furthest from you will wear (let's call it 12 o'clock position on the brush). When you're pulling it towards you the part of the brush at your feet (6o'clock on the brush) is not eposed to the same down force. Therefore the brushes wear unevenly which in effect, over time, will give you uneven surface cleaning.

The brush acts as a space b/n the tips and the surface and if this space is not consistent then neither will the cleaning be.

Also....if you are using hot water then pay attention to the teflon tape you put around the threading on the spray tips.

They tend to wear and you can have water escape where it shouldn't!

!!!TEFLON TAPE IS OUR FRIEND!!!!

:lgbow:

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Since I have never used a surface cleaner, do you normally push them like a lawn mower ( straight ahead) or more like a buffer ( side to side)?

Typically forward and back. If you have a 3 wheel model, you can't go side to side.

If you have a rental place in your area, see if they rent them...give one a try and you'll be sold!

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If, down the road, you get one with wheels then get one with four wheels. Hydrotek makes ONE really nice large surface cleaners (contractor hydro twister)

http://www.hydroteksystems.com/twister.htm

Do you mean 4 casters?

I prefer the type with two larger tires in the back and one caster in the front...easy to maneuver without having to fight stiff casters, keep it from going sideways, etc.

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Do you mean 4 casters?

I prefer the type with two larger tires in the back and one caster in the front...easy to maneuver without having to fight stiff casters, keep it from going sideways, etc.

Yes, I did mean casters. I've had mine for almost two years now and just recently did I have to spray the casters with some chain lube. The machine is really a quality product and it's stored outside, exposed to the elements.

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