asphalt cleaning question ?

[dave 14]

i cleaned my first asphalt driveway yesterday 2500 sq ft 3000 psi 4 gallon hot water unit using turbo nozzle after cleaning the surface it looked fine however after it dried the surface appeared very patchy i went back over these areas again spending more time while i did improve the result i was still not totally satisfied it was a very time consuming task my question is asphalt a more difficult and time consuming task or is it just my lack of experience any advice would be appreciated.

regards

Dave

[Adrian 155]

2500 sq ft with a wand is a little bit of a job anyway you look at it, be it concrete or asphalt. It is hard to get an overall eveness with a wand verses a surface cleaner. That may be why you had to redo some of your work. Asphalt has alot of oil resins in the mix and when it is washed leaves a dark brown to near black haze with the same in the run off. Rinse , rinse , rinse!!!! If it dries with debris, it will most assuradly be visible, with different color tones of black and brown. You definately have the equipment specs to handle a job like that. But I would look into renting a surface cleaner ( or buying one)that matches your machines specs and you will see that the job you did with a wand will be finished about 5 times faster and more even. (i'm sure I will be corrected on this one)!!!!!.

Just a suggestion....( if you are not into renting or buying a surface cleaner)...... pack that turbo nozzle away when doing asphalt. Use a 40 degree tip. It will create a more even flow result. That turbo nozzle can rip chunks out of asphalt if you hit a lip or there is existing divots in the asphalt . We don't even want to go there. Insurance.... repairs.... angry customers blah blah blah!!!!

But to answer your question... I would not say that it is a lack of experience, we all should be learning more everyday in this line of work, and never stop learning. You are at the right place to learn about the ART of pressure washing. Flatwork, asphalt or concrete, just takes some time with a wand anyway you look at it. Do some research on surface cleaners. It's a whole other world. You will be amazed at how much time you will save.

Just rent until you can afford to buy one, because some of the surface cleaners are pretty pricey.

I hope this helps some. Good luck!!!

Adrian

[GymRat 14]

I have never tried it on asphalt, but I didn't think it was a good idea to use a surface cleaner on asphalt. I haven't done much more than clean a few oil spots where cars parked on asphalt, so I a'm no where near an expert on this topic.

[Craig 111]

Very light pressure is key when doing asphalt. As the above post explained, your white (40 degree) is your best bet. Or if you have a surface cleaner make sure the nozzles are set not to cause damage (big oriface size, fan nozzle and steep angle into the substrate). Also, a light soap solution like Delco's R-109 mixed 6 ounces per gallon and x-jetted at 2:1 works great.

Dave,

Your turbo nozzle is an extreme machine. It can cause damage in an instant and the reason you see the blotchy patches is because the surface layer has been stripped off. I usually only use my turbo on hard concrete where my purpose it to strip paint or prep the concrete for a coating (exposing the aggregate). I would personally NEVER use the turbo on asphalt!

Asphalt should take you less time to clean than concrete. Basically if you are just using the wand you'll want to apply clean water, soap (wait 10 minutes) and then rinse hard enough to lift dirt off but soft enough as not to cause damage.

[dave 14]

thanks adrian, john and craig for the advice, i did hire a surface cleaner for the job but i was not happy with its performance i think the problem may have been it was set up for a 4000 psi machine it had double nozzels on each end it was struggling to clean the area any faster than the wand so i continued with the wand everyone raves about surface cleaners i think i will have to just bite the bullet and buy one that suits my machine. i was very careful not to go to close to the surface with my turbo but i think craig was right i may have taken a very thin layer of the surface and the only way i could get an even finnish was to redo those areas with the tubo sorry for the long post but i hope others may learn from my mistake thanks again.

regards

dave

[Adrian 155]

Hi Dave,

I don't know about your area, but this worked out very well for me.

I found a used surface cleaner (20" diameter) from a rental store that was reducing it's older inventory. Paid 75.00 for it and revamped all the hardware i.e. hoses. trigger handle and tips. Replacing the tips has made all the difference in the world for me and flatwork. At first the tips were setup for a 5gpm machine. I didn't have much faith in the unit, due to striping and overall poor effectiveness. I got some help from a fellow pressure washer (Philip Doolittle, of Power House) in my area ( and on this forum) that knows the math really well on tip sizes and gpm. (look him up, he's always happy to help)

Now my surface cleaner just rips through dirty driveways and flat work, sometimes without using any chems at all, alot quicker than a wand. I only use the wand to rinse off the dirt that the surface cleaner lifted off of the flatwork. Plus since you have a hot water unit, that's half the battle in your favor. I am very pleased with the avenue I took to acquire my surface cleaner, as my budget was very small for new equipment purchases.

My investment to date was less than 150.00 to get up and running with a surface cleaner. Some units cost as much as 1000.00 and up. Some people have told me that my surface cleaner, when sold brand new cost' 800.00, so I feel I went in the right direction with my purchase even though I had to revamp it a little. Plus I am so cheap with my money. But that's just me.

Shop around, be patient, look for a used one, or a rental closeout deal.

The most you may have to do is replace the tips to accomadate your machine's gpm. That is a very small investment. About 8.00 per tip, maybe even cheaper than that in Australia. This forum has what is called "the bargain basement" section for used gear for sale. Check it out and you might find one pretty cheap.

Turbo nozzles are very effective if used in the right application like Craig said.

They sure can do alot of damage though if not used properly, and end up costing more than the job is worth.

Hope this helps with spawning new ideas for flatwork for you.

Have a GREAT weekend.

Adrian

[dave 14]

thanks adrian i will look into it.