First Solo Housewash

[PatrickM 14]

Hi Folks

I washed my first house solo and thanks to on and off board support from all of you there were no big surprises. I do have some questions about the little things though.

I was disappointed with the reach of the X-Jet (M5). On the top 3 feet or so of the peak of a 2 story house the stream broke up into a fine mist. Covering this area with mist meant dumping tons of chem on the lower portions of the house which did not need it. Worst of all the peak did not look as good as the rest of the house. Any tips on getting just a little more reach out of an X-Jet? Also any tips on slowing down the draw on the X-jet? I went through chems way too fast. I know some of you use the proportioners but most don’t seem to like them.

The gutters on the north side of the house were completely black. Brushed on some gutter zap and rinsed it off and had shiny white gutters. On the south side of the house the gutters were not nearly as bad, more of a light gray color. Two applications of gutter zap with longer dwell time didn’t touch them. They are still gray. This side of the house is in strong full sun all day. Is the dirt "baked on"? Any tips on how to handle this? I’ve also seen it suggested here to get a 28’ pin lock pole for brushing gutters but can’t find one anywhere. Any suggestions on where to look and how much they should cost?

This house had a full covered porch with round columns, gingerbread moldings and lots of nooks and crannies. A lot of it couldn’t be hit from the ground with a wand so I took a spray bottle of housewash up on the porch and rinsed with a garden hose. Worked well (sometimes the low tech solution is the best) but wondered if anybody had a better idea.

And finally I used Barlox as my soap. The folks at Xterior tell me it’s also great on brick. Has anyone used it for brick and what kind of results did you have?

This was my own house and all in all it must have come out pretty good. My wife has been pushing hard for me to paint the house. She took one look and immediately said "now you don’t have to paint the house."

Thanks

Patrick

[Larry B 55]

The pin lock poles can be found at paint stores. The only way I Know of to slow the draw rate of the X-Jet is with the proportioners, I think most just learn to spray faster and cover more area instead of over applying chems to one spot.

[Adrian 155]

You may want to use a 8-10 extension wand to get up to those last few feet at the top of the house with xjet. Also, there are 2 different types of xjet. I believe they are 3000 psi and below, and 3000 psi and higher. If you have the larger xjet and your psi is lower, then this may be the reason you are not getting optimal height. or vice versa. And even with the right specs for your unit, sometimes a ladder will still be required. ( from my experiences) and they do end up misting to some degree at the presipice (spelling?).

[PressurePros 249]

Saying "switch to downstreaming" would be too encompassing but I will tell you that I encounter none of the inherent problems I have with the X-Jet when I can downstream detergent. If a house has siding it is not neccessary to use an X-Jet. In fact my houses turn out more uniform and I use FAR less chemical.

If you speed up and try to "beat the clock" and get your chemicals on faster with the X-Jet, I can guarantee you you are going to miss many spots that run parallel to the ground. Downstreaming provides the luxury of slower pace, re-treating harder to clean spots and I get a true 50 ft of chemical stream with the right nozzle. I'll add some photos.

As to your gutters. My guess is that they were installed at different times and are of differing quality. No matter what you do to some gutters they will not come up white and shiny.

[Jeff 232]

Xjets are set up for a 3/8 hose and all the fittings are 3/8th. With 3/8th you will use alot of chems , it empties a 5 gallon bucket quick. I converted all my Xjets to 1/4 inch and i use much less chems. i do a 2000 sq ft house usually with less than 2 5 gallon buckets of house wash usually about 6-8 gallons of mix. I just mix it a little stronger and it works great. For high peaks, you can use a step ladder or a 4 ft extension

As for the gutters remaining gray, they might be a cheaper quality and the finish may not be as good to begin with. When useing G Zap becareful that the gutters arent painted it can take the paint right off and can do it to a cheap factory finish also. all of a sudden you can have nice silver gutters

Paint store should be able to order 28ft pin lock, Lowes or HD has 27ft twist lock

Barlox is a real good soap but pricey, I like it for roofs also gives great cling

Congrats on your 1st house wash, they get real easy over time & alot quicker

Good luck

JL

[PressurePros 249]

Here is just a typical sample of a house cleaned by downstreaming. All work was done from the ground, which is a whole 'nother debate.

PS: I couldn't get thse to load as attachments. They are hosted at photobucket. I'll try and resize them and resubmit as attachments later.

[PatrickM 14]

Thanks for all the replies.

Ken - I do want to try downstreaming. What size nozzle would I need with a 4 gpm / 3500 psi machine?

Jeff - like the idea of converting the x-jet to 1/4 inch. As for Barlox I have the advantage of living close to Xterior's store. Barlox with no s&h is about the same cost as anything else with s&h.

Patrick

[Jarrod 22]

http://mobicleaninc.com/store/category/a17o/Thruster_Nozzles.html

Try these

[eads 14]

What size soap nozzle are you using Ken?

[bforbis 14]

I have used Gutter zap before and not really to happy with the results. They grey you see may be that the GZ burned off the finish and the grey is the aluminum itself.

I noticed what GZ was doing when I first started using it and never used it again. If you look close up at the gutter after you have rinsed and it has dried it really burns the finish.

Some swear by the stuff............. Just my opinion and observations.

I use a smaller hose for my XJ as Jeff does and I use it to apply chems vs down streaming. Had issues downing streaming that could not resolve and didn't like having to walk back and forth to check chem level, is it work properly etc. So I just stayed with the bucket and XJ for now.

I still have similar results of the stream losing integrety after about 20 to 25 ft, on a windy day is much worse

Congrates on your first house

[Jeff 232]

Thanks for all the replies.

Jeff - like the idea of converting the x-jet to 1/4 inch. As for Barlox I have the advantage of living close to Xterior's store. Barlox with no s&h is about the same cost as anything else with s&h.

Patrick

Say hi to Ron from Xterior, he helped me a ton in the beginning. He also can get you all the parts to convert to 1/4"

JL

[PatrickM 14]

The gutters are identical front and back of the house and only 7 years old. They are the type that are formed on site so they even came off the same roll of aluminum. Gray might not be the best discription of the color, lets call it a lighter black. It is clearly dirt and the paint is in tact. This is why I was so surprised. The only difference between the front and the back gutters is the weather conditions.

Patrick

[PressurePros 249]

What size soap nozzle are you using Ken?

I use a 00300 on a 5.5 gom machine. On a 4 gpm a 00250 would probably work well.

[Rodney 14]

Patrick

Did you mention the ratio you used for gutter zap. I use it straight and rinse

quickly afterward.Like bforbis said you can rub the finish off the gutter if

not carefull.PM me with the cost of the barlox. I have been getting it from the other source.The original xjet seems to have a greater distance.Also I agree on the 1/4" line, but the draw rate is bad when tring to use an extension wand.Even when holding the extension wand ground level.It will feed but as soon as you raise it the drawing stops. I only use 5-7 gallons of house wash for a 2000sqft house.Call me if you need help, we are less than 5 miles from each other.

If you need another house to practice on, my wife said to come do ours.She has given up on me.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Xjets are set up for a 3/8 hose and all the fittings are 3/8th. With 3/8th you will use alot of chems , it empties a 5 gallon bucket quick. I converted all my Xjets to 1/4 inch and i use much less chems. i do a 2000 sq ft house usually with less than 2 5 gallon buckets of house wash usually about 6-8 gallons of mix. I just mix it a little stronger and it works great. For high peaks, you can use a step ladder or a 4 ft extension

I'm getting confused now...I thought the idea of the Xjet was to be able to deliver a higher concentration of chems to the surface being cleaned...Which is defeated by using 1/4 hose and lowering that concentration. Why not just downstream if you're going to go that route? Personally, I love downstreaming, haven't used the Xjet in months.

When useing G Zap becareful that the gutters arent painted it can take the paint right off and can do it to a cheap factory finish also. all of a sudden you can have nice silver gutters

I've also had this happen to aluminum fascia wrap. I HATE cleaning gutterless houses!!

[Jeff 232]

Patrick

Did you mention the ratio you used for gutter zap. I use it straight and rinse

quickly afterward.Like bforbis said you can rub the finish off the gutter if

not carefull.PM me with the cost of the barlox. I have been getting it from the other source.The original xjet seems to have a greater distance.Also I agree on the 1/4" line, but the draw rate is bad when tring to use an extension wand.Even when holding the extension wand ground level.It will feed but as soon as you raise it the drawing stops. I only use 5-7 gallons of house wash for a 2000sqft house.Call me if you need help, we are less than 5 miles from each other.

If you need another house to practice on, my wife said to come do ours.She has given up on me.

Rodney GO CLEAN YOUR HOUSE !!!!!!

[Mike Williamson 198]

http://mobicleaninc.com/store/category/a17o/Thruster_Nozzles.html

Try these

LOL! There are quite a few imitations, but none of them measure up to the Xjet. Though I downstream whenever I can, the Xjet does have its uses, and when it is needed, it is nice to know it can deliver.

[Aplus 525]

WHy not turn the on/off lever attached to the hose a little, to reduce the amount of chems used?

To me, it's foolish to change hoses, when a simple solution is right there.

[Jeff 232]

I'm getting confused now...I thought the idea of the Xjet was to be able to deliver a higher concentration of chems to the surface being cleaned...Which is defeated by using 1/4 hose and lowering that concentration. Why not just downstream if you're going to go that route? Personally, I love downstreaming, haven't used the Xjet in months.

Mike W & Tony C

I'm probably not quite explaining it right/ But it works for me. I juice up the mix in a bucket. But Ive used 3/8 th hose and say I used 4 - 5 gallon buckets of mix (The 3/8th just empties the bucket REAL quick) Now with 1/4" hose same exact house I would use less than 2 - 5 gallon buckets

The 3/8th just draws out of the bucket to quick for me. Heck and the 1/4 hose is cheaper to buy and so isnt the 1/4 hose barbs, fittings & shut off when you have to replace them, SAVES $$$$. But like I said 3/8th just empties out to quick

I dont know if I explained it, but try it you dont have to mix up as much for a house wash

you just have to juice up your mix a little and you still get a real good concentration

[Mike Williamson 198]

you just have to juice up your mix a little and you still get a real good concentration

If you're using chems that you can mix stronger, why not just mix it a little stronger and downstream? Save all that hassle with the Xjet?

[Rodney 14]

When I got my xjet 3years ago it came with 1/4" fittings. Mike changed them back to 3/8" after people where complaining. I have never tried 3/8 hose.

[Jeff 232]

When I got my xjet 3years ago it came with 1/4" fittings. Mike changed them back to 3/8" after people where complaining. I have never tried 3/8 hose.

Thats how it happened for me also, then I got a 3/8ths one and didnt like it at all. I know Steve Rowlett complained because alot of his chems were set to use the 3/8th, so when i use his RM products or concrete cleaners I just mix stronger to compensate

Mike W old habits are hard to break and this way I can use same tip for different chem applications and I dont have to train all the different workers on different tips for different applications

[Mike Williamson 198]

Mike W old habits are hard to break and this way I can use same tip for different chem applications and I dont have to train all the different workers on different tips for different applications

You ought to go spend a day with Roger and Celeste (providing, of course, that they're willing!) one day when they're doing housewashing and see what a good downstreamer can do!

I know, I was a die-hard Xjet fan too, until someone convinced me to try downstreaming. If you look back at my posts a year or more ago, I was one of the guys telling people to ditch that lousy downstreamer and get an Xjet!

Don't get me wrong, the Xjet does have its uses, it's just not the best tool for every job. If I need a strong concetration of chlorine, and the shur-flo isn't convenient, I'll Xjet. But why add water to chlorine and then Xjet when you can downstream straight and still get the job done? No bucket, no extra hose, no refilling the mix bucket...

Have you ever spent 20 minutes watering the customer's lawn because you tipped over 1/2 a bucket of housewash in the grass? I have...

[CCPC 26]

I primarly use the x-jet for 90% of my exterior washing. The other 10% is when I have an area over the roof that's not accessiable form the ground, in those cases I will either use a downstreamer, pump up or shurflo, depending on how large of an area it is. One thing I don't like about downstreaming is, you can't use lower pressure tips without pulling chems (unless you walk back to the trailer every time and pull the line). The x-jet gives me far more freedom to draw chem, quickly disconnect, rinse plants with a soap tip, rinse delicate exteriors with large oriffce nozzles, and allow my guns, hoses, and reels to last much longer.

[James 625]

Isn't that were the dog pee's? ( spilt chems)

[Mike Williamson 198]

I primarly use the x-jet for 90% of my exterior washing. The other 10% is when I have an area over the roof that's not accessiable form the ground, in those cases I will either use a downstreamer, pump up or shurflo, depending on how large of an area it is. One thing I don't like about downstreaming is, you can't use lower pressure tips without pulling chems (unless you walk back to the trailer every time and pull the line). The x-jet gives me far more freedom to draw chem, quickly disconnect, rinse plants with a soap tip, rinse delicate exteriors with large oriffce nozzles, and allow my guns, hoses, and reels to last much longer.

I can understand if you're using a much lower pressure tip like a soap tip for rinsing, etc. I use a size 15 (on the 5.6gpm machine) for all my rinsing, including plants. If they're really delicate plants, I just step back a ways, and that works great. The 15 won't draw chems. I use either a size 30 or a soap tip to downstream. If I need to get the chems higher, I use a size 40 zero degree tip (or a 1/4 hose barb screwed into a 1/4" plug for the 8gpm machine). Just did a screened enclosure that was every bit of 30' high at the peak, and had no problem at all getting chems up that high.

I use an adjustable downstreamer, so if for some reason I need to use a lower pressure tip but not draw chems, I just shut off the downstreamer. Pulling the hose won't work, because then I'm sucking air. I've also got a ball valve on the chem tank, so I can shut it off there if I need to. The occasional trip back to the trailer still doesn't compare to the time I'd spend mixing a couple buckets of housewash, pulling out the Xjet setup, getting everything placed where I need it, and moving the bucket around.

I'm not saying anyone shouldn't use the Xjet, if that's what works for you. I'm just saying if you haven't given a good downstreamer a try, you may be missing a great tool.