House Wash

[John Doherty 126]

I've never done a house wash before so this may seem like a dumb question. If you have the right chem mix do you even need a p/w? Couldn't you apply chem mixed w/water with a shurflow, and rinse with a garden hose? Or is it that you couldn't get the distance (height) or coverage to get the whole house?

[DustinC 64]

for vinyl and similar surfaces yes but the higher gpm you have the faster you wash a house hence the need for one.

[Integrity Curb Appeal 64]

I've never done a house wash before so this may seem like a dumb question. If you have the right chem mix do you even need a p/w? Couldn't you apply chem mixed w/water with a shurflow, and rinse with a garden hose? Or is it that you couldn't get the distance (height) or coverage to get the whole house?

Good question. I am no pro but I have had a similiar thought. Connecting my x-jet to a water bib. I do not have a sureflow but I have a solid brall hose attachment that reaches further than my x-jet. If you could apply chems at the correct height, then I am sure you could rinse with the right hoze nozzle given you had a strong enough water pressure. With the hose nozzle I have connected to a hose at my home I can stand 20 feet in front of my house and spray over my roof and water the plants on my second story deck out back. Get a solid hose nozzle with a 1/4 in. opening and measure your distance.

Again I am not yet a pro but I would love to know how it turns out.

Scott

[Keth 15]

My garden hose puts out 6.8 GPM and works fine for most rinsing but to get the peaks of the high spots (40 ft) it is nice to have the pressure. Getting the chems up that high with a shurflo is not possible without a ladder that I am aware of so I am sure someone will chime in if they can do it.

[John Orr 206]

When I first started, almost 7 years ago (!), I washed every house without a pressure washer. My delivery system of choice was a garden hose-end tree sprayer. If I need to reach a really high peak, I would drape the sprayer over the brush on an extension pole. Don't laugh, it worked very well. I still have many of those original customers.

[douseahouse 21]

not a silly question at all...visit this site and even give tim a call if you want. he's a super nice guy.

rando

http://www.softwashing.com/default.asp

[WEW 14]

Oh man, the secrets out! Yes you can do that as long as your mix is right and you water plant life while applying your chem. However, assorted stuff

like muddaubers, wasp nests, frog crap, bird crap, cacoons and the like will be tougher to remove. It's a trade off, you might save effort but lose time and thoroughness. Whatever blows your hair back.

ISYHTRAH

[jgoral76 14]

Can a garden hose get 6.8 gpm??????? i did'nt think so i thought about 2.5gpm

[Thomas 14]

If everything is off...dishwasher, laundry etc, I have heard it is 7.3gpm.

Around here most are good but my 5.5 machine has pulled the water line togethor before.

I think you need a little pressure with mild chem. Mud gobbers and spider webs..all that crap needs some pressure but a good gpm to wash it off. I can easily spot a house that has been pissed down with 50/50 chlorine and hose. You cant get all the sticky bug stuff off and send half of the insect population around your

home on a death stampede up the exterior to excape from the strong chloro. Only to die on the wall and create an even uglier mess. Look on the wood board that overhangs the fascia....how can you clean up in there well when you have strong love dripping all over you?? You need to hit with the pressure washer imo

[Integrity Curb Appeal 64]

Can a garden hose get 6.8 gpm??????? i did'nt think so i thought about 2.5gpm

My garden hose produces 7.5.

[John Orr 206]

For those that downstream, we know that pressure is not need to wash the "soft" parts of a house. You could not tell the difference between a house that I washed with - or without - a machine. The biggest difference is in the amount of time it takes to complete the job - about twice as long by "hand".

[Thomas 14]

We do not downstream. Like I said anyone can nuke an exterior with strong chem, rinse it and be out in a flash.

I can tell with out any doubt (if the house has debris stuck on it, not just mold) if it has been just chem washed. Try using a 2510 tip or xx12...not high pressure at all, but enough to break wasps etc loose.

I have seen many a exterior pissed down with strong chems after a roof wash(usually sold after the roof is done and they want to get in the truck). The quality of rinsing with a 2510 or 12 is obvious.

[taselton2 14]

I Came Across These Post In A General Search Under Softwashing. I Pressure Washed Houses For Over 10 Years Before Setting Up A Softwash Rig. There Are Pro's & Con's To Both. I Am Perfecting My Rig All The Time, And Now Have It Down Pretty Good. We Use High Flow As Rinsing Power , Not Pressure. Some People Think We Use Strong Mixes To Clean Homes, This Couldn't Be Further From The Truth. I Actually Use Less Than A Typical Chem Injector. I Still Pressure Wash All My Concrete, But I Have UpGraded My Washer To A Higher Flowing Machine 8.5 @ 3600 This Has Made A Big Difference In Our Time. More Water = More Cleaning Power! "softwashing" Is All Anybody Wants Anymore In Our Area, And It's Spreading Pretty Fast. Pressure Washing Homes Is Perfectly O.k., This Is Just "Another Way" To Do It.

[Christopher 102]

Great House pics Tim! The before and after are Great. Are you applying chems with the Orange hose or rinsing?

[taselton2 14]

Great House pics Tim! The before and after are Great. Are you applying chems with the Orange hose or rinsing?

I USE THE SAME HOSE TO APPLY AND RINSE.

[PressurePros 248]

Now thats a housewash. Remember Tim.. next rig is being built for me right? ;-)

[taselton2 14]

Now thats a housewash. Remember Tim.. next rig is being built for me right? ;-)

THANKS KEN, ONLY IF I HAVE ANY ENERGY LEFT AT ALL!

[Deck Guy 14]

Can a garden hose get 6.8 gpm??????? i did'nt think so i thought about 2.5gpm

I always feed my 4GPM machine from the garden hose, and have never had a problem with a municipal water supply. It does vary however on any system, relative to demand and relative height below the storage source (water tower).

[taselton2 14]

I always feed my 4GPM machine from the garden hose, and have never had a problem with a municipal water supply. It does vary however on any system, relative to demand and relative height below the storage source (water tower).

WE HAVE GREAT PRESSURE AND FLOW IN TALLAHASSEE. THERE ARE SOME NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE CAN GET OVER 10GPMS AND 80PSI OFF A HOUSE VIA 3/4" HOSE @ 125'. I PURCHASED A FLOWMETER, ACTUALLY 2, TO MAKE SURE WE WERE GETTING ENOUGH WATER TO SUPPLY OUR 8GPM WASHER UNTIL WE HOOK UP OUR TANK SYSTEM. WE RUN 2 SUPPLY HOSES OFF THE HOUSE INTO A "Y" AT THE WASHER FOR NOW. MOST HOMES FLOW ABOUT 6-9GPMS OFF ONE HOSE AND 9-12GPMS OFF TWO HOSES. I TESTED EACH HOUSE WE WENT TO FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND THESE WERE THE "IN TOWN" AVERAGES. HOMES ON A WELL SYSTEM VARY, THEY WILL FLOW LIKE CRAZY UNTIL THE "TANK " RUNS DRY. TANK ASSIST SET-UPS ARE NEEDED IN THESE SITUATIONS. WE WILL BE RUNNING TWO HOSES INTO A 200 GALLON FLOAT SET-UP WHEN OUR NEW TRUCK IS COMPLETE. HOPE THIS HELPS, YOU CAN ALWAYS FILL A 5 GALLON BUCKET AND CHECK YOUR WRIST WATCH TO TEST YOURS AT HOME. BELOW ARE THE CUSTOM "Y", FLOWMETERS (SUPPLY & HIGH PRESSURE) AND "WORK IN PROGRESS" SOFTWASH TRUCK THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE OF REELS AND TARP BOX ON JUST TO HELP OUT FOR NOW.

[Dan Stapleton 14]

Tim, Congratulations on your success, you have some nice equipment there. Personally, I think that traditional methods- High flow and low pressure are faster, more effective and safe in the right hands but to each his own. You've found a market for it. Do you always work in sandels?

[taselton2 14]

Tim, Congratulations on your success, you have some nice equipment there. Personally, I think that traditional methods- High flow and low pressure are faster, more effective and safe in the right hands but to each his own. You've found a market for it. Do you always work in sandels?

I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND YOUR STATEMENT, BUT AS FAR AS THE SANDALS GO, WE WEAR THEM WHEN WE CAN. I WEAR POLY-BLENDED SHIRTS (CHEM RESIST - CHANGE OUT 3-4 TIMES DAILY), SWIM TRUNKS(RESIST CHEMS WELL AND DRY FAST), AND SANDALS (THAT DRY FAST AND YOU CAN KEEP YOUR FEET COOL). ROOF CLEANING I WEAR RUBBER BOOTS FOR GRIP. IT IS HOT AS HECK HERE IN THE SUMMER SO WE KEEP COOL AND ALWAYS HAVE LOTS OF COLD WATER AND GATORADE NEAR BY. 12 SUMMERS WORTH OF WASHING ROOFS AND HOMES HERE AND I HAVE LEARNED HOW TO COMBAT THE HEAT.

[Dan Stapleton 14]

No offense intended, Tim, I was just curious. I also work in shorts ( how could you not, down here? ) I tried the poly-blend shirts for chem resistance but to me, they're uncomfortable. Next time you are in the market for boots, the LaCrosse Hawthorne have very good traction on roofs, are Neoprene lined and the outer rubber holds up well to chems. They are comfortable and being ankle high your agility is'nt compromised.

[taselton2 14]

No offense intended, Tim, I was just curious. I also work in shorts ( how could you not, down here? ) I tried the poly-blend shirts for chem resistance but to me, they're uncomfortable. Next time you are in the market for boots, the LaCrosse Hawthorne have very good traction on roofs, are Neoprene lined and the outer rubber holds up well to chems. They are comfortable and being ankle high your agility is'nt compromised.

NONE TAKEN DAN, I WILL CHECK ON THOSE BOOTS. THE POLY SHIRTS ARE NOT LIKE PURE COTTON, BUT THEY DO HOLD UP NICE. THANKS FOR THE ADVICE ON THE BOOTS.

[taselton2 14]

No offense intended, Tim, I was just curious. I also work in shorts ( how could you not, down here? ) I tried the poly-blend shirts for chem resistance but to me, they're uncomfortable. Next time you are in the market for boots, the LaCrosse Hawthorne have very good traction on roofs, are Neoprene lined and the outer rubber holds up well to chems. They are comfortable and being ankle high your agility is'nt compromised.

allcleanexteriors.com is available, you should buy it if you want to build a website someday.

[Dan Stapleton 14]

Thanks for the info.

[taselton2 14]

I've never done a house wash before so this may seem like a dumb question. If you have the right chem mix do you even need a p/w? Couldn't you apply chem mixed w/water with a shurflow, and rinse with a garden hose? Or is it that you couldn't get the distance (height) or coverage to get the whole house?

SHURFLO PUMPS DON'T PUMP NEAR THE PRESSURE OR VOLUME TO CLEAN (RINSE) A HOME EFECTIVELY. GARDEN HOSE PRESSURE ON SOME HOMES CAN BE PRETTY EFFECTIVE, BUT NOT NEAR WHAT YOU NEED. HIGH FLOW PUMPS WITH A COUPLE HUNDRED PSI ARE THE WAY TO GO. THIS TYPE OF CLEANING IS CALLED "SOFTWASHING". WHILE PRESSURE WASHING A HOME IS THE MOST COMMON WAY, SOFTWASHING IS TAKING OFF LIKE A ROCKET.