Double Unloaders!

[jde927 14]

Hey Guys!

I got a Question For ya.

We are getting alot of opertunities for Carpet cleaning. Comercial Carpets to be exact. We want to do this with the equitment that we have.

We currently have a steel eagle vacume unit and a hydor-tech 4000 psi @5.5 gpm machines that we want to use for this.

We figure on running a double unloader with a ball valve of sort.

When we want 4000 psi run it to unloader #1 and when we want

1200-1000 psi run it to unloader # 2.

What do you guys think?

thanks

[Paul Kassander 26]

Wow, i don't know that a pressure washer is the right piece of equip for cleaning carpet, those units only apply the chem and water at like 10psi or somthing like that.

But if you want to set up your machine like that it can be done. Or you could just install quick connects or twist lock couplers on the unloaders and swith them that way.

[One Tough Pressure 580]

I had a 5.2gpm/3500 psi skid that I used to clean the carpets in my house. I installed a high pressure by pass on the extra pump outlet, that when open will send the water back to the tank. I made no unloader adjustments.

I then used a standard double bend carpet scrub wand at the end of my hose.

The vacuum system is a Sutorbilt 4M blower, so it did just fine for water removal.

Prespray was done with a pump up, and the rinse was a citric acid based carpet neutralizer that was ran from my tank.

Carpet cleaning varies on pressure, but I was using 500 psi at the wand. Not sure what the gpm at the wand was, but it was pretty low.

Bypassing water limits the available water to go thru the burner, which if turned up to high will do damage when it goes steam and you release the wand trigger. Steam Cleaning with a pressure washer is an open gun deal to avoid system overload.

In a pinch this will do, but in the long run, It will cost you more per square foot to clean doing it this way.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Just for the sake of addressing the main question:

The unloader does not determine the psi, the pump and it's factory preset pressure does.

The unloader function is to redirect water in the event of a switch in demand by either depressing a trigger or releasing it. Having 2 unloaders only adds the possibility of using the pump to supply two different cleaning units. Problem is, it can wreak havoc with the springs or valves controlling the flow and cause them to operate in a cycling pattern. This is evident by the pressure rising and dropping uncontrollably.

Rod!~

[Paul Kassander 26]

You are right the unloader does not adjust the "pressure" but it does adjust the flow. So reducing the flow by sending the water into bypass you cause a reduction in pressure at the tip. You can always go with a larger tip which will also degrease your pressure without affecting your flow. Then you will not need an additional unloader, but your water usage will remain at 5.5gpm.

[Russ Johnson 141]

Use 1 regulating unloader equipped with a knob to reduce system pressure / flow and a thermostat. With the proper nozzle combination on your floor tool, you'll be where you want to.

[jde927 14]

hey THANKS guys!

Russ Got another question from your post.

Instead of messing with the unloader and avoid having to change it all the time and check it, is it possible to run a smaller GPM (thanks Rod! -GPM not PSI) unloader on the machine so as to switch?

For everyone who is wondering why use a pressure washer to clean carpets here it is. http://www.carpet-cleaning-equipment.net/chemspec_truckmounts.shtml

It is basically a Pressure washer. The biggest reason we want to just set up a second unloader is because of what I said. Less changing knobs and checking pressures. It's allot easier to send an employee out and train them to switch a valve instead of adjusting an unloader.

Let me know Russ

I appreciate all the responses

[Russ Johnson 141]

On a regulating unloader there are 2 nuts on the stem..1 for maximum set pressure and 1 to set minimum. If you get these nuts set properly once, you just have to run the knob to your preset limits..all the way in for pressure washing, all the way out for carpets. Removes the guesswork.

[grizzley 14]

Joe

Not to hijack your thread, but you have me wondering what equipment is needed to buy to turn a PW into a carpet cleaning machine? And where to buy this stuff?

From the sound of it, you just need a wand for cleaning and a vacuum for pickup? I know, a few smaller things like chemicals and nozzles (maybe) but anything else?

[Paul Kassander 26]

You learn somthing new every day, I always thought that carpets were cleaned with low pressure and low flow of water, I never realized it was so similar. Still it seems to me that that much pressure would tear up some carpets, but wht do I know I wash trucks for a living LOL.

[jde927 14]

well grizzley to be completly honest I am not sure completly yet. We have the vacuum in the form of a steel eagle reclaim unit so the rest is just in the wands like you said. and once we get our flow down to were we want it, it is just going to be a matter of getting the pressure down thorugh tip size. Just last night I was in a store and watch some guys clean the carpet in the entrance and they did not even use an extraction unit. They just sprayed Chem with a pump Up sprayer and uses a cymex (sp) type of machine to brush it and then they dried it with a fan. HA HA looked like crap. But Anyways it should in theory be simple to convert the pressure washer over. I'll Let ya all know.

THANKS RUSS!

[jde927 14]

You learn somthing new every day, I always thought that carpets were cleaned with low pressure and low flow of water, I never realized it was so similar. Still it seems to me that that much pressure would tear up some carpets, but wht do I know I wash trucks for a living LOL.

Hey paul your right. Tooo mUch pressure would tear up resi caprets but most truck mount carpet cleaners are anywhere from 500 psi to 1300psi. so it deffintly depends on the job.

[Russ Johnson 141]

Joe, you need any help getting it set up, call me.