# pressure washing



## HUDSONVALLEYEXT (Aug 29, 2006)

any of you guys in the northeast? how much do you get the pressure wash a normal size house?


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## Richard (May 21, 2006)

I charge per day and add in the machine rental (since I dont own one) and materials--

--ballpark somewhere around $500-600 
--height is a big factor too


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## rservices (Aug 3, 2005)

this is a great forum for PW
http://www.thegrimescene.com/

I know putting web site mite be against the forum rules but it is a contractor based forum, and very informative


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

TGS is a great board. We get between $395 for basic soap on/soap off to $750 depending on s/f and services. I have done property cleanings that included roof cleaning, flagstone pavers, driveways, etc and have exceeded $1500.

An average housewash can take under an hour and a half if you know what you are doing and have the right detergents and equipment. Most painters around here are hacks and vandals.


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## AAPaint (Apr 18, 2005)

I get about $300 for a single story home in my area, but I'm expensive compared to most of the hacks pressure pro mentioned. Most pressure washing in my area consists of straight bleach rinse and nothing more. There are very few that understand what they are doing around here as well...


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## trumps101 (Mar 22, 2006)

We get around 250 down here for single story and for tile roof 200

It seems like everyone in Florida has a power washer.


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## Richard (May 21, 2006)

I'm thinkin' a "normal size" house is a smaller 2 story, so I guess it's all in _your _definition of normal size--Here in CT a 1 story is not "normal size"


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## Squrtgun (Aug 27, 2006)

trumps101 said:


> We get around 250 down here for single story and for tile roof 200
> 
> It seems like everyone in Florida has a power washer.


I hope you aren't pressure washing tile roofs.There is an easier way and $200 isn't nearly enough.Most of the guys I know that do tile won't set foot on one for that price.
Why is it exactly that painters refuse to network with a professional pressure washing company for paint preps?
We have the equipmnet and the knowledge.I mean after all that is what we do for a frickin living.Are you afraid of losing a few hundred on the job?
Maybe I should pick up a couple of roller frames,brushes and start slinging paint.When my customers need a painter I tell them it time to paint,when they ask if we do it I tell them NO!!!!

900 sq ft house wash here in small town USA wil cost you $135 and the price gets higher the bigger it is/If they add concrete,roof,dog,kids or laundry the price reflects the additional services.I would say our average price is in the $350 to $500 range.


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Normal for us would be a 2 story colonial up to maybe 3000 s/f of interior space. Takes about 2.5 hours from pull up to collect check with a 2-man crew. Our feet never leave the ground. Including hand scrubbing the gutter with specialty detergent and adding a wax/polymer for shine and mold retardant - average price would be about $550. Same size house in Florida might go for $250. Its very market dependant. 

Owning a pressure washer does not, by any stretch make one a proffesional house washer any more than owning a hammer makes one a carpenter.


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## Squrtgun (Aug 27, 2006)

PressurePros said:


> Normal for us would be a 2 story colonial up to maybe 3000 s/f of interior space. Takes about 2.5 hours from pull up to collect check with a 2-man crew. Our feet never leave the ground. Including hand scrubbing the gutter with specialty detergent and adding a wax/polymer for shine and mold retardant - average price would be about $550. Same size house in Florida might go for $250. Its very market dependant.
> 
> *Owning a pressure washer does not, by any stretch make one a proffesional house washer any more than owning a hammer makes one a carpenter*.


I agree Ken.I have been in and out of cabinet shops and construction since I was 17.Pressure washing for almost 5 yrs(2 of those part time).
I can paint,but I hate it with a passion and would rather pass the money on to someone who is alreardy equipped to do it efficiently.
Twice in as many months I have approached painting companies to discuss a networking thing and both times they just didn't want to hear what I has to say.


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## HUDSONVALLEYEXT (Aug 29, 2006)

The reason why i'm asking is I don't think were charging enough. For 2 story house it takes us 2.5 hours with 2 guys. We don't clean the black off the gutters just wash the house. We charge $300 I think we should be charging more like $400. One customer told me other people all gave him prices around $500. I don't want to go too high and lose jobs


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## Joewho (Sep 20, 2006)

If it's a one day wash, prep job, 300 plus cost of materials and equipment.

If its a vic or queen that has peeling paint, more.


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## Zip (Oct 20, 2005)

Squrtgun said:


> I agree Ken.I have been in and out of cabinet shops and construction since I was 17.Pressure washing for almost 5 yrs(2 of those part time).
> I can paint,but I hate it with a passion and would rather pass the money on to someone who is alreardy equipped to do it efficiently.
> Twice in as many months I have approached painting companies to discuss a networking thing and both times they just didn't want to hear what I has to say.


Squrtgun you haven't been in touch with the best yet. I'm in Cordele. [email protected]


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## Richard (May 21, 2006)

HUDSONVALLEYEXT said:


> The reason why i'm asking is I don't think were charging enough. For 2 story house it takes us 2.5 hours with 2 guys. We don't clean the black off the gutters just wash the house. We charge $300 I think we should be charging more like $400. One customer told me other people all gave him prices around $500. I don't want to go too high and lose jobs



Do you own or rent a washer? What are you paying your help per hour? Are you working in a daily overhead charge? Call me crazy, but when I power wash a house, it never takes me less than 4 hours (by myself)between renting the washer, travel, setting up, washing, tearing down, taking off duck suit...so I charge for a whole days rate--I'm sure I'm not the only one doing this--you have to charge what's fair for you (hopefully somewhere near your local industry standard) and make sure you have food on the table and lights on. Oh, I'd rather be higher than low ball everyone. Then my family doesn't eat.

Oh...I always clean gutters and a lot of time the house has mildewed brick, rock, or concrete that gets done--I'm not one of those hacks, I'm thorough, although I dont do it everyday, so efficiency isn't my selling point, finished product is--people love my before/after pics of washing--I usually land every job with them


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Paintguy, feel free to shoot me over an email. In peak season each of my crews does 2-3 housewashes per day. I can share with you the procedures we use. I guarantee you I can cut 300% off your time with a few simple changes to your routine. Since you seem like a guy that likes to a job properly, I'll share with you, just not here.

[email protected]


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## furiousstyles (May 19, 2006)

Not for nothing Pressure Pros but the reason I read this forum is to help imrove the product I deliver to my customers. This helps all of us in the long run. Precisely who on this forum and for what reason are they not worthy to benefit from your experience and wisdom?


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

I understand your point furious, but my reasoning is this..

Not only do contractors come here but homeowners as well as my competition. Its taken me a few years and a good amount of research, contractor networking and chemical development to refine my technique. If you developed a faux technique that was unique and very profitable for you (and was the primary reason people hired you for a job) would you share that technique with your competitors or on this forum? I honestly don't want every painter in my area to know what I am doing. I see them on ladders spending a full day washing a house. Thats great because they have to bill for an 8 hour day. That allows me to stay profitable while performing a superior job. 

In business, not much is free. I'm not proposing selling a pamphlet or chemicals just keeping things on the QT and sharing with other like minded professionals. I don't think thats too much to ask.


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## Squrtgun (Aug 27, 2006)

Guys,
I can assure you Ken is the real deal.He has been sharing info on the pressure washing sites for a few years.The down side to this is as he stated,HO's come here and competition comes here.
There are some things that I don't/won't share with others on the web,but if someone callls me I may.


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## furiousstyles (May 19, 2006)

I can see your point of view too. Some days im just a little more full of piss and vinegar than others. I'm sorry if i offended you. Your points are more than valid.


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## rws (Nov 26, 2004)

I wonder where this guy lives? All the painters in his area are hacks and vandals?Iraq?I was amazed that most people dont know what they are doing in Jacksonville too.


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## Ranger Rohland (Jan 28, 2005)

I have two pressure cleaning services on my menu:

#1 - Pressure clean to "spruce up" your home.

#2 - Pressure clean to prepare for painting.

Two completely different jobs.

Priced accordingly.

Tom Rohland, Jr.
Ranger Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida



Pressure Pro,

How in the heck do you hand scrub gutters on a two story Colonial if your feet never leave the ground?


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Tom, 30 ft aluminum extension poles with a truck brush and specialty cleaner.


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## Ranger Rohland (Jan 28, 2005)

Pressure,

My bad.

I forgot. The 30' extension pole, truck brush and specialty soap.

But then, that's not what I call hand scrubbing.

Anyway, who makes those 30 footers and where can I get one?

Boy, 30' is up there!!!!!!!!!

I don't think I've got enough AZZ in my pants to handle that job!!!

LOL

Hey, got any pics?????????

Tom Rohland, Jr.
Ranger Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Sure it's hand brushing. If you put a truck brush on a 6ft pole and scrub your rig, are you not hand brushing it? Semantics. I wouldn't get caught up in terminology, Tom. 

We use 30' poles so that when we extend them to 20' they aren't over-extended and wobbly. You can see one here.
http://www.theyhaveit.com/servlet/Detail?no=9484

What do you want to see pictures of, Tom? Quite a few housewash pics are posted here:
http://www.cleaningtalk.com/showthread.php?t=683&page=2
Starting with post #55 and continuing at post #89

I have about 150 more if you'd like me to email them to you? I'm not sure what your goal is here, Tom? Guaging the quality of our work or seeing if I am full of sh*t?

Go over to The Grime Scene, you may be very surprised to learn what you don't know about exterior cleaning. I probably have 1500+ posts over there covering everything from marketing, sales, techniques, chemicals etc. Happy reading.


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## AAPaint (Apr 18, 2005)

rws said:


> I wonder where this guy lives? All the painters in his area are hacks and vandals?Iraq?I was amazed that most people dont know what they are doing in Jacksonville too.


Hey rws, in Jacksonville, the scary truth is that most guys with a pressure washer have no idea what they are doing. 99% of them around here do nothing but a bleach bath on everything they clean. That was my only point. I know a few professionals in my area that are not like this, but not many. 

The thing I find funny is how many pressure washing guys I've seen come in here calling painters hacks (as far as pressure washing goes), and guys like pressure pro have PAINTING listed as one of their trades! Hah! Shouldn't that go both ways? Please take no offense pressure pro, but you aren't the first one to say that here, and it's dang funny you would say that and list painting as one of your trades. 

What's good for the goose.......


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

I'm not offended.. At best I am a mediocre painter compared to some of the work I have seen here. I employ two union painters on my staff. I offer painting to my existing customers. It is primarily a winter endeavor. I very rarely pick up a paint brush. I would be doing my customers a disservice to do so. 

When I mention the painters in my area being hacks I am more or less open to those same guys calling me a hack if I advertise myself a painter. If I may clarify. I cross paths with painters quite often in the field. I see them pressue washing homes with over 2000 psi and a bottle of clorox. Not only are they driving water into sensitive substrates and loosening siding, they leave windows coudy, gutters stripped of paint and bricks eminating efflorescence. This to me, is vandalism caused by ignorance of proper technique. These guys have $500 Home Depot pressure washers and insist they are doing things right. They aren't. I suppose I am overly sensitive to this ilk because when it comes time for a company that does know what it is doing, customers think the service not worthy of true business sustaining profit. "You want how much to do my deck"?

The worst culprit is the painter offering deck finishing. I have taken the time to learn the use of proper sealers, the identification and intricasies of every species of wood, the importance of proper detergents that do not destroy the lignin in wood and the importance of pH balancing wood for sealer longevity. Learning the difference betwen a paraffinic oil and man made alkyds and drying oils and knowing which to aplly and under what conditions has taken time. When a painter shows up and blasts a deck all to hell with 3500 psi and sprays down a coat of Behr acrylic it is my company that customer calls when next year the deck is a peeling, flaking mess. The customer does not want to hear that it will cost five times as much as Joe Pro charged him last year to fix it. This is why I developed the concept of Restore-A-Deck as a DIY system.

Unfortunately, and even more so in painting, the cost of geting into the business requires low start up costs. AA, I'm sure you see otherwise unemployable hacks entering your market every day. Get a POS van, buy some brushes, rollers, a ladder and a few tarps and you are in business. They are here today and gone tommorrow and leave in their wake customers that think you should be able to work for beer money. 

I apologize for offending any serious painter that has built a name and reputation based upon quality. That was not my intention. At the same time one should remain teachable and open minded enough to learn better technique. There is plenty of work to go around and every trade suffers from guys that fancy themselves professionals and undercut prices.


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## Squrtgun (Aug 27, 2006)

PressurePros said:


> I'm not offended.. At best I am a mediocre painter compared to some of the work I have seen here. I employ two union painters on my staff. I offer painting to my existing customers. It is primarily a winter endeavor. I very rarely pick up a paint brush. I would be doing my customers a disservice to do so.
> 
> When I mention the painters in my area being hacks I am more or less open to those same guys calling me a hack if I advertise myself a painter. If I may clarify. *I cross paths with painters quite often in the field. I see them pressue washing homes with over 2000 psi and a bottle of clorox. Not only are they driving water into sensitive substrates and loosening siding, they leave windows coudy, gutters stripped of paint and bricks eminating efflorescence. This to me, is vandalism caused by ignorance of proper technique. These guys have $500 Home Depot pressure washers and insist they are doing things right. They aren't. I suppose I am overly sensitive to this ilk because when it comes time for a company that does know what it is doing, customers think the service not worthy of true business sustaining profit. "You want how much to do my deck"?*
> The worst culprit is the painter offering deck finishing. I have taken the time to learn the use of proper sealers, the identification and intricasies of every species of wood, the importance of proper detergents that do not destroy the lignin in wood and the importance of pH balancing wood for sealer longevity. Learning the difference betwen a paraffinic oil and man made alkyds and drying oils and knowing which to aplly and under what conditions has taken time. When a painter shows up and blasts a deck all to hell with 3500 psi and sprays down a coat of Behr acrylic it is my company that customer calls when next year the deck is a peeling, flaking mess. The customer does not want to hear that it will cost five times as much as Joe Pro charged him last year to fix it. This is why I developed the concept of Restore-A-Deck as a DIY system.
> ...


:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy Bravo my good man,Bravo :clap: :clap: :clap:


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## AAPaint (Apr 18, 2005)

Very well said pressure pro. I guess I take offense to some of those comments because I offer both pressure washing and wood care as one of my services. However, I have taken the time to refine my processes and learn from others the proper way to handle jobs of this nature. There aren't many painters that can quote you the dry time of a specific coating at 50%RH and 75 degrees F. I'm the type that spends every waking hour looking for new information and new ways to do things, that's half the reason I'm here, and half the reason I can charge what I do to my customers. I feel your pain though because I often loose jobs because of my rates. It costs substantially more to do things right and those of us who have taken the time to perfect our services should be able to get a premium for them.


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## Ranger Rohland (Jan 28, 2005)

PressurePros said:


> Sure it's hand brushing. If you put a truck brush on a 6ft pole and scrub your rig, are you not hand brushing it? Semantics. I wouldn't get caught up in terminology, Tom.
> 
> We use 30' poles so that when we extend them to 20' they aren't over-extended and wobbly. You can see one here.
> http://www.theyhaveit.com/servlet/Detail?no=9484
> ...



PressurePro,


I'm still having a problem determining:

#1 If the method you're describing should be advertised as _hand_ _scrubbing_ or _pole scrubbing._ It is misleading. 

I can certainly apply more elbow grease if I have the brush in hand; as opposed to having the brush on the end of a 6' pole, never mind on the end of a 20' pole. Don't you agree?

Is this the technique you use for 'prepping gutters to paint' on a two story Colonial? Or is it just the house wash. 

It doesn't seem that you can do any more than just lightly swipe the brush across the gutter. 

Where is the leverage coming from?

Tom Rohland, Jr.
Ranger Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida

Must be a house wash.


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## rws (Nov 26, 2004)

Another problem with aluminum poles is electric wires.Even with the rubber on the ends they are very dangerous.


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## Squrtgun (Aug 27, 2006)

Tom Rohland said:


> PressurePro,
> 
> 
> I'm still having a problem determining:
> ...


I'm fairly sure Ken is referring to a house wash.You would be very surprise at exactly how clean the gutters come using this method.Brushing with a pole is considered hand scrubbing,as a lot of pressure washing companies shoot their gutter cleaner on and rinse.Without the aggitation to the gutter surface the end result is clean,but not as clean.


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Yes, housewash. Purely cosmetic. Its all in the cleaners. Like Scott mentioned, our Silver Plan is spraying chemical onto the gutters and just rinsing it off. Comes fairly clean but not as clean as if we manually scrub them (as offered in Gold Plan). 

We get the job done properly. How much leverage? Enough to be successful at making gutters shine. Too much pressure would degloss the gutter coating or remove it. The right tools and technique for the job. This is the way hundreds of cleaning contractors do the job.


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## HUDSONVALLEYEXT (Aug 29, 2006)

what do you guys use to get the black crap of the gutters?


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Gutter Zap. Its expensive but works well. Gutter Shock is another good specialty cleaner.


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## HUDSONVALLEYEXT (Aug 29, 2006)

You Apply Those By Hand Right?


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

There are a few ways to apply. 
1) Via 12V Shurflo pump (diluted)
2) Via downstreamer (straight) with proper nozzle to shoot detergents 40+ ft into the air
3) Dip brush into bucket with diluted chemical and brush on.

Our method is to have one man apply our regular housewash mix via downstreamer and have a helper follow with chemical bucket brushing gutters and windows.


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## axnjoe (Dec 10, 2006)

Wow
I was taken back abit aboutwhat you guys are calling hacks.
I consider myself a professional. And I wash most all our house with bleach and preasure washer. My prices range widely due to the size of houses we do. An av house for us would be @15000sf 30,000 tops.
These are big and some of them my 40' wont reach the top. Mildew is a huge problem around here and bleach works well for me. My pwr washer is a 18horse 4000psi. 
By reading the previous post, I am a hack.


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Sorry to keep posting all of these pics but I know our work is top notch. Our chemicals are proprietary. You won't find them at Blowe's or Home Cheapo.


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

close up of gutters


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

axnjoe said:


> Wow
> I was taken back abit aboutwhat you guys are calling hacks.
> I consider myself a professional. And I wash most all our house with bleach and preasure washer. My prices range widely due to the size of houses we do. An av house for us would be @15000sf 30,000 tops.
> These are big and some of them my 40' wont reach the top. Mildew is a huge problem around here and bleach works well for me. My pwr washer is a 18horse 4000psi.
> By reading the previous post, I am a hack.


What if I could show you a way to reach 50', never leave the ground, never use over 500 psi, leave windows sparkling, gutters gleaming, in and out in 2 hours and told you for your efforts you could collect a $500 check and still squeeze in two more jobs per day?

PS: Is your 15,000 s/f an interior measurement or exterior wall space? I charge $.18-$.25 per s/f of wall


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## Ranger Rohland (Jan 28, 2005)

PressurePros said:


> Sure it's hand brushing. If you put a truck brush on a 6ft pole and scrub your rig, are you not hand brushing it? Semantics. I wouldn't get caught up in terminology, Tom.
> 
> We use 30' poles so that when we extend them to 20' they aren't over-extended and wobbly. You can see one here.
> http://www.theyhaveit.com/servlet/Detail?no=9484
> ...



PressurePro,


I'm still having a problem determining:

#1 If the method you're describing should be advertised as _hand_ _scrubbing_ or _pole scrubbing._ It is misleading. 

I can certainly apply more elbow grease if I have the brush in hand; as opposed to having the brush on the end of a 6' pole, never mind on the end of a 20' pole. Don't you agree?

Is this the technique you use for 'prepping gutters to paint' on a two story Colonial? Or is it just the house wash. 

It doesn't seem that you can do any more than just lightly swipe the brush across the gutter. 

Where is the leverage coming from? 

Must be a house bath.

#2 Do you offer paint prep service?

Tom Rohland, Jr.
Ranger Painting & Pressure Cleaning, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Tom Rohland said:


> PressurePro,
> 
> 
> I'm still having a problem determining:
> ...


Tom, I already addressed this in post #32 and subsequent posts thereafter to support.


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## Nathan (Jul 21, 2003)

You know, we actually do have a pressure washing forum under *Specialty Trades*. I'd move it but this has already gotten a lot of good posts so I'll leave it so people don't loose their place.

Anyways, next time remember that we have a whole topic for this topic her: *Pressure Washing*

Thanks :thumbsup:


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## fez-head (Mar 15, 2005)

Tom Rohland said:


> PressurePro,
> 
> 
> I'm still having a problem determining:
> ...


Hey Tom,

I dont think Ken is trying to bust your balls. If you use the right chems (we use f-13 gutter gernade from Bob at Pressure Tek) you should not have to apply much pressure at all to clean the exterior gutters extremly well. 

I have found out the hard way that on oxidized gutters that are as little as 5 years old you can easily rub the finish right off with to much pressure. Let your chems do the work for you.....they are much cheaper than labor.

We also advertise this as hand scrubbing - verses sprying on with a sureflo on and rinsing off (which is the method most chosen by our clients due to the great results and much lower cost)

We house wash for cosmetic reasons only. Prep work is a PITA and I want know part of it. Ladders, chemicals and high pressure water are not a very good combination unless it is your only option.


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

axnjoe said:


> The last house I did took 3 guys two days and we only power washed the facia, soffits, and pergolas.
> I dont think that leaving the tools all on the truck are possible in my case. I really dont think that my tools are archaic either.
> We roll up in a 2005 custom built GMC savana cut away. Since we are not allowed to leave foot prints in the yard as to disrupt the cutting patterns of the mowing, I fabricated a cart that all our euip is mounted to. It replicates the same wheel marks left by the lawn pros. I do know that we need to cart all our tools around the houses due to their sheer size. 140 paces just across the front of the house would warrant a hose reel too big to move by hand. The power washer is awesome, all hoses are non marking w/ stainless couplings and check valves. I was so tired of all the junk pumps on the market I just fab'd one up myself for all the chems. I just cant see the eqip being in question.
> Chem process, YES.
> Methods no.


Let's start here. Your equipment sounds up to par (how many gpm does it flow?) The house sounds like it was a real bear. 

My better housewash rig is setup as follows on a 14' box truck: 

24 horsepower 3500 psi/5.5 gpm hot water unit (gas motor, diesel fired) I have 250' of blue non marking hose hose on my reel w/stainless QC's at every intersection and a heavy duty ball valve at the gun (to be able to change guns without shutting off machine). We use the double braided blue non marking 3/8 hose. The rig has 3 50' sections and 3 100' sections of regular 3/8 h/p hose as a back up or for when we are doing commercial flatwork. We have 100' of contractor grade 1" garden hose on a reel for supply with another 2 50' backups. We carry a 100 gallon reserve on the truck and can tote 500 gallons on a separate trailer. Chemical injection is done via a General stainless downstreamer that is undersized for the machine (creates a better venturi for increased draw) We also have extension wands, brushes, ladders and anything else you could possibly need during a cleaning including 12 volt driven chemical pumps and a host of specialty cleaners.

When I say our mix is proprietary I am referring to the housewash mix. It is custom blended by a local chemical house and has taken a lot of refinement to get where its at. There are good blends I can guide you towards though that are effective and are available via shipping. Nothing you can get at a box store or in a paint store comes remotely close. Jomax is a joke. You're better off using Dawn dish liquid.

Application: Downstreaming is the way to go. You need a zero orifice nozzle that will trigger the suction in your downstreamer. Depending on the flow rate of your machine a #25-#30 works fine. You also have to start with a higher concentration of sodium hypochlorite. You'll have to research where to get that. Using a 6 foot wand with this nozzle a guy 5'6" will get 50' of working height with no wind. Wind might knock off another ten feet but you can still hit a 2 story house with an exposed basement.

Have you ever seen the commercial for 409 where they spray a refrigerator and the dirt liquifies and runs down the refrigerator before they even begin to wipe? Same principal here if you are using the right blend. I cannot give that to you here. 

Procedure
Guys pull up with a work order. They know where to park, what they will have to move and where the hose bib is. Crew leader sets up the detergents, the helper runs the hoses and moves flags, furniture and potted plants. If customer opted to have screen brightened, these are all removed and pretreated as well. Homeowner has to be present for this upgrade.

All vegetation as well as windows are prewet thoroughly. Soap is applied from bottom up. Sprayer moves to second side while helper brushes gutters and then brushes glass with a different brush(again if customer upgraded plans). By the time the second is sprayed with detergent, the first side is ready for rinsing. First all windows are rinsed then the ground vegetation is rinsed. The house is then rinsed from top to bottom. Sray is directed as perpendicular to siding as is possible as to not drive water under siding. The same care is given while soaping. Repeat for other two sides.

There are a bunch of things that might change certain orders like gutter cleanout or roof cleaning but this is the gist of the wash. The house pictured in post#38 took under two hours and homeowner was charged $395.


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## AAPaint (Apr 18, 2005)

NJPainter said:


> What are you using besides bleach. Jomax?
> Do you use the "chemical injector" or pump sprayer?
> 
> One other question, being down in Florida do you have to look out for crazy bugs? My parents live down by New Port Richey and the insects can be nasty (no-see-ums).


Not jomax, that's for sure! I use a couple extra ingredients that I keep to myself. Bleach is a must though or the mold and algae aren't going anywhere. We hand scrub any mold we find, but we use a scrubber on a 6' pole only....and yes, we have no-see-ums, they are a sonofabitch! My biggest enemy during summer is your everyday gnat. They fly right in your eye, up your nose, in your ear, land on your face. It's like "hey, don't mind me in the corner of your eye!!" What do those things think? :no:

As far as powerwashing.....Dirt dobbers are the worst bugs to worry about. They build nests all over houses made of mud and their saliva. It eats into the paint and leaves permanent stains.


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## Squrtgun (Aug 27, 2006)

Ken,
I want to help you out with this,but honestly I'm burned out right now.Since last monday we have knocked out 6 roofs,5 house washes(2 of those were over 6000 sq ft),2 McDonalds a Ruby Tuesday and done windows for another 4 Mickey D's.

To the rest of you,
The methods that Ken employs are considerd industry standards for pressure washing contractor.The vast majority of us do not do paint prep and the softwash tecniques do work exactly as Ken describes them.


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## PressurePros (Jul 3, 2006)

Thanks Scott, I'm good. I envy you staying that busy this time of year. Next year I am reintroducing commercial full bore.


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## axnjoe (Dec 10, 2006)

I understand that alot of people just power wash as a cleaning service but this is posted in the painting section cuz us painters dont always have to just strip old paint before painting.


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## axnjoe (Dec 10, 2006)

Ken 
It soulds like our set ups are very similar. exept for our material pumps.
I have more supply hose than pressure hose.
I do not have the ball valve at the gun. Never needed it yet.
We never injected chems. I know there is one on there but can remember which type. 
What is house hold bleach, 5 or 6%hypochloride?
If I were to use that in our application, it would be mixed at 1prt bleach to 3prts water. 
The bleach we use is much stronger, eg. mix 1 : 15 to =the above strength.
We have other common household cleaners on truck in small qtys.
Our procedures are a bit more precautious. And we are usually integrating paint prep procedures as well as many more amenities. 
I think that your cleaning solutoin greatly out perform ours.
How is it on delicate plants?
What effects are there when left to dry on glass?
At what cost per sqft?
What kind of qty are you talk'n for the small house in the pic?I would guess that size house to be 1400 -1700 sqft.


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