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can anybody explain low pressure vinyl siding cleaning?

13K views 25 replies 17 participants last post by  FCPWLLC 
#1 ·
The thing i cant grasp it what nozzles to use? i understand bigger hole means less pressure full flow, but i need an example of what nozzle? i have a 3500psi 4gpm belt drive and trying to understand this.. I want to try this because i have some vinyl to clean. I bought a chemical injector and have a soap nozzle. So i have to figure out what cleaner to use? and what nozzle. So any suggestions?

later!! chris
 
#2 ·
When you use a large diameter nozzle it creates a venturi effect at your injector which draws your cleaning solution down stream. I prefer a .30 nozzle.
Give Lori a call at Pressure Washer Products.com (800) 519-9279 or email her at
sales@pressurewasherproducts.com. Tell her that I referred you to her and that you need help. She loves helping people get started.
 
#5 ·
Isn't it just clorox mixed with water sprayed on and then rinsed with a water hose? Keep in mind I'm a grass cutter not a person in pressure washing.
 
#8 ·
whats more to it ted. explain your process?
you need the correct injector, correct tips, know how to wash in a way that is productive, correct GPM, correct PSI, etc...

Is there anything more to cutting the grass than buying a $60 mower at home depot and calling yourself a professional landscaper?
 
#10 ·
Not sure... I'm not familiar with swamp logging but it may!!! HAHA
Thats funny!!!
 
#12 ·
Are there any good websites that can teach us your professional way to soft wash roofs and siding? I am from the Canadian west coast and roof cleaning isn't very big out here,but extremely needed. I would love to tap into this industry and be successful. I just got a "Ladder Saver" nozzle mailed to me from the USA. What is the best solutions that you use with the chemical injector?
 
#13 ·
You will find it EXTREMELY hard to get any info out of the power washing guys on this site. They all have an attitude about everything, and expect that you should know everything already. I left this site over a year ago because of this section.

With that said, the ladder saver nozzle (I picked one up locally here) seems to work very well for me with my machine (landa belt drive with 4.8 gpm pump at 3500 psi I believe it is). I can reach the eves of a 2 story house that has been lifted 6 feet up, so I would Imagine you could do some good with yours on single story houses. It will spray chemical, so my guess is lob your chemical up on the roof with it then rinse with it. I am no pro, nor do I do this for a living, but power washing is a huge part of the final clean my company does on houses after we raise them. I pretty much got zero help form anyone here, and learned by trial and error. I also found hat the countless coat tail riders for pressure tek did me no good either, as there is a local store here who sells everything for the same price or cheaper, and it doesnt need to be shipped.

Please excuse my rant, just thought I would fill you in on a couple things I have learned.
 
#17 ·
well thats about the stupidest thing in the world. People not wanting to help a fellow board member out with a Q&A topic. Im always looking for better ways to do stuff but the best i have found is Jomax and follow mixing directions on the back.
Yeah the best part is some of us want to know better ways to wash because its part of our job, not our money making business. All these guys are so scared that people will take there business *eyeroll*
 
#18 ·
i agree but that is stupid. I live in barnesville Ga and some info that someone cares to share with me from NC or CA or Maine has no affect on their business when im here. I dont even do business with the surrounding counties. There may be 8k people here where i live. We have 3 redlights. LOL. pretty small place. I just dont see how i can take their business from them. Reguardless, even if they had some competition, its all in the sales pitch and price.
 
#19 ·
i agree but that is stupid. I live in barnesville Ga and some info that someone cares to share with me from NC or CA or Maine has no affect on their business when im here. I dont even do business with the surrounding counties. There may be 8k people here where i live. We have 3 redlights. LOL. pretty small place. I just dont see how i can take their business from them. Reguardless, even if they had some competition, its all in the sales pitch and price.
God help ya if you are a regular joe asking about a pressure washer to clean your deck and driveway...they will have you a 5000 psi 10gpm pressure washer picked out for you.
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#20 ·
I have been pressure washing for 9 years. Its not rocket science. i can tell you whatever you want to know. anyone can p.m. me with questions and i would be happy to help. this is what i do for a living and i can give ya my set up and answer any questions you have.

Thomas Robinson Pressure washing
 
#22 ·
You will find it EXTREMELY hard to get any info out of the power washing guys on this site. They all have an attitude about everything, and expect that you should know everything already. I left this site over a year ago because of this section.

With that said, the ladder saver nozzle (I picked one up locally here) seems to work very well for me with my machine (landa belt drive with 4.8 gpm pump at 3500 psi I believe it is). I can reach the eves of a 2 story house that has been lifted 6 feet up, so I would Imagine you could do some good with yours on single story houses. It will spray chemical, so my guess is lob your chemical up on the roof with it then rinse with it. I am no pro, nor do I do this for a living, but power washing is a huge part of the final clean my company does on houses after we raise them. I pretty much got zero help form anyone here, and learned by trial and error. I also found hat the countless coat tail riders for pressure tek did me no good either, as there is a local store here who sells everything for the same price or cheaper, and it doesnt need to be shipped.

Please excuse my rant, just thought I would fill you in on a couple things I have learned.
Lobbing your chem on the roof with a ladder saver will not do anything except waist your solutions and Definitely won't clean it. Ladder Saver is a great nozzle to have. I have had one for years. But it is mainly used as you say for cleaning exterior of homes and can also be used for rinsing.

Hope that helps.
 
#23 ·
Good to know there are a few guys who don't mind helping. I only plan to wash some of my already lawn customers property if they want or need the service, and probably only during the slower seasons. But, after trying a million soap combos on my own home, I still don't know which is best.

I was trying to stay away from bleach because I feel it can dry out siding and make it weak and crack (true?) but have not found anything that works as good as it. Oxy wash stuff only works good on wood. Jomax didn't seem to do any better than when I used bleach with some dawn in it.

Crud kutter and greenstuff says not use bleach with it but doesn't seem to do a good job by itself.

So the question, what have you found that gets the best cleaning results for siding and concrete?
 
#24 ·
Just remember that nearly every vinyl siding manufacture recommends cleaning with a mild bleach/detergent/water mixture. The bleach kills the mold/mildew, the detergent helps to lift the dirt from the surface and aids in rinsing, helps prevent spotting of windows, etc, and the water is for dilution so the bleach is not so strong that will damage the vinyl. The problem come when vinyl siding homes are not cleaned at least once a year. Rarely does the cleaning itself cause the problem, instead it is the lack of correct maintenance.

Don't be afraid of bleach. Bleach when used correctly and by a properly trained cleaning professional is perfectly safe. That's why we wash our clothes in it, swim in it, brush our teeth in it, (yes it is in our water as well) and many other uses for it.

Next time you are in a gocery store look on a label for Milk of Magnesia. Alway the way at the bottom of the ingresient label you will see - Inactive Ingredient "sodium hypochlorite" which is the active ingredient in Bleach.
 
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