Water Brooms

boman47k

How many use these? Years ago, we used one made with pvc that attached to a water hose to wash the lot at a service station. Seemed to work really well for that purpose. Now I see them made for pw's. Seems to me the pw would not be necssary for the flat part of deck washing with the price of gas, wear and tear on pw, loading and unloading, etc.. For instance I have a deck to do in a few days when the pollen stops covering everything. This is just the floor of the deck. This deck has never had anything on it. It is pt pine ( I think). Need to take another look at it. But for the sake of discussion, lets say it is pt pine and never been sealed. It needs washing and sealing/staining. Comments on the water broom?

Blackhammer

I bought one for my pressurewasher for like 50 bucks. The PW is a 3800 psi that works great. The thing I like most about the broom is I can let any body do the washing and I get a uniform clean every time. No problems with some areas being too close or too far from the pressure. As far as wear and tear I don't know what you are talking about. The pressure washer is a machine. It was invented to make your job easier. If I have a tool that makes my job easier I use it. Wear and tear my A.

boman47k

Why add the extra hours to a pw if the work can be done with the broom? Not too mention having to load and unload a heavy piece of equipment if a lighter , less expensive one will do the job. Yes we buy equipment to make work easier, but in my mind anytime we use equipment, be it truck, power equipment, whatever, we use up a little bit of its life expectancy. Do you drive your truck to the back yard because it is an easier method, or do you just walk around the house? Maybe I should have proof read my post and made it easier to inderstand what I meant.

P.S. I am asking about the water broom for uses that do not require really high pressure. Maybe I should clarify ( attempt to make my meaning a little more clear). Deck cleaning, let chemicals do the work, and rinse with low pressure.

Blackhammer

I never use any chemicals when pressure washing. I have never seen results that warrant the cost of the chemicals. The only thing I have used with any positive results was Simple Green on a fence that was very very moldy. I can understand the hassel of lugging a PW out of a truck but I don't think using a PW for an hour or two is going to lessen the life span. I understand in theory it does have a "life Span", But I really don't think of that because I have never killed a PW, Compactor, Generator, Compressor, or anything with a Honda motor on it. My compactor has a good valve knock and burns a quart of oil every so often and still starts first pull every time. When the motor finally does blow I will buy a new 9HP honda and save my self over 5000 off the cost of a new compactor. My point is if the PW was going to run for say a week straight I would be concerned about wear and tear, not a couple of hours.

Blackhammer

I would use the PW. The reason is it will make the old deck look like new again without any chemicals. Plus it make the customer think they are getting something for their money. If you spray some cleaner on the deck then attach some PVC fitting on my waterhose and rinse the deck, then look for a check you are sorely mistaken.

I didn't mean to bust balls, but I have seen people Half-a$$ stuff and it come back to bite them. Take my words as constructive criticism

MALCO.New.York

ALWAYS work to impress! Show them that you are a pro! You can NOT show up at a job and attach your broom to THEIR hose. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. They will think to themselves "I am paying some Shlub to do what I certainly could have done myself". Power tools impress HO's. Never make it look too easy!

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boman47k

I think you both make good points on giving a good impression and making the customer feel they are getting something for their money. It is for this reason also that I will use some kind of chemical. At least a brightener. As for the broom, I may get one for my own decks as I think it may be all that is actually necassary. My deck at the house I live in is not old though and has already been cleaned or rinsed a couple of times. Now if I can just get around to putting a finish on it! Thanks to both for reinforcing something that I think was already in the back of my mind. I guess I was thinking I price the job at $***.00, and it shouldn't matter how it is accomplished as long as it is accomplished with satisfactory results. Heheh, so much for the wear and tear on equipment...and my back .



BY the way, I was not intending to half-a$$ it. If I thought it would be half-a$$ing, I would not consider it at all. Hence, I come here for opinions. Do I think it would work? Yes. Will I use the broom on a customers deck? Doubt it at this time. Don't want to make it seem too simple.

Spectatorz

IMHO :

Based on my research into Water Brooms, what the cost is for purchasing a standard hose connected broom compared to one that is used with a pressure washer, it seems more professional and cost effective to just use the machine powered one.

One of these on a power washer would surely do the job as described.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HBP08O?...0&linkCode=asn

What could be wrong with using that on a pressure washer in front of a customer ?

Looks Good to me.

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boman47k

Spec, I was talking about using one without the pw. The others were stating they that would be unprofessional, too simple looking. I guess they have a point. I may get one for maintenance cleaning for my decks and see how it does. I will continue to use soap/chem's though to imo lessen the stress on the surface being washed. I mean I could bathe without soap, but I might be a little pink and raw by the time I get clean.

Michigan Exhaust

What is it to be professional?

I don't do decks and have seen some use a hose instead of a powerwasher.

I have seen guys wash houses and roofs with a chem pump and also a hose to rinse.

With the cost of gas and Diesel nowadays why cant you cut costs without sacrificing quality?

If the end result comes out the same one way as the other what is the problem?

We use hoses and many other do to clean restaurant vent a hood systems.

These are maintenance accounts and sometimes even new ones after scraping and chem application.

With the price of fuel and since my vans take close to $200.00 to fill up and then the machines for gas, and the burners for fuel why use it when I don't need it, and the poor environment needs a break sometimes from pollution.

Also think of less stress on a machine if it is in the 90's and you are running the poor pup into the ground. A spicket doesn't run on gas at the homeowner end, and either way you will use their water.

Remember the chemical or cleaner does the work not always the damaging pressure.

Customers could do alot of this stuff by themselves for residential, but they do not for certain reasons and call a professional:

--No time to do it, and would rather spend time doing something else

--The time to do it, but would rather have it done today and finished in a short time, than doing it themselves and taking a week or more

--No clue where to begin

--Keeping up with the Jones who just had a professional clean their stuff (Status Factor)

--Hire a professional because if the contractor screws up then they have to fix the problem (Insurance or other) not the homeowner if they screw it up themselves.

--Hire a professional so they can sit in a chair and ask you a million questions so you cant get your job done (Lonely)

--Hire a professional so they can tell their friend they seen you do it and they will attempt to do his now, and then end up back at square one calling you out to fix up buddy's wash or stain job.

--In the end they hire professional for many reasons:
i.e:
--Peace of mind
--Contractor is insured and will have to fix screw up if applicable
--They dont have all the tools to do the job
--Contractors get a discount on professional chems and stains (Homeowner stuff is not strong enough or durability reasons)
--Contractors know how to use proper cleaning and staining products (No need to read a label for hours)
--Contractor have proper protection for the job

The list just goes on, but in the end it doesn't matter what you use as long as the results are the same and the customer is fullfilled, and the contractor feels that the job is done professional, and will last the same as the other way or longer.

We all invent new ways to get the added edge past our competitors or have secrets and/or inventions that we created to get the job done faster or cheaper without sacrificing quality or safety.

You know the let me show you a little trick I made or learned to get it done easier.

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tom connelly

We have water brooms for power washers; however, we don't use them. We use orbital flat surface cleaners instead, they are far faster and do a much better job. You don't always have to use chemicals, it depends on the stain, but we do simply for better results.

Most of our surface cleaners are made by Whisper Wash. We have tried other brands as well, some work and last longer than others, Whisper Wash has good swivels and arms, as well as affordable replacement kits. A decent unit will last for years.

EDI Distributors has good prices on their units. If you find one cheaper of the same make and model they will try to beat the price. Give them a call and ask to speak to Skip. They have more products than what is on their website, so you might want to ask for a complete catalog.
www.edidistributors.com

It's worth researching to find a good chemical too.

EaCo Chem makes some great chemistry. We use their products all the time.
Give them a call and ask to speak to either Mike or Lynn.
www.eacochem.com

Extreme Solutions makes some great contractor grade products that are specially formulated for decks and wood restoration and cleaning. You might want to give it a try. Give them a call and ask to speak to Russell.
Russell: 1-636-288-8512
www.woodrichbrand.com


Gutter Clean & Power Wash
Hickory NC

Roof Cleaning

Dem is sum nice links you posted
I clean roofs in tampa, and I teach my trade, but I know quite a few pressure washing guys who use the people you posted in the links, specially EaoChem.

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