Pressure Washing

axnjoe

There are soooo many different chems on the market that I feel nervous as hell to try them on these properties that spend 150g annually just on lawn mainteance. GOD forbid I burn one of the plants! I feel that I am very thorough and knowledgeable in what we are doing. (we do the painting to by the way) But your posts seem to claim otherwise. I see guys (competitor claiming to be pro(washers) preping for painter. I see these same guys spraying their specialty products and power washing all from the ground. I ask myself "how the hell they clean anything from way down there?!",How do they get the undersides of the boards or hidden areas up high? And do they really expect to remove any old paint/dirt/mil scale/mildew/what ever?????
Who's the hack?

NJPainter

thx

axnjoe

PPRO
I feel like laughing. No offense but I could hardly drag my equip around the house in that amount of time. And I am in pretty good shape.
Trust me when I say I mean no offense. But some of these posts sound like sales rep talk.
When you claim never leave the ground" and being a pro paint prep'er....???
The first thing that screams at me is; How do you know what to prep when you cant see everything cuz you are still down on the ground?

axnjoe

Due to the caustic nature of bleach I do not run any thru my pwr washer plus it would be way too diluted. I dont use the household bleach (soduim hepichloride)(sp?) However I do use the "CHLOROX outdoor" product. A lot stronger.

axnjoe

No JOMAX either.

PressurePros

axn, I am talking about pure cosmetic housewashing, not paint prep. Paint prep you may have to wash away flaking paint. I don't know what else to tell you, bro. Your mentality and equipment setup may be archaic. Two guys per job. Everything stay on truck except supply hose and h.p hose. What are you lugging around? I can post a hundred pics of heights way up. No dirt there man. The right formulas will emulsify and suspend carbon. The right surfactants and rinse aids mean you can rinse with garden bib pressure. I am fanatical on detail and my customer base represents the highest demographic along the Philadelphia Main Line. If my techniques didn't work, I wouldn't be in business.

I stand nothing to gain sharing any of this. You stand much to lose (profit) if you aren't open minded to change. My business goes on, I refine my marketing, make my sales, and deposit checks. Little is funny about that when I see vandals destroying siding with high pressure and bleach. For the record, bleach is the worst possible culprit for browning leaves and plants.

PS: More misinformation. Nothing runs through your pressure washer if you use a downstreamer. The detergents are injected after the pump.

__________________
Ken Fenner
Pressure Washing PA
Roof Cleaning Services PA

axnjoe

How about this deal? If you could do the above,I pay $500 / hr.

Since I would be doing the painting, could you explain to me as how the above would remove loose/failed/chauky paint? I do believe that it woould be clean to some degree.

rws

Seems like we have gone from hacks and vandals to mentaly archaic hacks and vandals.What is next?Must you attack everyone who doesnt aproach house washing as rocket science?

axnjoe

Ken
Excuse my forwardness. I mean no offense. I am confused though.
Browning of leave does not happen. (well, once but it was very minimal). I am interested in learning for that is why I am here and staying up so late to do so. I am in no way a competitor to any one here. My way(or equip) may seem archaic but how I ask.

axnjoe

I admit my cosmetic house cleaning may......scratch that....IS behind the times. Lets start there.

PressurePros

alright scratch that last post...

Joe if you seriously want to learn some better methods I would be glad to share with you.

Lets start fresh in the morning. I don't want to offend anyone and a fresh look at it tommorrow might be best. have a great night.

__________________
Ken Fenner
Pressure Washing PA
Roof Cleaning Services PA

NJPainter

It usually takes me 4+ hours to do a two story, but that's because I use a pump sprayer ( with a "proprietery" blend of water, housewash, and bleach). It's not the most efficient way but I don't try to get too many p-washing jobs, I usually p-wash to prep for paint.

axnjoe

I just use bleach. Very careful with it. I know that I can etch the glass and fry the plants but we take precautions to prevent the bad from happening. I am positively sure that Ken has a better way to "cosmeticly wash the house" but actually preping for painting?
I dont know of all the chem out there and wont use them due to my ignorance in the way of their affects on plants. Some of these plantings go for 2500 a plant. I just cant risk it. Mildew is horrible around here. One thing I dont understand is (on white aluminum)when we are cleaning by pressure or by hand is that sometimes the gutter comes completely clean but the facia stays stained. Both made from roll stock,.... I just dont get it.
but I AM still open minded.
So hurry up get your sleep,cut the day short, and get back on Ken.

Joewho

Heck, show me a way to reach 50', keep in mind, I'm only 5'6".

Powerwashing is not my favorite job and I avoid it. Done my share of freezing on a 90 degree day with chips of paint in my clothes, eyes and even down the pants.

One thing though, gutters are surprisingly easy to clean and paint. Easier than stopping a leak. Once I experimented with a strong mix of straight TSP. It will clean, etch or even strip a gutter. So Ken, I believe you about the proprietary chemicals.

So, tell me how to make 500 before noon.

NJPainter

I hand wash with "Greased Lightning" or Spray 9.

axnjoe

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.

NJPainter

That sounds like an intense operation. Kudos!

HUDSONVALLEYEXT

Some of you guys seem like you do a lot of pressure washing. This is our plan of attack...One guy pre soaks house with cleaner...the next guy goes behind him washing and then the first guy wipes down the gutter after done with the pre soa. Does that seem like a good method?

axnjoe

I claim to be ignorant in the chem dept.
Help me out on this.
I was under the impression that cleaners are usually of three different bases. Sodium hepichloride(bleach,Tilex), ammonia(like most glass cleaners), and alcohol (Simple green+Grease lighting).
Amonia does very litte to mildew, Bleach kills mildew and everything else it comes in contact with. We have used simple green at times and it works well too and I believe that is alcohol basd.
Am I correct in any of this??

axnjoe

Hud;
1=presoak
2=wash
3=wipe with presoak?
...?final rinse?