# Pressure Wash Business



## seaton0024 (10 mo ago)

I’ve got a small part time pressure wash business. Last few years I’ve just ran it out of my truck but I’ve got a trailer now and I’m going to expand to make it alittle easier and more efficient. Right now I’ve got a 3200 psi 2.5 gpm Simpson PW and I’ve just used pump sprayers to apply chem. The question is.. if I’m going to invest in more equipment/setup should I get or build an actual soft wash system with a 4.5-7.0 gpm pump or should I use my pressure washer to down stream? The majority of my jobs are vinyl homes. Just curious what the bets option was in my situation.


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

You don't need a softwash system for vinyl, nor is it required for the majority of residential cleaning, (with the exception of stucco/dryvit/concrete). Your pump sprayers could handle that when the situation arises. If you've got large areas in need of chemicals stronger than your injector can pull, consider getting an x-jet for less than $150.

I also have a pressure-wash/soft-wash/roof-cleaning rig, and one thing I learned early on is that GPM is king. When budget allows, I'd invest in a pressure washer with more GPM's. When rinsing, use the largest diameter hoses you can afford. I use 1" hose, and it puts out a ton of water. Cleaning efficiency is much more about GPM than PSI, and when to use which chemical and/or surfactant. Get a Master Water Nozzle and 1" hose and you won't even need a softwash rig.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

stelzerpaintinginc. said:


> You don't need a softwash system for vinyl, nor is it required for the majority of residential cleaning, (with the exception of stucco/dryvit/concrete). Your pump sprayers could handle that when the situation arises. If you've got large areas in need of chemicals stronger than your injector can pull, consider getting an x-jet for less than $150.
> 
> I also have a pressure-wash/soft-wash/roof-cleaning rig, and one thing I learned early on is that GPM is king. When budget allows, I'd invest in a pressure washer with more GPM's. When rinsing, use the largest diameter hoses you can afford. I use 1" hose, and it puts out a ton of water. Cleaning efficiency is much more about GPM than PSI, and when to use which chemical and/or surfactant. Get a Master Water Nozzle and 1" hose and you won't even need a softwash rig.


How high up can you shoot your soap with a pressure washer? When I did more exteriors back in the day, we would use an extension wand and could wash 2 stories from the ground..I could see a soft wash pump being handy for just applying the soap?


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

finishesbykevyn said:


> How high up can you shoot your soap with a pressure washer? When I did more exteriors back in the day, we would use an extension wand and could wash 2 stories from the ground..I could see a soft wash pump being handy for just applying the soap?


3-4 stories, depending upon the wind. The biggest issue with a dedicated softwash rig is having another set of hoses to pull from the trailer, setting up my pump, & cleaning it up afterwards. This is my softwash rig, which stays in the trailer. There's 250' on my hose reel, which makes for an extended amount of time setting up and breaking down when considering using it on something as simple as a house wash. For decks, fences, concrete, stucco, dryvit & roofs I use it. For most all other things washing related, I'll use different soap tips and downstream injectors on my pressure washer.

Using a downstream injector in conjunction with soap tips custom-fit for your size machine allows you to change from rinsing to soaping with just changing the tip. On the end of my pressure washing wand I insert a J-rod, which is just 4 different nozzles welded together. Here is what I get and where I've gotten many from in the past.

One tip is soap low, (a very low pressure and wide spray fan for applying soap 15' and below)
One tip is soap high, (still low enough pressure and big enough orifice to induce the venturi/vacuum which pulls soap from the downstream injector, but the spray fan is concentrated to allow further trajectory)
One tip is rinse low, (wide fan, low pressure, but still high enough not to pull soap)
One tip is rinse high, (you guessed it, for rinsing high)

The only exception is instead of using their stock soap-high tip, I get this one instead. It's made by a fellow forum member from an older pressure washing forum. His name is Guy Blackmon, and the name of it is "The Original Shooter Tip". I can get that one to shoot 40' + no matter the wind. 

For commercial work or large structures, I also use this tip, which puts out more product, but tends to do so at a higher pressure than I care to use in more confined and/or residential spaces.

The biggest mistake painters make is using store-bought tips for their pressure washers, since they are rarely designed specifically even for the machine they came with. It's always best to figure out what pressure you want to wash at, then contact a professional vendor and convey that info, along with the GPM's of your machine. It's the only way to realize the full capability of your pressure washer.

For roof cleaning and/or high efficiency rinsing, I use this 1" hose with this nozzle on the end. That thing is a friggin beast. If I need slightly higher pressure than I can get from a water spigot, I connect this pump in between the water spigot and my 1" hose. This will boost the municipal water pressure up 60-70psi.


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

I'm not sure if it's obvious or not, but my method above to pull soap via downstream injector from my pressure washer requires having the soap hose in the bucket of soap at all times, (unless you've got a downstream injector bypass, but don't get me started on that, lol).


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

stelzerpaintinginc. said:


> I'm not sure if it's obvious or not, but my method above to pull soap via downstream injector from my pressure washer requires having the soap hose in the bucket of soap at all times, (unless you've got a downstream injector bypass, but don't get me started on that, lol).


Fantastic info Troy. I think you've just schooled a lot of us on some invaluable washing techniques. Thanks for that.


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