# Best way to control paint chips during pressure cleaning



## wfduggan

Have an upcoming project to do and it's peeling paint pretty bad on the exterior, so we are going in and scraping all the loose stuff off over plastic to control the chips. 

It's an older home. We don't know if it is lead or not, but I'm just staying on the side of cautious and making sure the chips don't get left behind.

But we are going to be pressure cleaning afterwards. Any thoughts on how to control anything that comes off during the pressure cleaning or should I switch to some type of low pressure with a cleaning agent. if so what would you suggest?


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## PressurePros

Do a thorough job with scraping and you shouldn't have any issues. (ie don't try to remove paint by pressure washing)


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## Boco

12 x 40 plastic tarps. Having a broom, rake and a decent shop vac for final clean up is nice.


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## chrisn

Boco said:


> 12 x 40 plastic tarps. Having a broom, rake and a decent shop vac for final clean up is nice.


you shop vac the yard?


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## Boco

chrisn said:


> you shop vac the yard?


 I dont go that extreme. Just for anything that may be hard to get and needs to be painted. Cracks in a deck, Around bottoms of garage doors and window sills.


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## Bender

PressurePros said:


> Do a thorough job with scraping and you shouldn't have any issues. (ie don't try to remove paint by pressure washing)


Amazing how many people think PW is for paint removal:blink:


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## journeymanPainter

Bender said:


> Amazing how many people think PW is for paint removal:blink:


Its helpful.

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## wfduggan

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. 

We are going to have to do a good scraping and wire brushing to get most of the loose stuff off. My idea behind the pressure washing was really only to knock any loose dust or dirt off.

After reading the different posts, I'm thinking to scrape and wire brush with hand brush then hit with a dose of simple green and enough water from the pressure washer to only remove the detergent. I don't really have any intention of using the washer to blast the paint chips off.

Any thoughts?


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## Bender

Yes. Wash it first. Not after you scrape.


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## Painter-Aaron

^. Agree with bender. If you feather anything out and then hit it with water it's going to lift it and your going to have to re scrape and sand anyways.


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## Boco

Wash first. Scrape and sand while wood is drying out. Paint when moisture meter says its ready. If you dont wash first it could be a week before its ready.


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## PressurePros

Wouldn't washing it first send paint chips everywhere? How do you contain and cleanup wet paint chips and deal with all of the water generated? I would think containment would be severely compromised with water flowing over it.


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## Boco

PressurePros said:


> Wouldn't washing it first send paint chips everywhere? How do you contain and cleanup wet paint chips and deal with all of the water generated? I would think containment would be severely compromised with water flowing over it.


 large tarps and my washer does have an idle adjustment. You dont have to go full blast. Having a pole scraper and stiff brush helps. Even if you have some clean up its minimal. Once i set up a job for scraping and sanding i dont want to leave for a few days and then come back to start painting. Wash first.


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## PressurePros

Boco said:


> large tarps and my washer does have an idle adjustment. You dont have to go full blast. Having a pole scraper and stiff brush helps. Even if you have some clean up its minimal. Once i set up a job for scraping and sanding i dont want to leave for a few days and then come back to start painting. Wash first.


Makes sense.

If I can offer some advice. Use larger orifice nozzles to lower your pressure. Lowering engine speed can ruin your pump.


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## Dean CRCNA

*How do RRP requirements apply to pressure washing? What containment and other preparation are required? *

Pressure washing is not a prohibited practice under the RRP Rule. Pressure washing is subject to the same containment requirements as other permissible work practices. Before beginning the renovation, the firm must isolate the work area so that no dust or debris (including in the waste water) leaves the work area while the renovation is being performed. In addition, the firm must maintain the integrity of the containment by ensuring that any plastic or other impermeable materials are not torn or displaced and taking any other steps necessary to ensure that no dust or debris leaves the work area while the renovation is being performed. The firm must also ensure that containment is installed in such a manner that it does not interfere with occupant and worker egress in an emergency. In addition, it is important to properly dispose of waste water used during pressure washing. Check with your local water treatment authority for more information.


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## darrpreb00

Containing pressure washing water can be fun. we place giant commercial grade sponges at the base of the house. As they soak up the water they expand into giant life size ponies, giraffs, and pigs, ect. We have a blast and the kids love it. Then we ring them out into an onsite evaporator which solidifies the contaminants and returns the beloved water to mother nature.


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## CApainter

I find that Eagle Tarps are very versatile for not only overspray, but also for containing paint chips when pressure washing. They can be used in combination with water containments as a means to trap debris from entering pumps.


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## Monstertruck

PressurePros said:


> Makes sense.
> 
> If I can offer some advice.* Use larger orifice nozzles to lower your pressure. Lowering engine speed can ruin your pump*.




Oh no!?!?? Not enough cooling?


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## PressurePros

Monstertruck said:


> Oh no!?!?? Not enough cooling?


There a few things that can happen by running a pump below manufacturer specs. Its not common to f' up the pump but you do lose flow (gpm) when you lower rpm. That turns your pro unit into a homeonwer unit and slows you down. If not stripping paint, 800 psi is more than enough to wash with. Use a nozzle chart to find out what size orifice gets you to that pressure (based on your gpm). You'll get lower pressure and full flow and you won't tax the cooling capability on your engine.


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## bmoorecl

I use distance,between my cleaning subject.I don't like running my pressurewasher on low.,alway feel funny about it.


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## Oriah2015

Use a distance of approxiamately 3 to 5 feet.

http://www.painterofnyc.com


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## two fingers

All homes on or before 1978 must be tested for lead. If there is, power washing is out of the equation. Back to the basics

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## fortunerestoration

Pressure washing is a must after scrapping off the loose stuff. If you have scrapped
thoroughly and you have pressure washed the surface, I don’t think you’ll develop any issues. Yes, you can broom the floor after you’re done.


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## Roamer

Pressure washing may be necessary but according to the RRP you need to capture all the waste water and either filter before it goes into the soil or have it hauled to an EPA sanctioned dump.


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## Gough

Roamer said:


> Pressure washing may be necessary but according to the RRP you need to capture all the waste water and either filter before it goes into the soil or have it hauled to an EPA sanctioned dump.


IIRC, that's not covered under RRP _per se_ but is under other EPA and local rules. It came up in class and the instructor pointed out that the regulation for filtering/disposal had been in place since long before RRP. That was a surprise to nearly all of the attendees.


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## PressurePros

Gough said:


> IIRC, that's not covered under RRP _per se_ but is under other EPA and local rules. It came up in class and the instructor pointed out that the regulation for filtering/disposal had been in place since long before RRP. That was a surprise to nearly all of the attendees.


Yep, we have to adhere to the guidelines in the federal Clean Water Act. Under those guidelines, it is acceptable to filter water through soil. Anything commercial has to be contained and captured, bermed and evaporated or under certain conditions be diverted to sanitary sewers.


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## straight_lines

Gough said:


> IIRC, that's not covered under RRP _per se_ but is under other EPA and local rules. It came up in class and the instructor pointed out that the regulation for filtering/disposal had been in place since long before RRP. That was a surprise to nearly all of the attendees.


I know a roofing contractor who got hit with for pressure washing a roof before painting it. Commercial building that housed a day care, they made him remove and replace the top 4" of soil 15' from the edge of the building. 

Poor guy had to replace all the landscaping as well. I asked him how did they know the soil wasn't already contaminated from years of rain water. Said I didn't think of that.. 

Moral of the story don't wash day cares that are RRP.


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## Gough

straight_lines said:


> I know a roofing contractor who got hit with for pressure washing a roof before painting it. Commercial building that housed a day care, they made him remove and replace the top 4" of soil 15' from the edge of the building.
> 
> Poor guy had to replace all the landscaping as well. I asked him how did they know the soil wasn't already contaminated from years of rain water. Said I didn't think of that..
> 
> Moral of the story don't wash day cares that are RRP.


I don't think it was powerwashing itself that caused him the problem. RRP is silent about powerwashing. 

What likely caused him grief was not putting down plastic and

"(A) Collect all paint chips and debris and, without dispersing any of it, seal this material in a heavy-duty bag.


I'm curious, did he know it was RRP?


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## sjt2000

*Bleach and Jomax,*



Boco said:


> I dont go that extreme. Just for anything that may be hard to get and needs to be painted. Cracks in a deck, Around bottoms of garage doors and window sills.


 
exactly, use a big sprayer with bleach water and jomax to kill all mildew. Pressure washer is just a show, basically only good to lift stuff off horizontal surfaces (decks). makes no sense to try and remove paint with PW, water makes the corners shrivel up when they dry, so ya just have to scrape it off again anyways.


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## straight_lines

Gough said:


> I don't think it was powerwashing itself that caused him the problem. RRP is silent about powerwashing.
> 
> What likely caused him grief was not putting down plastic and
> 
> "(A) Collect all paint chips and debris and, without dispersing any of it, seal this material in a heavy-duty bag.
> 
> 
> I'm curious, did he know it was RRP?


He had no knowledge of RRP before this happened. It was the lead content of the soil that was the problem. Guarantee the soil was already contaminated from years of run off, but he had to pay for it because he didn't contain his waste water, there was noting said about the chips to my knowledge.


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## MIZZOU

straight_lines said:


> He had no knowledge of RRP before this happened. It was the lead content of the soil that was the problem. Guarantee the soil was already contaminated from years of run off, but he had to pay for it because he didn't contain his waste water, there was noting said about the chips to my knowledge.


Next to windows, soil is the 2nd leading cause of children's lead ingestion. Something for everyone to remember, when doing a child care facility or school, pay to have the soil lead content analyzed prior to your work beginning. Doing this for a couple hundred bucks would've saved this guy big time!


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## Gough

straight_lines said:


> He had no knowledge of RRP before this happened. It was the lead content of the soil that was the problem. Guarantee the soil was already contaminated from years of run off, but he had to pay for it because he didn't contain his waste water, there was noting said about the chips to my knowledge.


From what you've posted, it sounds like it wasn't really an RRP violation, but something else from EPA or the state DEQ. Not that it makes much difference.


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## Gough

MIZZOU said:


> Next to windows, soil is the 2nd leading cause of children's lead ingestion. Something for everyone to remember, when doing a child care facility or school, pay to have the soil lead content analyzed prior to your work beginning. Doing this for a couple hundred bucks would've saved this guy big time!




How much are you paying for lead tests?? Our local lab does them for $40.


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## MIZZOU

Gough said:


> How much are you paying for lead tests?? Our local lab does them for $40.


When it comes to daycares and schools I completely remove myself from the situation. I spend the extra $ to hire out pre and post soil test if applicable. $50 for me to test, $200 to have a lead assessment test done. That covers 20 some shots with a lead xray gun and pre and post soil samples. The extra $150 or so is worth it for me since it would take me 3 hrs or more to test. Also, my thinking is that of ever audited, it would look good to have a third party involved in the testing on child facilities.


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## Gough

MIZZOU said:


> When it comes to daycares and schools I completely remove myself from the situation. I spend the extra $ to hire out pre and post soil test if applicable. $50 for me to test, $200 to have a lead assessment test done. That covers 20 some shots with a lead xray gun and pre and post soil samples. The extra $150 or so is worth it for me since it would take me 3 hrs or more to test. Also, my thinking is that of ever audited, it would look good to have a third party involved in the testing on child facilities.


Make sense, I didn't know you were including XRF testing on the substrate as well.


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## MIZZOU

Gough said:


> Make sense, I didn't know you were including XRF testing on the substrate as well.


Didn't know the fancy technical term so I called it X-ray gun lol. Titan environmental does all my work like this, extremely professional outfit if anyone needs their services.


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