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Downstream test

Doug Dahlke

Donating Member
I guess I am just stubborn. Been reading posts about downstreaming for two years but never tried it on a house or building. I had some time today so I did a test on a nasty tree house. Pictures one and two starting on the left are before and afters downstreaming on a 50/50 mix of 12% SH and water along with some Dawn. Had 150' of hose on and used about 1/2 gallon of chem.

The other two pictures are a different side before and after with an x-jet. Used a 50/50 mix of 12% SH and water with some Power House in there too. Used about the same amount of chemical.
I would never have thought downstreaming would put enough chemical on there to clean something that bad. I will definitely need to try this out on some houses.

The siding on there is vinyl.
 

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Ken Fenner

Active member
To me its an absolute no-brainer. Chemical use went down by 50%. Efficiency time went up by 20%. Higher height on spray. Less pressure than an X-Jet.. no buckets to drag around or dump causing damage to landscaping. etc etc. The X-Jet is a good tool for cleaning stucco houses where a strong mix is needed. On vinyl.. no way.

Doug, your mixes were too weak (for DS) and too strong(for X-Jet unless you are using a proportioner). In a five gallon bucket you can mix 3.5 gallons of 12%, some simple cherry or your favorite housewash soap and top with water for downstreaming and use that to do an entire house.

I remember trying to convince Jarrod to go to downstreaming last year or two years ago and he fought the idea. When he got used to it, he fell in love with it.
 

PressureWashE

New member
To me its an absolute no-brainer. Chemical use went down by 50%. Efficiency time went up by 20%. Higher height on spray. Less pressure than an X-Jet.. no buckets to drag around or dump causing damage to landscaping. etc etc. The X-Jet is a good tool for cleaning stucco houses where a strong mix is needed. On vinyl.. no way.

Doug, your mixes were too weak (for DS) and too strong(for X-Jet unless you are using a proportioner). In a five gallon bucket you can mix 3.5 gallons of 12%, some simple cherry or your favorite housewash soap and top with water for downstreaming and use that to do an entire house.

I remember trying to convince Jarrod to go to downstreaming last year or two years ago and he fought the idea. When he got used to it, he fell in love with it.


Thank you ken, Thats what i figured in my projections, that it would be cost effective do down stream most of the time compared to x-jetting.


John
 

David Vicars

New member
Don, you're wasting money by not cutting it. There is no reason for your mix to be that hot for vinyl.

Ken, the 12.5% we get is hot. I mix mine 50/50 for DSing.
 

PressureWashE

New member
I have question related to this topic, say i want to downstream my chemical 25' feet into the air.

I have an 8gpm 3500 machine,

But i want limited pressure with good flow and distance, would I use say from pressure tek.. there quick connect 0060 there 0 degree 6.0 nozzle


I have read the charts and the charts say for me to get 8gpm at 1000psi i need 10.0. i really don't care about the flow i just want to be able to propel the soap mixture 24' or higher.


Not sure if i am making sense

John
 

Don M.

New member
Don, you're wasting money by not cutting it. There is no reason for your mix to be that hot for vinyl.

Ken, the 12.5% we get is hot. I mix mine 50/50 for DSing.

David, your right. I just like to get going.

I will try it this year and see.
 

James VanHandle

UAMCC-Member
No, .30 orfice. A 3.0 will not draw chemicals and is way too much pressure.

Heres a chart to help identify the different nozzles with different flow machines.

Here is a good question. Why doesnt a company make an 18ft extension wand with the chem valve attached to it? like the shorter wands. I might just make one. Maybe a company does and we dont know about it.

Jim Vanhandel:nopity:
 

Chad Johnson

New member
Here is a good question. Why doesnt a company make an 18ft extension wand with the chem valve attached to it? like the shorter wands. I might just make one. Maybe a company does and we dont know about it.

Jim Vanhandel:nopity:

The only thing I know of like that is the Telescoping wand. But thats for high pressure use.
I guess you could d.s. or x-jet with an 18' wand. But a 0030 would be easier, quicker and more efficient. IMO.

I'll say I have d.s.'ed with a 0030 and a 3' wand before. But thats about it.
 

Ken Fenner

Active member
On an 8 gpm machine and 0040.0 you will get 45 feet without massive overspray and relatively low pressure. Change tips to 0015.0 (or maybe a #20) and you will shut off the downstreamer so you can rinse.

Jim, I think the design of those extension wands (like the yellow noodle) creates backpressure and shuts down the venturi from the downstreamer.
 

James VanHandle

UAMCC-Member
On an 8 gpm machine and 0040.0 you will get 45 feet without massive overspray and relatively low pressure. Change tips to 0015.0 (or maybe a #20) and you will shut off the downstreamer so you can rinse.

Jim, I think the design of those extension wands (like the yellow noodle) creates backpressure and shuts down the venturi from the downstreamer.

What are you talking about when you say 0040 and such? Oh! I was using the fiberglass yellow pole 18ft:Smiley-2046:
 

Chad Johnson

New member
0040.0 is a #40 nozzle tip. Not like the 0004.0 which is like the red tip, dont want to use that one.:headshakesmile-fast
That tip (0040.0) will drop the back pressure which creates the venturi effect on the chemical injector so you can draw chemicals. As you know, the chemicals are drawn at low pressure.
Then switch to a #20 or #15 nozzle which will put put just enough pressure to "turn off" the chemical injector and you can rinse. Keep in mind, the amount of raised pressure using these tips isnt that much more. So its still pretty much considered a "low pressure" application.
A #30 nozzle or larger will draw chemicals. The #20's and smaller wont.

Once you get the hang of down streaming, you can get rid of that yellow noodle.
 

Doug Dahlke

Donating Member
Since starting this thread I have been DS'ing all my house washes. I have done a lot of vinyl but also a few stucco and lap sided homes. I have had as much as 200' of hose run with no problems drawing chem. Using 3.5 gallons of 12% with 1.5 of water as Ken suggested with Simple Cherry. I have been using 30 tips, usually a zero but for single story homes I have used a 15 degree.

I need to get a 20 tip and see if that will shut off the downstreamer. I keep going back to the rig to shut it off to rinse. Not carrying the bucket around is great. If I can find the right tip to shut of the DS without going back to the truck that will be a good time saver.
 

Jim Chesmore

New member
Doug, If you are going back to the truck anyway, put your DS hose into your water tank, that way you will be drawing water into your injector and cleaning it out PLUS getting more water to the walls for rinsing.

As far as which tip to use to stop the venturi just call Bob at Pressure Tek
 
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