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Washing Techniques

Jim Chesmore

New member
I have a pump for roofs and DS for houses. I have talked to some of you about washing a house with the pumps and the more I hear, the more I like..

So how many of you wash houses using a pump and how many use DSing or X-jetting and why?

Disclaimer - we all use the methods that work best for us and I respect that. I dont want this to turn into a "my way is best" argument..

I'll start - I start using the m5-jet because I really liked the idea of having "clean" water with just a flip of the valve, its a great tool! This year I am switching to DSing to save time and money.

Washing a house with a pump is something I have not tried yet but seems like a great idea especially if you have two pumps, one with wash and the other with rinse water..
 

Ken Fenner

Active member
I couldn't go to a pump driven system because I don't have the water reserve to rinse with it. You cold theoretically set up a minivan with a pump, a 30 gallon chem tank and some garden hose. I don't think that would be efficient because you cannot wash concrete (foundation, sidewalks, pool aprons and patios) with a pump. Even up high rinsing often times requiores pressure.. wasps nests, mud daubber things, cobwebs etc.
 

DJ Carroll

New member
My reasoning is simple:

I don't x-jet because i don't like carrying a bucket around.
I don't use a direct pump because I don't want to have to mix a batch 30-40 gals of house wash mix and then 50-100 gallons of rinse water.


there for i ds . . . mix chlorine, simple cherry and water in a 5er drop my hose in and throttle open the ball valve. when i need to rinse i simply close the ball valve a little and rock on
 

precisionpower

New member
I know Mike K. will disagree with me, but I cannot seem to draw very good with a ball valve. I use my 4040 and 2540 and they work fine, but my chems won't move with the ball valve.
 

DJ Carroll

New member
I know Mike K. will disagree with me, but I cannot seem to draw very good with a ball valve. I use my 4040 and 2540 and they work fine, but my chems won't move with the ball valve.


I would be willing to be i know what is wrong ( the same thing i did the first few times and thought to my self mike was on crack lol)

do this tomorrow . . . open it ALL the way OPEN . . . close it just a tad . . . it should spray like no other
 

Scott Davis

New member
I use a dedicated pump. Mainly because I hate Xjet and have never DS before. I really like it. I can reach all the heights I need and I dont need to use the PW (thats good, because I hate engines. I only use gas powered anything now when I absolutely have to. It is wierd, I know.). The only pain is having to mix the 30-40 gl of mix. Most of the time we use just the water hose to rinse, but if we need to reach some heights, we have a 100gl water tank on the trailer, and a ball valve to switch to water for our pump.

I would like to try the DS once we get our new PW, but I think we'll end up just using the pump anyways. We'll see.
 

John Paul

New member
I DS, it is the simplest way to go about it in my opinion. However, I am thinking of adding a helper for jobs this season. If that is the case, I think I will apply with my Delavan and have him rinse behind me with low pressure using my machine(s).

This way I could combine my two 4 GPM machines to get an 8 GPM rinse and maximize my potential on the property. I don't like to use the word faster, but more efficient is what I am shooting for.

Once I order the Fatboy, I may use it solely on vinyl cleanings. I won't know if I want to do this until I try it a few times. This would be on solo jobs, if I have a helper, then I would do like I mentioned above.
 

Jim Chesmore

New member
After reading all the input, I think with my set-up, mixing 40+ gals for each job would be too time consuming. I think I will wash with the DSer and have a helper rinse with the fatboy when he is not scrubbing gutters. As long as he doesn't waist water my tanks should be able to keep up.
 

Chad Johnson

New member
Im a d.s.'er by heart. Ive tried the x-jet thing before and didnt care for it much. Having to carry a bucket and fighting with 2 hoses. The hoses were an issue becuase I ran 50' of x-jet hose to limit the amount time carrying the bucket around. I still find myself x-jetting from time to time becuase I run into things that d.s.'ing just wont clean.
I just recieved the Delevan yesterday to add to my setup this year. I plan on using it to tackle those "hard to clean" areas over the x-jet.
Iv'e had the same thought you did Jim about using a pump system over a p.w.'er to clean houses with. But didnt becuase of the reasons Ken stated earlier. I still may try it though on a basic housewash to see how I like it and how it works for me.
Good luck with your idea Jim. Let us know what you decide for sure and how it works out for you.
 

Doug Dahlke

Donating Member
I have been x jetting since I started over three years ago. I finally did a downstream test last week and will be trying that in the future. I will still need the x jet for certain applications.
 

Guy Blackmon

New member
We started out x'ing with the M-5, and I thought it was great! Kept reading about DS'ing, gave it a try and have stayed with it ever sence. The X has it's place (I have 3) but in our business "Time Is Money" Guess thats all I got to say.
 

Daniel H

New member
I ds all most everything, I do have some 12volt pumps i use for roofs, and sometimes I use a 12 volt on trucks when I am just washing a couple...
 

E-P-W

New member
What kind of pump are you useing for roofs? how much pressure are you running?

What system seem to work best for you?
 

Scott Davis

New member
my fatboy should be here on Monday

:clap: Im glad you went with the FB. Just keep in mind my warning about the relay switch. Buy an extra one now just in case. We went through 5 in 1 day before we figured out what the problem was, and havent changed it since, in 5-6 months.

Remember, fat wire, big fuse (30), keep it close to the battery, etc etc...
 

Jim Chesmore

New member
CRAP, what is wrong with the relay switch? I vaguely remember you or someone mentioning that a while back...

Bob built everything Bandit style and all I am adding is the charging wires from my trailer wiring harness. I am going with a 10 or 12 gauge wire. Does it make a difference if the wire is solid vs multi strand?
 

Scott Davis

New member
CRAP, what is wrong with the relay switch? I vaguely remember you or someone mentioning that a while back...

Bob built everything Bandit style and all I am adding is the charging wires from my trailer wiring harness. I am going with a 10 or 12 gauge wire. Does it make a difference if the wire is solid vs multi strand?

Ooh, I couldnt answer that question. I have no idea.

The only thing about the relay switch is you have to either have your gun/ball valve completely open, or completely closed. Theres no opening it halfway to try and clean an edge or anything. That relay switch will switch so fast it will burn itself up within 10-15 seconds. Then if you dont realize it, it wont shut off the pump and you'll bust a hose.

Just remember. Open or closed. Nothing in between. :headshakesmile-fast And you won't have any problems. I recommend going to a junk yard and getting a relay switch from an old car. They are much hardier than the ones from the hardware/auto parts store. The one we have on there now we got out of Celeste's dad's garage that was for his camaro.
 

Jim Chesmore

New member
Ooh, I couldnt answer that question. I have no idea.

The only thing about the relay switch is you have to either have your gun/ball valve completely open, or completely closed. Theres no opening it halfway to try and clean an edge or anything. That relay switch will switch so fast it will burn itself up within 10-15 seconds. Then if you dont realize it, it wont shut off the pump and you'll bust a hose.

Just remember. Open or closed. Nothing in between. :headshakesmile-fast And you won't have any problems. I recommend going to a junk yard and getting a relay switch from an old car. They are much hardier than the ones from the hardware/auto parts store. The one we have on there now we got out of Celeste's dad's garage that was for his camaro.

I just found the other thread. I will be using the gun that comes with the unit. I dont really like the idea of a ball valve. If I drop it I want it to shut off, not spray everything in sight..

I would not even know where to start looking for a relay switch in a car. The one on the FB has four screws holding it on, right? The thing that has the adjustment screw on it??
 

Scott Davis

New member
I just found the other thread. I will be using the gun that comes with the unit. I dont really like the idea of a ball valve. If I drop it I want it to shut off, not spray everything in sight..

I would not even know where to start looking for a relay switch in a car. The one on the FB has four screws holding it on, right? The thing that has the adjustment screw on it??

Yup thats right. Anyone at the lot could show you where they are, and they're cheap.

Some people prefer guns, and some prefer ball valves. Im a ball valve guy myself. You've seen some of the stuff we clean, and theres alot of spraying large areas for 2-3 minutes at a time before switching areas, and it wears on your hands after a while.

Now dropping the ball valve can be an issue, but if you get a rope and tie one end to your belt, and the other to your hose about 2-3 feet from the end of the hose, if you drop it, you have quick access to it again. Plus it makes dragging hoses a whoooole lot easier when you're pulling from your waist.
 

Chad Johnson

New member
CRAP, what is wrong with the relay switch? I vaguely remember you or someone mentioning that a while back...

Bob built everything Bandit style and all I am adding is the charging wires from my trailer wiring harness. I am going with a 10 or 12 gauge wire. Does it make a difference if the wire is solid vs multi strand?

Jim, could you tell me how you plan on doing that? You can PM me if you like.
 
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