Auto shop wants me to use their astro chem to wash their lot

An auto repair shop had a pro pressure washer with the trailer and hot tank and all that wash his lot years ago but he wasn’t that impressed. They also had a surface cleaner too. That’s what I had planned on using. Anyway, he has a 55 gallon drum of this degreaser called astro chem and said I could use it. I have a 4pm unit and an xjet to downstream it. The lot is about 7000 sq ft. I clean their windows so I’d like to give them a deal, plus they’re letting me use their chem and I’ve never dowstreamed a lot before. I’ve downstreamed houses so it shouldn’t be much different.

I’m seeking any advice possible. What is a reasonable price for a 7000sqft lot downstreaming their chemical? I was thinking around $500. Has anyone used astro chem, or at least heard about it? Thankfully it has recommended proportions on it.

Here’s a picture of part of the lot https://goo.gl/photos/PyHidWuPxHmbUmiJ7

For flat work u need to be at least 10 cents a square. Most are around 12-15. If ther is oil it can’t go in storm drain u may need to reclaim

So if there’s oil I can’t even use a surface cleaner without reclaim? Thanks

Unfortunately OSHA wants you to reclaim any water chemical or not oil or not when pressure washing. I never have because it’s a pain to say the least. I’ve seen people put up barriers around and shopvac it or have an expensive zamboni type thing do the surface. And the fact I do a lot of my commercial at night unless the OSHA man or an environmental freak comes around then, you’re ok. Not too many people actually reclaim.

As far as chem treating the surface, just spray it on, and go. I would spray the whole thing first because dwell time makes the difference. Envirospecs surface cleaner soap works well and bleach never hurts in the mixture. But maybe this guys stuff works too, who knows.

You’re hurting the longevity of pressure washing. The more unscrupulous practices done in the industry the more the EPA and OSHA tighten their grip.

Do a job properly and charge accordingly. Explain the cost to the customer.

“A guilty conscience isn’t worth a dollar”

$500 is dirt cheap. You’re underestimating the challenge.

Downstreaming a degreaser probably won’t do it. You can X-Jet it, use a pump-up-sprayer, or electric pump.

Start degreaser-heavy mix and work your way down to see what works. You can only dilute, not the other way around.

Do a test spot, you’ll thank yourself later.

Best of luck!

Great advice! I should’ve gone heavier since it was their chemical. I gave it a good hour or two of dwell time too but it didn’t seem to do much. I’m now trying to finish up with the ww classic surface cleaner. Thankfully I made sure they knew the quote of $500 was just for applying the degreaser. They are prepared to pay more.

Another question I have, how long can you let a degreaser dwell? Would overnight be ok? Thanks!

Leaving a strong chemical like a degreaser on clean concrete could pose issues.

But, a lengthy dwell time would be advantageous. The only thing is that you will need to keep the chemical wet (not with water, but with more chemical) to keep it working.

If you aren’t seeing results with their chemical you might want to try a different one. I’ve seen videos of EBC working immediately. My chemical guys degreaser worked with a dwell time of >15 minutes.

What issues are caused by leaving it too long?

A degreaser is quite caustic. I’d be hesitant to leave any caustic chemical on concrete for to long (day or so). Staining, removing the top layer, removing color, etc.

You are full of yourself and something else. Do you reclaim all of your water? I don’t think you clearly understand the regulation. They want you to reclaim all of your water all of the time. I perfectly understand good business practices. Keep that for yourself. There is a bit of unrealistic regulations. If I or anyone else charged accordingly for their time, effort and equipment to keep up with the regulations- shit would not get cleaned. Because the cost would be through the roof. Understand what you are replying to before you do.

My qualm is not against those who do not follow the guidelines religiously.

My qualm is against the guys who freely dump oil down a water drain (that goes to the water table). Littering, misuse of natural resources, hurting wildlife/nature, etc.

Please do not mistake my concern for arrogance.

Understandable, Thank you for clarifying. I have no desire to do that either. I know my cities’ drainage well and make sure nothing harmful goes into a drain that goes straight to a waterway. It all goes to water treatment plant.