Confused about how to get the right mix w/ my pressure washer

Hi all - Glad this exists…

We’re brand new and learning the trade.

I have a little power washer with a ‘passive?’ downstream take-up that I believe the manual says mixes at 1:7.

Drawing from the Walmart pool chlorine gallons (10%) we’re just not able to get an effective mix. It’s pretty near useless in fact. Found that out today when I used a little pump sprayer mixed hotter to get the bleach on and the difference was HUGE.

So, I am about to buy a 4 gallon backpack sprayer and use that to apply to the houses… then rinse with PW.

Is there a better way? I can’t understand how to get a hotter mix through the PW without seriously upping the SH%…? Or some other hardware that lets me actually control the mix?

Got a link to your pressure washer? 10% bleach straight should be plenty strong through a downstream injector… maybe your pressure washer and/or injector is wonky. This is assuming the bleach is fresh, and no user error.

You can buy 12% bleach through a chemical supplier, but if you are already using 10%, then the bleach isnt the problem.

Putting bleach in a backpack sprayer is a bad idea… both for safety, and efficiency. Nearly everyone here uses injectors from pressure tek… those with built in injectors plug them, and use the ones from pressure tek as well.

You can x-jet and achieve a stronger mix, or you can use a 12V and spray the bleach directly like you would from a backpack sprayer, but again, you should easily be able to achieve the necessary strength by downstreaming.

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What pressure washer do you have?

Get a gp hi draw injector from pressuretek?

Make sure your using soap tips? And make sure there the right size you need

Make sure you got the injector flowing thr right way?

How far away are you trying to pull chemicals from?

What gpm is your little power washer? I guarantee if it is not a minimum
4 gpm machine, you are going to take a long time to wash anything!
A picture of your setup would help.

I have a Simpson 3100psi 2.5 GPM. The take-up seems to work fine and we’re opening up the gallon and using it immediately. We seem to use about a gallon of bleach or just under per average size house. We just set the bottle right next to the machine. We do use the soap tips.

Thank you tireshark for the input on the backpack.Is it really a bad idea though? Even the little 1 gallon pump sprayer is saving us a lot of time in not having to hammer everything with the washer to get it clean and with two people it seems to be pretty efficient for one to go ahead with the sprayer and one behind to wash it off?

I will learn about the pressure tek injectors and am stumped as to why what we’re doing is not working. Good to hear that it should be and I will continue to try it and problem solve.

Backpack sprayers are notorious for leaking bleach, which can cause chemical burns. If you only do it a few times you might be ok, but the more you use it, the bigger the risk.

It’s more efficient for you right now, because your equipment isn’t functioning properly. If your injector was drawing as it should, it would be much faster than pump spraying.

2.5 GPM is undersized for this type of work. 4 GPM is considered the bare minimum, with 5.5 GPM or 8 GPM being preferred.

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Thank you very much for the feedback. Saving me time, money, and hopefully more of the unsuspecting public from the idiocy we perpetrated today.

@JessWinter it seems to me your injector is not working properly. If you only use one gallon of bleach per house? From the 1:7 ratio you stated the machine draws something is wayyyyy off. I agree with the others try a new downstream injector and save save save until you can upgrade your machine. Good luck!

It turns out that I just wasn’t trusting the machine and the bleach. Plus the take-up hose kept falling off and slipping out of the bleach. So there never really was a real problem. I just slowed down, made sure everything was right, and it all works. Thanks all.

I’d be hesitant to put a backpack sprayer full of bleach on my back. Those seals are going to leak and burn your ass up.

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