21h
Hey everyone Matt Mizzles here with (High pressure Water Solutions) I am currently new to the industry. Trying to start a weekend/part time pressure washing business. I currently purchased a dewalt 3400 psi 2.5 gpm machine with a gx200 Honda engine. I have bought several accessories such as hose filter, turbo tip, surface cleaner. I am trying to get all the knowledge I can and even know if my machine can do the job in a timely manner I have done one job so far and it was a driveway and a back patio both surfaces were concrete peddle. The machine did good it took about 3 hours total for both. My main questions are can I use higher psi tips and attachments than my machine is rated and what does the terms downstreaming and soap injectors mean. For soap application I have just used my hose attachment into a bucket straight from the pump. Thanks again please any info will help
Welcome. I am fairly new to it all as well. I have been doing it about a year and have just taken it full time. Since you already purchased you will probably have to deal with what you have for a while or keep it as a spare. I am not the most technical guy but I will try to explain The problem with your GPM will be rinse time and how high you will be able to effectively apply chemical and rinse. Time is money. Down streaming is drawing chemicals after the pump. If you read the manual that came with your system, it probably tells you not to run bleach through your machine or there may be a sticker on it. Bleach being corrosive will eat the seals eventually and can ruin the pump… Depending on what you charge, it would probably take a few houses to get a decent set up from Pressure Tek. You can get set up with a basic 4 gpm setup for roughly $1,500.
Yes my machine did state not to use bleach does it say that on all machines or just direct drive pumps. What is the main difference between direct drive and belt driven everyone says don’t use direct drive when some state my pump AAA direct drive is a good pump. I am not currently using a tank as business picks up and get customers I will get the good set up. Also what do you think is a good soap to use as far as siding, driveways, fences/decks. Thank you for your help it is greatly appreciated
Since your pump is direct drive , it runs at 3400 rpm, so the wear level will be much higher if we compare direct drive and belt drive or gear box ( 1700 rpm). You can use bleach after the pump with a downstream injector kit ( venturi system ) and your equipment will be fine !
IF you wanna make life easier for you and clean faster you will need more GPM. Since a house water supply can’t deliver more than 4 GPM in general you will need a buffer tank but the direct drive pump is unable to feed from a buffer tank.
On the direct drive system you can’t find a wide variety of pumps with flow rate ( GPM ) bigger than 4 GPM so you need to swap to gearbox / belt drive.
Please notice that i’m a beginner just like you but i have 8 months of research un my backpack. 
Someone who notice a mistake in my suggestions please correct both of us 
Good luck Mizzles77 and when you have the time, research, invest in yourself !
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Thank you sir you have been very helpful
I would sell your current machine and put the money towards a new one. Make sure it’s belt driven and at least 4 GPM, if you wanna get a buffer tank you can but at 4 GPM it would be more for show to make you look more pro. NEVER run chemicals through your pump, always downstream like was already suggested. If you’re thinking of making residential your main target I’d go around your area first and make sure that a house wash is actually something people would NEED in your area. If your area is anything like Phoenix where algae and mold don’t stand a chance due the dryness then residential might not get you the best response. I’ve had to pivot to targeting mostly commercial for this very reason. But if you see the houses in your area building up a nice layer of growth the go for residential since you’ll only have a 4 GPM… Also, depending on your budget, you might be able to find a 5gpm or a 5.5gpm cold water for a fairly decent price which would increase your rinse speed and increase your hourly margin… Lastly, and not saying you’re planning to but DON’T LOWBALL your prices, you’d be screwing yourself and everyone else over. Know your worth!
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