Hey pw experts. I had a customer call me back this week after washing his house with a typical house wash mix downstreamed. From the research I’ve already done, it appears to be an issue with oxidation. I was not able to find what seemed to be any troubleshooting solutions for this issue so I am hoping someone can chime in or direct me to a previous thread that discusses possible remedies for oxidation if this is what I am dealing with. Going forward, how can I determine if a house is susceptible to this issue and know to steer clear from homes like this? Thanks for any and all input! These pictures are taken 3 days after service. The siding is dry but appears wet in spots.
Some people have used F13 to remove/blend oxidation. I myself have never tried it, But other’s say it works well. Search oxidation on forum and see what you think.
Funny, i randomly ran across a thread discussing something that looks exactly like this earlier when i did a search on something. In his case, he had been too aggressive with the rinsing, and had pushed water up behind the vinyl… the dark spots was where the water drained out and carried dirt and debris with it, which dried on the vinyl.
Not sure if that’s what is going on in your case, but it looks very similar.
I’ve read about some people downstreaming F-13 with some success, but I’ve never tried it so I can’t comment on its effectiveness. You may have to hand brush the whole thing, which will suck on a monumental level. Always do the finger swipe test on a house. Run your finger across the siding and if it is chalky then you’ve got oxidation. Then you can either walk away or do a small, out of the way test section and let the homeowners decide if they want to go forward with the wash or not.
Yep, if you caused the irregularities in the oxidation from excessive pressure when you rinsed (and it will be difficult to prove if you didn’t), you’re gonna be fixing it over a very long weekend.
I’ve read that F-13, Red Raider, or a similar degreaser should aid in removing the rest of the oxidation. You will most likely need to brush the siding to agitate the oxidation before rinsing. I’m guessing a brush with long, flocked bristles would be the easiest to use on vinyl siding; something like a truck wash brush.
Like Alex said, it’s going to be on you to fix.
To expound on what he said about using too much pressure when you rinse, I’d highly advise that you also rinse with your soap tips. The rinsing tips on my J-rod are still putting out nearly 700+ PSI if memory serves. My soap nozzles put out less than 100. You can set up a bypass system or simply pull your chem tube out of your solution to rinse with soap nozzles. If there is any oxidation (and you should always check anyway) then there’s less of a chance of disturbing it with low pressure.
Thanks for all the info everyone. So is it correct to say that the irregularities in the oxidation were disturbed by excessive pressure and NOT by the house wash mix? I will look into ds F-13 to hopefully blend the oxidation.
So if I do the finger test and there is oxidation, as long as I don’t use too much pressure I can wash the siding?
Thanks
Newbie!
Depends on what was in your mix. If you used a degreaser-based surfactant (like red raider), it could very possibly have been the culprit. But more than likely it was excessive pressure.
Oxidation is so prevalent in my area, that I tty and treat every vinyl sided home as being oxidized. I use the larger soap tips for everything, and I avoid getting too close with the shooter nozzle. Lately I’m favoring the 5° nozzle for 1.5-2 story work, and reserving the shooter for stuff above 2 stories.
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Not necessarily. You should explain oxidation and the possibility of streaks, smears and so on to the customer. Most have no idea what oxidation is. If they still want it washed, do a test section, leave and allow it time to dry to reveal any issues, and allow the customer to make the final call on if they want it done or not.
I’m wanting to expand into soft wash. I tested a side of my house. I’m certain that this is oxidation. I ds’d 2 gal 12.5% sh, 3 gal h2o, and 5 oz of elemonator. This side was on the west side of my house. I did about 5’ on the north side and it looks fine. From what I’ve read, it sounds like I’ll have to reapply my mix, scrub with a brush, and then rinse. Does this sound like im on the right track? Luckily it doesn’t look near as bad as some others I’ve seen.
Was it splotchy like that before you washed?
If you want to actually remove the oxidation, you’ll need some type of degreaser in your mix. Some people recommend Red Raider or F-13 Gutter Grenade. I haven’t tried either for siding, so I can’t recommend one over the other. Oxidation removal seems like a lot of work 
No it wasn’t. Luckily the walls are brick, and just the eves really are vinyl. And it’s a one story home. So it won’t be too bad. But I have already learned to check and be very sure if it has oxidation or not. And to basically always warn the home owner of the possibility.
Sure you have heard this before, but prewet doors, shutters ,before you start
spraying chem. If door is worth several thousand, seriously consider covering
it, and spray only water around it.
If you rinse with high pressure instead of soap tips, don’t check for oxidation and screw up someone’s house, FIX IT. That doesn’t mean hand brushing degreaser and taking the wax and sheen from the vinyl or paint in the process. It means repainting or replacing siding. Degreaser on siding to hide ypur mistake is screwing the homeowner.
Not true. the homeowner already had screwed up siding. It was oxidized and therefore there was no “sheen.” You are simply helping them to have a better appearing siding. It’s not like you screwed up brand new siding, it was already screwed up before you got there.
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I am with William on the low pressure soap and rinse. I never exceed 100
psi on a house wash and have never had an issue. I check for oxidation,
if there inform the home owner it is on their siding and it will still be there
after the wash.They have clean siding after wash, but it is still oxidized.
This is vinyl sided homes I am talking about, not painted or stain.
I agree with you but I will never make a customer’s problem into my problem. I tell them “your siding is oxidized because it is a low quality siding. I will wash it and there may or may not be splotchy areas when I’m done. If there is I can try a restoration by brushing but the results are not guaranteed and the restoration costs are extra.”
My disagreement with Innocentbystander’s opinion is because the customer already has a problem with substandard siding which is showing the effects of deterioration before you even get there. It’s like saying because someone hit your 1994 faded red Mazda in the left fender they owe you a whole car re-paint. Not happening.
If you wash it you own it. Don’t wash it and it’s not your problem.
That is so not true, but you can believe it if you want.
