I have currently running a 4GPM/4000PSI direct drive machine. I run a 3-5 GPM injector at the pump outlet and currently run 150’ of 3/8" pressure hose. I get great results with my house wash mix using a 4-way setup for nozzles.
I blew my primary 50’ hose this week on a job and it got me thinking about hose lengths and setup. How much would you feel comfortable running with this machine and injector setup? Should I stick with 150’ or jump up to 200’? The 150’ line gets me around 95% of the houses I do without ever having to reposition the equipment, but sometimes the extra little bit of length would be nice.
I wouldn’t go anywhere without at least 300 feet of hose on the truck. Right now I have 200 on the reel and a 100 and a 50 foot section, I have 350 feet of spare hose in my storage space. But I work on some big houses. If I were you, I would carry two 100 footers and a 50 footer. Also use a 2-3 gpm injector and your soaping capabilities will be a lot better. Look up how to make an injector bypass, so you can get full flow with the twist of the ball valve.
For me, 4 gpm 3500 psi and it is 250’ all the way. By the time I pull 150’ out I usually still have to go around a screen enclosure to access the back. 250’ is the magic number for me. And as [MENTION=7766]RalphQ[/MENTION] said, I carry the extra 50’ in the truck just in case.
All Clean Power Washing Solutions, LLC
813.528.2219
Sent from my iPhone using Pressure Washing Resource
Ralph thanks for the reminder on the injector bypass. I am going to have one made into the system when I build a trailer in a few weeks. Good tip on the 2-3 GPM injector too.
For everyone else, what GPM injector are you running with those long line setups?
hey Tiger, when i put 250 feet of hose on my 4 gpm power washer using a 4 gpm rated injector my chemical buckets last longer than normal. There is a natural resistance to things that flow (Electricity, water, etc…) there is friction from the inside walls of the hose, gravity, etc… all this leads to lower output pressure and (more noticeably) less gpms the farther away from the pump you are. By switching to a lower flow rated injector it keeps my chems moving at the right speed. Does that make sense?
hey Tiger, when i put 250 feet of hose on my 4 gpm power washer using a 4 gpm rated injector my chemical buckets last longer than normal. There is a natural resistance to things that flow (Electricity, water, etc…) there is friction from the inside walls of the hose, gravity, etc… all this leads to lower output pressure and (more noticeably) less gpms. switching to a lower flow rated injector keeps my chems moving at the right speed. make sense?
We ran 4gpm direct drives when we started out. 200-250 feet of hose all day long and never had trouble pulling soap. We always made sure our guns were rated for no less than 12 gpm(anything less can cause your injector not to pull well with long hose lengths) and used 3-5gpm injectors. Seems like we may have had to use 2-3gpm injectors on occasion. We keep 2 spare 100’ sections on the truck for backup.
My unit came with a 150’ grey heavy duty/commercial 2 wire hose. Was breaking my back dragging around. Had a job coming up that would require a longer hose. Bought a new 1 wire 200’ hose from PressureTek and was very happy. But then my injector quit drawing chemical. Come to find out that it was rated for 2-3 gpm? Don’t know how it was working to start with since I have a 4gpm, 4000psi unit. Apparently when you add footage of hose, it makes a difference. Installed the proper 3-5gpm injector and everything worked fine.
I have know idea what the rating is for or how it is affected. I do know that if you have hot water you should have one that is not a plastic core. It would be great is someone could give an explanation with a chart.
My experience tells me a smaller injector orifice draws more chemical with a longer amount of hose. I use a 2-3 gpm injector with my 5.5 gpm machine, and my chemical draw is pretty damned good. Yesterday I ran 300 feet of hose and still drew a good amount of detergent. If you do a search, you are probably going to find that most people run a smaller injector size to avoid exactly what you stated. Maybe you should inspect your old injector to make sure what the problem really was. If you blew a hose, I would check to see if the ball is stuck in the o-ring.
A machine rated at 4000 psi working pressure, can spike up to 4500 psi easily and is probably set to bypass at 4400. Two wire hose starts at 4500 psi. Personally I would use two wire for a 3500 psi machine and up.
Hey Ralph, I just switched over to a 5.5 from a 4gpm after 5 years. Got any tips? I started out with a 2.1 but doesn’t seem to draw a lot of chem. I have a couple 1.8s I am gonna see how it draws. Thanks man, JD
That was two years ago, don’t think he posts on here anymore.
But anyway, I also switched last year to a 5.5. I estimate it puts .8% on a surface after 200’ of hose and a 2.1 injector. I’d go with a 1.8 but my setup has a remote controlled injector and rinsing with that tiny restriction might be an issue.