Building your own pressure washer, advice, thoughts (Will this fit together?)

Residential
1

Hey brothers, hope you’re all enjoying your Sunday morning, I am,

So this pump is one I’ve had my eye on, it’s a little 4.5 gpm 3000psi comet pump Comet Pumps FWS4530EPlunger Pump: MAX 4.5 GPM, 3000 PSI, 1750 RPM (1-1/8'' Shaft) - Dultmeier Sales

and I was going to use this engine, this little 15hp Lifan engine off amazon https://www.amazon.com/Lifan-LF190F-BQ-4-Stroke-Industrial-Universal/dp/B008H2G0NO

will these two connect? it’s my first rodeo, and I believe no question is a stupid one. even if it is a stupid question.:slight_smile:

I found a 24" alumium skid for about 160. So for under 1k, I can build a 4.5 gpm 3000 psi unit that cost about 2k down the street, of course they have a honda motor and a cat pump but… I wanted to get a few opinions before I pulled the trigger on these items. Today I was supposed to go look at a 700.00 used 3.8gpm cat pump on a honda 390 with less than 1000 hours, but it’s being sold to me by a powerwasher. I don’t feel like bending over. i just wanna make my own stuff, not just to prevent getting boned, but for my own piece of mind. how cool is that. “I built that sucker.”

anyway I’m off to go paint a classroom at a middle school down the street, should be pretty sweet, working in the air conditioner is like getting special treatment when I’m sick with the flu and the ol lady’s bringing me green tea in bed…hell yeah…off to make some greenbacks

Norman

2

This Lifan motor group you can read up on their history here

They initially tried to call their company Hongda --Got their asses sued and now the name change.

That one detail would make me be weary of a company. It may be a great motor, I don’t know. You let us know.–

The pump is a direct drive pump,You must make sure the inlet diameter is the same as the motor shaft . Should work.

3

So the 3 worst pumps, in order are AR, Comet and Cat. General follows closely. If you are going to do this as a business, but the best. If you have to ask how to build something then you don’t need to be building it. Spend the money once and be done with it. 7 gpm is the bare minimum any one should be washing with. You can get a Honda 690 and an 8 gpm udor pump combo for around $4k. I’ve got 9 and they pay for there self in a couple of days.

4

How can you say 7 g.p.m. is bare minimum guys should start out with ?

This means that the inexperienced guy starting out would have to start toting a tank around. This is

not correct advise for pressure washing guys starting out. Most guys will be self taught and need to start out with smaller less powerful equipment before they destroy too much real estate.
13 h.p. 4 g.p.m. is perfect for a pressure washing novice

. #2. General Pump is a great pump manufacturer. I’ve never had any problems with them,

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He asked for advise. I gave it. You gave advise also. Yours is stupid, but advise none the less. This is a profession. Should dentist only brush teeth for a few years until they get experience before pulling teeth. Why would you use sub par equipment to do a job? An udor pump needs a rebuild on average of about 5000 hours. Try that with a general or any other pump or there. If you are going to do this for a living get good equipment . If you are content to wash 3 or 4 houses a day and spray all day with 4 gpm, knock your self out. Just don’t get bent when someone gives correct advise. I could not care less whether you follow it or not. Guys with 4 gpm machines are not competition lol.

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If you don’t have a buffer tank then how are you keeping your pumps cool, carrying water where needed, doing the job you advertise that you can do.

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There’s different sectors of pressure washing just like the web site has posted top right in that menu bar.

You sound like you clean parking garages all day long. Hey man !! that’s awesome. What about the guy just starting out in the residential sector. You think he needs a 10 g.p.m. Udor pump a 22 h.p. Honda motor and a 200 gal tank ? ? No !
He needs the proper equipment to learn his trade.

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Never cleaned a garage in my life. The bare minimum to wash houses effeciently should be 7 gpm and at least 125 gallon tank . Should he advertise as nor knowing what he is doing so please don’t call if you have a big house? No. Get what you need to do the job correctly and be done with it. Why would you try to convince him to buy crap. Are you in the same area as him. I’ve done this since 1998 and seen a bunch of competition go under. Do what ever makes you happy.

9

in business since 2003… Still going strong …with over 900 homes washed.

1 Like
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Congrats friend. When you start doing this full time you will understand what I mean. We don’t do many houses anymore as we mainly do apartments but we still average about 2000 houses a year. at our peak we were pushing 6000 a year. Get the right equipment and you can definitely turn out more and better work.

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11

I got one more year in the business then moving onto bigger and better things !

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First I just want to say I respect you both, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t say what’s on my mind.

You made the mistake of calling thinktoomuch’s advice stupid, I have to disagree with that. Both of you gave good advice. Innocent, you’re an arrogant dickhead; but that can be a good thing, which is why your status is, what it apparently is. You know, back when I was doing electrical work, I learned the most from all the electricians I worked with, from an arrogant dickhead. The guy was a major asshole, but I broke my back working for him and he showed me the right way to do that kinda work. So I can work with that. You should be laughing at this point. Anyway, 5.5 gpm is in my future no doubt… I’ll get there eventually man! I already have a trailer. I also already have the cash. I just want to become more established and get more experience before I go knocking on doors of plant managers that contract out maintenance for heat exchangers, or whatever else you big dogs clean. You know, my dream to become a millionaire before age 40 (I’m 33) involves several catalysts- 1. The hope that Ethereum will rise to a level near Bitcoin within 4-5 years, if that happens I become rich because I’ve been mining eth with my homemade supercomputers since March and have around 550 eth currently. To those who don’t know what Eth is, it’s a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin that has smart contract capability on it. In other words, you can program it to pay someone at a specific time or date after they do something, or after something happens. Living Wills would be a good example. It was worth about 2 bucks in December, now it’s worth almost 12.- and 2. I’ll get a job at a plant and become friendly with people who hire people to power clean parts of said plant. Industrial is where it’s at, at least down here. There’s a ton of money to be made, I just need to get the experience and knowhow, ya know?

I do appreciate both of your responses, I am about tuckered out. That paint job yesterday kicked my ass. Don’t waste your time flaming me- I probably just got cancer inhaling paint fumes, knock on wood.

Anyway, my first commercial pw job is thursday. Today I have a house job to go finish, quoted them on the driveway, back patio for 225, and the house for 250- Already cleaned the driveway, b. patio, walkway, and front porch. Just gotta go back today and catch the carport and the house perimeter- I’m going to try out my new xjet on the carport- I have my xjet mounted right after the gun, but before my short 12" muzzled barrel, and after that I have a m5ds twist.

Tuesday morning I have a huge mansion job I’m going to have to take 12 hours to do with my mickey mouse pw, he also wants some more stuff done as well and told me he has some friends from his plant that need work (Awesome.)…Wednesday is a rest/marketing/flyer day, I would like at least one day to just relax, my quads are pretty sore from painting all day sunday, I’m limping around like one of those pimps who walk with a cane, without the cane… Thursday is the commercial job, and friday I have another house job with some landscaping stuff. Next Monday I’m probably going to paint a bathroom ceiling for a little extra cash to fund my lifan/comet project.

I agree that the comet pump isn’t as good as the cat, but, it’s half the price. It’s hard to argue that the CAT pump will have double the lifespan of the comet, but we shall see. As far as the Lifan company with that name scandal, that is pretty shiesty, but that’s business. I’m going to pull the trigger on it, I’ll make a thread later on with photos of assembly, etc. Gonna order a custom sticker to put on that sucker, thinking of naming it ‘Contender’. :stuck_out_tongue: Never in a million years would I have assumed I would enjoy power washing as much as I do. I mean, what’s the worst thing that can happen. If the setup isn’t what I want, and wanna upgrade, I’ll keep it around for a secondary unit and get a skid trailer mounted 5.5-7 gpm setup with a tank and all that jazz. I’m not going anywhere, so that’s in my future, but…baby steps! You guys have a strong monday!

Stay after it,
Norman

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It wasn’t a mistake. It was stupid advice lol. Any advice I give you on bitcoins or any thing computer related would be stupid. Buy the biggest and best you can afford. Good luck to whatever you are doing but don’t count on it.

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Man o Man!

So in another post someone asked about a 4’ Mosmatic hose, hard to believe it’s the someone who has been in this business since 2003 and averages a little over 4 houses a month.

And to top it off Lagniappe calls a seasoned veteran “…an arrogant dickhead” but then tries to turn it into some sort of sudo compliment.

I might get booted for what I’m about to say… Window Lickers, every once in a while you have to help them out and close the window so they have something to lick on!!

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forgot my spare shirt when I did that house today and got boned by a heat rash.

laid up, gotta be up for 5, will come back n visit in a few days…Acadiana are you advising people to not give advice to noobs? That’s cold, man. And I wanted a ridealong. ■■■■■■ up!!!

Norman

16

Actually that last sentence was pretty good advice. Only a fool would count on that being his retirement. But I say, gotta throw darts to hit the bullseye.

Night yall - and the arrogant dickhead thing, well anyone in any field that knows it all and is the goto is usually an arrogant dickhead. It’s not really an insult in my eyes. Look at House. Dudes a total asshole but he’s pretty cool, right? See?..

Norman

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I’m not gonna drop myself down to your level. Sorry !

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I have a general pump and love it. I know a local guy that had the same general 9.3 gpm pump for 12 year until it had to be replaced. On top of that I started off cleaning 2,000-15,000 sq ft homes with a 4000/4gpm pressure pro unit… One thing I don’t regret is not putting all my eggs in one basket. I paid for everything cash and added equipment as I went along. Now I have work everyday and do pretty damn good for myself.

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I have been building my own washers since 2004. Most recent is a 22 hp, 5.5 gpm @ 5000.psi
It works great. But hey, for many jobs, a standard 13hp with 4 gpm @ 4000 psi.does the trick. I have both direct drive and belt driven washers. All I can say for sure is I enjoy the work I do both residentially and commercially and I really get a kick out of finding ways and means to do things a little different than some, that allows me to do top quality work, save good coin and produce enough finished jobs each week to make a decent living…

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Spirited,

I did my first 3 story home today. Going into it I had no idea what straight bleach with soap would do; I’m so new to the business I had the 18 foot extend a pole wand in mind as an option. That perception changed in a days work.

It’s all about the bleach and soap mixed strong, multiple coats if needed, when we’re talking above 30 feet from the ground.

I also love power washing. I only wish I had found this trade sooner. At 33, I’m young to some yet old to others. Give this link a visit. Its 30 min, but well worth a listen.

I posted the link because you said you enjoy power washing. I do too. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Then,I’m looking forward to those cold calls. Because it’s the rush you get when you know you have a deal. You don’t get that with a mundane well paying plant job. You’ll go to work and work loads of overtime for Asians you’ll never meet; to create your own job and then pick the fruit of your labor is a joy sweeter than getting laid. I, too, love power washing.

Norman

1 Like