Can someone explain the proportioners for the X-Jet

Question about the proportioners/dilution. I am extremely confused on this.

Say I have a house washing mix of 2 gallons of 12.5% SH + 3 gallons of water (in a 5 gallon bucket).

Will the proportioner determine how much of my 5 gallon mix (3 gallon SH + 2 gallons water) is actually being sprayed onto my surface I am trying to clean? I really don’t get the proportioner part. If someone could take the time to explain this a little more in depth for me I’d really appreciate it. I’ve watched videos & tried searching it already.

Are the proportioners only used when you have straight (non-diluted) 12.5% bleach in a 5 gallon bucket. As in 5 gallons of 12.5% SH in a 5 gallon bucket. I’m not sure why you’d use the proportioners if your mix is already diluted with water? Ex. 2 gallons SH/3 gallons water in a 5 gallon bucket.

At first I thought that an xjet puts out whatever you have in your 5 gallon bucket. Just like how a pump up sprayer puts out whatever you have in it.

So for example, if you have 5 gallons of 12.5% SH in your 5 gallon bucket then straight 12.5 SH is going to come out of your xjet onto the surface you are trying to clean.

BUT that got me thinking… that wouldn’t make sense because the xjet is connected to your wand & your wand is connected to your pressure washer & your pressure washer is connected to WATER hose. So SOME amount of water is going to come out of your xjet which is going to dilute your already diluted 5 gallon house washing mix.

Any replies would be appreciated. Thank you & have a great weekend!

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You’re making it more complicated than it needs to be.

Here’s the math:

SH% * amount in bucket = total percentage
Total percentage / proportioner ratio = amount hitting surface

12.5% * undiluted = 12.5%
12.5%/3 (3:1 proportioner) = 4.16% on surface

That 4.16% is obviously too strong. So here are your options, either use a different proportioner and undiluted mix in the bucket, or mix your desired mix in your bucket and go completely open with no proportioner. Understands that’s with no proportioner, you will use more mix.

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Thank you. I think I understand it now. I am getting a 4 GPM machine.

As you said… 4.16% hitting the house is too strong. You want more in the range of 1 to 1.5%.

12.5% times undiluted = 12.5%

12.5% divided by 10 (10:1 proportioner, the beige colored one) = 1.25 %

I checked the chart and a 4 GPM machine doesn’t have a 8:1 proportioner so I went with the next one up, a 10:1.

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You got it. Like I said, you could also dilute in the bucket, especially if you’re working on vinyl siding, as you don’t even really need that high of strength. In that case, if the bucket is 50% water and 50% SH, then it would be 12.5% * 50% = 6.25. Then of course you divide that by your proportioner.

Where I’m located, houses are primarily stucco, thus a semi hotter mix. If I’m only washing a vinyl fence, I will simply dilute my mix in the bucket.

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Ah. Thank you… :slight_smile: Mainly stucco houses here too. I genuinely feel a lot better now that I understand the whole ratio thing. Have a good weekend.

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Question on this. Im running an open proportiner giving me a 1.6 - 1 ratio. Do I divide my starting SH by 1.6 or by 2.6?

Edit: I misread the question. 1.6-1 means you have a total of 2.6 parts. Divide your SH strength by 2.6 and that’s what you’re putting on the surface.

If it was 11-1, you’d divide by 12. So if you had 12% SH, then 1% would hit the surface.

I want a 3% hitting the concrete. So if i start with 12.5% sh, and I have 1 gallon of it, how much of a gallon of water needs to be added to dilute it to 8%.

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What if you just put in a 3:1 orifice

I dont have the orfices thats why im trying to figure the math, plus I want to cut with water to save bleach.

Add a 1 gallon water to 3 gallons of 12% sh to get 9%, that’s close enough. Throw in a little more water maybe.

Not worth the time figuring out an exact number or mixing down to the pint for every batch. Just kill the green stuff

Perfect. 9% works. Gives me a 3.4. Thank you.

SH loses it’s punch pretty quick & temperature also plays a huge factor - which pretty much tosses all the math out the window when the rubber hits the road. I don’t own an X Jet, but if I did I would run it wide open through a bucket of straight SH with one of these ball valves in line so you can adjust the mix as needed by turning the knob a bit. No need to carry around water in the bucket unless you are looking for a workout. I downstream the same way with these valves on the chemical tubes & they are fabulous. No more batch mixing.

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IDK anymore…I haven’t taken an SH delivery since like late-August, and I was nervous about it’s potency. I haven’t run a test on it, but by all accounts it was working as expected last week on washes. I was going to tell them to just ramp up the ratio on the proportioner, but if it’s killing stuff, it’s good, lol.

Is the 50% in the formula the water or the SH?

This can’t be a real question lol.

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Yes it is a real question because given that he chose 50% / 50% it’s not possible tell if the that variable % in the formula refers to percentage of water or percentage of chemical. I just started this yesterday and so far see you on a ton of posts just being a ■■■■?

If a bucket has two liquids to fill it, water or 12.5 SH, and you filled the bucket half way with one liquid and half way with another I can assure you that the bucket is 50% full of one liquid or the other. I’ve only read a couple of your posts but I can tell you that ratios are irrelevant. If you spend your time trying to find a difference between 1 or 1.25 percent, someone else is going to come along and make your money.

And no cursing here please. We are all adults and it impresses no one.

Please, don’t use this to discourage people all day and try not to project your own insecurities.