So I just got my first sc.
I’m looking for info on cleaning concrete such as cleaning solutions, psi, etc…
Can anyone point me to a good resource to read up on it?
Have any tips or info that will help me out?
Thanks guys
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Assuming residential concrete.
First, assess the current condition and likely past treatment. Has it previously been brutalized by high pressure and had most of the life stripped from the surface or is it just one big layer of looseness caused by cheap concrete mix and/or freeze damage caused by ice melt product.
For average condition concrete, we downstream our standard house wash mix and then surface clean with around 1,000 psi at 8 gpm. For broken, tired, soft concrete, we direct apply roof mix and then ever so gently scrub with about 600 psi. We typically have some roof mix on the truck so we use that for really dirty concrete and/or concrete that is so fragile as to be a problem for any real pressure. The problem is that Russ’ most excellent surfactant, eloquently named Roof Snot, makes such a mad batch of suds when surface cleaned that you can’t get anything done. So, after applying and dwell time has passed, we rinse the soap and surfactant off and get to power scrubbing. Clients don’t know what a surface cleaner is, so when asked, it’s a power scrubber.
Don’t forget to half size your tips since your using two of them and don’t be afraid to downstream house wash mix after final rinse for that extra little bit of magic as it drys.
And lastly, don’t get all in a tizzy when it doesn’t make worn out cheap azz concrete look brand new, after all, it’s only soap and water.
Thanks Tim!
The concrete is in great shape. Just some black algae. My first thought was that my house wash would tear it up.
So about psi, there is no need to really go over 1000? My surface cleaner is set at 3500. I will obviously need to order some new ones. Do you recommend any variety other than 1000 and 600 psi? What about degree. My machine is 4gpm @3500
And what other products do you keep in your arsenal for stains and such? F9, enzymes, sealers?
People develop their own style over time. We use the most pressure that we can when we are hammering filthy convenience store flatwork. For residential, I am simply trying to impress my clients and they seem to be pleased with the results we get at lower pressures. We use much lower pressures on residential concrete than others do but we don’t fight the issues that come with unknown substrates and striping or stripping creme. We also wash with 8 gpm so I am not sure what pressures we would have to use at 4 gpm.
OneRestore is my all time favorite. Bob’s F-18 for greasy spots. I prefer a good penetrating sealer from Prosoco for concrete and for some brick.
This is NOT a picture of clean concrete. This is a picture of a test run to see if there was a substantial difference between 1,500 psi and 600psi. No pre-soak, no soap, no real attention paid to travel time and no downstream to dwell and dry afterwards. Can you tell which area was done at what pressure?
There is no question that a 3,000 psi set of tips would have left it cleaner, but this is not the finished product, and, we were testing in prep for a brick cleaning job. The finished product took almost six hours and sold for $2,000.00.
Tim what do you use for oil remover? And what’s the cost of it? If you don’t mind sharing that is…
Bob’s F-18 for greasy spots.
