Tried to find the informunder search but can’t find direct answers. Tried google as well. Hopefully this will be my final newbie post before buying equipment:
I want to get in to the business but am having a difficult time deciding which equipment is right for me. I could go the 5.5gpm route and do the x jet (which I’m still not quite sure what it is), I could downstream with it, Or I could skip the pressure washer all together and get a soft wash system. What is considered an effective soft wash PSI for residential jobs? Some sites say under 100psi, some say under 800psi. I want to be able to clean brick and stone houses since that is what the majority of houses are made of around me, as well as vinyl. I’ve gathered that soft wash systems are great for roofing and vinyl but haven’t read much about how they do with stone and brick, or even wood fencing. Do they make a soft wash system that could work for everything? It’s clear to me that the only real effective method for concrete is pressure washing with a surface cleaner but what about everything else? A soft wash kit is cheaper than a good pressure wash kit but I’m hearing mixed things on every site I read. Y’all are probably sick of answering these green questions but any help would be good so I can get some experience and I can take your place and hopefully help out the next new guy. @Racer I read that you do mainly 12v soft wash, is that for the entire house? If so, what equipment would you recommend. The Fatboy does 7gpm but only has a 60PSI rating, is that enough for some stone/brick work?
Just wanted to let you know none of the electric diaphragm pumps provide their maximum gpm at their maximum psi. That GPM rating is open flow. If you want to read everything about cleaning with dedicated 12v chemical pumps, this forum won’t be much help. Check out roofcleaninginstituteofamerica You can clean everything at a residential home with a 12v pump. Will it clean the best and be the most effective? That would be a big no. You’re asking questions that can only be answered if you and I both know exactly what you are going to be cleaning now and in the very near future. It also depends on the severity of the filth. You have lots and lots of studying to do
Almost everyone here uses their pressure washer to soft wash houses. I’ve read almost 10,000 posts and I’ve yet to find anyone who uses a 12v pump to soft was brick, stone, and vinyl houses. A pressure washer is much more versatile. It sounds like you’re confusing “soft washing” with having to use a 12v pump. You CAN use your pressure washer to soft wash. You might have a 3500 psi pressure washer but you’re only going to get that pressure with the right tip on the end of you gun’s lance. If you use the correct tip on your pressure washer you can drop that psi low enough to where you are soft washing. Plus, you’re able to hit a 3 story house from the ground so you don’t have to spend time getting on a ladder. Check into the X Jet or a J Rod if you would rather down stream. Most have both. What if you get to a house and they want their concrete drive way or stone path cleaned? That’s where your pressure washer and surface cleaner come into play. You can’t run a surface cleaner on a 12v pump. A pressure washer is more versatile and that’s what you need when starting out. The more versatile you are the more work you’ll be able to get. After a few jobs you can then purchase a soft wash system if you want to get into roofs. I just now getting into all of this too and have yet to even start my trailer build but I personally think it would be a huge mistake to start off with only a 12v pump system.
There are tons of youtube videos on the X Jet and soft washing with a pressure washer. Down streaming is where you pull your sh with a chemical injector which is after your pump and normally before your hose reel. You run a small hose from the chemical injector into a 5 gallon bucket or tank of your mix. When using an X Jet as your tip there’s a hose running off of it that is placed in a 5 gallon bucket or other container that you have to carry around the house with you. Many keep both on hand because an X Jet allows you to have a stronger mix hitting the surface of whatever you’re cleaning. The reason you can get a stronger mix is because you’re pulling the detergent right at the tip so it’s not being diluted with water. When down streaming the detergent is being mixed with the water. The good thing about down streaming is you don’t have to mess with carry around a 5 gallon bucket. On normal cleaning jobs down streaming works just fine.
Just google about soft washing with a pressure washer. My opinion is save the 12v pump for down the road if you even want to get one. It would be a good addition for roofs. Just start off doing house washes, concrete, gutters, and fences. Say this to yourself 5 times, "I CAN soft wash with my pressure washer’.
@marinegrunt Semper Fi! I appreciate your information. I’ve seen videos where they cleaned stone and brick with a 12V and just thought if that was the case then it would be pointless to get a pressure washer unless I wanted to do concrete, which I do, but if the majority of work could be done with a 12V then I would incorporate concrete down the road. How about doing a roof with a pressure washer, set to a low PSI with the X jet, is that workable or would it be wise to stay away from roof work until I got the 12V?
It also seems, from what I’ve read that everything from vinyl to brick and stone siding, including wood fences should be done with low pressure because it will cause damage, in that case the only thing requiring high pressure would be a flat concrete surface, is that everyone’s experience? Sorry for the questions, I know I need to learn it on my own in the field but I want to get the right set up to maximize what I can do. I plan on going around my city going door to door and asking what the majority of prospects would prefer to have done and offer them a discounted rate so I can get some work under my belt but wanted some professional responses first. Thanks again!
@dperez, so am I correct by saying that a 12V set up can do an entire residential job, minus maybe the concrete but if it is severe it may take a pressure washer and if that’s the case, would it make more sense to go for the 12V over the pressure washer because it can handle most jobs, it’s a cheaper and probably easier to use since you can run the chem through the pump?
I see you’ve got about 6 hours of read time here on the forum, which is a good start. But you’ll need a lot more before you begin to get a handle on how all of this works.
Instead of searching for specific topics, you may be at the point where you just need to browse and absorb as much info as possible.
The only faster way I know of to get a firm grasp on all of the concepts is to find an experienced company and do some hands on training with them. A lot of the good guys are willing to do “labor for learning” if you’re not directly in their market area.
As for your questions of why not do everything with a 12v pump:
they’re notoriously failure prone. You’ve always got to have a spare pump, spare relays, fittings, etc., etc. on hand. Fixing stuff takes up valuable time. Pressure washers are way more reliable for daily use, and the parts that are failure prone are typically way cheaper (a down stream injector costs ~$15, vs $150+ for 12v pumps)
They don’t put out nearly the volume they’re rated for. A “7gpm” fatboy, for instance, may be putting out less than 4gpm after your hoses and spray wand
Pressure is usually insufficient to shoot high up on siding
in my experience, you do need some pressure to agitate a lot of surfaces effectively. Not much, but a little more than a 12v can deliver
All of that said, there are some guys who wash almost everything with their 12v pumps. Those of us who use a pressure washer to soft wash, scratch our heads wondering how they can stand to do it
These guys in the videos must be doing something right cuz they had me fooled. I watched them do an entire roof from the ground and they’ve said that they’re good for atleast 100 washes. Then again it never actually showed the pump so they may have been soft spraying with a pressure washer, though it didn’t sound like it. I appreciate your input and will definitely take those points into consideration when making a purchase.
I’d like to get some hands on but everywhere within 20 miles would be competition I think. Working nights and trying to get started quickly makes it hard as well, probably something I shouldn’t rush though.
I know you directed this quote back on dperez but though I would use analogy just from what I’ve learned so far. Sure, you could use a 12v clean a lot of surfaces. You could also paint an entire house with a paint brush but I would prefer to use a spray gun. You could make the same argument that you could get by soft washing with just a garden hose. You could use a hose end sprayer or even a pump sprayer to apply your SH. Our spigot at our house puts out 10 gallons a minutes. Even at 10 gpm it would take longer to wash our house than using my 5gpm pressure washer at low pressure.
As Alex mentioned, instead of searching specific questions, just start scrolling and reading every thread. I know we will still need in the field training but this forum can teach you everything you need to know. I just keep scrolling down and reading every thread in order. If a certain question pops in your head search for it but keep scrolling and reading after that. Keep a couple notepads nearby and take notes. You can also bookmark threads or individual posts for later use. I have about 5 little notepads. I labeled a few of them and write down what I think could be something I might need to remember. For example, one is labeled “mix recipes” I write down how strong to make mixes for different stains or cleaning jobs. I use that same notepad for anything that has to do with cleaning. Write down what each detergent or chemical is used for, how to mix it, how much dwell time depending on the stain, etc. I also have a notepads for equipment and another for marketing and sales. Take notes on anything you think you should remember. Start writing down an equipment list too. There are a bunch of little things needed such as filters, hoses, quick connects, and fittings for all of the plumbing, extra chemical injectors, guns, etc.
I’ve washed things around our house plenty of times but I know I still need practice before I get going. I plan on cleaning all of our neighbor’s houses for free including concrete, It will be good practice plus it will give be some before and after pictures for advertising. I’ll do the same for my parents and sisters.
I know all of the info can seem overwhelming at first but, the more you read, the more it will all click. Videos on trailer builds and just pressure washing in general really help too.
It’s okay if they are competition. One thing I’ve learned from this forum is the pressure washing community is a tightknit group and really help one another. Not saying they all are but I bet you’d be surprised. If they can get a few weeks of free labor I’m sure some will jump on it.
Be sure to really read up on marketing and advertising. It’s one of the most important aspects. You can have the best equipment in the industry but, if nobody knows who you are or what you do, it’s going to be hard to find work. Make sure you apply for an llc and get general liability insurance too.
Great advice! Just trying to get a grasp on the proper equipment I’ll be needing. I see things on YouTube and they make it look easy with the 12v, that’s why I have to know for sure what is the right tool for the job before I make the purchase.
I have ALOT to learn. It doesn’t seem realistic for me to get it going by this summer but I’d like for that to be my goal. It’s hard for me to give much time working for another company when I have a full time job that is needed to pay the bills but I also understand that it may be necessary. Just trying to get all the info I can from guys in the business and when I can’t find the answer I’m looking for after doing some research, I just have to ask.
I’ve been working on some marketing strategies and looking into registering for an LLC and getting permits to work in my area. I’m in Texas.
What’s your budget your wanting to spend? I only ask because I started super cheap. Let me know your budget and I’ll DM you later with some different options
Well I want to get into as little debt as possible but would like some decent equipment. I’d like the recommended 5.5gpm washer if possible but with a used trailer, a complete set up and legalities complete I’d like to stay around 5k-6k.
You can get going with $5k-$6k. Ask Patriot or Squids how they got started. A month or so ago I didn’t know much at all. I’ve read and researched enough to where I feel confident to go out and start washing houses, concrete, fences, gutters, etc. There’s always going to be that tough stain I’m not sure how to handle but there’s not one guy on here who wouldn’t help figure it out.
I think you can be ready by summer. I think you should stick to researching house washing with a pressure washer, concrete cleaning, and gutters. Don’t worry about too much else right now until you feel confident you can go out and do a good job at them. Watch trailer build videos and learn how you want to setup your trailer. Read up on down streaming and what mix to use for vinyl, stucco, and brick houses. Figure out what surface cleaner you want to get and let the place you order it from recommend the right nozzles depending on your machine. Read up on how to remove rust and oil stains from concrete and about pre and post treating with sh. I would also learn about gutters. Many try and upsell gutter guard products to help keep leaves out. Just stick to the basic residential stuff for now. That’s kind of my plan. I’d rather go into it being the best at a few things than just being average at everything. You can expand from there as you gain knowledge and confidence.
I bet if you could do a poll on here pretty much every single member would tell you to get a pressure washer over a 12v. I know there was a post where Racer said he can use his 12v for anything but I’m pretty sure he mainly uses it for roofs. He soft washes houses with his pressure washer. The reason it’s used on roofs is that roofs need a stronger mix than houses. You have a separate tank with a stronger sh mix and the 12v pump pumps directly from it. If you tried down streaming straight 12.5% SH on a roof using your pressure washer it would dilute it down too far to be effective.
Unless you have a bunch of tile roofs roof washing might be a harder sell than house washes, concrete, fences, decks, gutters, etc. I know here in IL most haven’t even heard of roof washing. The market might be different in Texas though. I’m not going to mess with setting up a 12v unless I get into roof washing. That’s what most use it for. I’ve seen guys who have set up a 12v system for $600-$800 so you could build your own system using funds from your first couple of jobs where you used your pressure washer.
@marinegrunt thank you, sir! You’ve done your research that’s for sure. I wouldn’t have thought you haven’t even hit a job yet. Thank you for being positive and critical.
I don’t use a 12v for house washing unless really dirty stucco or brick covered with a ton of stain. I do use 12v for roofs, some fences and decks, concrete post treatment, spraying acids. A lot of uses for one and everyone should have some sort of direct application pump in their arsenal for when you need stronger mixes. But day in and day out go with the 5.5 or more. Can’t really do roofs with it, but you can do 95% of the jobs you’ll run into.
