# Dirty Brick, Sooty Chimneys **URL:** \ **Category:** Stains/Surfaces\ **Created:** [September 16, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487 "2017-09-16T02:08:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/21 "2017-09-17T01:39:32Z")
> [@squidskc](#): > > $160 - X-jet. > $4 per gallon of SH > $100 every 5 gallons of Elemonator > > That’s so inexpensive for the return… gotta use the right stuff. @squidskc Brodie, M5 Xjet or original, and did you get the replacement proportioner or just eliminate altogether?? ---
**Author:** ![squidskc](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/squidskc/32/10222_2.png) [@squidskc](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/squidskc)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/22 "2017-09-17T01:48:55Z")
M5. I’ve never had one of the originals. Replacement proportioners are like $15-20. You’ll want a spare set although we run two M5’s 2-3x a week or more and neither of them have needed replacing. Of all the proportioners, if you’re downstreaming most of the time, you’ll use 2 proportioners or none at all. ---
**Author:** ![Racer](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/racer/32/4931_2.png) [@Racer](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/Racer)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/23 "2017-09-17T03:34:39Z")
Suds don’t equal cleaning, though I like decent amount just so I know where I’m at. Sell the mega crap machine on Craigslist and buy the m5 xjet, some decent soap and SH you’ll be fine. Your 4gpm even in straight blech, the injector will only pull about 1% assuming the ratio is about 10-1, which most are or somewhere in that vacinity. For stucco and special situations, you’re going to need a stronger mix. Only 3 ways to get, pump sprayer or roof system or xjet. Just have to use the right tools for the job. Without, can get done, but it’s often a struggle and much slower. ---
**Author:** ![tireshark](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/tireshark/32/6402_2.png) [@tireshark](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/tireshark)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 5:08am UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/24 "2017-09-17T05:08:30Z")
> [@MrSparkleVA](#): > > or castigated for not searching before I post a question I mean i stay pretty low key most of the time, but this is a joke right? “Castigated”? Me politely suggesting you search the forums, and giving you a couple of words to use, is “castigating”? I spent probably 15 minutes on a VERY busy morning (just finished 12 hours of fire hydrant rinsing by myself), to do some quick searches, and literally sourced 2 products for you (wanted to make sure i was giving you accurate information), _and_ answered some of your questions you had raised. The proper response in that situation is to say ‘hey thanks man’, not to get huffy because i politely suggested that you search the forums. > [@MrSparkleVA](#): > > The reason I didn’t search the site was so that my friends with whom I have become acquainted like Rick @Racer and Brodie @squidskc could enlighten me about how they , as well as anyone else, handle this problem. Here’s the thing… when you dont search, especially on basic questions, you are causing other people to take time out of their (busy) day to repeat something that has been written a dozen times over the years. I mean poor @Racer has been summoned three times so far (4 now!), when he spoon fed you the good stuff in his first post. “Where do i source EBC”? Comon man. That’s what Ask Jeeves is for! And if you thought my earlier post was ‘castigating’, well then i imagine you will be forwarding this post to homeland security. Look man, im not mad at you, but this aint a sunday school facebook group. Got to roll with it a little better. You should do what i do… each time before i hit the submit button, i say out loud to myself “now remember, you are pretty much an idiot”. This keeps me grounded when IB calls me an idiot… because well… i pretty much am. 🙃 Sorry, im a little more wound up than usual right now. As i was rolling up my last hose a little while ago, my left arm kept charlie horsing each time i raised it… im sure i gave the EMT’s on break a chuckle as I flailed my arm around a few times, trying to get it to work, before just grabbing all the hose and throwing it in the back of the truck. ---
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 10:41am UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/25 "2017-09-17T10:41:13Z")
Rick, I’ve been buying my bleach at the local pool supply house 4 gallons at the time. Until Brodie’s post about bleach differences 55gal to pool supply, I had no idea about that. I also didn’t realize that the XJet would get me higher concentrations of solution. (@squidskc Brodie alluded to that some time ago and may have even suggested that one could perform a roof cleaning with the XJet?) NOR did I know that Dawn would make rinsing a nightmare. I had that happen to me several weeks ago when I had to go back and rinse with a brush a customer’s home. In all fairness, I never expect the suds to clean. Their purpose is to hold the SH in suspension long enough to kill the organisms on the wall. DSing didn’t seem to suspend my solution(Elemonator and SH full strength), I kept adding more Elemonator and not seeing any noticeable difference. SO I 'll order an XJet this evening if it will suds the Elemonator and deliver a more concentrated solution. @tireshark 's suggestion that I buy a restoration product that only covers 150 to 200 square feet per gallon is cost prohibitive. Nonetheless, I’m truly grateful for his help. As for the soot on the chimney (@gbattle no way to pump up spray that height), I quoted a home for next week based upon what I’d read here previously. Now I’m discovering that there will be extra costs that I hadn’t factored in. Oh well, school ain’t always cheap, now is it? So I’m toying with the idea of a trailer setup but wanted to wait til Spring. An XJet might obviate the current need for the delivery of a more concentrated solution. Ithink I’ll try that airplane soot remover that @Justin_Treu found, and I’ll report back my experience. Thank you all, and we’ll pick this up with a successful ending when I’ve solved this conundrum. ---
**Author:** ![Innocentbystander](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/innocentbystander/32/36516_2.png) [@Innocentbystander](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/Innocentbystander)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 11:37am UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/26 "2017-09-17T11:37:31Z")
Guys keep up with the castigating 😉 if he gets mad enough and has enough acid trip flashbacks he won’t respond to anyone and things will be far out and groovy again (sorry, trying for flashbacks again) Scooby snack ---
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/27 "2017-09-17T15:32:19Z")
@Innocentbystander, I promised not to respond to your posts, and apologize in advance, but this is a good one. THANKS! I’m giving this one a “like.” I’ve been clean for over thirteen years, and sometimes I _wish_ for a good flashback. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![BuzzLightyear](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@BuzzLightyear](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/BuzzLightyear)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/28 "2017-09-17T21:23:44Z")
This is a long thread… which can be summarised on one sentence: “Bleach doesn’t clean soot… small Victorian children do” ---
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/29 "2017-10-05T18:10:38Z")
**UPDATE:** Now I understand the metaphorical crickets I heard when I asked about sooty chimneys. Tomorrow I will clean the chimney that is featured in a previous post, but this has been my experience: @Innocentbystander was correct, my equipment sucked. I upgraded to the M5XJet, and that has made all the difference. my stream flows with much greater pressure and volume. Thanks to @squidskc! I have cleaned two chimneys since my post, and the problem was cleared up with Sodium Hypo,and my best results occured when I used the SH from the 55 gal drum that I BOUGHT TODAY. Thanks again to Rowdie! A local PW supplier only charges $150 for 55 gal delivered. _interestingly they suggest adding a sodium hydroxide solution to the SH mix to improve efficacy. Has anyone else ever heard of this?_ OK, back to the conundrum: I think that the problem I was facing was not necessarily soot. Most of the black stuff on chimneys appear to be the organisms that we kill with SH. I have enjoyed a great deal of success using SH and my M5XJet. I WILL confess that the Elemonator left me flat footed. It seemed that too much of my solution was ending up on the ground, but maybe it was the pool shock I was buying. Nonetheless, I used Cling-on from Power works this time. ![IMG_0348](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/uploads/default/original/2X/a/aa3f4535cf0e67b87a8f39bb341378131ee8a049.JPG) Maybe one more application should do it. ---
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/30 "2017-10-05T19:20:58Z")
![IMG_0349](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/uploads/default/original/2X/a/adc555adf64eace92aeb7523f1516be40328ec83.JPG) No more calls please, we have a winner! ---
**Author:** ![tireshark](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/tireshark/32/6402_2.png) [@tireshark](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/tireshark)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/31 "2017-10-05T19:29:25Z")
Nice, thanks for the update. What was your mix ratio? ---
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/32 "2017-10-05T19:32:04Z")
> [@tireshark](#): > > Nice, thanks for the update. What was your mix ratio? Straight SH 12.5 with 1 cup clingon per 5 gal, proportioner removed from XJet (should hit the brick at 1/2 strength). ---
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/33 "2017-10-05T19:34:23Z")
I also did part of my roof with the same mix today. Will need more info before I finish that roof, but solution did a great job. I think I’ll start a discussion about roofs and the XJet. ---
**Author:** ![bluewave18ft](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@bluewave18ft](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/bluewave18ft)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/34 "2017-10-05T19:55:35Z")
I did a roof with an M5. My issue with it is the amount of solution put on the roof. Or the amount running off. Either way I just bought a 12v system. ---
**Author:** ![MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/user_avatar/pressurewashingresource.com/mrsparkleva/32/13908_2.png) [@MrSparkleVA](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/u/MrSparkleVA)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487/35 "2017-10-05T21:25:40Z")
> [@bluewave18ft](#): > > I did a roof with an M5. My issue with it is the amount of solution put on the roof. Or the amount running off. Either way I just bought a 12v system. I expect to go that route eventually. I hope for a compact system that will incorporate my 28’ water fed pole. [Previous page](https://pressurewashingresource.com/community/t/dirty-brick-sooty-chimneys/9487.md?page=1)