Yes, I went there. I really want to know.
Go!
Downstream. Could never understand why anyone would want to walk around carrying a pail.
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This.
I downstream, but the x-jet does have a place. It can deliver higher ratios then that of downstreaming. Also, it keeps the chemical out of the hose, gun, and lance.
These benefits are pretty much useless for house washing, but they’re beneficial in certain applications. For instance, if you need to apply a high acid mixture to concrete, an x-jet may be a better tool then a downstream injector.
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Just wondering if anyone runs 100 ft or more of line from their bucket to xjet so they dont have to carry it around.
Pros/cons?
I use a soft wash system with a turbo pump (not sure why more people don’t?) for house washing. Biggest downfall to my system is having to flush the line when switching from cleaning solution to rinse water & vice versa… but I don’t have to walk around with a pail or manage two lines to my gun & I can dial in my ratios of Water, HS, & Surfactant with my pro-portioner. I have a generator to run my pump if need be but most times I plug it in to an exterior outlet & it runs very quiet. I have a remote control to turn pump on & off. If I want to, for $1000 I could add electric valves to switch from solution to rinse & run those from my remote control as well.
A lot of times, I’ll put a splitter on the hose bib and have a separate hose just for rinsing so I don’t have to flush the line. Even if I don’t do this, I can usually plan ahead & switch back to a force fed rinse, using the solution still in the line for final chemical application (takes about 30 seconds to flush the line). I can easily hit a second story gable with my turbo pump. My pressure washers are strictly for concrete, pavers, & wood decks/fences, but I can still use my turbo skid for pre-treating.
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I use the x-jet as little as possible. I have a love hate relationship with it.
For stucco it’s beautiful. Stubborn gutters that I need stronger mix on. Wonderful.
Everything else, carrying a bucket and a 2nd hose is such a pain in derrière I try to avoid it at all cost. I made the video above about pulling on 100 feet of hose, but then I cut it into a 50’, 35’, and 15’ foot piece. At 100’ of hose you can lose sight of your bucket and pull it over if it’s not strapped in or weighted down. Or you can pull the hose off the bucket and 100’ of bleach will pour out behind as you drag it.
It can be done, but I’m not willing to try it anymore.
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Hi Dan. I just got a pro-portioner. what is this Turbo pump you are talking about? Is that the name of the brand? Thanks
Jarrod, technically they call it a “booster” pump. Somehow I got in the habit of calling it a “turbo” pump. This link is essentially the system I have. It is not a perfect system but it is a pretty sweet unit. I started out down streaming but pretty quickly decided that this type of system was the way for me to go. Ask me again in a year, but so far, I am glad I went with it. I would like to shadow someone who is really proficient at down streaming & or X-Jetting because I did not do it long enough to really get a feel for it & I am curious because so many on this forum continue to operate with that kind of equipment.
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@squidskc If I’m going to downstream and not xjet, would I then use a jrod in my set-up for cleaning houses?
Any simple question like this can be answered by searching for it. You’ll learn much more by searching then being spoon fed the answer.
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@anon37135677 Maybe I’m just getting information overload. I’ve been reading a ton on here, but every time I start to think I understand something, someone will say something else a little different, I’ll be confused, and I feel like I’m back to square one.
I’ll keep reading.
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This is like asking do I need a phillips or flathead screwdriver you need both tools on your truck.
The REAL answer to this question is both. Down streaming is the most used method and will always be used on any house with vinyl or metal siding. X-jet can also be used on siding but is more of a PITA, X-Jet is preferred for cleaning stucco and dryvit.
Personally I have never owned a x-jet, I went straight to a 12v system.
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How’s the pump? Did it very used often? @DanC
I am trying to figure out what i need to buy first as im sure both would be smart in the long term. My biggest problem is i am unable to get a 12.5% SH mix and the strongest i can get is 7.5-8%.
If that is the strongest i am available to get locally, would you go with a DS first or Xjet? I am mostly wanting this for pre treating concrete driveways and house washing vinyl siding, but would love to have an option of cleaning mossy roofs and such but depends on if i can make enough money to buy something that will do this correctly.
Judging from my research, a DS injector isnt going to be able to be hot enough for roofs as they require 3-6% SH
However, with my 4gpm unit I should be able to use DS with vinyl houses unless they are super bad.
The more i think about it the more it irritates me with not being able to buy 12.5% SH and it snot even like i can buy it in bulk and store it because that whole…breaking down over time thing. 
So essentially my options are to DS and work on houses/driveways that arent too bad or use xjet with a bucket and deal with overspray and such using my janky 5-8% gallon bottles of bleach while saving up for a decent 12v pump system.
The more i think about it, the more i think i could benefit from an xjet and an m5 nozzle and the cost for those would be paid back almost instantly the first time i use them. I think i just talked myself through this but if you have anything to add with me and my unique weaker SH situation, id love your input.
DS injector will clean 99% of whatever you need to clean. 100% if you turn down headache stuff. There should never be a reason to wash anything with a 12v pump. That’s backwards technology, one step up from a pump sprayer. If you can only get 5% bleach, just don’t cut it with at much water
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I understand. I just look at the roofs here coated in super rediculous moss and think to myself there’s got to be a way to extract cash from these people while improving their roofs life expectancy. The people that let them get like that might not be too interested though.
Don’t buy the Kool aid. Clean a roof if ir makes you happy, but you aren’t making it have a longer life expectancy.
Dude lol. Do you ever run i to really dirty houses…ever? You should see some of the whiskey fungus stuff I’ve cleaned. Injector strength doesn’t touch it.
Should I even mention post treat concrete with lichens?
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