Fence cleaning, chem mix experiment

Wood Restoration
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Hello. New to forum, moderate experience blasting dirt and grime off concrete/asphalt, and very little experience cleaning fences (pressure washed my own shadow box fence last year…learned not to use high pressure, lots of pulping). I’ve been reading this forum every free minute I get as I would like to start cleaning driveways/sidewalks, fences and houses for side gig. (Btw, it took me several days of reading various posts to figure out what SH was… sodium hypochlorite)

Therefore, I experimented with “softwashing” on a stretch of my fence I didn’t clean last year. Couple things I noted from test, then I’ll share some photos.

  1. All chem applications still required pressure to strip grime and mold off fence.
  2. Pressure washing shadow box fence still sucks.

I tried the following mixes and will attempt to label photos as such for comparison. All dwell times were min 15 minutes.

  1. Clorox pro outdoor mix, Sodium hypo, Sodium hydroxide (unknown concentration, apparently it’s a trade secret) cut at 1:3 (2.25 cup to 1/2 gal water) then manual pump spray.
  2. 10% SH cut same as above, (2.25 cup to 1/2 gal water) pump spray.
  3. 10% SH cut at 1 cup to 1 gal.

The first two mixes didn’t do anything when rinsed off with soaping tip and approx 1300-1500 psi (just guess since I don’t have gauge, getting one tho). Had to use same pressure and a 40 deg tip at a pretty slow pace amd approx 4 inch standoff. The third mix was noticeably stronger since I could smell it. It seemed to make it easier to knock off the mold and dirt but still required same pressure, tip and pace to strip it all off. I then only applied mixture #3, let dwell, then washed off with soaping nozzle to show difference. I also didn’t apply any chem to a panel and used same pressure, 40 deg tip and pace and results were almost, if not identical to chem application wash, without any greying tho and this looks best to me!

Am I doing something wrong with wash or is it still necessary to use this amount of pressure and pace? I did still notice some pulping on all but the soaping nozzle rinse. I’d like to figure out this soft wash deal or I’ll just have to price myself out of washing fences to make it worth my time and effort.

Looking forward to the advice. Loving this forum…

before.jpg1024×768 306 KB
before I started.

chloroxpro1.3.jpg1024×768 311 KB
Chlorox Pro outdoor, mix 1:3 (2.25 cup : 1/2 gal) using pressure (unknown but too much)

SH10_1.3.jpg1024×768 349 KB
Pool SH 10% mix 1:3 (2.25 cup : 1/2 gal) using pressure (unknown but too much)

SH10_1c.1g.jpg1024×768 358 KB
Pool SH 10% mix 1 cup to 1 gal, using pressure (unknown but too much)

SH10_1c.1g_rinse.jpg1024×768 319 KB
Pool SH 10% mix 1 cup to 1 gal with no pressure, just rinse

Water.jpg1024×768 392 KB
Just water, no chem mix, using pressure (unknown but too much)

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Having trouble uploading photos, too large from phone. I’ll try to get some uploaded when I get home.

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You dont need a pressure gauge to determine pressure for this, you just need to know the GPM of your machine, and the size of the orifice on the nozzle. Someone can correct me, but i think the black soap tips are very low pressure, much lower than the 1000 - 1500 PSI that people generally recommend for yellow pine.

What is the GPM of your machine? When you say you used a 40 degree tip, what is the size of the orifice?

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Yeah sorry, meant same unloader setting, not necessarily same pressure… I think I got standard Lowes tips, probably #4?

I have a 4k psi / 4 gpm unit (honda/comet).

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Are you using a white colored nozzle… like comes with it from the store? If so, i think those are too much pressure.

Here is a nozzle chart. Pick what PSI you want, go down the column till you get to 4GPM (or as close as you can), and that will be what nozzle you want. If you wanted 700 PSI, go down to 4.18, and it will be a #10 nozzle. If you wanted 1000 PSI, go down to 4, and it will be a #8. Etc.

Generally people say cedar needs 600-800 PSI, and yellow pine can go 1000-1500. More or less.

40 degrees is what most people use on wood, but you can use 25. This just means that a 40 degree will produce a wider fan pattern. So if you wanted a 40 degree tip that puts out 1500 PSI, you would go to pressuretek.com and order a 1/4" meg SS 40 #6.5.

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ok, I haven’t checked chart yet but I think I see whats going on from what you said… I’m taking it that I set my unloaded to a setting of 4k (max? or is this where i need a gauge?), then adjust tips with varying orifice size to dictate pressure (then different degrees of spray fan as desired)? If so, I’ve been doing it wrong for the approx 15-20 hours I have on my machine. I’ve been using unloader like a reg, adjusting as needed for more or less pressure. Is that incorrect, does it add undo stress/wear on unloader / pump? I appreciate the info above!

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Yes, you are supposed to leave the unloader alone, run engine at max rpms, and adjust pressure by changing tips using quick connect fittings.

You may need to re-adjust your unloader to the best setting, since you have been messing with it. I’ve never adjusted mine, so do a search, and you should find some threads that explain how to do it.

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well I can’t wait to do it right, cause adjusting rpm and unloader to get what press I want with my box store tips has been a hassle… knew something wasn’t right with that. thank you tireshark

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Ok, think I have my wash ratios and pressure figured out for cedar fence (at least in these conditions, etc). I’m getting results that I’m happy with, but I still see furring even with very very low pressure (garden hose amount). I’d like your opinions if this furring is acceptable, enough to live with or too much. Would this amount affect staining or painting if I didn’t knock it off with sander first. I’d try my own excitement but not really wanting my fence partially painted correctly and incorrectly and some stained correctly and incorrectly.

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Screenshot_20170804-183452.png1024×576 1.03 MB

Curious what yall think compared to your experience.

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I think you should use the search function. Have been some excellent discussions and tests with pics done the past several months in here that will answer about 99.99% of your questions. After reading all those come back to this thread and I’ll be glad to answer any questions you still have.

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Thanks dude, but I’m just asking for an opinion on this amount of furring and what experience have people had painting or staining cedar with this amount of furring. I’m only asking for an opinion not some trade secrets.

I’ve already read those threads and almost every other single thread in wood restoration. I’m not asking for how to’s like what chemicals should i use, how far away to hold tip, what pressure, etc. I know y’all are sensitive to those types of questions (I’ve read more responses that read just like yours than any other response on this forum). You couldve saved a lot of time by responding something like “ya that looks like too much furring” or “looks good, i live with that much when i wash cedar”.

Just curious of what y’all thought of this amount of furring.

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I would definetly sand it especialy if I was staining, painting you may be able to get away with that amount of furring. Do a test spot with your paint/stain.

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So you get free advice but don’t like. Maybe it would have been quicker if you didn’t respond or if you just pounded sand and left. @Racer answered your question by giving you answers.

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It a rough cut outdoor fence, that much furring is fine. Furring makes it more difficult to brush on paint or stain, but would not affect the ease of putting either of them on with a sprayer.

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Thanks @Chathampm and @jhamby. I felt it might have been too much furring but am happy with how it looks as is.
I have a lot of people that just want it cleaned and i know they’d be happy with this, but if someone ever wanted it stained or painted I may need to pass on cleaning or figure out how to cause less furring before taking job if it would complicate it.

@Innocentbystander if you could quote me his opinion in his reply, I’d appreciate it. I wasnt asking for advice, just opinion. If anyone should pound sand, it should be the guy not contributing to the discussion at hand.

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Sorry Dude, maybe I just made up this or thought I’d read it in a dream - my mistake, thought you were trying to learn how to do it better.

" Am I doing something wrong with wash or is it still necessary to use this amount of pressure and pace? I did still notice some pulping on all but the soaping nozzle rinse. I’d like to figure out this soft wash deal or I’ll just have to price myself out of washing fences to make it worth my time and effort.

Looking forward to the advice. Loving this forum…"

I don’t recall seeing any of the mixes you used mentioned or tried anywhere in the threads you claimed to have read but whatever if you think you have it now. Every fence is different. The one you have isn’t bad at all. A 1% mix, maybe 1.5% tops would have been plenty. Since you’re from Alabama that equates to 1 part of 10%SH to 9 parts of water plus a little surfactant.

Cedar is a fragile wood. The furring is caused by too much pressure, too much bleach or sodium hydroxide, which you should not be using at all on this fence, or a combo of the above.
600-1000psi max - 800 good.

Get your unloader set and leave it the hell alone. Never touch it again till it breaks.

Furring will lay down some in a week or so, fine to stain even if furred. It’s a fence, not someones deck.

And you are right - shadowbox fences are a ■■■■■. Charge at least twice as much for them as a standard. You need to make 3 passes for each board. The quickest way to do is go down a section at a time shooting at about a 45 deg angle catching 1/2 the face of the board you’re own, with rest of stream going behind to catch about 1/2 the back board and against edge. Then turn around and come back doing the same the opposite way. then make final pass just hitting the face.

I realize that you’re from Alabama and an engineer, so you have 2 strikes against you, but I made a legitimate answer to your question initially. It took me some time and effort to look up the links and post for you. And made a sincere offer to come back and I would be glad to answer your questions. Instead of a simple thanks but here’s what I’m looking specifically for, I get an attitude and a blanket condemnation about posts in here in general. And then you and others wonder why sometimes we have attitudes.

Go Tigers!

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Ah well there it is, you were responding to my original post in thread about a month ago. I have long since moved on from that and that’s why, in my most recent post, I stated I think I have my mix ratios and pressure figured out (all of which match exactly to the advice you just gave - and it was great advice btw, thanks). I probably should’ve just started a new thread to ask opinion about furring, but it seemed logical to continue in this thread since it was somewhat relevant.

I did thank you - they were my very first words in my response to you.

Yes, im sure it did take some time for you to look up those which is why I said you could’ve saved some time by answering the question I asked - which we now see was the wrong one. But if I knew you were an auburn fan I would’ve understood you can’t read too well and given you the benefit of the doubt!

Look it was a misunderstanding on our part about what each other was talking about, but the “general condimnation” about using the search function isn’t foul. I’m a member in several different forums from plumbing and electrical to auto mechanics and have never seen the amount of ‘go figure it out newb’ as ive seen here. Some are justified, but the amount of times I’ve come across that sentiment (while using the search function lol) in this forum has been cringeworthy. Hence my “atitude” when it’s said to me uneccessarily.

Anyways, I get enough of this type of talk from the wife. Let’s talk furring and maybe a little football.

ROLL TIDE

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Auburn, do they still have a football team?:slight_smile:

I live 20min from Clemson, so I’m talking a different tiger.

Have to gloat while I can, haven’t even decided on a quarterback yet.

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If you use a good quality solid stain (which IMHO ='s paint) this amount of furring will be a non-issue. The same is true when saturating the fence using a good oil based semi-transparent stain like Wood Defender. Where it can get a little sticky is using a transparent stain because those little furred pieces will look like blond peach fuzz on a 12 yr old boy’s lip. This is one of the reasons I recommend customers wait until after the fence has been cleaned to select the stain type and color. Older fences will often not support a transparent stain (transparent magnifies everything good and bad in the wood). Whereas you can make it look great with a semi-transparent.

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ooooh man!!! dam @Racer you are a great guy!!! Thank you for what you do. God bless you always.

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