Hey, guys. This is my first post here. I live in Mississippi and I’m planning on starting a small residential washing service next year in the spring. My area is very small and rural, but there is a popular vacation spot north of me where lots of out-of-towners have expensive summer homes. I’m also about 45 minutes from a metro area with about 100k people total and 20 minutes from a town of about 20k or so. I’ve read a ton of great information here, but I wanted to get some opinions on my initial setup to see if I’m heading in the right direction. Here’s what I plan on starting with:
5.5 GPM, 2500 PSI cold water washer with GX390 Honda engine (the one from KEC Supplies I’ve seen mentioned on this forum before)
4’x6’ trailer
16 gallon chemical tank to downstream
35 or 50 gallon buffer tank (not really necessary I think so I’m not sure about this one)
J-rod and a couple of wands
Pressure washing hose and supply hose
2x GP hose reels from Amazon
Whisper Wash Classic 18 in.
Other necessities (a couple of ladders, chemical, in-line filter, squeegee, scrub brushes, etc.)
I’ve been helping a guy who does some pressure washing so that’s been fairly helpful in seeing how some stuff is done. I’m a bit lost on pricing (IMO, the guy I’m helping isn’t charging enough) so that’s something that will need lots of work and consideration before I start.
Advertising and marketing will also need work. I have a friend who can help me design a nice site for little to nothing. Along with that, I’ll probably used the tried-and-true methods of door hangers, a FB page, business cards, a banner for my trailer, truck magnets, etc.
I’ve already checked into insurance, but I also need to look into the issue of doing business in different states. I live in the extreme northeastern corner of Mississippi, so I’m also very close to both Alabama and Tennessee. Anybody have experience with doing business in different states while your business is based in another?
Thanks in advance for any opinions or impressions you guys can provide as to if I’m heading in the right direction or not!
Sounds like you’re squared away for a good start! As far as insurance is concerned, check with Joseph Walters. I’m pretty sure you’ll be covered in other states, but they can answer any questions you have. Plus, they give a good discount to PWRA members.
Take your time over the next few months and search, search, search the forums here, on PTState, and TGS…you’ll find that most, if not all, of your questions have already been asked an answered, and you’ll “stumble” across answers to questions you never would have known to ask.
I like that you’re giving this a lot of thought and just not jumping in and starting to buy stuff. A couple of recs. First I’d seriously consider maybe getting a slightly larger trailer, I’d say a 6x8 at least. I’ve got a 6.5x10 and still have to use my pickup bed for stuff. You’ll be amazed at all the crap you have to carry that takes up space. Buckets, spare wands, gallons of different stuff, surface cleaner, spare parts, boots, tarps, etc. Also if you ever get into roof cleaning you’ll need room for that equipment. I’d rec. that you take some tape and layout perimeter on your driveway and then figure out where you’re going to place everything.
A buffer tank will make your life much easier. When I started just had a 4gpm machine and only took me about 2 houses to figure out I needed one. First, some homes, especially on well, may not have 5.5 gpm flow. You don’t want to take a chance on killing your machine. Main reason is time, you’ll be running back and forth to shut off every time you pause without one. I’d rec at least a 100 gallon with a 5.5 gpm machine. If you use a float valve on tank you’re going to lose 10-15 gallons of capacity and you’ll be amazed how quick you can burn thru water if you have a deficit on flow. I lost an hour just waiting on water doing a medium sized drive couple of weeks ago and started off with a 175 gallons on my 8.5 gpm machine.
You may want to see how much more it would be to up your psi a little on pump. Realize you’re going to lose about 200 psi per 100’ of hose. For house washing you’ll be fine but if you plan on doing a lot of drives may want to have closer to 2500 at nozzle, but you know your market.
Thanks! I’ve actually already checked on insurance through Joseph Walters, and that’s more than likely what I’ll be going with. Also, thanks for the recommendations for the other forums. I wasn’t sure how many more active forums were around dedicated to pressure washing so that’s great information to have.
Thanks for the useful information, Racer! The reason I listed the 4’x6’ trailer is because it’s just what I happen to have at the moment. However, I can get a bigger one at Harbor Freight and put a wood floor in myself so that’s an option to get some extra feet. I kind of had that feeling about the length as well. I’ve already affixed an old, unused toolbox to the front of the trailer so there’s probably actually less than 6’ available.
I’m thinking I’ll go with a buffer tank per your recommendation. Would 50 gallons work? I’ll be pulling my trailer with a 4 cylinder pickup so the payload of a fully loaded 100 gallon tank would be a little much. I suppose if I did go with a 100 gallon tank I could always keep it half full and then hook it up at the customer’s house and dump what I don’t need upon leaving.
I’m still researching which pressure washer to go with. I prefer a 5.5 GPM, and that one I mentioned is at a great price (~$1300) but the PSI is a bit lacking as I do want to do residential concrete as well. That’s definitely a concern, and I didn’t factor in pressure loss due to hose length. I’ll see what I can’t find elsewhere. My main goal in all this is to get a good start and to do it for less than $3500, which is doable…for now!
according to the stats , the GX390 is 11.7 h.p…I don’t think that’s enough power for a 5.5g.p.m. pump. Either look at a smaller pump or a larger engine. As far as pricing you best be lucky for these customers to even let you on their property with very little experience. I know you need to gain experience , to have experience, but get the price where you stay busy and don’t let them know you’re just starting out. In the beginning I ran specials galore so I could have access to their property. I also stayed educated on what not to do… But that only takes you so far …You have to get out there and make mistakes.
I’ve read that same sentiment before regarding this particular washer. That does make me wary of it. Yeah, I’d agree with you though; Getting any customers with very little experience is no small feat. I’m doing the best I can to learn about house washing with the guy I’m currently working with, through Youtube, and through this forum. Pricing is going to be tricky in the beginning…especially until I figure out how much time I’m going to have to spend on a house so I can give better estimates. I’m certain mistakes will be made in the beginning. No avoiding that!
pre-soak everything around the house with straight water( alot) - apply a weaker than normal bleach water mix. If you want to add an ounce of dish soap , that’s fine. But make sure your water ,bleach mix is on the weak side, and if you have to hit the house twice, that’s fine,. Just get comfortable applying a weak bleach and water mix. Then make it stronger as you get more comfortable. It’s rather hard to screw something up with this method. And make sure you pre soak all raw wood around the house—fences , decks , etc. You don’t want to spot them up.
As far as equipment goes your doing good.
Personally i would stay with the 5.5@2500 machine. You dont need that much pressure to clean most concrete, i clean with 1800psi all day.
Trailer i would use what you have for now to get the hang of things but that really is small. Im using a 5X10 and its full. Thats also because i have a 275 gallon tote that takes up 4 ft of space by it self.
Make sure to have a buffer tank, its a pump and time saver. Dont travel with water if you dont have too. I only carry about 25-30 gallons from job to job. Just hook up to the spigot when you first get to a job, then get everything else ready.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely make sure everything is thoroughly soaked. The guy I’m working for now let me know that on day one. I sure don’t want to ruin any high-dollar landscaping so I’ll keep everything soaked good.
At the beginning, I’m planning on downstreaming store-bought bleach so that should be very weak. Thanks for the tips! I appreciate them a lot.
After the past couple of comments I’ve received on the buffer tank, I’m definitely going to have one. I could roll with a 100 gallon tank as long as I keep it light when going from job to job. It’s good to hear you’re having success with that low of a PSI. You don’t have much trouble cleaning really dirty driveways? Do you end up using more chemical to offset the low PSI on particularly dirty patches of concrete?
Thanks for your input! I meant to reply to the messages here yesterday, but I washed curbs and concrete for about 12.5 hours at one of those mega churches and was beat when I got home. Haha.
A 100 gal. buffer tank will be just fine. Just make sure you put a large drain pipe on it (like 1 1/2" or larger) so you can quickly dump the water before hitting the road.
And, yes, you CAN easily run a 5.5 machine with that 390, you’ll just have a bit lower pressure, which is no problem for house washing, wood cleaning, and even for most residential concrete with your WW Classic.
It sounds like I’m in a very similar market to you, including the tri-state travel area (SE VT, SW NH, NW MA)
I have that same machine from KEC. I have a 55 gallon drum for my buffer, which fills to about 50 gallons with the hudson float valve. I empty it down to 15 gal or so before towing it any distance with my little 4cyl scion.
So far 50 gallons has been more than sufficient to make up for any lack of flow from the wells I’ve used. I’ll probably add a second hudson valve mounted on a down-tube, lower in the tank, so I only have to fill up to 25 gallons on the jobs with solid flow.
I have a 4x8 trailer, which isn’t full yet, but I can definitely see why guys are running 5x10 or bigger just for residential. But see what you can do with the 4x6 before spending more money. You’ll learn a lot from setting up your first rig, and personally I don’t think it makes sense agonizing too much over making the first rig perfect. If you want it perfect, buy a pre-built rig. But even then, it might not be perfectly suited to your work load or preferences.
I did some digging on the machine KEC sells, and don’t quote me on this, but I believe the pump itself may be rated for 3500 psi. So it might be possible to upgrade the engine and unloader at some point in the future in order to increase the PSI. I think the Honda motors have pretty good resale value if you maintain them well. You’ll want to ask someone at KEC about the pump specs before making a purchase decision based on that info, though.
As for running a business in 3 states- generally that means 3 tax returns and 3 times the headaches. Get a good accountant and/or tax preparer. Also keep excellent records!
Good to hear! I’ll plan on putting in a large drain for sure. Will bypassing my downstream injector save me a bit of PSI at the nozzle? I plan on doing that regardless just so the injector doesn’t limit my flow.
I’m only planning on residential cleaning so that will work out great. If I get into commercial later, I’ll be looking into a hot water unit at 8 GPM or so.
I’m glad to hear you’re having success with the machine! I’ll also be towing with a 4 cyl. I was actually able to get my hands on a 4’x8’ trailer for only $200 this weekend so now I’ll have a bit more room to play with. I was wanting a bigger trailer anyway and I couldn’t afford not to get it for that cheap. Speaking of the machine, have you had good results with residential concrete/driveways/sidewalks? Is your market fairly rural? I’ll probably eventually have to expand beyond residential simply because of how rural my area is.
That’s an interesting note about the pump. I’ll have to email KEC and see what they say about the specs.
Yeah, this first year is going to be a big learning process for me…seeing what works for me, determining good pricing for my area, and all the rest. Should be interesting!
Ummmm…I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, (except for the accidental ‘m’ at the end of the sentence, which was due to a stray key stroke) Anything else, your Honor?
oh yea. those things. I have a psychological problem with that water taking such a hard - 90 degree right turn (twice)-- I prefer not to use them. I always take my pick up off.I have to have my water shooting in a straight line. Weird —I know.
