Man I cant wait til next season. I’m going to buy one of those suckers, and build a nice softwash system ! Anyone have any suggestions for how to set it up on my trailer ? Idk if I wanna devise a proportioner system, or rather just something more simple… I know this tho, i want it to be a well rounded setup, not something that’s only good for roof washing.
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Anything to do with chlorine the KISS theory is your best bet. Everything brakes when dealing with chlorine the less components you have the less problems you have. Proportioned are not needed to especially if you have a Pressure washer . There just the latest fad
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Depends on your services. I have a Proportioner and it’s nice to have the adjustment, but 80% of the time shoot about the same mix unless I’m doing wood. For mainly roof cleaning, not really much help at all and in fact my next roof system will probably go back to a bulk tank setup. But having a 12V, in fact I have a bunch of them, gives you a lot of options.
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Don’t waste money on a proportioner invest in an air diaphragm pump 1/2 in and find a good used air compressor I us 12 v to and like it but the air is a game changer and will last!!
I dont think you know what a proportiner does…
It’s a waste of money don’t take but a few minutes to mix a batch
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Someone starting out would be ahead of the game with a 12v and invest in a air setup other than a proportioner costs about the same
My general understanding of the perportioners is they were developed with the intent to sell you a soft wash system with adjustable strength so you no longer need a pressure washer and that is completely false . Guys are popping up everywhere with fancy looking glorified well pumps and 12 volt set up and honestly believing they can do everything we can do. That is until they try . Now guys all over a trying to make a buck by selling you there’s . But not one has yet called a manufacturer like DELAVAN/ SHURFLO/ALL-FLO/YAMADA or any others to see if this added rectricion of the intake will damage there pump. One one hand you have guys going to 1” suction hose on the other hand you have proportioners . The idea or making a pump work harder alone is reason not to. Bottom like if it works for you have at it.
I did not mean to tag cool underpressure
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The proportiner has many positives with only 2 negatives that i can think of are cost and possible restriction on pumps.
The cost of the “proportioner” that cost $1200 has now been replicated so many times and has so many cheaper version that it make since to have one. They can now be had for under $300 with everyone making their version.
While you may be ok with batch mixing the guys running crews have stated how much they saved using some kind of “mixer”. If you have a crew and they spend 15 min on every job mixing that time adds up quick and those man hours easily out weigh the cost of even the $1200 dollar system. “Mixers” simple ease of use can also be better if again your running a crew. Trying to teach people math and what ratios to use can be a pain. Teaching someone to turn a dial for this type of surface is simpler and quicker.
The ability to adjust the mix on the fly also reduces product use. Most of the roofs i clean have 2 really bad sides and at least one fairly ok side that doesnt need that strong of a mix. So i can save on my SH usages and turn the ratio down on the already “cleaner” part of a roof.
By having a mixing system in place you also save on space. This is huge for guys running truck mounted system with limited space. For me the proportioner was a must when i added roofs. I had no more room on the trailer for a large enough mix tank. But with the proportioner all i need is a straight SH tank and my main buffer tank.
Having a “mixing” system also allows for you to legally carry more chems.
And i do know guys who only “soft wash” as in no pressure washer on their rig. They are able to clean everything but concrete. They use booster pumps not 12V so they still have a decent amount of pressure for getting up high. I personally dont like booster because you now have an electric cord running on the ground with water hose’s everywhere.
Everything you just said sounds like more work. There is no needed for multiple tanks with SH. I have one SH tank and one OX tank on both trucks. The SH tank gets straight chem and surfactant . DS hoses go rite in the tank. Roof pump is dual inlet so it mixes 50/50 it’s self. If I have something that 50/50 is to strong for then it’s booked for the end of the day and I’ll add water. A proportioner would in now way save me time or money. It would just be another thing SH will destroy and cause me to rebuild pumps more often.
As far as your friends that do softwash with well pumps or “ boosters pumps” it will only be a matter of time before they consider getting a Pressure washer. At some point there going to get tired of watching other guys get work from there customers because they couldn’t do the driveways or pavers or pool deck. Some mud dobbers wasps nests. And many other things That there softwash system isn’t good at. Again if it works for you great. I personally see no real world use for it .
The flip side is I love all the softwash only guys popping up. Every month I pick up some customers because the super duper soft wash guy was only able to do half the job the customer needed done.
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What dual inlet pump are you using for roofs?
All-flo air pumps . I cut the intake manifold in half . Tap and plug one port and the pump will pull from two independent tanks . Mixing the chem itself
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You won’t look back it will increase your bottom line and open up a range of service offerings.
This was a massive game changer. It simplifies the process having a seperate chemical application system.
With your 12v pump, You can either choose to use a single drum and mix in your surfactant and water or make a proportioner system using GF valves and two tanks with a minimum capacity of 200litre each.
You can easily set up these systems up with a little research yourself or purchase these complete or in part if you are time poor.
