I haven’t properly introduced myself yet in the forum so hello! My name is Shawn and I have a very small pressure washing company in NE Florida mostly doing residential and new construction. I have not yet invested in a trailer though I am looking, and most of my equipment is high end home owner stuff. A couple of Briggs & Stratton rack units, Rigid 18" surface cleaner and a telescoping extension pole is the core of my setup.
I am able to knock out single story houses and buildings with ease using a basic hand pumped 1.5 gallon home depot sprayer to apply chemicals to eaves and soffits but I am really interested in investing in something to make it easier to apply cleaners to 2nd and 3rd story areas when needed that don’t involve my 50 something old a** balancing on a ladder trying to use a hand pump… I am leaning toward a North Star soft wash pump but for what I do even that seems a little overkill to me… I am trying to keep this investment less then $250 if possible and I also don’t want to add another huge piece of equipment to my already packed little Tacoma… It seems like there are options across the spectrum and I hope to hear from people who have similarly passed this learning curve.
Would something like a foam cannon or other system for the end of the lance work to get a stream that high? Are they safe for harsher chemicals?
Best solution is to spend 5 or 6 grand on real equipment. Washing with a pump sprayer is not washing. Most here do this for a living so probably won’t be able to assist with your budget and requirements
Hi Shawn. What GPM are your units? A 4GPM should easily hit 2 stories with the right tips and maybe a shooter tip. You want to downstream and not use pump sprayers.
I don’t recommend the North Star as I know guys who say it doesn’t shoot very far and that’s not needed for washing houses. Roofs yes but I still wouldn’t use that.
No foam cannons. You want a J-rod or M5 twist nozzle.
Your Tacoma will hold more than you think. @Infinity uses a Tacoma and rocks it.
Gee thanks for your non-answer / not so veiled insult… If you have nothing to contribute just save your fingers the typing and move on.
I do this for a living as well and if you read my post you would see that I am looking at trailers but just haven’t found anything in my budget. We don’t all have a few grand laying around…
Thanks Texas, thats exactly what I needed to know. My units are only 2.3 and 2.5 GPM but I am looking at a used Simpson hot shot I might pull the trigger on.
$250 is a tough nut to crack. Can you sell something that’ll get you up to at least a 4/4? At that point you’d be able to downstream your chemicals and use appropriate tips to hit those 2nd stories for both soap and rinse.
@ShawnG don’t take it too personally what Innocent has too say. He is a great guy and gives great advice, just happens to be a bit grumpy, which grates on people. If you will notice though that he was the first to respond, and that’s not be cause he isn’t busy, its because he is being helpful. He is right too, invest in yourself (easier on the body) and your business by buying the best equipment you can afford since you make your living at this. You are really cutting yourself short by working with a machine that small. A 4/4 is really entry level, and go bigger once you can. Think of it like this. There are guys on here hitting 200+ an hour with the proper training/equipment/pricing/branding. What could take you hours would take them one. They don’t need to walk around and use a pump up sprayer along with a ladder, they can soak the side of a house in minutes, and then rinse it 5-15 minutes later. That time, wear and tear on your body really adds up. Think bigger and make a ton more money for longer. Not trying to come down on you, just trying to be straight with you to help you out.
If you’re only doing a small number of houses and don’t want to buy equipment, just get one of these bottles, dump out the crap that’s in it and put 12.5% SH with some surfactant. It’s better than a pump sprayer.
If you do this for a living then you should know the importance of putting money aside to reinvest back into the business.
You should also know that to be in real business you need to charge the correct amount. Not be the $99 giy… On average between $250-400 per house depending on your area. Could be more even. I’ve seen it and done it.
That being said since you do this for a living, you should be averaging at least 1-4 houses a day 5 days a week let’s say. So, take that money, save it, and in a week you can have a machine that you truly need if you want to do this field of work the right way… it will be more efficient, clean better, and be easier on you. Not to mention your image of a professional washer will become more realistic.
Cheap is not the route to go if you plan to make this
Long term. Be smart, invest in your business and reap the rewards. @Innocentbystander was basically saying that… just in a shorter way lol
If you are a homeowner doing DIY stuff, sure… but if
you claim to be a professional and have a buisness and you show up to my house with this crap… yeah I’m telling you to leave… don’t do this.
I appreciate that and its definitely on my list. 99% of my jobs are houses 5 years old to brand new and I am primarily just rinsing construction dirt off most of them so i havent had the need for much more until recently.
So what is a good entry level 4/4 you would recommend? It seems to me that the jump between a high end homeowners unit and entry level commercial unit is a couple grand…
I agree with all of that and it was primarily why I started this thread. I am averaging 2 houses a day now but that is rapidly increasing and I want to have a strong October with the current equipment and then look at really investing up to the next level. Just trying to get through the end of this month on what I have now.
Most startups don’t. Probably 95% of new businesses borrow/raise the startup capital they need in order to make an honest go of it. @Innocentbystander did that when he started his company.
Not having it in the bank is no reason to not spend it. Business debt is not the same as personal “consumer” debt. You’re spending money in the hopes of making more money. That doesn’t mean you should take the decision to borrow lightly. But it shouldn’t be dismissed in the same way as personal debt, either
Fortunately I did have something to contribute, and I did. I didn’t insult you. You aren’t doing this for a living if you only have $250 to spend. You may be doing it, but not making a living. Nothing wrong with that. Borrow money if you need to to get the equipment you need. Don’t like my advice? Don’t read it. You asked for advice, you got it.
Your going to have to incur some kind of debt if you only have a budget of $250 to spend on pressure washing gear to do this professionally I hate to burst your bubble man.
My E rated tires on my piece of sh!t dual axle trailer cost $250 bucks a piece.
And I’d be willing to bet probably half the guys on here running turbo nozzles probably spend at least $100 to $250 on their turbo nozzles.
Do yourself a favor and spend a month or more reading on here before your purchase anymore equipment. You’ll be amazed how much your business will grow. I’ve only been on the forum for 2-3 years but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who has stuck around the forum not turn into a very successful business. Many have started just washing on the side. They had no intentions on quitting their full time job but did. Some of these jobs were great paying jobs with benefits. They were successful because they invested in the right equipment so they could be efficient. Sure, you can make money using homeowner grade equipment but you’ll never make near what you could if you had higher gpm machines.
Last year I decided to try and use a 2.2 gpm homeowner unit instead of the 6.8 gpm I had just so I could see how long it would take me. It took so much longer it was absolutely brutal. My $150-$200 an hour I usually try and hit dropped well below $100. I upgraded to an 8 gpm this year and I even noticed a huge difference between it and my 6.8. Time is definitely money in this business. If you upgraded to even a 5.5 gpm and, decided you still only wanted to do 2 houses a day, you could be home before noon for the day. Or, you could work all day and knockout 4-5 houses or more. You’ll make enough to pay off the 5.5 gpm in a day or two. If you do flat work your speed will really increase with more gpm. Down streaming is where it’s at for washing houses. All you need to drag around the house is your pressure washer hose and gun.
Nobody here is trying to talk down to you. They’re offering advice so you can make a great living off of washing. Stick around, implement the advice, and you’ll kick yourself you didn’t change your washing ways sooner.
No hard feelings but you don’t know and didn’t ask my circumstances or reasons for the advice I asked for.
Like a lot of ppl I lost my job in April and got caught with less the a grand a in the bank and I also live in a state where unemployment barely covers gas money… So rather then b***h and moan and get on the government tit I went and invested some of what I had left in window cleaning equipment (a job I had in college) and the proper small business licenses and I got to work hitting local strip malls and businesses and started making a little money…
Eventually I saved enough to get a decent professional grade rack unit and I added driveways and pool decks to my services. Then I was offered some work doing new construction and I took it knowing it would take me a little longer but since it was mostly just simple move in prep wand work I could handle it and start saving up for taking that next step in my equipment needs.
I have taken pride in the fact that I have not borrowed a dime or taken a government handout and I am hoping to continue that trend… I know I need to invest a little more to grow the business and I was simply asking if there was a budget solution to help me doing the bigger jobs which I am currently passing on because I know they will take all day…
And that’s where I’m at! The $250 wasn’t a hard number just a thought, and after reading these answers I think I realize it makes more sense to just leap ahead to a true commercial rig. I hope to post my results soon.
Not trying to come down on you, just trying to be straight with you to help you out.
