I use the 2 systems every job, diaphragm pumps to apply chemical and pressure washer with low pressure tips to rinse. Yea I have to real up and real in an extra chem hose and yea I have to mix a batch of chem every job. So yes it takes me 15 minutes longer to do a job,.,. But the chemical is perfectly blended and applied evenly every time. Likewise the rinse is consistent… No chems run through my reels, PW hoses or PW guns. It just works great every time… 15 - 20 minutes of a little extra work = less stress, less broken stuff and a better quality job… That’s my story and I’m sticken to it. 
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Did you consider booster pumps, when you transitioned from 12V to air/gas diaphragm? If so, what made you go with the other?
I did not. Booster pumps are actually something that I’m not really familiar with. Just the idea of another pump scared me off, lol. Is that the setup you use?
No, I only have a 12V right now, but the booster pumps are starting to get really popular with some of the big names in the industry. Booster pump + proportioner are what a lot of guys are running, and i think im going to head that direction eventually.
Well reviewed booster pumps run around $500 - $750.
Prior to a few months ago, i was on the air diaphragm track. I dont know how they compare to each other, but either one is better than a 12V system. To me, the booster pump seems less intimidating than the air diaphragm as far as setup, plus it seems to be a bit cheaper… but i haven’t done a ton of extensive research on either yet.
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By chance, would you have any good links to a DIY 12v system set up or kit?
By DIY, you mean buying the individual parts and putting everything together yourself? There are various places and pieces you can buy that would allow you to build your own.
But if your looking for a kit, I would go with the Bandit…
All you would need to add to it is a Chem tank and deep cycle battery.
I’m right there with you. I like the idea that nothing but water runs thru my pressure hose, reels and guns. I batch mix as well, but if set up properly, there are ways to make that a simpler process. I just haven’t bothered yet, lol.
In addition, when a house is REALLY dirty, I wouldn’t want to make 2 or 3 passes to downstream. I can just bump my batch mix a tad bit and one pass does it. No concern about the stronger mix since the pressure hose is right behind me to keep everything wet.
Yep. Its so easy I don’t know why people want to mess,with it… All my 12 volt pumps are diaphragpme pumps as well as the air pumps. I Have no idea why people use pumps with impellars and shaft seals, to run chem through, but variety is the spice of life. I used to have a bunch of valves hooked up to all the tanks and pumps to move and mix chemicals but after a couple years of constant small problems,and maintenance I just went back to dip tubes no fuss no muss and hundreds a year in savings… I do however still use a water pump and some vales to move water from the buffer tank to the chem tanks…
@timetoshinepowerwash talked me into buying a maruyama pesticide pump. It’s sitting in a pile of boxes with an old Honda GX200 and a brand new 55 gallon drum I’m going to use for my roof wash rig. I’m not pricing roofs right though because it’s the one thing I can’t seem to sell, but we’ve been busy otherwise.
Are you washing a lot of roofs?
I’m going to be moving the rig around this weekend to make room for a larger water tank and I’m thinking about going with dip tubes. Right now, my only valves are to switch the clean water feed from the buffer to the chemical tank and then 2 other valves to shut off water supply to the pressure washer and push it thru the diaphragm pump to rinse it. I also thought about installing permanent dip tubes in the tanks and just using quick connects to switch to wherever I want it to go. I guess I’ll see where the weekend takes me, lol.
Not a whole lot. Stand alone roof jobs…maybe 10% of total revenue. Package jobs that are roofs, houses and other stuff, maybe 10% as well. I can’t seem to generate the leads for roofs like I can for houses. So I’m working on that end of my marketing. I go for top dollar on roofs so I like them lol.
The gx200 is perfect for that. That’s what’s on my machine. 150 psi.
Just remember that if you use dip tubes to use check valves at the bottom. I always use a rag to catch drips when removing. Because I have a check valve on the end of each tube, I can take the dip tube out of the chemical tank and put it in rhe buffer tank to use for flushing out the line and pump that tube is attached to. There is no wasted chemical because what’s in the hose at the end of the day gets pumped back into the chem tank. I DID pemantly mount a dip tube in all the tanks JUST to transfer water. Because it make the water enter the tank from the bottom and stirs stuff up. It also keeps the suds down…
Dumbest question of the day…
What does a check valve do lol?
Check valves allow water to go only one way. In the case of a dip tube it will keep the inlet pipe to your pump full of water - reducing the chance for an air lock. Because I have a check valve I only get a drip or two coming of the end of the dip tube when moving it which I catch with a rag. Also each dip tube has a screen in it to keep anything that may have Horton in the tank from going in the pump.
Is your rig enclosed? Because allowing the SH to vent inside an enclosed rig will rust it from the inside out. Even if you never spill a drop of bleach.
Yes it is enclosed. I don’t carry bleach in the trailer. If I did the tank would be sealed\vented to the out side. When I am done with a job the mix tank has very little in it and is capped off or drained out if I am not going to another job. The trailer is several years old and is in good shape. It is aluminum and I rinse it with water a lot both inside and out. I also rinse the equipment a lot and use a lot of spray oil (for liberation) and or wd40 ( water repellant) on machines and metal fittings. Got to run need to finish up here only 10 am and already hotter than hell…
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So I’m thinking this pump and tank would-be what I need. Then i buy that 100ft hose that @squidskc bought recently. What are Your thoughts?
http://m.northerntool.com/products/shop~tools~product_200578549_200578549?adv=false
could save you a few bucks…
That’s not a bad start at all but I would get a bigger tank of you’re going to do roofs. Roofs can take anywhere from 50 to 100 gallons of mix. So you’ll have to refill quite a bit with such a small tank.
