Today I had a house with a 3 story stucco/dryvit front face and my 7gpm(4 net) just wasn’t reaching to the top. It works decently enough for most situations but I’m concerned if I finally get a roof washing request it won’t reach some of these peaks.
Aside from an air or gas system, what are my options? I’d get one of those 24v pumps but haven’t heard from anyone that uses it.
What size is your hose and what nozzle are you using? Better yet what pump?
Remco 7gpm/100psi and I believe 1/2" ag hose. Not sure on the nozzles but they work fine.
have tried a 2-3 gal j rod on that for applying solution?
I’ll check the nozzle size tomorrow when I get a chance to buzz off the rust.
Might sound dumb but a large a frame ladder To get a little extra reach? Snorkel lift? Haven’t had the pleasure of doing a 3 story anything yet and don’t know if I would as buying a ladder that large for it to be used just a few times a year probably isn’t worth the storing/hassle for me.
You new that when you went with it. No matter what system you have there is always going to be a situation come along that is tough. Just have to work around and be creative.
Changing your plumbing and metering valves to 3/4” and the soft wash hose to 5/8” will maximize your distance. We see 50ft on a single 5.5gpm or 7gpm 100PSI pump every time with that setup.
With two 7GPM pumps we see 62ft and an actual 6-7GPM flow. That was with a GP red gun.
Yep, as with everything else, hose and nozzles make a huge difference. I know in your situation it can be too costly to experiment though. We run 5.5gpms and put on 1/2" hose and everything went bad. Went back to 5/8" hose and all was well again (we csan still use the 1/2" as an added hose for extra length id needed, but that’s about it.
Do I need to be using 5/8" ag hose? I honestly don’t think I can fit bigger hose on the 12" reel, it has 180’ already and it’s stuffed.
You guys using Flexzilla? Seems like I would need to unreel the whole thing as it flattens out.
Maybe I should consider adding another 7gpm pump.
Hard to say, those systems can be finnicky in my limited experience. I make it a rule to try any changes out on one truck for a week or two before any wholesale changes are made.
If I get a roof request I’m not comfortable with, I’ll skip it. On the other hand, whenever I do a quote & they have a roof I am comfortable with, I’ll offer it. I’ve had great results downstreaming dryvit but it sure takes a lot of applications & patience.
You need an 18” reel for 200ft of 5/8” hose. I use flex tech from The Hose Company.
You can add a second pump but it’s not required.
How far is yours shooting?
I’ll try and measure at my job this week, just a rough estimate probably 30-35’ horizontally. The pump works fine but just needs some nitrous or something.
That’s amazing. I have a Delavan 7gpm, 100 psi pump with a Proportioner (3/4” fittings) and 200’ of 5/8” hose and only get about 30-35’ of distance. (That’s until the darn stock relays blow out on the Delavan pump) Do you have two pumps working together to get those kind of distances? How long is your 5/8” hose ? I’d love to be able to get that distance!
We use 10 gauge wire for the pump.
5/8” hose is 200ft.
What size is your plumbing?
Yes we use two pumps together for the 62ft and 7gm.
Thanks Heath!
Dang - that’s impressive distance you’re getting!
I’ve got something wrong. Unless it’s the addition of a second pump that’s promoting the distance you’re getting.
I have 3/4" PVC drop sticks for my bleach and water (Bleach=55 gal drum, water=330 gal tote) - from there - ~ 8’ of 3/4" hose to my proportioner-> pump → 200’x5/8" hose reel. I’m using just a straight shooter tip. I’ve only got one pump, but now seriously considering adding a second to get those distances! I have about a 4’-5’ run for electrical to battery using 6 gauge copper stranded wire. I had the relay blow out on me - but I think it was because I was running 1/2" from pump outlet to hose reel and this caused too much back pressure (possibly?) I changed the relay and washed this past week with no issues, but only able to shoot 30-35’ tops.
Do you draw fluids with 3/4" or 1" from your tanks ?
His setup, as I understand it, has 2 pumps in parallel, each capable of 7 gpm, feeding into the output hose heading to the house. In theory, that’s like producing 14 gpm at the pump end of the output hose, but I doubt that’s the actual flow rate. He said the flow rate at the house end after 200 feet of 5/8" hose is 7 gpm.
@TexasPressureWashing have you tested your flow rate with both pumps and a short like 10 foot long hose?
We use 3/4” drop sticks or bottom plumbed 3/4” hoses as needed by the design.
