I did the GPM test where I turned the faucet on all the way and filled a bucket for a minute. It came out to be 6 GPM. So is it safe to say most of the houses in my town get 6 GPM, or can it vary from house to house?
I plan on doing housewashes but won’t have room for a buffer tank at first. Therefore, a 5.5 GPM machine would be best right? I can’t afford an 8 GPM but even if I could, without a buffer tank, it would be too much machine for my area right?
Finally, would you say 6 GPM is about average, above average, or below average for your typical residential area?
That’s cutting it to close…no buffer run a 4 gpm. You don’t have room for a 50 gallon tank?
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What Patriot said. A 5.5 is going to leave you needing a buffer tank at some point when the homeowners aren’t home and started laundry or something or the one house that has old clogged pipes and you’re getting 4.75 gpm out of it.
Even with a 4 gpm I’d make room for a 35 gallon buffer tank. It doesn’t have to be hard plumbed to anything. You can hook it all up with banjo cam locks.
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Probably gonna have to work out of the back of an SUV for a while until I can upgrade to a larger vehicle and so far I don’t see how I can fit one. You’re saying just get a 4 gpm if I won’t have a buffer tank? Just want to make sure bc that makes my wallet happy but sounds the opposite of what I see all over this forum (ie get as much gpm as you can). I guess those comments assume room for a 50 gal buffer tank 
Should be able to get a small trailer super cheap on Craigslist of facebook
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I bet he can find a harbor freight trailer with a plywood top for hauling at least a buffer tank for under $200 on craigslist.
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Really dumb question: If had a 5.5 gpm and that scenario happened where I was only getting 4.75, what happens? Just a weaker spray out of the gun?
And if so, would that spray be weaker than if I had a 4gpm when getting 4.75?
You’d starve the pump and burn it up. 4.75 gpm is pushing it for a 4. If you read a couple pump manuals they recommend at least 1 gpm or more HIGHER at the inlet than what the machine can push wide open so you never have air in the pump.
You’ll destroy a pump if you introduce air into the water.
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Hahaha. Well thanks for the info guys. I feel like the moral here is “dude, just figure out a way to have a buffer tank”
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Nailed it. Or embrace the suffering with a 2.7 gpm big box machine. Lol
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https://www.amazon.com/Xtra-Speed-Trailer-Crawler-XS-59619/dp/B01NAC0P2D/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1525312878&sr=8-6&keywords=folding+trailer
“How do you expect them to learn to read if they can’t even get inside!?” - Derek Zoolander
Joking aside…
The weight capacity on this is 500 lbs. You could probably buffer at 35 gallons, but 50 gallons of water is 400 lbs, If I were “starting from the bottom, now we here”, Drake style… I’d put a tank right on one of these and never travel with any water in it. Throw a couple jack stands under it if you’re afraid it pull the bumper off.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/pco-tank-50-gal?cm_vc=-10005
Or buy a trailer before you’re ready and be glad you did.
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