New guy on here, but I have been soft washing as a side job for about 4 years now. I wanted to explain my system and process to you guys and get your opinion. I do things totally different than anyone else from what I’ve been reading and seeing. I’m curious if anyone else does it like this. Also, critique it and tell me why no one else does it like this.
I designed and built my own pump system that is on a cart and hooks directly to a spigot. I’m working a patent, so I’m not going to give much detail on what I designed, but it uses multiple small pumps to boost the water pressure to 100 psi and 4.5 gpm. It cost me under $200 to build and only weights about 40 lbs with the battery. It’s a battery powered on-demand system that kicks on at 70 and off at 100 psi. At 100 psi, as long as it’s not windy I can easily reach any height. It has 4 outlets and I use high quality expandable garden hoses. I typically have a hose running to 3 sides of the house at once. I then use a mixing nozzle attached to a 64 oz. bottle to apply the cleaner. I use 12.5% SH and elemonator and the sprayer is 15:1. Because I don’t have to drag out hundreds of feet of hose off a real or lug around a heavy pressure washer, my system is fast. Now, it’s small so I could never do large commercial jobs, but for residential it works for me. I have quick connects on all the hoses, my mixing sprayer and my standard fireman hose style sprayer I use for rinsing, it’s super fast to swap back and forth from cleaner to rinse. Since my pump setup is a lightweight cart and all my hoses are light expandle type, It literally only takes me about 60 seconds from the time I pull up at a house until I start spraying.
It takes me about 45 minutes to clean single story, an hour for a 2-story, and 1:15 for a large 2-story. From what I’ve read, that seems pretty comparable to the pros that use 8 gpm systems. One thing that baffels me is the amount of SH that some guys say they use on a house. I typically only use 1-1.5 gallons on a house. Never more than 2 no matter how bad it is. No matter the condition, I always coat each side at least 2 times to make sure I didn’t miss anything and it’s all even. The houses always come out perfect too, so it’s not like my cleaning is inferior.
So, what are your thoughts on my soft washing system? Am I on to something new, or is there a good reason why no one does it like this? And no, I won’t give any details on my pump system
Probably should have mentioned I’m in the midwest and all the houses I clean are done due to algae.
Sounds great, post a video of you doing one, just black out the “pump system”. Oh, and can you clean concrete with it too?
No, 100 psi won’t touch any porous surface. I don’t quote any pressure washing jobs, but form time to time I will do it if someone asks. No driveways or anything big, just small patios and decks. I only have a cheap 3000 psi Ryobi. I use a Blue Mule spray-all 50 to apply SH to stuff I pressure wash.
Here is one of the pics I use. I don’t really advertise, but I do post sometimes on Nextdoor. There and just word of mouth is how I get my jobs. I only do this on the side, so I do about 100 houses a year.
Here is pick of what the outlet of my system looks like.
There are guys out there that just use a 12v system to soft wash. It’s big in Florida. I think the reason most won’t use a system that you’re talking about is it’s quicker and easier to just pull a hose off of a hose reel rather than dragging out a cart and messing with individual hoses.
As far as the amount of SH goes it just depends on the size of house and how much algae buildup it has. I can get away with a couple gallons if it’s like the house in your picture above. If it has the dark green aglae and is a large two story I might use 3-5 gallons depending on the size. Although, you might be getting a stronger percentage hitting the house. There are pros and cons to that. The only con is if it’s so strong it could possibly hurt landscaping.
What’s the battery life like powering multiple small pumps? 12V deep cycle battery? Battery size?
All the 12v systems I’ve seen are only 60 psi and use a large tank to draw from. I have no tanks and spray at 100. My cart has large tires and only weighs about 40 lbs, so it’s easy to lift out of the truck and roll it to a spigot. I don’t move it either, it stays on that one spigot and I just click on more hose as I move around the house. The cart also has a mount for my shorter brush and 4 hoses to hang from, so I only make one trip to and from my truck. I have a cleaner caddy that holds my bottles and sprayers. Those expandable hoses are perfect for this. I carry with me a 25’, 2x50’ and a 75,.
It’s a smaller size, 35 Ah deep cycle, like what’s used in wheelchairs and scooters. I can do 2-3 houses without recharging. Since I just do this on the side, I never do more than 2 houses back to back. I’ve never had it go dead on me.
How strong of a mix does it put out? Probably similar to an xjet?
The pump system just boosts water pressure, the spray nozzle I use has a built in syphon and it connects directly to a 64 oz bottle. It’s similar to those do-it-youself house wash or window wash bottles you buy, just a fancier version of that. The nozzle I have is 15:1 and I either go straign 12.5 and elemonator, or mix is some water to make it 10%. So I’m .67- .83% hitting the siding.
Since it’s not a replacement for a 12v setup most professionals won’t use it. We’ll still need a 12v for roofs and pre and post treating concrete. It’s just easier to pull one hose off the truck rather than messing with a cart and multiple hoses.
I think it’s a neat idea but I just don’t see most people wanting to drag it off the truck. You can basically do that same thing with a pressure washer on wheels. You might be better off using a 110v pump and marketing to homeowners?
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It’s similar to this, but I have a have a sprayer with a trigger. It sprays a good 30’ vertically at the pressure I have. I know it seems cheap since it’s like the $10 crap you buy at the stores, but it works great.
Except a pressure washer is heavy and you need to move it around the house with or drag out heavy hose. I just unload it, hook it to the closest spigot on the house and leave it. The expandable garden hoses weight nothing and shrink to 1/3 of their length or better. They also super flexible and never kink. My hoses all hang on hooks right on the cart.
The other advantage is the fact that I can work multiple sides at once without having to move hoses. I have 4 outlets and typically have 3 hoses out when doing a whole house. The hoses stay at each side and I just carry the sprayer and rinsing nozzle to the side I’m working on, snap it on the hose and go. All the hoses have shut-offs and quick connects.
Since I apparently hit my post limit for a newbie, I’ll just edit this one to make one more comment.
For the guys that do soft washing as their main business and have a truck dedicated to it, you’re right, this doesn’t solve anything. For the guys that occasionally wants to clean a house, I think it’s the perfect solution. For me, I don’t have a truck dedicated to soft washing, so I can’t have hose reels and a large tank in the back. Plus it’s cheap, under $200 for me to build. When I need to go do a house, I quickly throw my stuff it, clean it, then get home and take it back out. I do maybe 10-15 houses a month. If I did 4-5 a day, I’d agree that a professional setup is the way to go.
PPWofLexSC,
Again, have to edit this since I can’t post again today. I think you’re just seeing a shadow under the soffit. This house came out perfect. What the pic doesn’t show is that before, the soffit was completely black with mold. The only remaining dark spots on the soffit is where it’s rotted through. By all the vents and downspots, just totally rotten.
Most guys on here who still drag their pressure washer to the house have enough house to reach each side of the house. They only have to move it once from front to back. Even if it’s light it’s still the idea of having to drag it off the trailer and get it all setup that most professionals won’t care for. It’s much easier just grabbing the end of a hose, walking towards the house, and start washing.
I built a cart with a small 1 gpm pump for doing decks. It draws chem from a 7 gallon tank that’s attached to the cart. It’s powered with a Dewalt 20v battery. It’s easier than using a pump up. If I could down stream a strong enough mix to do decks I would use my pressure washer instead of dragging that cart around.
I’m not trying to knock your idea. I think it’s neat but I personally don’t think it will take hold with professionals. It doesn’t really solve a problem or make washing any easier. More of a hassle, actually. I would look into only using a single hose and marketing to homeowners as an easy house wash machine. It might take hold with them.
@Nickski in the photo you provided showing the before and after shots, were you not able to clean near the soffits well? Is it lack of pressure? I am just a part-time guy myself but I know my customers would be dissatisfied if I left that brown and black build up along all those white surfaces. As a guy who just recently modified his power washer from the typical cart with wheels to just an engine and pump mounted to the back of the truck I can tell you just having to uncoil the water supply hose and the high pressure hose sure beats dragging a whole machine around the house.
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That’s a good point. No way could I leave that on a customer’s house and actually get paid. Gutters will sometimes take a tad bit of pressure to knock all the algae growth off or at least that’s what I do. I usually use the second story rinse tip for second story gutters. Mainly for a spot here and there that has a lot of build up. Knocks the algae off and but they’re far enough up it’s not much pressure hitting them. That wouldn’t be possible on all gutters with a 12v putting out .80% mix. Although, you could always hit them with a brush so there is a way around it.
Why don’t you show us what you have so we can dissect it and advise you if your dreams will crumble before your eyes or leave you with a big hole in your pocket.
