So far it sounds like a couple of low gpm pumps, an accumulator, a 4-way garden hose splitter, and a couple of galvanized steel tees. One of them has a pressure switch, the other has a guage. Throw in a battery and some stretchy hoses, badabing!
Good for you, I hope you revolutionize the industry! It’s pretty hard to get a patent for organizing parts that are doing the jobs they were built for.
You might be better off designing a solid product and either focusing on being the cost-leader (cheap , crappy parts) or quality leader (stainless tees, best pumps, etc). Even with a patent, you’d get copycats that simply rearrange the plumbing. Find your niche, be the first one there, and spend all of your money on advertising. Then I guess you’ll have to build a factory or something
Quit teasing him 
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I was trying so hard to toe the line between being supportive and rational! But on the real, I do definitely applaud @Nickski for chasing innovation. Companies all over the place are selling softwash skids and carts, why not take a shot at it!
Wow, I was trying to get constructive feedback and instantly found out who the real assholes are on this site are. Instead of making fun of a different way to soft wash that you know nothing about, how about offer some helpful advice? So, what is the best way to soft wash a house if you don’t have a truck dedicated to it? I can’t carry a big 8gpm unit, mount house reels or carry a large tank. So what way is better than what I came up with? I have under $200 in it, it weighs less than 40 lbs and I’m averaging about $140/hr. I’ve done about 350 houses with 100% feedback. Even so, I’m open to hear if there is a better way for me.
I didn’t leave anything on that house. The soffits were rotten. All the black mold was removed and the dark areas remaining was rotted wood.
I doubt that. Everytime someone mentioned to you a reason that a professional might not use a system like yours, you just defended your system and touted the benefits of it.
One thing to keep in mind is that if your system doesn’t use any proprietary parts, the people in this industry will build their own version of it in a New York minute. They might even make a better version and nullify your patent.
Finally, try to understand that most professionals aren’t looking for some simple cart that can be toted around in the back of a Camary. They want bulletproof equipment that can handle the grind and abuse that a full time professional will throw at it. Think American Tourister and the gorilla 
How can anyone tell you if there’s a better way when you’re mainly talking about the equipment you made but won’t say what the equipment is?
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correct me if i’m wrong but aren’t you still dragging around a “heavy” hose? I understand the system you’re using but honestly traditional soft washing setups seem to be easier. you just run your garden hose from your truck to the spigot and voila! you’re ready to go. just get a good hose reel and it’s just a matter of walking around the house and spraying. most of us aren’t wheeling around our setups.
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We might not fully understand your system and how it all works, but like others have said if you’re just throwing parts together anyone can do that. I just put together my proportioner and I remember when that was supposed to be the best and you had to buy it from one company. I love my trailer with everything mounted with a 8.5gpm pressure washer and a dedicated 12v soft wash system. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the proportioner, but you can have individual tanks for SH water and surfactant. All I do is grab my light hose and set my proportioner to a ratio I want and I’m ready to go. That light hose seems a lot easier to pull around than a cart. Also down streaming is super easy and I use that for houses and seems to be fast. I’m not saying your system won’t work as good as mine, but I can’t see myself going to a cart personally. Maybe you would have a market for new business or homeowners. If you can get a patent on it then more power to you, but people will copy it at some point. No one on here is truly being mean, but we all have found a way that is proven to work and have a hard time seeing a cart system being better than what’s out there already.
I think the price point sounds good for guys getting started. Have you measured what % of SH you can apply? Also do the pumps last when dealing with SH?
This is what happens when a solution to a problem is achieved in the absence of mainstream procedures and design.
I think it’s fascinating and while not ‘standard’ it could teach us a few ‘work arounds’ we never considered before.
My neighbor is from Cuba. They have the same mindset, as their country got cut off back in the 50’s, so they come up with some pretty unique ways of making things work.
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The pumps don’t see any SH. I have .83% hitting the siding.
No heavy hoses, I use the expandable one. The 75’ only weighs 2.7 lbs and they are very flexible.
I didn’t build this with the intention that any professional would use it. I know it can’t replace a proper soft wash system. This is for the guy that can’t afford, or didn’t have a dedicated truck for all that equipment. Like I said, this is what works best for me, someone who can’t mount house reels or carry a big tank around. When I’m done with a job, everything needs to come out of the truck, so a real 8 gpm system or 12v system that uses a chemical tank are out of the question.
@Nickski, I think your system sounds really neat. You might get a better reception from the folks over on Window Cleaning Resource | Community. There are a ton of guys that I’m sure would be interested in trying out housewashing, without jumping in the deep end.
A lot of the folks here have a, “go big, or go home” mentality to our trade. And for good reason: that approach has paid us back in spades. But if you advertise to established window cleaners who are softwash-curious, I think you might have a market on your hands.
I agree with the others regarding a patent, though. It won’t slow down the copycats one bit. They’ll just be forced to improve upon your design.
Thanks for the tip. And you’re right, it’s nothing special, so it will probably just get copied. Probably best to just keep it to myself and keep making money. I’m averaging about $140 /hr with it. Just cleaned a 3500 sq.ft house this morning that had a very green north side and tons of buildup under the lips on 3 side. Took 1:20 minutes from arrival to back down the road, so a lot more that $140 /hr in that one.
Check out these threads to see the lengths people will go to build a knock off:
Don’t feel bad. I built a DIY screen cleaner way before a few companies started selling a similar product to the masses ( I started out in window cleaning). I built my own pure water window cleaning system way before the industry took the design to newer, lighter, more efficient portable setups. I’m currently building my own remote downstream injector shutoff because I can’t find one I like at the price point I want. It’s just the nature of this industry.
congrats on finding work in august. i’m getting murdered out here.
I say if you’re making $140/hr I think that is great especially if you only have about $200 in the setup. I had to spend a lot more to get where I’m at. $200 is definitely great for someone who wants to do it as a weekend side job or someone starting out.
This whole thread would be comical except for the fact that the cat is probably serious about trying to patent it and actually washes with it.
Why is it comical? Because I built something myself that works great and makes me tons of money? You have no idea how well my system works but somehow it’s funny to you?
