If you pause the video you can see the injector at the 2:59 mark. It’s just before the reel.
Very nice Steve. Be careful with the spigot on the bleach tank. I got dinged for that on an insurance audit. I like the vacuum hose. Good stuff.
Yeah, I like the spigot but I keep worrying that I’m going to break it off and then I’ll be in more trouble than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
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@Steve, you don’t have any problems running the direct drive pumps from the buffer tank? Do they run okay even if your buffer tank only had 50 or 75 gallons in it, or do they rely on all the pressure from 250 gallons of water force pushing the water into the pump?
Thanks for the video! Simple and basic. Looks very cool and practical.
Height is the factor. Not number of gallons. The pressure at the bottom of a 40’ lake would be the same as the pressure at the bottom of a thin 40’ tube filled with water. 17.31 psi. Take depth of water and divide by 2.31
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Ah, thats true… Do you have any idea what the minimum pressure is for a direct drive pump to feed well?
This is new setup for me this season with the 2 machines. So, far I haven’t had any issues even with the water level getting low (which I try to avoid at all costs). Before this setup I had one DD machine running off of a 150 gl buffer tank with a 5/8 garden feeding it and have never had any issues with no getting enough water. When I start the machines, they are at about 1/2 throttle to create whatever suction might be needed and the pressure hose is wide open. When I see a steady flow, I run the throttle to max, close the ball valve and attach the gun. I tried my best to use sweeping, large diameter hoses to feed the machine to maximize flow. When I tested the setup I think I was getting around 30 gl a minute of water from the buffer tank.
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Does it pull better to start at lower throttle? I usually start mine with the ball valve open, but never thought of adjusting the throttle…
A direct drive pump will start pulling water better at lower RPM, that’s why I start it at 1/2 throttle. It might not matter with a belt drive because the pump is turning at a lower RPM anyway.
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Belt drive doesn’t mater, as Steve said. I lock the throttle cables down so the guys are not tempted to throttle down when they are running low on water. Take away every opportunity for someone to mess up as is possible.
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That’s a really helpful video, @Steve. I wonder what a 65 gallon buffer tank would put out. When I get a trailer, that’s probably the largest size I’d feel comfortable using to keep weight at a bare minimum. I really appreciate it!
I never pull the trailer with more than 50 gallons in the tank which is 415 pounds. I prefer the larger tank and the dump valve let’s me empty it quickly so I can hit the road without all that water between jobs.
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I will have to watch this video a few more times very well built system …two questions for you @Steve … 1 what is the advantage of mounting your unloaders like that if any … also how do you like both 4gpm machines hooked together … I was thinking of upgrading to a 5.5gpm but I think this might be a better option for me …
This is what I’m chasing money in …
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Did you have reinforce roof of tool box to mount reels to?
Can I ask why you would remotely mount your unloaders?
Great looking setup though!
Quickest death to a pump is vibrations. Unloader block helps with that. Plus, no heavy unloader hanging of the pump head by 7 or 8 threads.
The unloader tends to kick when it cycles on and off and that vibration/shock is transferred to/through the pump which can shorten the pump life. Also, over time the constant cycling and vibration can pull the threads from the brass block in the pump. Lastly, the remote mount makes it easier to change out on site if one of the unloaders gives out.
It really depends on your business model. This works good for me because it gives me several options. If I am washing a house and driveway, we will use the machines separately with one guy washing the house and the other one washing the concrete.
If we are just doing a house wash, both machines run separately with both guys washing the house in different directions.
If we have a house wash with windows, one guy inside doing the glass while the other uses both machines hooked together washing with 8-9 GPM for a quicker wash and then he starts on the outside windows.
With my setup I have lots of options which is what I like. Both machines are identical so I only need one type of spare parts and with two machines, I don’t worry about a breakdown because I can limp along with only one if I need to until the other one is fixed. Also, If I run into a water supply that can’t keep up I can shut one machine down and run with less GPM.
There are drawbacks though. twice the gas and maintenance etc… but overall this is what works for me.
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Same reasons.
Nothing wrong with that. I could make money all day, every day with that rig as I’m sure you are.
