Hey everyone do you guys have tips on cleaning driveways? I do not typically use any soap, and I just use my 4GPM 4200 PSI with a surface cleaner. Is that too much like will that mess up the driveway? I also have a 2300PSI 2.5 GPM machine as well that I used to start out. If you guys could just give me some tips that would be awesome!
You replace the tips in your surface cleaner to lower the psi. Using a 2.5 gpm to do flat work will take forever. I would stick with your 4 gpm and use the proper nozzles for whatever your cleaning.
Vinyl-100 psi
Decks 800-1000 psi
Concrete 2500 psi unless concrete is newer
5 Likes
Is this your own or a customer’s? Are we talking concrete or asphalt?
I usually just use a surface cleaner so I take the tip off and just connect it to the cleaner is that ok? I don’t think I am able to adjust the PSI on my washer
I was talking about just in general I did my dads driveway the other day and It came out well I just wanted a few tips to prevent messing up any driveways.
You need to get a professional surface cleaner. Not a small homeowner unit that you attach to your wand. A real surface clean has two to four nozzles on the bottom that can be replaced with the correct nozzle size to match your machine.
Look into a Whisper Wash.
1 Like
Ok, so you’re using one of these…
Please be careful with that, it’ll eat concrete right up. Don’t show up to a customer’s house with it.
2 Likes
Do yourself a favor. Before cleaning anything else start reading through old posts. You’ll learn stuff you had no idea you needed to learn. You’ll be glad you did.
1 Like
Something like that yes a 150 dollar one from lowes. What would you reccomend?
Actually, you can change the nozzles on the karcher and BE 15in surface cleaners. I’d definitely recommend a more professional one if you’re doing this as a job though. Throw in some 25025’s and you’ll be good to go.
Huh, didn’t know you could change those out.
What kind of professional one would you recommend?
Whisper Wash
1 Like
Ditto, Whisper Wash Ultra Clean, around $450.
Understand you’ll probably have to get a different hose, connectors and gun to use it.
He has a 4gpm so everything he has should work fine. Get a 16in (if whisper wash even offers those) or a 18in with 25025 nozzles and you’ll be good to go.
Yeah they’re pretty much the exact same.
I have both, Ultra Clean 16” and 19”.
Marine grunt. Is that psi “per nozzle” or combined pressure? Thx
There’s no such thing as combined pressure. If your surface cleaner has 2 tips and you have 2500 psi coming out of each one, the total pressure is 2500 psi, not 5000. There just happen to be 2 tips providing 2500 psi each, but the pressure doesn’t double.
Imagine 100 guys gathered together, each with their own 4 gpm pressure washer, pulling the triggers on their guns and 2500 psi coming out. That’s not 250,000 psi. It’s 2500 psi, but it’s also 400 gpm.
1 Like
CPB…Hey that’s my bad man. I meant to say that if the machine is set at 4000psi and that 4000psi is being “divided” by two nozzles, would it be 2000psi per nozzle. I guess I was thinking it would be the same as running two hoses on one machine. The psi is split in half between both hoses is what I’ve heard. And thx for the reply man. I appreciate all of y’all!
