Quick questions before my first job

Newbie Questions
1

I’m planning on introducing pressure washing into my window cleaning business next spring and I am just practicing on a few clients house for a small price before winter. I recently ordered my stuff from pressure tek and I’ve been asking them most of my dumb questions but I haven’t heard back from them in a few days.

My supplies right now are:
5.5 2500 GX390 electric start
Jrod downstream kit
down stream inj. with bypass kit
WW classic
35 g buffer
1 hose reel with 150’ pressure hose
1 hose reel 100’ supply hose
100’ extra supply hose, 100’ extra pressure hose
A few pallets which I will mount equipment in the bed of my truck

My questions are:

  1. With the electric start, do I have to put the battery case back on after I wire it? (because I’m not sure how it would fit with the wires coming out)
  2. Should I always keep the throttle all the way up even when starting the machine? Or are there any times when it shouldn’t be all the way up?
  3. Is 3/4 hose sufficient from buffer to pump?
  4. Should I put thread tape on every male fitting?

Thanks in advance

2

The battery cover should have a raised area that can fit over the cables. They kind of bend over the case and the cover then slides on.

I don’t like starting an engine at full throttle. I like letting it warm up a little. I do the same when shutting down. Some people don’t.

3/4 hose is plenty.

You have to use tape or dope on all metal fittings. Use dope on plastic.

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3

  1. There should be a gap or two under the lid of the battery case for the wires to fit through.

  2. I start my machine at 2/3 throttle. Probably more a superstition than anything. But IIRC I’ve had it stall shortly after starting if I was too quick to go full throttle or took off the choke too soon.
    I drop to minimum throttle if I’ve run the buffer tank completely empty and need to prime the pump.

  3. I see marinegrunt has beat me to the punch.
    I use tape on pretty much everything. I just don’t like sticky stuff. Very rarely get leaks, and have only ever broken a couple of plastic fittings from over tightening. But using tape on everything is not considered “best practice”

I like using 1” hose on everything, because it should also be sufficient to run 8gpm if/when I decide to upgrade machines. Plus, there’s a number of other parts that use 1” as a standard. For instance, Hudson float valves and full flow 1” manifold supply reels.

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4

I skimmed too fast and was thinking you meant 3/4" for supply so I would definitely listen to Alex and go with at least 1" from buffer to machine. I’m sure 3/4" would be fine but I don’t know if I’d call it plenty like I said above.

I sometimes use teflon tape on plastic. To be honest I just use whatever I happen to have. They both work fine.

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5

Oh, and make sure to use a crush proof hose like spiraflex or similar. “Braided reinforced pvc” is not sufficient.

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6

Just to point out, 3/4" will supply over 8gpm over say 300ft of hose even at 40psi.

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7

Yup, I run 5/8" on my detuned 5.5 gpm pumps and then I even restrict it a bit down to pull a harder vacuum for that upstream goodness

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8

3/4 is fine. Use real suction hose not poly braid.