What psi is everyone using on residential concrete cleaning? Im reading anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000.
Every now and then i am running into overlapping marks. How to prevent those.
Austin Bischoff
Eco Property Services, LLC
Myrtle Beach , South Carolina.
Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning
I use 3000 psi and go up and down then go back and forth
Sent from my iPhone using Pressure Washing Resource
2000 may work for small residential driveways and patios, but it’s not ideal. It’s not going to be enough for commercial cleaning. For commercial cleaning you’re going to want between 3000 to 4000 psi. 3500 is usually the sweet spot.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Pressure Washing Resource mobile app
Guess i need to purchase a pressure gauge
Austin Bischoff
Eco Property Services, LLC
Myrtle Beach , South Carolina.
Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning
Been using 2500 for resi. driveways for a year now. Have done hundreds, haven’t found a driveway I couldn’t clean. With my 4-4.6 3500-3000 psi machine(s) I was stripping the cream off of the driveway. If you come across a nasty one, use a stronger mix or longer dwell time. I am a big fan of less pressure and stronger mix to get the job done. You cant put the cream back on the driveway once its in the gutter. That’s the secret to overlap marks too, a stronger mix and a post treatment. That and a good surface cleaner. I was getting stripes and overlap marks when I used a hammerhead, haven’t even seen an overlap or striping since I switched to Whisper wash and started post treating every driveway.
Ralph what do you do for a post treatment on concrete?
Aaron Luthi
Ace Pressure Washing
Silverton, OR
971.701.4770
I have a 50 gallon chem tank that my chem injector is plumbed too, so I downstream straight from the tank. It is 10.5 % SH, elemonator and lemon aid from Russ Johnson. So the same mix I pre-treat with. It works great. 95% of my cleaning uses that mix. For certain stains I use the proper cleaner. One restore, oxalic, degreaser…etc.
With the correct amount of pressure a finishing spray is not needed 99% of the time. One pass of the surface cleaner and it’s clean, and no stripes. Stripes will be often with a 2500 psi machine. You’re probably a few hundred PSI less then 2500 at the surface cleaner.
Keep in mind too, that depending on where you’re at in the country, things are cleaned differently. If I lived in Florida I could probably nuke a driveway with 12.5% and rinse it without even using a surface cleaner and it would be near perfect. Not the case here in SC. You have mold, algae, red clay, and the worst - tree sap. The difference between 2500 and 3000 is night and day when cleaning concrete here.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Pressure Washing Resource mobile app
Did you say you’re in south carolina?
Austin Bischoff
Eco Property Services, LLC
Myrtle Beach , South Carolina.
Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning
Yes. Greenville.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Pressure Washing Resource mobile app
Oh nice!
Austin Bischoff
Eco Property Services, LLC
Myrtle Beach , South Carolina.
Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning
I am pushing a 20" surface cleaner with a 4/4000 machine through 200’ of hose. With 2503 tips installed I am getting just over 2,000 PSI at the gun. With a good pre treatment of house wash, I clean residential and light commercial concrete pretty dang fast. Running the 2502 nozzles that came with it had me over 3,000 PSI, left striping marks and would blast concrete cream right off.
You have to chamge tips or can you simply just lower the pressure on the machine
Austin Bischoff
Eco Property Services, LLC
Myrtle Beach , South Carolina.
Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning
You lower pressure by changing tips, not by limiting engine throttle or pressure adjustments with the unloader.
So use to carpet cleaning machines where you just adjust with the uploader.
Austin Bischoff
Eco Property Services, LLC
Myrtle Beach , South Carolina.
Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning
Adjusting the unloader to lower psi also lowers your gpm on a pressure washer… which is a bad idea. Adjusting your idle down will eventually do the same, plus it’s bad for the engine.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Pressure Washing Resource mobile app
Awesome about to order set of 2503s and gauge
Austin Bischoff
Eco Property Services, LLC
Myrtle Beach , South Carolina.
Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning
