Based on recipes here and elsewhere, I used the following yesterday 
I used the X-JET downstream kit with no proportioner, based on some recommendations and since the SH was already dilluted.
However, that 5gal bucket was gone in about 3 minutes with just one side of my 2 story house soaked. Is this a normal rate or should I have proportioned?
I still have the rest of the house to finish and am wondering how much Iāll need.
Either use the proportioning tips, or get a downstream injector. 5 gallons in 3 minutes sounds about right for the xjet with no proportioner. Most guys here downstream because of how easy and efficient it is for cleaning non-porous surfaces. Stucco and other more porous surfaces will require the xjet or a stronger application method.
But, I am using the X-JET M5 Twist DS (downstream) which siphons right into the twist nozzleā¦ How is a downstream injector different?
So, itās normal to require 5-6gal SH for a house?
Use the proportioning inserts for the x-jet that allows you to pull 15-20:1 then no need to dilute the mixture. Thatās why Xjets have portioners.
No one knows how big your house is.
A downstream injector works similarly but itās got a check valve so no soap is pulled at high pressure. You donāt have to drag a bucket around if you use the injector. You have to test it to see what your draw rate is then dilute as necessary so youāre not slinging too much bleach on your house.
Not unusual. Some houses I do only take 2-3, some big houses have taken upwards of 10 or 12.
Downstream injector works on the same venturii principle as the xjet, but itās installed right after your machine instead of at the gun. So your maneuverability is way better. And they naturally draw at a lower concentration than the xjet will (without proportioning tips).
Most guys here still go back to their machine to switch off the soap at the injector, because the amount of pressure required to stop the injector from sucking is a lot more than weāre comfortable putting on siding. But itās still loads easier than lugging around a 5 gallon tote and refilling it as needed.
@sgb is mostly right, except that the check valve is simply so water canāt flow back out soap line when you let off the trigger. It has no effect on the venturii action of the injector. An xjet doesnāt need the check valve because itās installed after the gun. But if you ever set your xjet gun down on the ground without turning off the poly ball valve, youāll end up with a nice dead spot in the lawn because the bleach will siphon right out through the xjet.
@Infinity yes you are right, the check valves main purpose is to not allow water back into the chem tank but it serves both purposes. I personally donāt use pressure for shutting off soap but lots of people do. Thatās why the jrod is so popular.
What SH ratio should I be targeting?
The X-JET docs say the beige proportion tip should give me about 7:1 if I were using 12.5% SH. The stuff for pools is around 10% I think.
Putting 2 gal of SH in a bucket without water is easier to cart around than a full 5gal bucketā¦
That said I donāt need to move around much to do my house.
Also, why would the mix siphon out with the ball valve off?
Ive already said use the one that will give you 15-20:1. Use the white proportioner. Iām assuming you have a small 2.5 gpm. You donāt need anymore than that even at 10%.
Thatās not how this works. Maybe hold off on posting for a few months until you do some research.
Just pay someone to do it. Replacing siding or Painting a house isnāt cheap when you mess it up. Your literally going in blind experimenting without a clue, recipe for disaster.
I did the researchā¦ But I suppose the findings donāt line up with your practice?
If you donāt have useful advice to offer, not replying or telling me to ā ā ā ā off are both probably better responses than just telling me I didnāt do research.
I posted on Reddit a while back and this was one personās advice. It was inline with other posts. Hell, the recipe that came with the instructions for the X-JET was about the same, just more SH.
If you are accepting advice from a poster using profanity, you deserve what you get. I just left Atlantic Beach from a cookout at the house of the man who invented the Xjet. I can assure you there are no instructions from Xterior that say to use arm and hammer detergent. When you come here and post garbage like that, new folks might stumble upon it and think it is good advice. When donāt need that on this forum. You have 20 minutes of research time here. If you are interested in learning, this is the right place. Itās not the place to read for a couple of minutes, get uptight with answers, or get bent out shape. If you want free advice, you got to take whatever comes your way.
Actually, the ideal to use Arm & Hammer detergent came from this very forum, and the number of happy users of it steered me in that direction. The X-JET instructions say to use Dawn, which, to my understanding isnāt safe to mix with bleach, so I didnāt do that. Iām not making this stuff up.
Iāve been researching this forum and the rest of the internet for a solid 2 months now. I didnāt read one post and go out and do this.
Iām obviously posting here because Iām looking for information I couldnāt find, and want to learnā¦ But telling me Iām so wrong I should just give up and GTFO isnāt helpful. In fact, you still havenāt offered me (or anyone else reading this thread) any advice.
You donāt get to say āThatās not how this worksā without saying how it is supposed to work or telling me what Iām doing wrong.
Why lie? I never said that. Donāt use arm and hammer. Donāt use dawn. Donāt lie. Donāt use profanity. There are 4 pieces of info for you.
Well, that post was 2 years ago, and they said if you are in a pinch or when out of the other stuff. There is a problem with reading older posts on this site, the information changes as knowledge grows and the industry moves forward.
Iām not telling you what to do, or what not to do, but some of the people who responded to you are regular posters who do this for a living. If you ask nicely, I am sure someone will help you out. I have my own issues with my PW so I canāt offer any suggestions.
THere are way more posts on here that say not to use dish soap or laundry soap. There are some posts on here that talk specifically about why you shouldnāt. Look up posts about chems in general.
Good luck to you. The forum has toned way down in regards to responses. About a year ago it would have been lit.
Alrighty, from a āsemi-noobā washer, I will admit to reading many posts about using Oxi in a pinch if Elemonator isnāt available. I tried it, smelled great but didnāt really help it stick much and left streaks after rinsing.
I use Snotmenade now, no issues.
Like I said, Iām a homeowner doing my own stuff. I would have preferred Elemonator but the shipping costs to get it here were ridiculous the last I checked. When I asked āprosā on Reddit, using Tide, or a bleach safe surfactant was the next best thing. Iām not being cheap on chemicals and charging people to do this.
A two year old post about softwashing doesnāt seem like something that would change in two years. Were pressure washers reinvented or something?
I have also not found any posts saying not to use something like laundry soap or dawn except in a pinch. I found more posts suggesting Gain over Dawn because it is bleach safe. Sure if you are a āproā, use the right stuff and charge accordinglyā¦ But besides not being able to keep the leftover of a mix, why canāt these be used?
I appreciate the advice given here, but replies saying, āno youāre wrong come back laterā arenāt in the least bit helpful.
Lol yeah, I still have a bottle of green Gain sitting in my garage. If youāre using on your own house, by all means use it! These guys are biased toward professional chemicals that are the indistry standard so those are the responses youāre seeing.
Thanks. Iām getting that vibe.
As stated in my OP, I already did this wash and it worked greatā¦
Itās also not like I can go to Home Depot or Loweās and buy professional chemicalsā¦ I checked both today and they literally have nothing.
Man your so irritating, even your profile picture irritates me. PWR isnāt reddit. Outta here fella. The men have business to discuss.
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