I am new to all of this and have no idea what I am doing. I have noticed that, unless you know what you are looking for, it is difficult to find the answers you need. I happened to find a post about YouTube channels with good info, Beginner Youtube Series , which helped me find some basic information I needed to come up with more questions. As of right now I have no equipment and still in the gathering knowledge phase of my journey, 1 of my questions was can a soft wash solution be used in a downstream injector? which, when googled, I found a technical bulletin from softwash systems, https://softwashsystems.com/PDF-Files/TechnicalBulletin-DownstreamInjectors.pdf. before I continue I do have to start that down the road i do plan on getting a proper setup with separate pressure wash/softwash systems but for now i have to work with a low budget. so my question is for the experience and knowledgeable, is the bulletin accurate and would I be able to get by, for the time being, using a softwash solution with a downstream injector?
Donât start with a softwash, get a decent belt drive machine first and use the injector to wash houses if thatâs what youâre after. This way you can also do concrete if needed.
Piece together a 12v system later.
Someone wide told me you can start with a 4k/4gpm machine and a few houses will more than pay for a nice upgrade. Even if you have to slap a decent machine on a credit card itâll get paid off in a week if you are good enough.
If thats the case I would suggest not looking into the softwash systems set up.
Keep reading up and researching and youâll soon know what you are looking for. Some keywords to help get you started⌠SH (pool shock, sodium hypochlorite, liquid chlorine), surfactant, Triplex pump, direct drive vs. gear drive vs. belt drive, X-jet vs. downstream, downstream injector, surface cleaner, nozzle sizes, psi vs. gpm.
Thatâs why i created this post. to see if i can use a softwash solution with a downstream injector. the video was just a cheap(ish) alternative for a softwash setup.
To clarify, the tech bulletin you posted originally is from a company called Softwash Systems⌠their company operates in a similar fashion as something like Mary Kay without the multi-level marketing aspect⌠they created a package and give you step-by-step playbook on how to run your business, all the equipment and marketing stuff you need, and then guide you along the way⌠this all comes at a cost though.
All that to say Softwash Systems and Softwashing are two different things, and using a Softwash Systems Solution is not necessary for downstreaming or softwashing. You can put whatever you want through a downstream injector as long as itâs fluid⌠it will get sucked up. Whether or not the chemicals is the right one for the job or if itâs effective at the ratio itâll be diluted down to through the injector is a different question.
The video you posted shows a cheap way of making a 12V soft wash setup by batch mixing. When you get to the point that youâre ready to get a 12V setup, you will have to make the decision if you want to batch mix or use a proportioner⌠but all of that is irrelevant currently since you can get a 4, 5.5, or 8 gpm machine and soft wash with it for the majority of things you would want to clean. The trouble comes when you want to start doing roofs, stucco, or dirty concrete where you need a stronger solution of SH then can be put out from a DS injector⌠thats where the x-jet and 12Vâs come in.
my point is, who says you have to mix your solution at a specific ratio? does a stronger solution (less water in the mix) damage the equipment? your not giving any new information other than it gets diluted more which is why Iâm wondering why you cant just make the stronger solution, knowing it gets weaker with a downstream injector?
Yup we do. I have a tote with 12.5% SH that I drop the injector into and it pulls. But the power washer puts out 4GPM + based on the GPM. The injector is only able to put out a certain amount. I believe the less GPM the washer puts out the stronger of a mix you can get.
But the max the injector can put out is around 1% even though you put it into a 12.5% SH solution.
An injector, depending on machine used, can pull ~1:10 to 1:15 water to bleach ratio which is perfect for killing mold and algae on houses. Typically the strongest SH you can get is 12.5%, so youâre putting about 1% âstrengthâ on a house.
Sometimes you need something more potent for lichens, stubborn multi-year algae buildup or stripes on concrete, and thatâs where a âsoftwashâ system comes in. You can either pre-mix water/SH strength (say 3%) or have what is called a proportioner where you set the dials according to what strength you need, all the way up to 12.5% which frankly nobody uses.
As for damaging equipment, a softwash/12v pump has special chemical resistant seals and guts, but you always want to flush with water regardless. That being said we are CONSTANTLY replacing various parts and hoses so itâs just part of the job.
i see. thank you for clearing up my confusion. this changes my plan on my starting gear. your info gave me another question. how do you figure out the solution strength/mix ratio needed for the job?
Iâll borrow from all th âold guysâ on here:
if youâre washing mildew and it turns ion about 5 mins, youâre right on it. If it takes longer, add SH; if it takes less, dilute. Youâd like the weakest solution to do the job within a reasonable timeframe, but it isnât rocket science. If youâre running any downstream injector, you can certainly drop it into straight 12.5% (many guys starting out are stuck with buying 10%, also fine).
Your DS injectors will die (unless you buy the bulletproof from what I hear) because your spring will fail. All of our average about 3 weeks, and cost about $13. They avg. about $30k in revenue, so they are disposable parts (again unless you buy one intended to not be)
