I am new to the pressure washing business and I have a question that I have not been able to find an answer to… I have a 4gpm, 4400 psi Simpson pressure washer and I am trying to buy a surface cleaner for it… So I have learned that I need to stick with a 2 nozzle bar but what I cant find is any surface cleaners that are rated for 4400 psi… almost all the surface cleaners I have come across that I believe are suitable are rated for 4000 psi. I feel stupid asking this but will a 4000 psi rated surface cleaner be okay with a 4400 psi pressure washer?
@Innocentbystander one thing I’ve always wondered was, what’s the ideal psi for surface cleaning? 4000 psi may be a little high no? I’ve heard some folks here say 2500 to 3500 is sufficient enough, and will prevent you from tearing up whatever concrete or cement surface you’re cleaning… I’m wondering what your take is on this?
I’ve never owned a pressure gauge so I’m not exactly sure what my pressure is. My machines are 3000/8 with 250ft of hose. I don’t clean driveways or residential concrete and have never had a problem with concrete in breezeways or sidewalks at apartments or townhomes
Everyone like to use different pressure, theres no universal pressure for surface cleaning.
4k psi for residential is very high, and not needed. With residential concrete there really is no quick and easy way of knowing what the concrete can handle. In residential there was no engineer on site during the pour to make sure its to spec like in the commercial world. So in the same neighborhood you can have one driveway that can only handle 1800 and one that can handle 3000psi. So that kind of where people get the max residential can handle is 2500psi from, its the middle ground and really all that is needed. Youll know your using too much pressure when you see white milky substance in the runoff water. That means your taking the “cream” off the concrete.
I personally use nozzle that bring my pressure down to 1800psi, and with hose, probably closer to 1700psi. The surface cleaner is really just removing the top layer of dirt, grim and algae, if you pre/post treat that will take care of the rest. By using a little less pressure it also allows me to clean more surface without having to change out nozzles every other job. On commercial cleanings i bump the pressure up.
I have the same exact machine, 4/4. Get the Ultra Clean and buy the 25025 nozzles. I had striping with the stock 2502’s.
The guys on here steered me to that setup, works great.
Yeah, thanks for the advice. I stopped in to get the nozzles, he seemed a bit confused why I would want the 25025’s but I did a smooth concrete patio and sidewalk and didn’t see the stripes I did with the 2502’s.
On a side note I also used the jrod to good effect, her house just gleamed. She was thrilled.
2502 with 4gpm should put out 4000 psi to the concrete. Did you notice any etching? My SC came stock with 2502 and I’ve ordered 25025 to bring it to 3000 psi. Im afaraide to use the 2502s on my own sidewalk.
I was in the middle of making the same suggestion, lol. I mean, if there’s something there that you’re still wanting answered, but not to give an answer or info to something so old. If you guys are still looking for answers 3 years later…I doubt you’re still in business, lol.
You will be fine with 4000 psi rated. Your tip reduction will take care of it. I have a pressure pro SC 18", and an EDOU, both rated at 4500 so they are out there. A 16" is by the book but a 20 will work. Just be sure to not do driveways from top to bottom or bottom to top. Go perpendicular with two passes each line, then after a couple of lines you should do circles. This works well for me as I have never had an issue with zebra stripes, not once. And pre treat and post treat. If you are in an area with those pesky lichens, you will definitly need a pump sprayer (preferably battery operated) to spot treat as i have found those things dont come off with just SC and 3% pre and post. Good luck. Youre on the best PW site there is.
Ditto on this one…or it would definitely be worth your while to upgrade your equipment… We’ve gotten callbacks for all sorts of things, but I’ve not seen one for concrete striping, not 1. We single pass, and don’t post treat. There’s maybe a couple tough spots that may get hit with a little pressure during the rinse, but that’s about it.
I just get concerned that with only 4 gpm and using a 20" i should apply some xtra attention. Everything in my rig works great so if you think one pass will work ill give it a shot. On all these other sites i see all these guys posting with problems with lines and i dont ever want to be that guy. I take one job a day only as im pretty secure financially so the time factor is not a big issue for me. But ill try it with one pass. If I had an 8 gpm rog with a sweet wisper wash i would definitly feel better about one pass. Believe me, what you guys do in an hour takes me two.
