I am looking into upgrading to a 3500psi 8gpm machine, however I want to make sure it’s the right choice before I pull the trigger. I tried searching for some sort of chart that compared many different levels of PSI and GPM and how long it took to clean a certain amount of SQFT and what they were cleaning. Having this data would allow me to justify the cost of buying this machine.
I also want to throw in a second question and that is how someone would supply water to a 8gpm machine. I’ve seen water reservoirs that get pretty massive but the most common thing that I’ve seen is a buffer tank with client water filling it at the same time. If anyone has this kind of setup how big is your tank, and how long can you run it before having to let it fill up again. I appreciate all feedback.
You’ll never regret going bigger. What gpm do you have now?
And pretty much everyone runs a buffer tank. With an 8 gpm machine you will have to run a buffer tank. Some houses put out a lot of water and some put out very little. I would get at very minimum a 250 gallon tank. I run a 925 gallon tank. How long you can run will just depend on how much water the house is putting out.
Your tank and unit placement will also be determined by your choice of a belt or direct drive. I have a 275 gallon tote I use, but I am just a part timer. I have shut off the house’s hose bib thinking I was done, go back to fix/rewash something and ran out of water. It wasn’t quick, but 275/8 = 34.5 minutes of run time if the tank was completely full. Your unit will not consume the full 8gpm that the manufacture states it does, they may be rounding or telling fibs.
I’m pretty new to better systems, but I’ve been actually power washing for 2 years. I currently have a 3500psi 2.7gpm machine, and I’ve just been itching to get a new one but I wanted to get the most use out of this one first. Do you have any estimates on how long I could run an 8gpm machine for an average house?
I’m looking into a belt driven unit. Like I said in one of my other replies, I’m pretty new to these systems so I’m trying to get as much information to make my investment worth while. I don’t imagine I can fit a 250 gallon tote and a pressure washing unit on a 5x6 trailer. I’m still using my car and it has a tun of space. Should I try going with the 5x6 trailer or would it make more sense to get a 12x6 instead? Thank you again for your help.
Going from 2.7 to 8gpm will more than double (probably triple) your efficiency. You can soap larger areas at a time because you’re not as constrained by soap drying up before you can rinse it off. And you’ll be able to rinse much faster. You will also reach much higher without needing a ladder or extension lance. You won’t regret it.
But it is a major investment and will likely require you to upgrade your trailer and tow vehicle. As far as how big of a buffer tank you need: are most of your customers on municipal water supply, or wells?
I have the smallest buffer tank on my rig that I know of. 55 gallons with the option to also pull some water from my 55 gallon pure water tank. But I spent several seasons using a 5.5gpm machine and could get a feel for how most customer’s water supplies behaved in my area. Roughly half of my customers are on municipal water which usually keeps up just fine. If I’m working off a well there’s about a 30% chance that I will have to stop several times during the job to let their water catch up. And occasionally I will throttle my machine back 25% and use my old 5.5gpm spray tips to do a smaller job. I’m ok with that tradeoff of efficiency for my particular rig and build some extra time into my rural jobs. And finally, I have a 500 gallon water trailer that I can bring to jobs that have an iffy well.
I don’t really recommend going smaller than 125 gallons, and likely bigger if you know you’ll be working from a lot of slower wells.
Most homes around here max out at about 4 GPM from a spigot… often less in rural areas, or anytime the homeowner is running the dishwasher, shower, or laundry. There simply isn’t enough supply coming from the house to keep up. Any pump rated above 4 GPM should be using a buffer tank.
Went from 4gpm to 8. It doesn’t really matter the size of the house, no matter what I can pretty much have it soaped and rinsed within 45 minutes as long as water is behaving.
I use a vertical 55gallon buffer tank and while it does run low at times, especially when rinsing a driveway, it works well for 90% of my residential jobs.
Oh and around my area we typically see 6-8gpm out of the spigot, so if my tank is pretty full it’ll stay that way for the whole job. Keep in mind you’re not on the trigger 100% so water does have time to catch up. Sometimes I just go get a drink or a snack.
My 30 gallon buffer works just fine for 6.8gpm. The secret sauce is in the Topaz valve and bypassing the supply reel. It takes very little restriction to choke your water supply & I see dudes all the time compensating for running through the reel with a massive tank eating up valuable trailer space.
It really boils down to financing. Most new startups are under funded and that is why they fail.
If you can’t tow a bigger trailer then you are stuck. I am not in your situation, I am in my situation. If you can’t afford a new trailer, or can’t afford a tow vehicle rated for what you are towing (full and empty), then go with what you got and a small buffer. In MY situation, the average home has about 4gpm output which requires time to get me far enough filled to start washing. I wouldn’t want to use my car, it will stink after awhile.
A belt drive will pull water, a direct drive has to be fed (water higher than unit). For me I like the belt then it will always pull water, and in MY situation it also pulls antifreeze.
The golden rule on this forum is buy once cry once, but if you can’t then don’t. Wait a year or two and then roll some profit into new equipment. Also do a cost benefit analysis on paper (pros vs cons) and flush it completely out. Do no do it in your head, on paper (computer). The outcome of your cost benefit analysis will determine your outcome. Measure all variables, cost of equipment, cost of tow vehicle, increased insurance expenses, difficulty parking with bigger trailer etc etc.
I’ll be really real here for a second, there are hacks near me that own almost nothing in equipment, don’t have insurance, and wash for peanuts. It is hard to compete with them, so I don’t. Money is the root of all evil, but you also can’t do anything without it.
Must be nice, 6-8 gpm would save so much time. Once in awhile I get a house with good flow, it is almost surprising to me that I get caught off guard and look back and my tote it full. I almost always travel with some water so I am not waiting on water. Except for when I am going up the mountain, then I dump it.
