For all of you starting in the business like me. What is your current system setup, including equipment? What equipment are you looking to purchase or upgrade to in the future, short-term and long-term? What have been some of your troubles so far? When did you start? Where are you operating? How are you marketing your business? And why did you decide to get started in the business?
Hitting the Ground Running with Power Washing!
Hey everyone, I’m excited to jump into the pressure washing world! I recently acquired a 2014 Chevy 1500 Work Truck, perfect for hauling my setup. To keep things organized, I built a platform using pressure-treated plywood and some trusty free pallets from Home Depot. My trusty pressure washer is a DeWalt with a Honda engine, a powerful 4400 psi and 4 gpm beast! To tackle larger areas efficiently, I also have a 100ft hose and a Simpson Universal 20" Surface Cleaner.
While I plan on eventually getting a dedicated soft washing system, I’m diving in with the down-streaming method to see how it goes. Batch mixing seems like the most budget-friendly way to start, though I’m still figuring out the dilution ratios (no worries, math won’t hold me back!).
Speaking of budget-friendly, a trailer is definitely on the future wish list. That will free up space in the truck bed and allow me to invest in proper liquid containers for water, SH, and surfactant.
Learning the ropes has been a whirlwind! I’ve devoured countless resources – hours of YouTube tutorials, free guides, and anything else I can find. My current challenge is finding a good hose reel that can attach to the tailgate during jobs and tuck neatly back into the bed when I’m done. The truck bed cap is a lifesaver when it comes to securing everything until the trailer upgrade!
Starting last month, I’m hitting the ground running here in South Texas. To spread the word about my services, I’ve been active on Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, Nextdoor, and even secured a spot in the Yellow Pages (old school, but hey, it works!).
Why the switch from the corporate world? After retiring from the Army in 2015 and spending the past 7 years working for the government, the entrepreneurial itch became too strong to ignore. My ultimate goal? To build a thriving business that can offer opportunities to others someday.
Here’s to a clean start and a successful journey! Feel free to share any tips or answer questions you might have for a pressure washing newbie!
Not a beast, entry level. Look, you can wash houses with a garden hose and a pump up but it would be slow and laborious. That unit will let you get your feet wet and make a couple of $$ that you should be putting towards a better unit eventually. You will likely never need 4400 psi in this job, and if you need pressure a turbo is better. Make sure you understand a nozzle selection chart.
Ok, you don’t need a SW system to get started. A pump up or a small 12v on a bucket or the racer recommend application tool will suffice for most things. Most people cleaning vinyl boxes downstream. Not all do, we have some washer on here that only use a 12v system. You don’t have to have a manifold to mix and spray. All I have is a bleach tank, a water tank, a 3 way valve, and a chemical injector sized to my unit. Learn what your draw rate is, what a bucket test is, and whether you have an unloader and/or a chemical injector on that unit. I don’t know what that dewalt has. Get your injector for your unit. That is all you need to start, if your unit can do an injector.
be careful with that, some of those people do some weird stuff or just market crap they sell. If you want good advice chat with some people here.
Hanny makes decent reels, many people on here have them. They make ones that can carry 200’ of hose. How you attach and remove it is something that sounds like a one off fabrication, I doubt you are going to buy a decent reel that will do that. A hose reel with 200’ of hose full of water gets a little heavy. Especially with 2 wire.
There are several members on here from texas, we even have a displaced one here. 
I’m from TX…but it’s been like 30 years.
So the best thing you can do at this point is just STOP buying stuff, let the guys here steer you straight. Forget the YouTube crap. You don’t know, what you don’t know…especially at this juncture.
