So do you think that 2500 PSI is enough to clean residential concrete? How about commercial?
Or how how about 2800 psi.I was going to go for an 8 com machine but i decided to get a smaller machine I can mount in the back of my pickup. I’m thinking a 30 gal buffer tank with one of these machines.
http://www.watercannon.com/p-6001-honda-gx390-12hp-gp-hp5535-55gpm-2500psi.aspx
ill probably run 200-250 ft of high pressure hose
Residential - yep. Commercial - probably not.
As a caveat, you might be able to get by cleaning some commercial, provided that it’s not totally filthy and you pre- and post-treat it. You won’t be able to touch oil/grease stains or pop gum though.
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Not sure if makes a difference but As far as the commercial it will be mostly just patios and walkways for restaurants and storefronts
If you make it clear that you can’t get rid of gum and that it’s just a basic concrete cleaning and they’re cool with that, you can give it a shot. Restaurants can have issues with grease and stuff on some concrete near the service entrances so that’s something to consider. I’m doing some sidewalks tomorrow for a local office (2500 PSI also), but I looked them over very good first to make sure I could actually clean it. Don’t jump into more than your equipment can handle! You won’t be happy with the results and your customer won’t either.
Edit: Also, you should probably invest in a roof pump or get a pump-up sprayer in the meantime because really dirty concrete - even residential - will sometimes require an SH mix stronger than what you can downstream.
Cleaning is a combination of
- chemical
- time
- temperature
- pressure/agitation
To increase cleaning performance you can increase one, some or all of these. In your case you need to find the right chemicals for the job (bleach, potassium hydroxide degreaser, sodium hydroxide degreaser etc) and you can easily increase chemical strength with an x-jet, 12v pump, pump-up sprayer or one of the fancy roof/softwash systems. Increasing the time and agitation (scrub with a broom) will also improve your result.
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Once you cleaned it we recommend applying a commercial coat of PURETi. PURETi is a titanium dioxide nano coating that lasts 2+ years. It lasts 3-5 but you don’t want to guarantee performance that long as you’d like to come back and do a service. You can charge $0.10 per square foot for any already cleaned surface applied at the rate of 3800 sqft/gallon. It may sound bad that you won’t have recurring revenue by having to come back to pressure wash often but you can charge twice as much for the service with more than double the profit.
Externally you can treat any surface including windows, bricks, sidewalks, pavers, patio furniture, awnings, vinyl siding, wood decks, solar panels, tanks, towers, and trailers. Internally you can treat windows and any surface that is exposed to UVA light. PURETI is a hydrophilic coating. That means, unlike a coating that is hydrophobic like the RainX you use on your car window, the water sheets and doesn’t bead up. The other key advantage is that PURETi is a photocatalyst.
PURETi does two things. First, it modifies the surface so soils don’t stick. Windows are easier to clean and you can just wipe with a microfiber and water for daily cleaning. Second, it is a photocatalyst so it destroys any organic material that comes in contact with the surface when exposed to UVA. That means “green stuff” won’t grow on the surface outside on surfaces (patio furniture, siding, etc). It also means that it removes pollution from both inside and outside. Inside you get better Indoor Air Quality. Outside, for every 1000 sq/ft of you remove the equivalent pollution for 2 cars.
