Tags: Gasoline Pressure Washer Diesel Pressure Washer Pressure Washer Accessory
This recipe results in the Power House ending up diluted to 15 : 1 (15 Parts water and bleach to 1 Part Power House). It also ends up with the bleach at a 1.8% concentration (14 Parts water and Power House to 2 Parts 12.5% bleach) which is plenty strong enough for most situations.
Obviously if you have a power washer that only puts out 3 GPM, your ratios change (and so should your recipe). You will still need the same number of gallons (16) to clean the surface. The X-Jet (without any proportioner) on a 3 GPM power washer will dilute the cleaner by a ratio of 1.2 : 1 (as opposed to 1.6 : 1). That means that we need 13 gallons of cleaner to do the same job. (16 / 1.2 = 13).
In that situation, creating a recipe is simple. The recipe above results in 10 gallons of cleaner with the ingredients in the right ratio. We need to end up with 13 gallons of cleaner, so we have to use 1.3 times as much of each ingredient to get the proper result. Here is the easy conversion:
1.3 gallons of Power House
+ 2.6 gallons of 12.5% bleach
+ 9.1 gallons of water
= 13 gallons of cleaner
Once you have nailed down your house washing formula, you are ready to start work. Here is where "mobility" becomes an issue. Most contractors start out with an X-Jet and no accessories, because they are unfamiliar with the product and the potential. We see people concentrating on getting the lowest price on the internet for the tool, but not talking to someone experienced at how to use the tool to its fullest capacity. The dealers who have never walked in wet boots just don't understand how important those accessories are.
The top item on the list is the spill-proof Closed Pail System . This is a 5-gallon pail that is completely closed and cannot be spilled (even if it is tipped over). You simply detach the mushroom filter from your X-Jet siphon hose and attach that siphon hose directly to the tube coming out of the spill-proof jug. The tube runs down to the bottom of the 5-gallon container, so you always pull cleaner from the bottom of the pail. The container, when full, weighs about 40 pounds, which is easy enough to carry from one side of the building to the next. It will carry enough soap so that you will probably only refill it once to complete the average house wash (particularly if you are using one of the proportioners). If you accidentally pull the hose and tip the jug over, your cleaner will stay in the jug and your X-Jet will continue to siphon out cleaner at the proper ratio.
The manufacturer used to make a backpack container, but there were always inherent problems using a backpack. I know, through a very personal experience, that backpacks develop leaks over time. You don't want something that will clean a house dripping down into your personal areas. The new closed-system pail is about half the price of the old backpack system, and much safer to use.
If you have questions about how to use an X-Jet or where to buy one, please call us or look online at the Sun Brite Supply web store.
By the way, consider adding extras like 4 ounces of Wet Wax to make your house-wash mix 'special' for your customers. The Wet Wax adds a soft sheen on aluminum or vinyl siding that will look great for several weeks. This will help you get more jobs in the neighborhood. Since you don't charge extra for the addition of the wax, people are pleasantly surprised by the nice appearance it leaves over ordinary house washes. Four ounces of Wet Wax could cost you as little as 60 cents. Another great adder to customize your mix is to add 4 ounces of SoSoft Rinse Aid. This allows the windows to rinse almost spot-free - a great "up-sell". We charged customers when we added the rinse aid to the final rinse of the house, but I know several contractors who just throw it in as a part of their service. This is something that costs as little as 40 cents per house, so you can economically include it in your mix without charging extra.
Finally, consider cleaning the outside of the gutters as an extra-charge service. Gutter Zap and your X-Jet make an unbeatable team for that job. Expect to be able to remove about 90% of those pesky black streaks without ever getting on a ladder!
In all, washing a house with an X-Jet is economical from a labor/time perspective - with most jobs only taking an hour to do (or up to two hours for very large homes). The cleaner mix is inexpensive as well.
EXAMPLES:
Example 1: For our illustration, we will use Power House concentrate for a house wash. This cleaner's label advises you to dilute the product at least 15:1 before applying to a painted surface. To use Power House straight from the jug (full-strength), you could simply use the XJet with the red proportioner and get an application @ 16:1 (which is fine).
Example 2: If you have lost your red proportioner, you could add 1 gallon of water to 1 gallon of Power House and then use your beige proportioner. Because you "cut" the cleaner 1:1 before it went through the X-Jet at 10:1, you would actually end up applying at a final ratio of 20:1 (which is OK).
Example 3: If you didn't have any proportioner, you could "cut" the product by mixing 9 gallons of water with 1 gallon of Power House. By the time it ran through the X-Jet @ 1.6:1, your final application rate is actually 16:1.
The math here can be complex and confusing at first, but look at it this way. If you add up the total number of gallons resulting from the first cut of the product, and then multiply that number times the ratio of the X-Jet proportioner you select, you will find the overall dilution rate. In Example 2, the first cut produces 2 gallons of diluted cleaner. Running those two gallons through a 10:1 ratio gives you the 20:1 final ratio. In example 3, which is a little harder to understand, you have to see that you have 10 gallons of diluted cleaner which you then run through your X-jet at 1.6:1 - which gives you a final ratio of 16:1.
So let's put all this higher math to some practical use:
For discussion purposes, assume that you will use about 10 gallons of this cleaning mix to completely wash a 3-4 bedroom (2400 sq. ft.) ranch house. You can easily clean 5 or more of these houses with a single jug of Power House.
To make a KILLER STRONG housewash product using Power House and 12% bleach, mix 1 gallon of Power House with 5 gallons of water and 4 gallons of 12% bleach. That gives you 10 gallons of cleaner, with the Power House diluted to 10:1 and the bleach is cut down to 4.8%. Running that through the X-Jet with no proportioner (1.6:1) gives you a final dilution on the Power House of 16:1 and cuts the bleach to 3%. This is the strongest solution of bleach you should ever use to wash the dirtiest, moldiest house.
To make a
Peter Marentay, Owner of Sun Brite Inc.
Mr. Marentay joined Sun Brite Inc. in 1998 and immediately created a new division of the company - Sun Brite Supply. Since that time, SBS has become one of the fastest growing suppliers of specialty products to the pressure washing industry.
Pete co-authored the Power Washers of North America Wood Certification course and is currently a PWNA Certified Instructor. PWNA Certification is available separately for those interested at the end of the class.
Pete has taught this 4-day hands-on class since 1999. The important focus of this 4-day course is Profitability.The news come from http://www.bossgoo.com/
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