Hello there;

T

TW_powerwashing

New member
My name is Tim and I am starting a pressure washing business doing houses and mobile homes.I already have some jobs waiting in the wings when I get my equipment,lucked out there.I have been researching this for well over a year.Do have a couple questions just to make sure I understand things right.
Here goes,what is the average gpm comming out of a house or mobile home? Been told by alot of people just to put 2 good squirts of dish soap(Dawn) in a 5 gallon bucket and use that for my cleaning chemical,sound right to you?
Hope everyone has a wonderfull weekend!
 
TW,

Welcome to the BBS,

First thing I would like to ask is that you put your name in the signature area. I appreciate when I can answer you by your first name and most here do as well. Thanks


Gallons per minute,, at least four and get six if you can. More gallons a minute washing house the faster you will go.

As far as dish soap I really don’t know about that. Mike Hughes washes a lot of house and probably some of these residential guys like Les would be better equip to help yah there.

Go to the residential section and search for some chemicals.
 
Thanks Ron for your help.Sorry about not putting my first name down.Just got done talking to a plumbing store,they said the average house with city water puts out around
6gpm.Sound right to you guys?
 
Tim,
From what I have read on this and other boards, the dawn in the water is a surfactant. It helps to keep the actual chemical that you will be using on the surface for a good dwell time.
Use the search at the top and look for house washing, and see what others are saying.
As far as the GPM, it just depends on your area. I have only used city water and have had a huge variance from one end of town to the other. You will probably be using at least a 4 GPM machine, this is your minimum needed. If you have a bigger
machine, you will need a tank, for convenience and safety of your equipment.
 
ron p

Tim hi the gpm on any given house will depend on how far the house is from a MAIN. Water piping is like a tree. It has mains[trunk lines] and leeds [branches]. Then if its an old housse it can have rusted gal. pipe that can slow, the flow. I suggest you get a tank. The size will depend on the GPM wash unit you get.
As far as chems for cleaning there are lots of ways to go. Painted metal is painted metal. weather its a trailer or a truck. hint hint
Do a search on HOUSEWASH and come back and ask more specific questions.
Dish soaps and laundry soaps tend to dry out paint but DAWN is good to add a little to a cleaner, to give it a longer dwell time [make it stick longer].
Another big question is how are you getting the cleaner from the bucket to the surface of the house?
 
As stated above, water rate depends on the community you are in, plus how far you are from a main, plus plumbing at the site. I run a 5 gpm and about 10% of the time I am on the edge. I pull out a 4 gpm machine then. Thought about using a 55 gal drum for the marginal cases.
 
Too many variables to determine the exact gpm from a typical water spicket. They are all different, town to town. Well water to city supplied. I'm in the plumbing and heating business and at times need to test the psi coming into the house. One town may be 60 psi entering through a 1" main (and then how many other houses branch off that same street supply), and then two towns over may be 100 psi entering through a 1" main. Different flow rates, right? Well water, forget about it. Bring your own.

However, if you have good flow out of the spicket then 99% chance you have enough to supply your machine.

As far as a wash. You need a detergent. I think you were understanding that the dishsoap was the detergent. It's a surfactant (makes it stick). To the bleach and water, you need soda ash, or car wash. Easier still, find some Jomax house wash, follow the directions, bleach, water, Jomax (already has surf.).

Hope that helps!:D

Tom
 
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