Surface Cleaner

L

Lenny Schrecengost

New member
We have a Big Guy surface cleaner. It does a good job but we are not able to get the speed out of it we should. We have someone helping us with a large shopping center and he showed us how to incress our productivity.
We always used the surface cleaner by walk straight lines and turning around and coming back. Most of the time we need to go crossways again to get rid of the lines. Lance used the surface cleaner by doing one large block at a time and by going side to side as he did each block in an arc as he walked. How does everyone else use their surface cleaner?
 
I agree with John here. If you are getting those overlap marks, then going side to side afterwards will give you the Tic-Tac-Toe look. However if its just NOT getting out the dirt or algae, then your tips may need checking or your undersized.:(
 
Thanks Guys
We have a new 5.5 gpm 3500 psi machine. We will need to check the tips. I watched Lance do it side to side then I rinsed there where a few spots that needed just a little attention with the wand.
I think it might be quicker going side to side. The first night he did it that way he had to much hose on it so it left alot of stripes.
 
Lenny, are you talking about overlap marks where you go one pass and then to make sure you get everything, you overlap the next pass?

OR

Are you talking about swirls (circular swirls when you are cleaning like it is not cleaning good enough?

The overlaps depend on the quality, hardness of the concrete. I never get them on the very hard smooth finish concrete but the lower quality softer concrete I get them often. Here we have a big problem with poor quality concrete so I keep all kinds of nozzles with me so I do not destroy the substandard concrete. It is sad that people pay for good concrete and end up with crap.


The swirls are from moving too fast, you need to slow down.

What that is, is that you are moving the machine too fast so the spray bar does not have enough time to make that area clean with so many turns of the spray bar as you move thus leaving swirls.

Slow down some and they will not be there anymore. That will be the speed you will need to walk with that surface cleaner and pressure washer.

If you are using a big guy or any other brand surface cleaner that is bigger than 24" with a machine that is less than 8gpm, that will slow you down.

I have a 5.5 and it will work the big guy but I cannot move fast, just like when I had the Steel Eagle 30". Those surface cleaners need more volume machines to make them go faster, not more pressure.

With a 5.5 or smaller, I would stay under 24" so you can walk at a good pace.

I have a cold water 8gpm and it runs the big guy great, no problem at all.

This has been discussed and argued on many boards already throughout the years. If you do not believe me, call Bob from PressureTek or Russ at Southside Equipment and they will tell you the same thing.

There are 2 guys here that say their machines 5.5 or smaller will push the big guy at a good speed. It is possible but without a video showing their machines and the cleaning I don't believe it.

I have taken the big guy to a couple friends' places and tried it with their 5.5gpm, 6gpm, 4gpm and still the same thing, not enough gpm's to push it.
 
Christopher said:
...I have taken the big guy to a couple friends' places and tried it with their 5.5gpm, 6gpm, 4gpm and still the same thing, not enough gpm's to push it.
Click to expand...

The tips for 8 gpm's will not work well with lower gpms. In order to tell how well the Big Guy will run at any given gpm, you would need to re-size the tips.
 
John Orr said:
The tips for 8 gpm's will not work well with lower gpms. In order to tell how well the Big Guy will run at any given gpm, you would need to re-size the tips.
Click to expand...

I should have added that I have a large assortment of 1/4" meg nozzles for surface cleaners of all sizes.

Yes, we changed out nozzles for each machine.

We spent a while between each machine changing out nozzles so that we had the right nozzles according to each machine like for my 5.6gpm we used 2 of the 2530's, for the 4gpm, we used 2 of the 2520's nozzles and for the 6gpm, we used 2 of the 2535 nozzles. When I use the big guy with my 8gpm cold water machine, I use 2 of the 2545 nozzles.

Hope that is clearer than mud. hahaha
 
I have a 5.2gpm @ 3000psi hotwater machine. When I started getting swirl marks I changed my tips and they went away. Using the correct tip will make all the difference in the world.
 
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