What's a good temp range to apply and rinse house wash?
- Thread starter CL Scott
- Start date
Tally Roof Cleaning
New member
I have never had to warm my mix. I have had a pre-mixed tank sit overnight with tempatures that dropped to the mid 20's that night and when I pulled up to the job the next day, the tempature was high 30's - low 40's and I still had great results. With my roof mix, if it's in the 40's it takes a bit longer to see the results and might need a few more spot treatments on some real bad areas but it works fine. 50 and above, have at it with no worries.
Pat Norman
New member
I only use low heat in cold weather. In the 115 range of cold water mix seems slow. Why are you putting a cup of dish soap in? Gonna make for lots of rinsing and may leave a film on windows.
Christopher
Moderator
I hope you are not listening to more nonsense on that internet thing.
I have found that if it is under 50 degrees it seems like the mix is not working as good but others in other parts of the country say it works all the way to freezing but the coldest I have tried to wash a house was about 48 degrees and a 1 hour house wash turned into almost 3 hours because it was not cleaning. My thermostat was messing up so I did not want to risk using warm water because this house was vinyl siding and if the burner did not turn off when washing, the siding could have melted.
I replaced the thermostat 2 times before I got one that kept working more than a couple months but until then I had to watch everything close but did not want to take chances in cold weather trying to warm up the water for house washes. Concrete cleaning is another thing where you need hot water to melt and remove gum so it would not be that much of an issue unless the burner never turned off, you could end up damaging hoses and risk getting burned with the hot water (been there and done that).
Unless it is about 50 degrees or colder, I would not worry about warming up the water.
Right now it has been in the 95 to 99 all week long, I would think that up in Houston it would be as hot or hotter so I would definately not turn the burner on, especially if you are washing vinyl siding, wood siding, hardiboard, stucco or dryvit to be safe. I have heard that using warm or hot water on wood will warp or expand the wood slightly and cause paint to come off but on stucco, dryvit and hardiboard it will do something similar but said it could cause a slight expansion, just enough to pull from the mesh that holds it on the surface. Not sure if that is true but unless the temp is 50 or colder there is no need. Usually that cold I have not had many calls to do house washing but I still don't use the burner if I can wait for a day that is warmer, if not then I will grab the hose often to make sure the thermostat is working and the water does not get too warm to hold the hose.
Warm to hot water will work better to clean filthy, oily, greasy and nasty stuff, usually you don't have that kind of stuff on most houses, if you do, I would not use hot water, I would probably do a test spot to see if you can clean it but if it is that bad, it probably has soaked into the paint and they will need a new paint job on that house. I have seen where a guy was rebuilding an engine on the back patio and got oil all over the place, the concrete slab, the walls, pillars, windows and window frames, he must have been a very messy guy at the time. I told them that after doing a test spot, the oil had soaked into the paint and they needed to re-paint that little section of the house but I was able to make the concrete look better along with the rest of the house with the house wash.
If you can go outside and wash a house without needing a coat/jacket, the water will be ok to use for washing houses, colder than 50, that is where I would do a test spot to see if the mix will clean, wait for a warmer day or turn on the burner to only 115 or 120 and grab that hose often to make sure it does not get too warm so you don't damage anything.
Why are you using a cup of dish liquid? Do you want to rinse for 30 minutes or an hour? Who is telling you this nonsense?
I would call that idiot and cuss them out as they are trying to make you look like a fool being new to the business, I would not listen to anything that idiot ever said again.
Have you read posts here on this site from the past? There is a lot of great info here that will teach you probably 75% or more of what you need to know if you will just use that search button and do some reading or better yet, take Doug's class so you are not listening to those idiots that are telling you stuff to look like a fool and waste your time and money.
We are trying to help you here, whoever is telling you that nonsense is not looking out for your best interest, they are just trying to make you look like a joke in front of your customer and anyone else watching. Stop listening to those idiots and start reading here or take Doug's class.
Good luck.
I have found that if it is under 50 degrees it seems like the mix is not working as good but others in other parts of the country say it works all the way to freezing but the coldest I have tried to wash a house was about 48 degrees and a 1 hour house wash turned into almost 3 hours because it was not cleaning. My thermostat was messing up so I did not want to risk using warm water because this house was vinyl siding and if the burner did not turn off when washing, the siding could have melted.
I replaced the thermostat 2 times before I got one that kept working more than a couple months but until then I had to watch everything close but did not want to take chances in cold weather trying to warm up the water for house washes. Concrete cleaning is another thing where you need hot water to melt and remove gum so it would not be that much of an issue unless the burner never turned off, you could end up damaging hoses and risk getting burned with the hot water (been there and done that).
Unless it is about 50 degrees or colder, I would not worry about warming up the water.
Right now it has been in the 95 to 99 all week long, I would think that up in Houston it would be as hot or hotter so I would definately not turn the burner on, especially if you are washing vinyl siding, wood siding, hardiboard, stucco or dryvit to be safe. I have heard that using warm or hot water on wood will warp or expand the wood slightly and cause paint to come off but on stucco, dryvit and hardiboard it will do something similar but said it could cause a slight expansion, just enough to pull from the mesh that holds it on the surface. Not sure if that is true but unless the temp is 50 or colder there is no need. Usually that cold I have not had many calls to do house washing but I still don't use the burner if I can wait for a day that is warmer, if not then I will grab the hose often to make sure the thermostat is working and the water does not get too warm to hold the hose.
Warm to hot water will work better to clean filthy, oily, greasy and nasty stuff, usually you don't have that kind of stuff on most houses, if you do, I would not use hot water, I would probably do a test spot to see if you can clean it but if it is that bad, it probably has soaked into the paint and they will need a new paint job on that house. I have seen where a guy was rebuilding an engine on the back patio and got oil all over the place, the concrete slab, the walls, pillars, windows and window frames, he must have been a very messy guy at the time. I told them that after doing a test spot, the oil had soaked into the paint and they needed to re-paint that little section of the house but I was able to make the concrete look better along with the rest of the house with the house wash.
If you can go outside and wash a house without needing a coat/jacket, the water will be ok to use for washing houses, colder than 50, that is where I would do a test spot to see if the mix will clean, wait for a warmer day or turn on the burner to only 115 or 120 and grab that hose often to make sure it does not get too warm so you don't damage anything.
Why are you using a cup of dish liquid? Do you want to rinse for 30 minutes or an hour? Who is telling you this nonsense?
I would call that idiot and cuss them out as they are trying to make you look like a fool being new to the business, I would not listen to anything that idiot ever said again.
Have you read posts here on this site from the past? There is a lot of great info here that will teach you probably 75% or more of what you need to know if you will just use that search button and do some reading or better yet, take Doug's class so you are not listening to those idiots that are telling you stuff to look like a fool and waste your time and money.
We are trying to help you here, whoever is telling you that nonsense is not looking out for your best interest, they are just trying to make you look like a joke in front of your customer and anyone else watching. Stop listening to those idiots and start reading here or take Doug's class.
Good luck.
Diamond Jim
New member
Simply put in early spring and late fall heating your water helps cleaning and rinsing.
Doug Rucker
Roundtable Host 2009
Whatever comes out of the tap....
Andy Hinson
New member
yup.
ABC
New member
I hope you are not listening to more nonsense on that internet thing.
CL, correct me if I'm wrong. I think I am the only contractor that you have done a ride out with to see how I approach house washes.
Therefore the idiot that Mr Chappell is referring to is me. However much I agrre with what he stated to your heat question. Don't know where the "idiot" stuff came from.
Why are you using a cup of dish liquid?
That is not the mix I showed him for xjetting. Never mentioned a cup. I mentioned "X" number of onces for the xjet mix not downstreaming. I agree a cup might be a little much for a fiver and would increase rinse time. Which was mentioned onsite.
Do you want to rinse for 30 minutes or an hour?
Who is telling you this nonsense?
Again I think you are referring to me, and that will go unappreciated as well.
I would call that idiot and cuss them out as they are trying to make you look like a fool being new to the business, I would not listen to anything that idiot ever said again.
Now ,... if I am incorrect please tell me. But again, I think I am the only contractor that CL has done a ride out with so it really sounds in your post that your references are to me.
If I remember correctly I gave YOU no different advice over the phone than I gave CL hands on. I never heard from you then, calling me up and cussing me out telling me how much of a fool I was trying to make you look like in the industry and in the customer. Unless of course you are referring to someone else and I am incorrect.
take Doug's class so you are not listening to those idiots that are telling you stuff to look like a fool and waste your time and money.
Great advice. As I told him as well. However, since I have know CL, he has been on an extermely tight budget, and mentioned it SEVERAL times.
I remember Chris, talking with you on the phone many times, and your main topics were always how you had ( at that point), hyperextended your budget.
We are trying to help you here, whoever is telling you that nonsense is not looking out for your best interest,
they are just trying to make you look like a joke in front of your customer and anyone else watching.
I guess that would explain why I gave him commercial accts contacts that were my previous customers worth 12k for the chain and and HQ site. So I could steer him in the wrong direction.
Stop listening to those idiots and start reading here or take Doug's class.
Again with the idiots, you have my number. Good advice however to take Dougs class. He simply needs to come up with the money.
Just remember that this is the idiot that prayed for your lost family members.
And the idiot that prayed for your healing in the explosion that effed up your arm.
Not to mention the idiot that in the earlys days listened over the phone to you cry in your cereal about "whatever".
Again, you didn't call me back and cuss me out and call me an idiot, back then. So I must have given you some acceptable advice.
Which leads me to believe ( hoping) that I am mistaken to think you are calling me "that" idiot.
ABC
New member
That sounds kind of "hot" but, who knows what you were removing back then.
I'm baffled as to whether the amount of soap , or soap at all , is in question.
I use it. All the time. I mix the strength according to what has to be removed.
Windows come out spotless. Soap drying on glass can definately be an issue with streaks.
But I don't let it dry on glass.
ABC
New member
Best answer and on topic Doug.
Usu comes out at around 60-75 degrees.
And I am that anal to have put a thermometer to the flow.
Doug Rucker
Roundtable Host 2009
Doug Rucker
Roundtable Host 2009
I did not know CL rode along with you but CL i would just say you picked a good man in Adrian to learn from...Adrain knows his stuff.
ABC
New member
CL is quick. He will do well. He has mentioned your class several times.
Believe me I understand budgeting issues. Who doesn't have them?
In my mindset, since my ex helper was deadset on breaking all my gear, I generally have finished out the summer months without help.
CL actually helped on a good sized project and looked like a natural. Ill take that kind of hjelp anyday.
You know, someone to trust and share leads with as we have in the past.
I just don't do tribes very well. Ha!!!!
Still have that open invitation to the rifle range bro.
Believe me I understand budgeting issues. Who doesn't have them?
In my mindset, since my ex helper was deadset on breaking all my gear, I generally have finished out the summer months without help.
CL actually helped on a good sized project and looked like a natural. Ill take that kind of hjelp anyday.
You know, someone to trust and share leads with as we have in the past.
I just don't do tribes very well. Ha!!!!
Still have that open invitation to the rifle range bro.
Doug Rucker
Roundtable Host 2009
As soon as it slows down I am all in.
Christopher
Moderator
I think you know me well enough Adrian that I would never call you an idiot, I knew from his post that he did some training with you but with the buying caustic being a newbie and then the cup of soap and other stuff, I was thinking that he was not listening to you and got most of his info from the youtube stuff out there. Sorry if you thought I was referring to you, I was referring to the guys that make the youtube videos that are full of mis-information, I am sure you know I respect you and your knowledge and would not call you anything but smart and cool.
ABC
New member
Understood bro, I just wanted to be a good rep for the industry.
dihydrogen monoxide under the bridge man. My bad for jumping to conclusions.
Honestly, I hope I get a ton of calls from the south side.
And I hope he gets a ton of calls for the north side.
That way we both know the area will be covered and done right if we get overwhelmed.
I don't see his company staying on a small scale for long. Just that darn learning curve.
It's all good brother Chris, I touched Cindys butt.
That's all that really matters in this world.
Well that and Conway.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIYtv5UmyxU
dihydrogen monoxide under the bridge man. My bad for jumping to conclusions.
Honestly, I hope I get a ton of calls from the south side.
And I hope he gets a ton of calls for the north side.
That way we both know the area will be covered and done right if we get overwhelmed.
I don't see his company staying on a small scale for long. Just that darn learning curve.
It's all good brother Chris, I touched Cindys butt.
That's all that really matters in this world.
Well that and Conway.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIYtv5UmyxU