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Gas Powered Roof Cleaning Equiment

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Is there anyone here willing /experienced enough with gas powered roof cleaning equipment like the John Blue or Udor pumpsto talk about whats involved in setting up such a system for reliable production. I have received lots of valuable advice on this forum and following it has not led me wrong but this interest is purely from a equipment cost standpoint. The cost to get any equipment from the US to me in the Bahamas adds about 95%  to 115% to the puchase plus shipping cost of the item(s). I pay additional shipping to get the equipment landed in the Bahamas then VAT plus Customs. So when I take in to consideration the cost to purchase the proper things to transition into air in particular the compressor, gas may perhaps be a cheaper but comparable alternative performance wise

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What parts of the air setup are the most difficult to get where you are at?  I'm almost done with my own build, and these air systems can really be as simple or complex as you want to make them.  Is it just the compressor, or is it basically everything that's a giant hassle like the pump, tank, chemical lines, etc?

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For quality purposes I would have to purchase EVERYTHING and bring them in.So its whether I can obtain a comparable setup in gas which is just a pump an engine or just swallow the difference for air and its related parts

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I'm not sure you're going to find a comparable Udor style pump setup that can handle the chemicals like an air diaphragm pump.  A lot of these guys have been around the block and I'm just a new guy absorbing the information and working on my build, but I understand chemicals, metals, plastics, and resistances.  The issue is the concentration of the SH in your typical roof cleaning solution.  The Udor pumps just can't handle dealing with that concentration on a constant basis.  It may almost be better to do a kynar air pump for a "one and done" purchase and just take darn good care of the thing.  Also, while air is the big thing right now, have you considered an electric set up?  It's clear people are making money with those 12v setups, and I wonder if you'd have a much easier time finding deep cycle marine batteries and 12v pumps than compressors and air pumps where you're at.

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I currently have 3 12 volt setups. One for decks, one for house washes in areas where the water supply is to slow for use with my pressure washer and a fatboy setup for roofs. I must say that for small residential it's perfect. I am, however, currently doing a large luxury home that is literally the size of a small hotel and this is the market that I am targeting. I have experienced everything from priming issues due to the height. (I have to use my 40' ladder to get to the ridge), having to charge the battery every single night, and every other con about this type of system, so I know that upgrading is inevitable. So I'm just doing my homework and trying to determine what may be the best course of action to take based on my situation. But no one really talks about gas,and the info is limited so I just wanted a users review on it

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We can report our experience from the repair support for guys experiencing constant issues from all over the world.  Rex, our Pump Guru, takes calls 24/7 to help with pump problems of all kinds.  The gas powered 'softwash systems' are a headache.  We refuse to offer them to our softwashers because we know without a doubt that using these pumps with SH will lead to early problems.  The first issues occur around 3-6 months.  This repair usually involves needing a repair kit.  The next repair occurs hopefully, right before the year warranty isup.  This repair is usually catastrophic.  These pumps are best used for very stable chemicals or H20.  These set-ups offer a nice amount of pressure for reach but the GPM can not be controlled without causing pump problems.  (Gheez....I didn't sleep well last night and can't form a cohesive sentence!)  We discovered that we had to maintain an array of spare parts equal to the parts of a replacement pump in stock to prevent having to overnight repair parts.  I recommend that these GA's powered pumps be used only for rinsing.  However, a 8 GPM pressure washer with a 0070 nozzle or adjustable nozzle installed on the gun or wand will kill two or three birds with one stone.  Instead of adding another piece of equipment just to rinse and have to maintain, using your existing cold water pressure washer with a large orifice nozzle will save money, extra maintenance and real estate on your rig!

It is unfortunate that these gas powered rigs are being offered as turnkey set-ups by other distributors. It is an easy sale and seemingly easy installation with a HEFTY price tag.  These systems are improperly aimed at soft washers using Chems that are going to eat the pump components and spit them out too soon.  

I hope this helps.  I created a chart years ago outlining the differences in pump types.  I think Chris uses parts from his failed gas powered diaphragm pumps for a doorstop.  

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We can report our experience from the repair support for guys experiencing constant issues from all over the world.  Rex, our Pump Guru, takes calls 24/7 to help with pump problems of all kinds.  The gas powered 'softwash systems' are a headache.  We refuse to offer them to our softwashers because we know without a doubt that using these pumps with SH will lead to early problems.  The first issues occur around 3-6 months.  This repair usually involves needing a repair kit.  The next repair occurs hopefully, right before the year warranty isup.  This repair is usually catastrophic.  These pumps are best used for very stable chemicals or H20.  These set-ups offer a nice amount of pressure for reach but the GPM can not be controlled without causing pump problems.  (Gheez....I didn't sleep well last night and can't form a cohesive sentence!)  We discovered that we had to maintain an array of spare parts equal to the parts of a replacement pump in stock to prevent having to overnight repair parts.  I recommend that these GA's powered pumps be used only for rinsing.  However, a 8 GPM pressure washer with a 0070 nozzle or adjustable nozzle installed on the gun or wand will kill two or three birds with one stone.  Instead of adding another piece of equipment just to rinse and have to maintain, using your existing cold water pressure washer with a large orifice nozzle will save money, extra maintenance and real estate on your rig!

It is unfortunate that these gas powered rigs are being offered as turnkey set-ups by other distributors. It is an easy sale and seemingly easy installation with a HEFTY price tag.  These systems are improperly aimed at soft washers using Chems that are going to eat the pump components and spit them out too soon.  

I hope this helps.  I created a chart years ago outlining the differences in pump types.  I think Chris uses parts from his failed gas powered diaphragm pumps for a doorstop.  

I keepold broken UDOR's here, so people don't make the same mistake I once did.  

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Thanks for the comment, Chris!  I thought I read that somewhere!!! I know it's an old question but I thought it was worth mentioning due to distributors forcing these nightmares on newbies by labeling them for softwashing.  I've even read posts where softwashers are 'upgrading' from 12 Volt to gas powered diaphragm pumps.  There is talk of improvements to these I'll-fated diaphragm pumps to better handle SH.  However, the very structure of the pump is reinforced with FIBERGLASS and will never be able to handle any of the softwash Chems.

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I currently have 3 12 volt setups. One for decks, one for house washes in areas where the water supply is to slow for use with my pressure washer and a fatboy setup for roofs. I must say that for small residential it's perfect. I am, however, currently doing a large luxury home that is literally the size of a small hotel and this is the market that I am targeting. I have experienced everything from priming issues due to the height. (I have to use my 40' ladder to get to the ridge), having to charge the battery every single night, and every other con about this type of system, so I know that upgrading is inevitable. So I'm just doing my homework and trying to determine what may be the best course of action to take based on my situation. But no one really talks about gas,and the info is limited so I just wanted a users review on it

You need an air diaphragm pump powered by an air comperssor that runs on Gasoline. The gas powered roof cleaning pumps like the UDOR are unreliable, and you will play hell getting them repaired down in the Islands :( Use large 5/8 or 3/4 inch diameter hose. 

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