Precise Pressure Washing

Hey Guys, Sorry about the late reply, ive been caught up with a home renovation and business has been picking up due to the nice weather we are having here. I am a member of some cleaning forums in the UK, and i hate it when someone asks for advice, and a lot is given then the original poster never returns... So here i am to say THANKS!.. I have found some decent pumps that i can source locally, Flojet pumps with nice flow rates. I have also been experimenting with different nozzles on my existing set up (cobbled together 12v , 1.5gpm pump) and the 00 nozzles seem to give me good distance and height, and i have found some decent sized fan nozzles for flat work. My biggest question i have now is, i have seen on some pics/vids of you American guys set ups, that you have a plastic lance type thing, with a red trigger usually. its more like a pump up sprayer lance/trigger. Can someone point me in the right direction on where i could source one of these? they look great.

Great info guys, very much appreciated. Me and the Mrs just bought a house that we are rennovating, and the roof is filthy, so im keen to get a set up built so i can test it out, and also test out the best way to clean. I had never even thought of applying the SH and letting it dwell then rinsing it off with fresh. Thats probably the best way to go i think. The biggest problem here is the moss, and a lot of soft wash guys are either scraping or brushing it off first, then applying the chems. I am not into scraping a roof, as it probably does more damage than a pressure washer! and i think the brush would need to be pretty stiff to sweep the moss off. Also, the roots will be left, so either way, the chems are going to have to go on. As for nozzles, this is where it gets confusing for me. I think we might use a different system for nozzles. Here we have the angle (the first number) and the orifice size (the second number) Plus, we use metric! so for instance, i run a 21lpm pressure washer (5.5 gpm) and for that, the correct orifice size is 065 Is this the same way you guys work out nozzle sizes? I'm assuming that when it comes to softwash systems, you guys dont match the nozzles to GPM because in my mind, you want a larger nozzle on your soft wash, to make the droplets bigger, and reach further? or am i way off here? Thats great advice about the pump cycling too, i have actually put a speed control on my existing set up, i bought it off ebay and wired it into the pump. I turn the knob and the speed of the pump lowers, therefore, the flow lowers too.

Just to add, Soft washing over here, is going to be all about educating the client, as Peak mentioned. It's a hard sell at the moment, though I HAVE come across a handful of home owners that realised the potential for the shortening of the life of their roof, and insisted on the soft wash method. Most, if not all home owners want instant results, and don't want to part with a significant amount of cash while their roof is still dirty, but I'm slowly grinding away at the education side of things.

Hi guys, and thanks for the warm welcome and all the info so far. Very helpful! I do have tanks etc already for my pressure washing rig, and my rig is diesel powered with a 12v battery for ignition, it has an alternator on the rig to charge the battery when I'm running, and also have a 12v battery spare that is charged from the van, so the 12v pump route is definitely the way i want to go. I couldn't squeeze another broom in my van, let alone a air compressor. The fatboy pumps look like something im after, although not sure what GPM they run at? I was hoping to run a higher GPM and maybe a little higher PSI (maybe 150?) and have a selection of nozzles. I know i can reduce the nozzle to reduce the flow, so i would rather have too much flow/distance and then be able to reduce it, rather than turn up to a job and not have enough reach fro the chems. Do you guys use standard pressure washing nozzles? I have seen all kinds of different nozzles over there in the states, soap shooters (for downstreaming i think?) adjustable soft washing nozzles (i saw a stainless nozzle that you twist which gives you spray/jet on a previous post here) and everything in between. What nozzles do you guys use for long distance spraying? I'm not looking for a perfect spray pattern, just larger droplets for drift control, and some decent reach. Also, I have seen "accumulators" in line on soft wash systems. What exactly does the accumulator do?

Hi Guys, Just joined, but have had a read through some posts, very interesting stuff. As you probably know, Soft Washing hasn't really taken off here yet, There are a couple of companies that are soft washing roofs, but it is a niche market, as most home owners want instant results, hence having their roofs pressure washed instead of waiting for any kind of chemical to work. (most, if not all roofs here are cement tile/clay tile) I have a rudimentary system set up, mainly for applying chemicals in other areas of my business (applying algaecide to driveways after cleaning) but i was hoping to start building a more robust system, so i can use it for roofs, applying chemical to cladding (i think you guys call it siding, its what factories are built from, ribbed metal sheets) First of all, I'm only using a 5 litre per minute/100psi pump, not sure what that is in GPM but i know from research I'm going to need at LEAST 5GPM pump. Any specific PSI needed? Also want to keep it 12v, as i run a second battery in the back of my van, that is charged from the van batter when i drive, and space in my van is at a premium. the second biggest question, is nozzles. The nozzle i use to apply my algaecide is just a general jet wash nozzle, which works fine at ground level, but what is the best nozzle to shoot higher? So if i need to clean some cladding that is 2/3 stories, I can shoot the soap from the ground? I am quite handy with the fittings and hoses etc.. its just mainly the pump and nozzles I'm stuck on. Also, in previous posts, i have heard talk of two way valves being used. What are you guys using them for? I'm assuming the 12v pump will have a dead-end circuit on it, so when you aren't pulling the trigger, the pump will pressurize and stop running? Can't really see where a two way valve would fit in. Any help would be much appreciated, and i look forward to soaking in all the knowledge! Cheers, Matt