Need advice w/ 4 story siding cleaning

A

acwindows

New member
Real quick about me. My main business is window cleaning. Been at it for 17 years now. I do pressure washing as a side business. Have been pw`ing for about 4 years. Various work, sidewalks, decks, siding. My rig is a honda 13 hp 3500 psi w/ a 4.5 gpm water pump.
One of the prop manage cos I work with gave me some properties to bid for pw the siding. Both buildings are 4 stories. 1 has stucco or dry vit. The other is vinyl siding.
I have a 24` telescoping wand, but this is not enough to reach 4 stories. Access to 2 sides of the stucco building is very narrow, so a lift would not be possible.
What are my options here?
Is an xjet something worth buying for these types of jobs....vinyl and stucco siding?
If so what kind of cleaner would work or do I need any solution w/ an xjet?
Vinyl siding is pretty easy to clean, but the stucco has rain water stains on it. You know, the black streaks.
Any tips or advice are greatly appreciated :)
 
You might try building a 1/4 inch hose fitting nozzle to spray from you wand if the wand will pull chems.This is assuming you downstream.I have a Xjet and it has alot of uses but you won't be able to reach forty feet vertical with it

I have aluminum wands in 4 ft and 8 ft lengths that I use instead of the big extension wands,I like them a lot better.You might want to check them out because they always pull chem even if I use 2 8s and 1 4 ft together but they are tougher to handle they sway alot!

If there are spider webs on that stucco its going to be a bear to get them off from the ground you might have to rent a big extension ladder.

Hope this helps, you can give me a call if you want.We do quite a few 3 stroy beach houses that are built 1 story off the ground.
 
The wand I have has 2 lines on it. one for high pressure and 1 for low pressure chemicals. It has the bike grip on it so you can adjust from high to low pressure.
Doesnt downstreaming mean Im using the chems after the water pump? With my wand the chems go through the water pump first because my machine has the chem intake hose on it that goes right into the water pump.

So what your describing with the 1/4" nozzle and the right wand will get my chemicals to reach 40`? And would a mixture then of simple cherry and chlorine be all I need for the stucco siding job?
I looked at the pressure tek site for the right ratio for that. Is that ratio what you would use?
Pressure Tek:
"Downstreaming: 3.5 gallons of 12.5% chlorine, 1.5 gallons water & (2) 8oz scoops of Simple Cherry"

My telescoping wand will not pull chemicals then...right? Its the fiberglass
24` extention wand
Thanks again for the help



cajun cleanin said:
You might try building a 1/4 inch hose fitting nozzle to spray from you wand if the wand will pull chems.This is assuming you downstream.I have a Xjet and it has alot of uses but you won't be able to reach forty feet vertical with it

I have aluminum wands in 4 ft and 8 ft lengths that I use instead of the big extension wands,I like them a lot better.You might want to check them out because they always pull chem even if I use 2 8s and 1 4 ft together but they are tougher to handle they sway alot!

If there are spider webs on that stucco its going to be a bear to get them off from the ground you might have to rent a big extension ladder.

Hope this helps, you can give me a call if you want.We do quite a few 3 stroy beach houses that are built 1 story off the ground.
Click to expand...
 
The problem w/ the stucco building would be getting access to 2 sides of it, where its completely fenced in and lanscaped so you couldnt get a lift to it.

Might be a solution for the vinyl building though. Its much more straight forward.
Thank you
 
What kind of buildings are they, resi or commercial. How would you get it if you had to wash the windows. Can you do a chair off the roof and do a low pressure soft wash type cleaning.

How long is the building, can you stay out side the areas and boom in off an 80 ft lift

I have shot 4 story buildings with Xjet, step ladder & extension on gun, its a PITA if its windy
 
For wc I will wfp the building. And they are res condo buildings. The problem w/ an 80` boom lift is the price goes WAY up when you get into 85` and above for a lift. Those are over 800 per day where I live. It may have to come to that.........but why couldnt I attach an xjet to my telescoping wand and just extend it out 1 section. This would give me about 12` of reach w/ my wand. Seems like that would get me to 40` then, right?
 
We do 3 & 4 story bldgs alot out here. Anything 3 stories and above we rent an aerial lift. It makes the job so much easier. We can pick on up on a weekly rental for $679.00 daily its $3** something, so its cheaper to rent by the week. Honestly they make the job way easier and safer.
 
acwindows said:
For wc I will wfp the building. And they are res condo buildings. The problem w/ an 80` boom lift is the price goes WAY up when you get into 85` and above for a lift. Those are over 800 per day where I live. It may have to come to that.........but why couldnt I attach an xjet to my telescoping wand and just extend it out 1 section. This would give me about 12` of reach w/ my wand. Seems like that would get me to 40` then, right?
Click to expand...

If they are flat with nothing like set back dormers and no stains that you may have to brush or put a little pressure to them. If its flat you can reach 4 stories with a little effort or a lot of effort.

Russ came up with a possible idea. scissors lift, get a small one and put down plywood if ground is even and go up 15-20 ft and then xjet. The small scissor lifts aren't wide and on wood they can be ok to use, just as long as its even ground, you don't want to tip it over

How many buildings? The thing with a 24ft extensions is they are a royal PITA to use and control
 
Yeah, the scissor lift will work for the vinyl siding building. (Thanks Russ) Im just not sure about the stucco building. Im going back to have another look....when I get the chance. I`ll take some photos(duh:rolleyes: ) and post them here to see what you all think.
Again, I really appreciate all the advice. This forums a great resource indeed. I bought an xjet m5 and some simple cherry today because of reading posts on this board. Whatever the case, I think that xjet will come in handy for alot of different projects.
 
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