Noob Navy guy

Hi guys,
Like the title says I am in the navy and I am looking into this as a means for some side money. I dont want to get large but would like to know what I am doing and do it right. The forums have taught me allot so far so thanks to the guys who put this thing together. I just have a 6.75hp 2550psi cold pressure washer with a roto tip and a upgraded chem tip. I will have to upgrade my equipment obviously but its what I have for now(no I am not doing siding yet I would like to but not untill I have a means of soft washing) I need to stay flexible becuse I never know when I am getting off work I can work my schedule on the weekends and late eve but I have to have about 3-5 flexible hours at the end of the day. I will take any advice you guys would like to give me and if there is anything I can help with I will (kind of a jack of all trades) My vehicle is a honda element so I am limited there as well. well nice to meet all of you I look forward to learning from you guys. I should add I bought this washer and nozzles for some stuff around the house not to get started.

for residential work you need like 13hp @least 4GPM ,, get long enough hoses maybe a lil uitily trailer you might e about to make it,, might not, i dont know... GOODLUCK brother.

Hey Hazegry you might start by filling out your signature in the User CP, button on top row, with that said Welcome!! My advice is to keep it simple at first while you learn the trade click on the Forum button in that top row and pick a topic and read as much as you can post questions and wait. The guys on here have tons of experience and are always willing to help out. What is your job in the Navy my son is out on the Ronald Reagan Carrier at this time I think they are over near china or something like that. DH

Thought I did the sig thing when I signed up I see its not there now I will fix that. I already figured out my machine is to small for most stuff but you have to start somewhere. I work in a Damage control shop on an aircraft carrier. I maintain all the equipment for my dept like the water tight doors, firestations co2 bottles, deck drains, a/c units etc if it has moving parts I do the maint on it. We also respond to casultys so you can see why I never know when I am getting off as a matter of fact its 11:12 PM and I am still at work

Welcome to the PW industry Haze and thanks for serving...
What boat are you on? I used to be on the USS America with the VF-33 starfighters out of Oceana until the late 80's. I used to be an Ordi.

Give me a call on my cell phone and I'll help you out all I can. My companies are based out of Germantown Maryland about 3 hours away from you. ( two hours and 35 minutes if your running late for duty.) <G>


Henry Bockman
240-27-0300

more like 3 hrs if I am late the Lpo is never late unless chief beats me there! I will give you a call tomorrow after I am off work I am on duty tonight and need to get some sleep before that 4-8 watch.

If you're going to use that machine try and get at least '100 ft. of pressure hose. 200' ft. is even better, that way you can let the machine set in one spot, looks more professional than dragging a machine around the property. And also get an adjustable pressure wand with a slight bend at the tip, makes a big difference as opposed to just a straight lance. Make all of your connections between hoses and everything else using quick couplers instead of those oddball 22 mm type that alot of the homeowner machines come with. How many GPM is your machine? Get a handful of nozzles. Also connect the trigger handle of the wand to the lance part of the wand with quick connector to allow for it to be less fatiguing and allow for great maneuverability. Get a couple of pump type sprayers for applying various products. Learn a little basic chemistry as what to use where and when. When I started in 1996 I didn't have the internet and others to help me out, alot of mistakes were made. Being here and reading will spike your interest and knock the learning curve way down for you. What kind of cleaning are you most interested in, flat work, decks, house washing, roofs etc... Have a great day!!

Jeff

814jeffw said:

And also get an adjustable pressure wand with a slight bend at the tip, makes a big difference as opposed to just a straight lance. Jeff

Click to expand...

Welcome to the boards and thanks for serving and good luck in the biz!
just wondering Jeff why do you like the adjustable lance instead of the straight lance??
I would be wore out if I had to hold adjustable lances all day on my machines!!!

Thanks guys I think 814jeff is recommending an adjustable wand because my machine doesn’t have a means to dial down the pressure other than going to one of my chemical tips. I have a 30 ft extension ladder I can use as well. With the quick connects are you talking about the brass ones at HD or a bigger heavy duty style. I would rather buy stuff I can use as I upgrade rather than stuff I will have to discard after I upgrade my machine. I am looking at a hot water machine since I would like to do flatwork and siding/roofs. I will have to upgrade my vehicle when I upgrade to a bigger machine on a trailer with a tank I don’t think my Honda 4 banger is going to pull that. I already have a lead on a truck for cheap so that’s good. What nozzles would you guys recommend? I am looking into the MX5 for soft washing houses and roofs.

Welcome to PWI.

I used to wash houses with 2700 psi 3gpm machine and I washed alot of them with that little machine.You can wash houses with yours it is just going to be slower because your using less volume of water.I see where you mentioned hot water with vinyl and roofs I wash em both and don't use heat.It will damage the vinyl in my opinion if its too hot.The roofs I clean and I don't do many are cleaned using a $70.00 shurflo pump and 3/8ths hose that I paid 75 bucks for 300 ft.

I would suggest you go with quick connects and get yourself and M5 Xjet because it will speed you up with a small machine.The suggestion of 100' of hose is also a must not only will you not look like a jackleg but it will allow you to wash smaller houses without moving the machine,I use 250' this is where you want to be when you can afford it,I can wash most h ouse from the street.

Read the posts and learn to adjust your chems because in your case thats where you are going to pick up any speed while washing,You can also order different tips to control the pressure at the tip of your gun.

Al Patterson said:

Welcome to the boards and thanks for serving and good luck in the biz!
just wondering Jeff why do you like the adjustable lance instead of the straight lance??
I would be wore out if I had to hold adjustable lances all day on my machines!!!

Click to expand...

I like the little bend at the end of the lance for ergonomic reasons. Just makes it a little easier to hit the surface squarely with the fan tip. I like the adjustable simply because it allows me to do more detailed rinsing by being able to adjust the pressure readily at the wand, also if there's loose siding or trim, etc... and also nice for edging a concrete sidewalk if there is mulch or loose dirt right next to it.

hazegry said:

Thanks guys I think 814jeff is recommending an adjustable wand because my machine doesn’t have a means to dial down the pressure other than going to one of my chemical tips. I have a 30 ft extension ladder I can use as well. With the quick connects are you talking about the brass ones at HD or a bigger heavy duty style. I would rather buy stuff I can use as I upgrade rather than stuff I will have to discard after I upgrade my machine. I am looking at a hot water machine since I would like to do flatwork and siding/roofs. I will have to upgrade my vehicle when I upgrade to a bigger machine on a trailer with a tank I don’t think my Honda 4 banger is going to pull that. I already have a lead on a truck for cheap so that’s good. What nozzles would you guys recommend? I am looking into the MX5 for soft washing houses and roofs.

Click to expand...

The quick couplers will be 3/8" for the hose connections and 1/4" for the tips and between the handle and the lance. I like one here because it allows the wand to swivel on the coupler, just makes it more versatile. Not sure what HD sells but they're probably ok to use, just have to try things sometimes. I like to order some things from here: http://dultmeier.com/. Really for doing what you mentioned GPM is the more important I believe than anything else. You don't necessarily have to use hot water if you have good GPM. At least 4, and if you're going to do alot of flat work get 5 or more. The xjet isn't typically used for roof cleaning, although there are some guys here that do it and they could maybe help you there if that is what you still decide to do. A dedicated chemical tank pump is the more common way. And one thing to really keep in mind, learn the different chemicals you see mentioned on here and realize that they will do alot of the work for you if they're used properly.

Jeff

Thanks guys,
I wanted the hot water machine becuse I would like to get into flatwork and from what I have read its the only way to get rid of gum. I would turn the heat down or off for a roof. I am going to get an MX 5 and I already have 50 feet of hose I will pick up another 50 soon. I am still learning about the chemicals. a chem pump would be a good idea. any suggestions on what size tank to use with my Honda element? Whats the min you guys would use? I really hope that truck comes thru it will make things easier.

Hey Jason,

Nice talking to you earlier today. If you have any questions give me a call. The best thing I can suggest to you is to see if you can work with another company for a day or two. Find out what equipment, chems they use and how they work. Then figure out what works best for you and buy your equipment and chems.

Your welcome to work with any of my crews when you want. Just give me a call and I'll set up a day or so for you to learn what you want to know. We do a lot of residential and commercial washing as well as building restoration.

What carrier group are you with?? Sounds like they keep you running. dh

hazegry said:

Thought I did the sig thing when I signed up I see its not there now I will fix that. I already figured out my machine is to small for most stuff but you have to start somewhere. I work in a Damage control shop on an aircraft carrier. I maintain all the equipment for my dept like the water tight doors, firestations co2 bottles, deck drains, a/c units etc if it has moving parts I do the maint on it. We also respond to casultys so you can see why I never know when I am getting off as a matter of fact its 11:12 PM and I am still at work

Click to expand...

You can adjust your pressure with you nozzle size just goto this link for a nozzle chart, you can plug in your numbers and come up with what ever pressure you want to operate at. Be careful if adjusting up in pressure as may cause problems with your unloader.DH

http://www.barens.com/cgi-bin/calc

hazegry said:

Thanks guys I think 814jeff is recommending an adjustable wand because my machine doesn’t have a means to dial down the pressure other than going to one of my chemical tips. I have a 30 ft extension ladder I can use as well. With the quick connects are you talking about the brass ones at HD or a bigger heavy duty style. I would rather buy stuff I can use as I upgrade rather than stuff I will have to discard after I upgrade my machine. I am looking at a hot water machine since I would like to do flatwork and siding/roofs. I will have to upgrade my vehicle when I upgrade to a bigger machine on a trailer with a tank I don’t think my Honda 4 banger is going to pull that. I already have a lead on a truck for cheap so that’s good. What nozzles would you guys recommend? I am looking into the MX5 for soft washing houses and roofs.

Click to expand...

Haze gray and underway!!! Welcome bro, I was stationed right down the road from you out of Dam Neck for a while. Good luck getting things going.

Jason, not sure where my first post went, but it said to "feel free to call me anytime." Nearby competition doesn't bother me too much. There are so many dirty houses in our area and I can't wash them all!

thats kinda what I figured that and I am going to need someone to help out when I am on deployments so it should be beneficial for us both in the long run