Roof Pump Reviews

I thought I would start a thread to provide a review of a few roof pumps that I have used over the past three years. Any review of a particular pump would be welcome.

I started in the roof cleaning business 3-4 years ago with a Delevan 5800 roof kit from Bob. While the setup and service were great, I only got 4-5 months out of the pump (part-time roof cleaning) before buying another 5800. I also had a hard time controlling runoff with this 5.3 gpm. After going through 4 Delevans, I bought a Flo-jet. The 5.0 gpm Flo-jet worked fine and I still have it today (as a transfer pump only) as it seemed to over-heat and shut off after only 45 minutes of work despite several methods to keep cooler.

My recent pump (pictured below) was recommended by Mike Barrett as I needed a pump quickly on a big job. Almost 2 years ago, I bought 2 of the NorthStar 4.0 gpm @ 60 psi pumps from Northern Tool. After almost 2 years of much heavier use that the Delevans ever saw in the previous year, the first NorthStar pump finally pooped out and burned up two days ago. I must have cleaned well over 150,000 s.f. of roofs with this single pump since purchasing in May 2012. I will admit, I pumped at least 5 gallons of water through the pump at the end of each job.

I just hooked up the new one that has been sitting on my garage shelf for nearly two years and away we go. **It should be noted that I start using a new Water Dragon roof pump this week just bought from the PowerWashStore.com. The new NorthStar pump will be a dependable backup.

Anyway, I thought I would provide a review on the pump pictured (before I buried it) as I could not be happier with all the $$$ made from this little money making machine!!

We have used them all the absolute best bang for the buck is the 3 gpm 12 volt shurflo . We have shurflo's that are over 5 years old that still pump they don't put out a lot of flow but they just keep pumping. I have udors,john blues,comets,delevans,flojets and a couple of the northstar brand nothing has been as dependable as the shurflos. I have a fatboy on the truck right now for the extra flow but always have a shurflo on hand just in case.

HighTide said:

I thought I would start a thread to provide a review of a few roof pumps that I have used over the past three years. Any review of a particular pump would be welcome.

I started in the roof cleaning business 3-4 years ago with a Delevan 5800 roof kit from Bob. While the setup and service were great, I only got 4-5 months out of the pump (part-time roof cleaning) before buying another 5800. I also had a hard time controlling runoff with this 5.3 gpm. After going through 4 Delevans, I bought a Flo-jet. The 5.0 gpm Flo-jet worked fine and I still have it today (as a transfer pump only) as it seemed to over-heat and shut off after only 45 minutes of work despite several methods to keep cooler.

My recent pump (pictured below) was recommended by Mike Barrett as I needed a pump quickly on a big job. Almost 2 years ago, I bought 2 of the NorthStar 4.0 gpm @ 60 psi pumps from Northern Tool. After almost 2 years of much heavier use that the Delevans ever saw in the previous year, the first NorthStar pump finally pooped out and burned up two days ago. I must have cleaned well over 150,000 s.f. of roofs with this single pump since purchasing in May 2012. I will admit, I pumped at least 5 gallons of water through the pump at the end of each job.

I just hooked up the new one that has been sitting on my garage shelf for nearly two years and away we go. **It should be noted that I start using a new Water Dragon roof pump this week just bought from the PowerWashStore.com. The new NorthStar pump will be a dependable backup.

Anyway, I thought I would provide a review on the pump pictured (before I buried it) as I could not be happier with all the $$$ made from this little money making machine!!

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Great to hear. Thanks for the review.

AC

Which pumps have you guys used that shoot the furthest?

How far?

We have had great luck with the Gold series 3.8 gpm pumps from Tractor supply. These pumps have an internal fan that cool them. We clean allot of roofs and have tried most pumps out there. I know on one of my rigs we have a pump that's 3 years old. Still going.

From what I learned from Paul and Bill at the PowerWashStore.com, if you use an accumulator, it will cut down on cycling and allow you to use higher pressure tips which will help to cut down on flow thus less runoff.

I haven't finished setting up my accumulator, but when I do, I'll make a demo video of it in action.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I've burned through three north star pumps, and now a fourth is acting a little weird (sometimes the pressure switch won't shut if off, it just keeps trying to pump until water is leaking out of the manifold and it overheats.) Anyway, you can't beat the extended replacement plan on these. For the first three I just walked in the store and they pulled a replacement right off the shelf. You have to re-purchase the warranty if you want the new one to have coverage, but basically my last 3 pumps have cost me around $30 each I think. If I cleaned roofs everyday, I would use my compressor and aodd pump. The 12v aren't dependable enough.

Have been using the same delevan fatboy pump for about 3 years and we use it everyday. Have gone through a number of pressure switches and relays but I keep them stocked in the truck so its never down for longer than 15 minutes.

JBurd said:

I've burned through three north star pumps, and now a fourth is acting a little weird (sometimes the pressure switch won't shut if off, it just keeps trying to pump until water is leaking out of the manifold and it overheats.) Anyway, you can't beat the extended replacement plan on these. For the first three I just walked in the store and they pulled a replacement right off the shelf. You have to re-purchase the warranty if you want the new one to have coverage, but basically my last 3 pumps have cost me around $30 each I think. If I cleaned roofs everyday, I would use my compressor and aodd pump. The 12v aren't dependable enough.

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Well, we do clean roofs everyday year around, here in Tampa, and AODD Pumps with compressors are all we use.

Chris do you use the all flo pumps or the ARO? I still using the 1/2 in ARO kynar. What model is the All Flo? K-5? Jim Twist wpb.

Jim Twist said:

Chris do you use the all flo pumps or the ARO? I still using the 1/2 in ARO kynar. What model is the All Flo? K-5? Jim Twist wpb.

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Hello Jim Twist!
I have never used the All Flow or the ARO pumps, but they are good pumps. Of those 2 pumps, honestly I would prefer the All Flow's, and here is why. I was thinking of buying an ARO, and could never get my technical questions answered! ARO is part of Ingersall Rand, and are such a big company, I found it impossible to get to the right person to help me!

All Flow is a friendly little company up in Ohio, and has great support.
However, I have mostly ran 1/2 inch Yamada Kynar Pumps Jim, because they have worked for me, plus I know them inside out, and have every part needed to revive them, every 2 years or so.
LOL, I even have a "1/2 inch Yamada Kynar Junkyard", full of parts donors!

I also have 2 - 1 inch Hastelloy Monster air pumps, and a brand new on, on it's way!
I just bought one of these Jim, suggest you do the same !
This is a 6,000.00 Pump Jim, being sold for only 500.00 !
http://roofcleaninginstitute.org/in...telloy-air-diaphragm-pumps499-ea-5-available/

One truck runs the monster pumps, and the other 2 runs the 1/2 inch Yamada Kynar Pumps.

Here is a "All Flow Killer" Jim http://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-5496-versa-matic-e8kp5bkk9-38-pump-kynar-body-teflon-diaphragm.aspx

These little bastards are nearly 200.00 less money then the 3/8 Kynar All Flows.

Ok thanks. The aro lasts 2 yrs plus need air section occasionally. Not cheap but keeps on ticking like a timex. Lol what model yamada ndp15???

Jim Twist said:

Ok thanks. The aro lasts 2 yrs plus need air section occasionally. Not cheap but keeps on ticking like a timex. Lol what model yamada ndp15???

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Think it is an NDP 15FVT, but any Kynar NDP 15 will work, with teflon, santoprene, or viton insides, and FLAT valve, stay away from the ones with the balls, they don't have enough suction lift for what we do, and can be hard to prime.

I ran the Ubiquitous Fatboy pump for a season and a half. Got about 6 months out of each one. Then switched it to the FB2 pump and was unlucky enough to be an early adopter and thus had the bearing failures on two of two, both went bad in a few weeks time. Got another one on and went the rest of the season with it with only the regularly scheduled AFR failures*

For what they are, the FatBoy works fairly well. I would suggest it to guys doing mostly low pitch one story roofs as it only gets about 35-40' with a fully charged Big Deep cycle battery. It is advertised as a 7 GPM pump, but that is only if you crank it up to 100PSI...though that sucks down 25A of power...on the ground. At 60 PSI, which is where it is typically set, it is a 5GPM pump...and that is on the ground. If you regularly do higher projects, you really want something bigger. Watch the heat, it is prone to overheating failure. An accumulator is an absolute 100% must, as are truly MASSIVE 2/0 or 1/0 power cables and a BIG deep cycle battery. It likes big power and will run WAY happier with big power. Also, don't skimp on the draw tube size...1" is best. It draws about 20-25 Amps while facing a substantial 3-4 story head and will plow thru a car sized deep cell battery in no time flat on larger complexes. Feed it properly, use an accumulator, a BIG battery, rinse it EVERY time and it works. It is a compromise, but a reasonably priced compromise.

Then my now EX employee went out drinking and destroyed my rig completely. So I built a new one over the winter and this time I went Air. My original plan was to go air, with dual electric backup, but the second I turned the Air pump on, that plan went bye bye. Bought a 3/4" Kynar All-Flo pump with an 18.5 CFM truck mount Quincy Compressor. Honestly, there is no comparison between a larger air system and an Electric setup. Houses that we needed to go up on a ladder or climb halfway up to get to the peak are now done from the ground. No battery recharging, no AFR* issues! Totally adjustable, don't need to worry if my guy forgets to rinse it out. The only issue I have had is the muffler freezing closed due to cool wet conditions we have had. A better water separator should fix that problem,mbutnI solved it on the Jobsite by unscrewing it and sticking it into the hot air flow from the compressor dump valve, melted itin 15 seconds then went on to finish.,

I Liked it so much that I started looking around for a 1" pump for use as a transfer pump and stumbled across the monster 1" Hastelloy pumps Chris was talking about above in an industrial auction. I bought the Lot for a great price...guy didn't know what he had. Will use that beast as the main pump, will transfer the 3/4" pump to SH transfer duties and save one other as a backup and for building of a second rig. Passed all the others in the lot on to fellow roof cleaning guys so they could have a shot at an epic Air pump too. Two veterans roof cleaners on RCIA snapped up one apiece and the rest went to new guys building their first rigs. I can't encourage other cleaners running electric setups to go to a BIG air setup enough....you don't know what you are missing!

*AFR= ANOTHER FCUKING RELAY!

PeakOfPerfection said:

I ran the Ubiquitous Fatboy pump for a season and a half. Got about 6 months out of each one. Then switched it to the FB2 pump and was unlucky enough to be an early adopter and thus had the bearing failures on two of two, both went bad in a few weeks time. Got another one on and went the rest of the season with it with only the regularly scheduled AFR failures*

For what they are, the FatBoy works fairly well. I would suggest it to guys doing mostly low pitch one story roofs as it only gets about 35-40' with a fully charged Big Deep cycle battery. It is advertised as a 7 GPM pump, but that is only if you crank it up to 100PSI...though that sucks down 25A of power...on the ground. At 60 PSI, which is where it is typically set, it is a 5GPM pump...and that is on the ground. If you regularly do higher projects, you really want something bigger. Watch the heat, it is prone to overheating failure. An accumulator is an absolute 100% must, as are truly MASSIVE 2/0 or 1/0 power cables and a BIG deep cycle battery. It likes big power and will run WAY happier with big power. Also, don't skimp on the draw tube size...1" is best. It draws about 20-25 Amps while facing a substantial 3-4 story head and will plow thru a car sized deep cell battery in no time flat on larger complexes. Feed it properly, use an accumulator, a BIG battery, rinse it EVERY time and it works. It is a compromise, but a reasonably priced compromise.

Then my now EX employee went out drinking and destroyed my rig completely. So I built a new one over the winter and this time I went Air. My original plan was to go air, with dual electric backup, but the second I turned the Air pump on, that plan went bye bye. Bought a 3/4" Kynar All-Flo pump with an 18.5 CFM truck mount Quincy Compressor. Honestly, there is no comparison between a larger air system and an Electric setup. Houses that we needed to go up on a ladder or climb halfway up to get to the peak are now done from the ground. No battery recharging, no AFR* issues! Totally adjustable, don't need to worry if my guy forgets to rinse it out. The only issue I have had is the muffler freezing closed due to cool wet conditions we have had. A better water separator should fix that problem,mbutnI solved it on the Jobsite by unscrewing it and sticking it into the hot air flow from the compressor dump valve, melted itin 15 seconds then went on to finish.,

I Liked it so much that I started looking around for a 1" pump for use as a transfer pump and stumbled across the monster 1" Hastelloy pumps Chris was talking about above in an industrial auction. I bought the Lot for a great price...guy didn't know what he had. Will use that beast as the main pump, will transfer the 3/4" pump to SH transfer duties and save one other as a backup and for building of a second rig. Passed all the others in the lot on to fellow roof cleaning guys so they could have a shot at an epic Air pump too. Two veterans roof cleaners on RCIA snapped up one apiece and the rest went to new guys building their first rigs. I can't encourage other cleaners running electric setups to go to a BIG air setup enough....you don't know what you are missing!

*AFR= ANOTHER FCUKING RELAY!

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Honestly, I am surprised they lasted as long as they did Kevin!
I posted your sale of them over here, to try and give some of these guys here a shot at those awesome pumps.
That truly was a once in a lifetime deal, a brand new 6,000.00 pump for 500.00.

I ran 12 volt pumps for a few years, way back when. I simply could not imagine having to clean roofs everyday with one, after I discovered air pumps.
But then, we are a full time roof cleaning only company, though we will softwash other parts of the home, but only on a roof cleaning job we are already on.

There are a lot of good people here who are different from us, in that they are mostly exterior cleaners, and roof cleaning is just one of many things they do.
Many just don't have the room for a monster air compressor, like we do.

I can hardly wait to receive one of the pumps described above. I will pair it with a 70 CFM compressor with the psi turned down a bit. This will be a big addition to my set up allowing me to increase efficiency and provide my customers with top notch service.

ShastaPressureClean said:

I can hardly wait to receive one of the pumps described above. I will pair it with a 70 CFM compressor with the psi turned down a bit. This will be a big addition to my set up allowing me to increase efficiency and provide my customers with top notch service.

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That's awesome Shasta !
My Son was born in Sacramento, are u up in Redding area ?

Yes. Redding, CA.

Not a great deal of moss/mold here as the climate is dry. However, I have found that some customers create their own wet micro-climates around their businesses and residences. This leads to pretty bad moss on the north and east sides of the buildings that has caused significant damage to the building exterior in some instances.

I tend to conduct a great deal of research before I purchase equipment. I have used an electric pump to apply cleaning agents, but that method is way too slow and provides inconsistent results.

This air pump set up will be a great addition to my business, and is a great deal at $500.00 for the pump. I already have a portable 70 CFM compressor that I use for a media blaster, and I plan to pair that compressor with the air pump. I also like the idea of applying cleaning agents quickly, and easily, and this pump should fit the bill for that purpose. I paid attention to the RCIA forum information, and I am a RCIA member, as well as a UAMCC member.

ShastaPressureClean said:

Yes. Redding, CA.

Not a great deal of moss/mold here as the climate is dry. However, I have found that some customers create their own wet micro-climates around their businesses and residences. This leads to pretty bad moss on the north and east sides of the buildings that has caused significant damage to the building exterior in some instances.

I tend to conduct a great deal of research before I purchase equipment. I have used an electric pump to apply cleaning agents, but that method is way too slow and provides inconsistent results.

This air pump set up will be a great addition to my business, and is a great deal at $500.00 for the pump. I already have a portable 70 CFM compressor that I use for a media blaster, and I plan to pair that compressor with the air pump. I also like the idea of applying cleaning agents quickly, and easily, and this pump should fit the bill for that purpose. I paid attention to the RCIA forum information, and I am a RCIA member, as well as a UAMCC member.

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LOL, with that big monster air pump, you will have more time to spend, out on Lake Shasta!
Back in the 80's, my ex wife and I rented a houseboat for a week, on Lake Shasta.
Like Kevin said, one great thing about any air operated pump is you can use any kind of nozzle with it, so it will be ideal for lets say misting soffits with a small GPM Nozzle.
Then, if you get a big commercial job, you can turn that puppy loose, and really rock and roll!

Kevin email me the invoice at jtwist6904@aol.com. Thanks

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