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rtowers12769

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I have a 3500 psi washer with 4 gpm. I'm wanting to start pressure washing a few houses in my area. Could I get some tips for charging? Also, will my cold water washer work or do I need hot water?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hey man, I would use the search and look through some old threads, the prices I charge down here may be low for up there or visa versa.

I get great results with my cold water unit, but do a search on house wash solution also, I had the same worry when I started, but up to now have found nothing in the residential market I can't clean, not to say I don't want a hot water machine, and I will get one as soon as my kids stop spending my money quicker than I make it!

Gav
 
to do that, click on "User CP" at the top of the screen, then click edit profile..............there, you can enter a "signature file" which will sign your name every time you post, like mine below:
 
The way I price my houses is different then most I think. I have found for me that charging by the linear foot works best. Say you have a rectangular house. 30 x 80. In linear feet that would be 220 feet around the whole house. I charge $1 per ft. for 1 story, $1.50 per ft. for story and a half, and $2 per ft. for 2 story and so on. So that house would cost $220 if it was 1 story, $330 if it was story and a half, and $440 if it was 2 story. Of course the whole house isn't always the same height. That is why I like to charge by the linear ft. I can then change the price on different parts of the house in realation to the height. I have found that I cannot get those prices for washing mobile homes around here. I charge .50 a linear ft. for those. Alot of time I try and trade those jobs to another guy I know to get his bigger jobs he can't handle. I can still make $50+ an hour on mobile homes. They are usually easier then a house because they aren't even quite 1 story and everything can be easily reached. Not too many mobile homes have as many bushes and trees near them like houses do so it is easier when getting all the siding. I also charge extra for water if I have to bring my own. I charge them per gallon and for time having to leave and come back for water. Your cold water machine should work fine. Hot water works better but cold will do a good job. What chemicals will you be using to wash with? Just becareful using all 3500 psi on that siding. You don't need but 2000 psi or less. You change psi by changing the tip. When I say changing the tip I mean buying new ones other then what came with your machine. With your machine I would go with maybe a #6 nozzle. Don't mess with the unloader. That lowers your psi but also your flow. If you are planning on washing any wood you need to invest in more tips also. Then you drop your psi to below 1000 psi. For less then $50 you can get yourself a good assortment of tips, depending where you buy them. Another thing, be very careful what you use your 0 degree tip on. There are very few reasons you should ever use it. I try and tell any guys first starting out to never use it. It causes too much damage if you don't know what you are doing.
 
Steve - Thank you for the reply and information of pressure and desired tips. I have not determined what chemicals to use. Do you have any suggestions? I will be doing vinyl siding to start out with. When you apply the chemicals, how long do you let it sit on the siding before you wash it off? I want to start off very small with a few houses and ensure I'm doing it right. Another question. How does cleaning brick compare to vinyl?

Thanks. Rich
 
The only time I ever use 0 degree tips is when I am cleaning gutters on a 2 or more story house. I put on my gutter cleaning solution and then I give it a good rinse from the ground with a 0 degree tip on my wand.

Vinyl along with concrete flat work cleaning I fine are one of the 2 easiest surfaces to clean. Brick work on the other hand can and is usually much more complicated to clean at least in my experiences. For one thing Efflorescence can appear when cleaning Brick which can complete the cleaning process.

As for Vinyl look up thru the search engine here to get different idea's on what cleaning solutions to use. I used a mixture of Tide,Chlorine and Glass cleaner(To keep windows from spotting) along with water. I find that this home made concoction works better then other chemicals that I have tried over the years. Just put it on the vinyl and let it sit for a couple of minutes and then just rinse it off. Trick is to not let it dry on the house before you rinse it off.

Just go do those couple of houses that you want to practice on. You will be amazed how easy Vinyl cleans. Easy money.
 
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