Gentlemen;
Obviously everybody does everything different.
When i started I purchased dave Ottmar's training video
He advocates running his cleaning solution ( 80%) household bleach through his UPSTREAM INJECTOR ( i.e.--through his pump)
His theory was that the small number of hours you lose in pump performance is saved in time.
Before I actually washed anything for money I started readin this and many other boards and learned how terrible this procedure was! I tried downstreaming and quickly learned that it didn't get enough solution on the surface.
I built a 12v chem injector ( about $125.00) That gave me 100% chems, but was way too slow to make any money.
I even used an older 5hp HD consumer PW plumbed directly to my chem tank that worked very well.--it still hasn't crapped out, but it requires a whole additional hose line.
I have not tried, but I can't believe the x-jet would not create more problems than it solves. I am concerned about overspray from the roof (that I'm standing on) when the chems only travel 3 feet. Shooting the chems 35 feet to the roof/house from the ground HAS TO CREATE SPRAY/MIST that will get on other cars, houses, etc.
Through necessity I have had to upstream my house/roof/concrete cleaning solution. Guess what? Nothing bad happened.
I am running a locally built H/C pw 5.0gpm. 3000psi, belt drive, ts201 or wa202, whatever it's currently called. I bought it used 3 years ago. It's now about 8 years old
I overhauled it when purchased--repacked the pump, including pistons--kit from e=spec was about $150.00
Nothing but oil changes since then. Over 1000 hrs per year
I tested it last week. I am getting 2800psi at the wand and am two inches short of filling a five gallon bucket in one minute ( I guess about 4.8 gpm)
The time I'm saving is tremendous. No second hose or reel.
After the chems go down I'm running hot water to clean/rinse. That seems to clean the pump out pretty well.
I wonder sometimes about the advice given here. I know everybody says not to do this, but is that factual working experience, or various mfg and/experts opinions being repeated so many time they become accepted as fact
I now use the flo-jet strictly for stain application.
No compaints if this doesn't work for you, but it works for me and it saves lots of time.
I am curious, if all the advice to not do this is from practical experience or is everybody just repeating what the previous "expert" said until it becomes a fact?
Dennis
Superior Services Group Inc.