Our new gas powered pump

Reider said:
Is this the Water Dragon Low Pressure/High Volume Applicator from Power Wash Store? I was just looking at these today.

In your opinion, what are the benefits of a gas powered roof system over the traditional roof pumps?
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Yes it is. We use it mainly for the large roof jobs, also cleaning the exterior of commercial buildings, hotels, etc where we need to get a strong mix on fast. Advantages that we have seen so far, are that we are actually using 25-30% less mix vs our 12v pumps, can shoot a little farther, we can clean faster vs the 12v pumps and down streaming, and we can still control the volume of mix we use, 2-10gpm with the switch of a tip. We also do not experience any pump overheating when this run's all day on the big jobs.

We used it on this house job only because we were showing to a student attending my school.
 
Pat Norman said:
Yeah what is it? Can you use various orifice nozzles like going to smaller orifices to lower flow like with an air diaphram pump. Or is there some way to regulate the flow?
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Yes you can use different size tips, and you can also regulate the flow as well as pressure....
 
I have thought for a long time that set up was the way to go. eliminates the air compressor
 
I would think this would be a great setup for house washing if you have a 3 way ball valve set up for rinsing. You could use a stronger mix than DSing if needed for stucco or brick, and rinse faster than you could with an 8 GPM pressure washer. Using a 25 HP engine seems like a waste of gas if you are only using few hundred PSI. I'd get rid of my pressure washers all together and use something like this if I didn't need to run a surface cleaner.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
Andy Hinson said:
I have thought for a long time that set up was the way to go. eliminates the air compressor
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If it were "better", we would have it Andy. Been there, done that, with Gas Powered diaphragm pumps, of every conceivable design, and manufacture. Udor, Hypro, John Blue, Comet, Bean, Hydra Flow, etc, etc, etc.
Yes, they do spray like a Male Cat, just not for long!
Their weaknesses are many, stainless steel valves and springs, to name just a few.
We even went to having our stainless steel valve springs custom made for us, out of freaklng Hastelloy!
This helped solve the valve spring problem, but they still did not last very long.
These pumps must be bypassed back into the tank, to relieve pressure, both a blessing, and a curse.
The bypass aids in agitation for your mix, but if a bypass hose breaks or gets loose, watch out, especially if you are up on a roof.
I had one break on me, and by the time we could get to the rig to shut the pump down, it marinated nearly 1/4 of the block with the Love!

Larry Millette also had one of these kinds of pumps, and he said never again.
But then, both Larry and I are real roof cleaners, who really do clean a ton of roofs, not 2 or 3 a week.
Our Trucks average 3 roofs a day, and many are tile roofs. These pumps just can't take what we dish out, for very long.

Larry Millette has went to the trusty air diaphragm pumps, and shit canned his gas powered diaphragm pump many years ago, as we have been using and suggesting for many years.

These Gas Powered diaphragm pumps are not cheap!
You need a motor, and a transmission, and then the pump itself. You can easily approach 1500.00 or more, for a roof cleaning pump that is basically doomed, on borrowed time, as soon as the chlorine contacts all the incompatible parts in it.
My advice, is to avoid these pumps. Several importers of these pumps can get aggressive with their marketing of them, from time to time.
One Importer, Udor, flat ripped me off for nearly 4 grand on 2 of their "roof cleaning pumps' that were supposedly "guaranteed for chlorine" use!
Both pumps started failing in a few weeks! Udor did send out all kinds of replacement parts, manifolds, valve springs, etc, etc, etc, until Gordon from Udor finally told me "Chris, this is the last of your warranty" and then refused to help us anymore!
He put the blame for the pumps inability to hold up to the chemicals, on US!
He said no one else was having any trouble.
I told him "look, just because some so called wanna be roof cleaner does a few roofs a week, does not mean the pumps will hold up to the demands of a real roof cleaning company"
He told me I was "On MY Own", from now on, though we were only 4 months into the "1 Year Warranty", and most of that was with broken down pumps!
Udor are rip offs, who cost us not only nearly 4 grand, but 4 times that in lost roof cleaning business, because I was stupid enough to trust these crooks.
LOL, if anyone is stupid enough to buy a Udor Roof Cleaning Pump, let me know! I STILL have the broken down pumps in my shed, and the transmissions too.











 
Apple Roof Cleaning said:
If it were "better", we would have it Andy. Been there, done that, with Gas Powered diaphragm pumps, of every conceivable design, and manufacture. Udor, Hypro, John Blue, Comet, Bean, Hydra Flow, etc, etc, etc.
Yes, they do spray like a Male Cat, just not for long!
Their weaknesses are many, stainless steel valves and springs, to name just a few.
We even went to having our stainless steel valve springs custom made for us, out of freaklng Hastelloy!
This helped solve the valve spring problem, but they still did not last very long.
These pumps must be bypassed back into the tank, to relieve pressure, both a blessing, and a curse.
The bypass aids in agitation for your mix, but if a bypass hose breaks or gets loose, watch out, especially if you are up on a roof.
I had one break on me, and by the time we could get to the rig to shut the pump down, it marinated nearly 1/4 of the block with the Love!

Larry Millette also had one of these kinds of pumps, and he said never again.
But then, both Larry and I are real roof cleaners, who really do clean a ton of roofs, not 2 or 3 a week.
Our Trucks average 3 roofs a day, and many are tile roofs. These pumps just can't take what we dish out, for very long.

Larry Millette has went to the trusty air diaphragm pumps, and shit canned his gas powered diaphragm pump many years ago, as we have been using and suggesting for many years.

These Gas Powered diaphragm pumps are not cheap!
You need a motor, and a transmission, and then the pump itself. You can easily approach 1500.00 or more, for a roof cleaning pump that is basically doomed, on borrowed time, as soon as the chlorine contacts all the incompatible parts in it.
My advice, is to avoid these pumps. Several importers of these pumps can get aggressive with their marketing of them, from time to time.
One Importer, Udor, flat ripped me off for nearly 4 grand on 2 of their "roof cleaning pumps' that were supposedly "guaranteed for chlorine" use!
Both pumps started failing in a few weeks! Udor did send out all kinds of replacement parts, manifolds, valve springs, etc, etc, etc, until Gordon from Udor finally told me "Chris, this is the last of your warranty" and then refused to help us anymore!
He put the blame for the pumps inability to hold up to the chemicals, on US!
He said no one else was having any trouble.
I told him "look, just because some so called wanna be roof cleaner does a few roofs a week, does not mean the pumps will hold up to the demands of a real roof cleaning company"
He told me I was "On MY Own", from now on, though we were only 4 months into the "1 Year Warranty", and most of that was with broken down pumps!
Udor are rip offs, who cost us not only nearly 4 grand, but 4 times that in lost roof cleaning business, because I was stupid enough to trust these crooks.
LOL, if anyone is stupid enough to buy a Udor Roof Cleaning Pump, let me know! I STILL have the broken down pumps in my shed, and the transmissions too.
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Chris I expect you personally have clean more roofs than anyone one here, and you certainly have a wealth of knowledge about roof cleaning and roof cleaning equipment. I think it would be interesting if you did a thread sometimes explaining how the air pump works and if it had other uses. I for one don't know all the advantages of the air condenser pumps vs everything else. Thanks for coming by from time to time sharing your insights.
 
pdmcali said:
Chris I expect you personally have clean more roofs than anyone one here, and you certainly have a wealth of knowledge about roof cleaning and roof cleaning equipment. I think it would be interesting if you did a thread sometimes explaining how the air pump works and if it had other uses. I for one don't know all the advantages of the air condenser pumps vs everything else. Thanks for coming by from time to time sharing your insights.
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Well thank you very much for the kind words.
I have cleaned a TON of roofs, and unfortunately, have the burnt up Lungs to prove it.
I used to be here all the time, answering roof cleaning questions, but I have my own 2 forums dedicated to teaching roof cleaning, and pretty much stay there.
Unlike some pumps never designed to spay chlorine, the air pumps are made specifically to spray wicked chemicals.
I introduced them to the roof cleaning world, right here at PWI, many years ago.

I do not care for 12 volt roof cleaning pumps. We do a lot of tile roofs, and they often require a small nozzle to control run off. A 12 volt pump will cycle on and off, and eventually burn up, if you do that. Yes, one can use an accumilator, but then there are more connections to worry about. Plus, we have found that 12 volt pumps just do not hold up cleaning 3 to 5 roofs a day, 5 days a week, like our trucks often do.

Our air pumps are made out of Kynar, and chemical proof. In fact,, we NEVER rinse our systems out, ever!
From our pumps to our hose, to our quick change nozzles, also made out of plastics, everything is totally chemical proof!
We do NOT use any Hose Reels, or swivels, even though I introduced the very first plastic swivels to the roof cleaning world, many years ago.

Hose Reels and Swivels just do not hold up, they rob your pump of pressure and flow because of small inside manifold diameters, and will leak all over the place, ruining your stuff.

The LESS fittings you have in a roof cleaning chemical spray system, the better!

An air pump is literally simplicity in itself, and uses the air compressor as the regulator for the pump. When you shut the gun off (we use a ball valve), the air compressor senses the pressure, and bleeds air off, reducing pressure.

I have found an excellent 3/8 air pump for roof cleaning (this one will need to be rinsed) for under 100.00 !
It is made out of Polyproplyne, and has Santroprene diapraghms.
If not rinsed out, it will still last 6 months cleaning roofs every day.
If rinsed, it can last years.

You can always pick up good used air compressors on Craigslist or Pawn Shops for around 300.00
You want what is called a wheelbarrow style of air compressor, with a 5hp Honda Motor
They are a dime a dozen.
 
Chris, what is the brand name/model of that inexpensive polypropylene air diaphragm pump that is less than $100?

This sounds interesting.

Thanks.
 
I have always used 12v systems for cleaning roofs and have never been able to use a air pump yet. I have always been very interested in the idea. Chris you should make a post about the pros and cons on 12v VS air pump along with a video to demonstrate how an air pump works
 
Christopher said:
Chris, what is the brand name/model of that inexpensive polypropylene air diaphragm pump that is less than $100?

This sounds interesting.

Thanks.
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Call me at 813 655 8777 Chris, any day from 11 am till 11 pm Florida time, I will share it with you, since we go way way back. I don't think our premium members at the RCIA will mind me helping an old friend like you.
But I am not going to post the information about that particular pump.
It is a 3/8 pump, and equivalent to the famous 3/8 All Flow I told Lori about, that Larry Millette uses, and swears by.
The main difference between the pump I will share with you and the 3/8 All Flow is this. The 3/8 All Flow is made out of Kynar Chris.
Kynar is totally chemically impervious, and never even needs rinsed out. This Pump is made out of Poly, but for longest life, it is best to rinse it out, after each use.
If this is done, it will last pretty much as long as the All Flow, maybe even longer, and here is why.
The 3/8 All Flow has Teflon Diapragms, this pump uses Santroprene Diapragms.
Santoprene also has an "A" rating for SH use, as Teflon does, but it is much more flexible (Compliant). The Santroprene Diapragms will out last Teflon.

The 3/8 Kynar All Flow will set you back about 400.00 Chris.
LOL, you can get 4 of these pumps for the 400.00 the All Flow will cost you.

Many of our guys simply buy 2 of these pumps at once, total cost is under 200.00 !
This way, they always have a back up, should their pump decide to act up.

The pumps are fully rebuildible, but most guys simply shitcan a pump, when it fails.
After all, they cost less then 100 dollars, so WTF ?
 
Thanks for the info Chris, I appreciate it.
 
Apple Roof Cleaning said:
If it were "better", we would have it Andy. Been there, done that, with Gas Powered diaphragm pumps, of every conceivable design, and manufacture. Udor, Hypro, John Blue, Comet, Bean, Hydra Flow, etc, etc, etc.
Yes, they do spray like a Male Cat, just not for long!
Their weaknesses are many, stainless steel valves and springs, to name just a few.
We even went to having our stainless steel valve springs custom made for us, out of freaklng Hastelloy!
This helped solve the valve spring problem, but they still did not last very long.
These pumps must be bypassed back into the tank, to relieve pressure, both a blessing, and a curse.
The bypass aids in agitation for your mix, but if a bypass hose breaks or gets loose, watch out, especially if you are up on a roof.
I had one break on me, and by the time we could get to the rig to shut the pump down, it marinated nearly 1/4 of the block with the Love!

Larry Millette also had one of these kinds of pumps, and he said never again.
But then, both Larry and I are real roof cleaners, who really do clean a ton of roofs, not 2 or 3 a week.
Our Trucks average 3 roofs a day, and many are tile roofs. These pumps just can't take what we dish out, for very long.

Larry Millette has went to the trusty air diaphragm pumps, and shit canned his gas powered diaphragm pump many years ago, as we have been using and suggesting for many years.

These Gas Powered diaphragm pumps are not cheap!
You need a motor, and a transmission, and then the pump itself. You can easily approach 1500.00 or more, for a roof cleaning pump that is basically doomed, on borrowed time, as soon as the chlorine contacts all the incompatible parts in it.
My advice, is to avoid these pumps. Several importers of these pumps can get aggressive with their marketing of them, from time to time.
One Importer, Udor, flat ripped me off for nearly 4 grand on 2 of their "roof cleaning pumps' that were supposedly "guaranteed for chlorine" use!
Both pumps started failing in a few weeks! Udor did send out all kinds of replacement parts, manifolds, valve springs, etc, etc, etc, until Gordon from Udor finally told me "Chris, this is the last of your warranty" and then refused to help us anymore!
He put the blame for the pumps inability to hold up to the chemicals, on US!
He said no one else was having any trouble.
I told him "look, just because some so called wanna be roof cleaner does a few roofs a week, does not mean the pumps will hold up to the demands of a real roof cleaning company"
He told me I was "On MY Own", from now on, though we were only 4 months into the "1 Year Warranty", and most of that was with broken down pumps!
Udor are rip offs, who cost us not only nearly 4 grand, but 4 times that in lost roof cleaning business, because I was stupid enough to trust these crooks.
LOL, if anyone is stupid enough to buy a Udor Roof Cleaning Pump, let me know! I STILL have the broken down pumps in my shed, and the transmissions too.
Click to expand...

These gas powered pumps must've improved vastly since Larry had his. Mine is going on about 3-4 months of daily use and not one problem...knock on wood..I did talk to Larry about his, and also talked to some other people very knowledgeable about these before I made the decision to go this route. So far I am very happy and getting ready to purchase another one for next year. No matter what type system you have, you could always have a hose split , clamp break, etc etc. WE check all our fittings on a regular basis on ALL our equipment to try to prevent or minimize this, but sometimes no matter how careful you are....things can happen.
 
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