New to softwash roof cleaning.

Stretch561

New member
Hey guys im really liking the site and all the information and help that is on it. I'm looking to build a simple aoftwash setup for rooms only. I current have my pressure washi g rig that consist of 200 gallon tank and Honda 4 GPM with 200' of hose. I was looking to get another tank of 100 gallons with a pump and hose...maybe fatboy pump , I want to keep it 12v setup. Im familiar with sh mixtures and so on. My question is I was only thinking of getting that 100 gallon tank and keeping my mixture in that and having the pump connected to that tank and also my fresh water tank with a ball valve to clean the pump out when done and to do rinse on the roof. My local supplier is telling me I need 2 tanks one for straight sh and another for sh mix???? Why... i rather ask here but i feel like they are taking me for a ride. I don't see why I would need 2 additional tanks on top of the one I have. Then someone else who work there said i can do it all with my pressure washer with down stream injector. "Just fill your 100 gallon tank to about 60 gallons of straight sh and injec after the pump". Now i have done stuff like that for houses and concrete, when the chemical doesn't really have to be precise. I asked what will my mixture be then? The answer I got "strong enough to clean a roof"...really. I always thought that your mixture gets diluted when it travels through the hose after the injector and that's the reason why I'm looking at getting a single 100 gal tank with say 70 gal water and 30 sh for a simple wash. Can you guys share any correct adviceI would really appreciate it also which pumps you would recommend.
 
Lets see if I can help a little....
Two tanks (one for mix and one for SH) is beneficial when you need to weaken or strengthen your mix. What happens when your mix is not strong enough??? All of your SH is already diluted.....

Don't listen to the person who suggested you try to downstream to clean a roof - don't even try to investigate it - they don't make a downstream injector or X-Jet that can mix strong enough to clean a roof.

A 30/70 mix may work for homes in your area, but you may have to do 40/60, or 50/50 on stubborn spots....only you will know if it's working good or not.

I have to ask....do you plan on doing alot of washing in places that you can't get water?? or can't get water quicker than 4 gpm?? Not trying to sound like Negative Nancy or anything, but a 200 gallon tank for a single 4 gpm machine is a little overkill. 50 gallons is plenty. IMO, I would get 2 @ 50 gallon tanks, one for fresh water and one for SH - use the 200 gallon for your mix tank. Even that is an overkill, but if you knew you didn't have to change your mix, then one batch will do an entire job without having to shutdown and mix more. Here's another option:http://www.powerwashstore.com/P/2816/PRO-PORTIONER5409
 
I appreciate the response and no you don't sound like a negative Nancy lol. I do a lot of pressure washing and have some jobs were I can't hook up or water pressure can't keep up with the 4 GPM. I just recently started getting people asking for roofs and a lot arenshingled roofs. I was just looking to add a a system with having tonusenmy existing tank so I do t have to keep cleaning it out just to run my pressure washer because its hooked to that tank. I do see your point on mix not being strong enough and never really put to much thought into that. What if I was to just to use a 100 gallon mix and add another 25 for straight sh just in case its not strong enough? How long can sh stay in a tank before it starts to degrade. I don't do a lot of roofs I do more of commercial walkways and stuff like that.
 
Downstreaming will NOT be string enough to rinse a roof.....He is telling you two tanks because if you if need more mix you can transfer from the full strength tank to the mix tank and then make another batch to keep working. If you run out of your mix on a job and have no way of making more then you will be stuck. If I were you I;d strongly consider the proportioner from powerwashstore.com....it will allow you to have just the one tank of full strength and then automatically mixx your water soap and SH to any desired percentage you want.

http://www.powerwashstore.com/P/2816/PRO-PORTIONER5409
 
I appreciate the imput guys, I really do. I was just figuring one tank for having more room on trailer and also wait. In only have a 5x10 single axle trailer with 2500 lb leaf springs. But my main concern was using my current 200 gal pressure washing tank for chemicals and having to wash it out for when I need to use the pressure washer on site. How long does sh last if it sits in a tank...again I don't do roofs all day everyday but that may change. Do you guys use the proportioner or do you guys just make up batches or add more sh if need be?
 
I batched mixed for many years with 200gal tanks. Only thing I didn't do that I wanted to do was to elevate the SH tank. Elevating the SH tank will allow you to add a little more to the mix tank at times. A transfer pump will take care of that, but we used gravity. I used a elevated soap tank with a valve that I could open for desired amount that dumped directly into tank when mixing.
 
In only have a 5x10 single axle trailer with 2500 lb leaf springs.

200 gallons of water is 1666 lbs.
Drum of SH is +/- 565 lbs.
4 gpm pressure washer is ????? lets say 150 lbs.
Hoses, plumbing, tank itself, frame, decking, etc. is ???? lets say 650 lbs.
All of this is 3031 lbs.....

Your best bet is a proportioner and installing a float on your 200 gallon tank that will keep it under 100 gallons.
 
Not sure which route I'm going to go with. Ideally in a perfect world I would just ad 1 65 gal tank for straight sh and just hook up the proportioner but unfortunately I haven't won the Lotto yet and funds won't allow it. On another note how long will sh stay stored in a tank before it starts to go bad? And how much mix do you guys go through say on 2500 sq ft roof? ( on average...I know their are a lot of factors like how dirty)
 
Not sure which route I'm going to go with. Ideally in a perfect world I would just ad 1 65 gal tank for straight sh and just hook up the proportioner but unfortunately I haven't won the Lotto yet and funds won't allow it. On another note how long will sh stay stored in a tank before it starts to go bad? And how much mix do you guys go through say on 2500 sq ft roof? ( on average...I know their are a lot of factors like how dirty)

SH stored in a tank depends on how long it sits in the sun.....we keep 350 gallons stored in out warehouse for a couple weeks at a time...if left out in the sun it would only last a couple to few days...2500 sq foot roof....65 to 100
 
If your just getting started take a 55 gallon drum cut the top out of it mix up what you need on the jobsite an use it repeat process until you can get larger trailer for more tanks sh etc.
 
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