How long do you usually get before your buffer tank runs empty?

[Derekarogers]

I guess it does depend on the house you are working at and the areas water pressure but I used my 21lpm pressure washer for the first time Yesterday and found it to be emptying the 240l wheelie bin I had several times whilst trying to clean some flags.

What do you guys find to be the average time be before your tank runs empty and how long are you standing around waiting for it to fill back up?

I felt I spent so much time just standing waiting for the wheelie bin to fill around 4/5 times.

Is this common? I just wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong and drawing more water than I needed or something?

I also used turbo nozzle throughout the job, no FSC.

Does a FSC use less water than a turbo nozzle?

Thanks

 

[ched999uk]

I believe most people will have the fill hose from the tap running while using water from the buffer tank! You are only allowed to pull 12 litres per min from a domestic supply. So when you are using a 21 litre per min your 240L wheelie bin would only last about 10 mins but if it's filling at say 6 litres per min then that would only give you an extra 3 mins!!!
One thing you might consider is did you need the full 21 litres a min? i.e. you could turn the pressure and engine speed down and use less water as long as it's enough to clean the surface though. I believe it's always best to start at a lower pressure and see if that's enough to clean the job, then if not turn it up a bit etc...

 

[Derekarogers]

I believe most people will have the fill hose from the tap running while using water from the buffer tank! You are only allowed to pull 12 litres per min from a domestic supply. So when you are using a 21 litre per min your 240L wheelie bin would only last about 10 mins but if it's filling at say 6 litres per min then that would only give you an extra 3 mins!!!
One thing you might consider is did you need the full 21 litres a min? i.e. you could turn the pressure and engine speed down and use less water as long as it's enough to clean the surface though. I believe it's always best to start at a lower pressure and see if that's enough to clean the job, then if not turn it up a bit etc...

Thank You Ched,

Yeah it wasn't lasting long at all, probably around 10mins before the tank was empty thats even with the hose filling up the tank as I am using it at all times.

I shall try tweaking with the pressure and engine speed.

Would you say you can still get as good a clean with less pressure / engine speed? I am just trying to figure out whats that sweet spot.

 

[ched999uk]

Thank You Ched,

Yeah it wasn't lasting long at all, probably around 10mins before the tank was empty thats even with the hose filling up the tank as I am using it at all times.

I shall try tweaking with the pressure and engine speed.

Would you say you can still get as good a clean with less pressure / engine speed? I am just trying to figure out whats that sweet spot.

To be up front I don't do PW at moment but I have been reading lots and have a good mate who does commercial PW with a van mounted system so he passes on info.

I do know that some people use 3/4" (20mm) hose from tap to buffer tank and some even use 2 hoses with a splitter at the tap as it provides less resistance so higher flow rate. I think 1/2" (12.5mm) hose from a tap might be a bit small bore.

As for lower pressure/flow it all depends on the surface i.e. wood or Indian sandstone needs a lower pressure so you don't damage the surface, this can be achieved by lowering pressure, lowering engine speed or using more of a fan nozzle. The other thing to remember is you need to balance a few things, water supply, surface, your time to complete the job, PW fuel usage, chemical applications, drainage etc. Ultimately you need to try and get the job done in the most efficient way so you earn good money. Remember you have paid out a fair bit on your kit so it's not just your time the customer is paying for!

The fsc can make things faster depending on the surface and how bad it is with weeds/moss etc. Make sure that the nozzles are the correct size for your machine pressure and flow as that makes them work better!

 

[Pjj]

Some places have very poor water pressure we make sure the wheely bin is full before starting , if we run low we just move thing out of the way or replace stuff from the areas we have already cleaned or do what ever else needs doing whilst it’s re filling , most jobs arnt a problem it’s only the odd one hear and there

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I was PW a massive driveway last week. The tap pressure was ok but I overran my bin's supply. I noticed the neighbour had a tap so I linked into that aswell and plugged my Y branch on my bin. Two supplies running I manage to finish it and I only used 6 litres of petrol. If I was constantly PW then I would upgrade to a 360 litre bin or fit a permanent twin tank in my van. 350 litre for pure and 350 litre for tap water for my PW.