Information on buffer tanks

[mcessford1]

Good Afternoon,


I'm new to the pressure-washing world and I was wondering if I can get some help in terms of getting the right amount of water pressure needed for commercial and residential work.

At the moment, I have a 2.5gpm pressure washer. I've been told that I don't need a buffer tank as I can just draw straight from the customer's mains. However, when I use my pressure washer I can see the hose literally shink a little bit, suggesting that I need more water to draw from.


So would a buffer tank be the next step?


Also, can you (and how can you) use both the customer's mains AND the buffer tank?


Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated as I'm trying to learn the trade.


Thank you.

 

[ched999uk]

In the UK you are allowed to pull a maximum of 12 litres per min from a domestic supply. If your 2.5gpm is a US measurement then that's about 10 litres per min.
A buffer tank is just something like a wheelie bin that has a hose from customers tap filling it and your pressure washer sucking water out of it. They are mainly for machines that would pull more than 12 litres per min or if the customers supply is low pressure or flow.

 

[K in Kent]

What diameter hose are you using? Maybe try a wider hose - 3/4"

 

[scottish cleaning service]

You will always be overdrawing the supply. We have a 240 litre wheelie bin where the garden hose plugs into it. There's a float inside the bin which rises when water rises and closes the valve. The hose suppling the PW goes into the bin and draws the water you need. Check Utube for some videos about it.

 

[THL4KEL]

My last job of the year last year the customers supply was able to keep up with my p/w. I wish all jobs had a flow rate like that.

Flow rates vary from one property to the next. One thing to check with a weak flow rate is that the customers has not had a flow rate restrictor valve fitted. Had it on a couple of new builds...

 

[scottish cleaning service]

My last job of the year last year the customers supply was able to keep up with my p/w. I wish all jobs had a flow rate like that.

Flow rates vary from one property to the next. One thing to check with a weak flow rate is that the customers has not had a flow rate restrictor valve fitted. Had it on a couple of new builds...

I bought a 3 way connector for my water bin. I have plenty of hose so when I have low pressure I look at the neighbours to see if they have a tap and ask if I can use it. It means 2 feeds into my bin.

 

[THL4KEL]

Im van mount so I take 600l with me but only last about 20mins...

 

[K in Kent]

Im van mount so I take 600l with me but only last about 20mins...

What do you do if there's no parking near the job?

 

[THL4KEL]

What do you do if there's no parking near the job?

Ive got 80m of hose. But there always tends to be parking either front or back of property.

 

[K in Kent]

Ive got 80m of hose. But there always tends to be parking either front or back of property.

Yeah that's fair enough and hoses can always be connected and extended , but I was thinking of hoses running across a road and being driven over/ damaged/ water cut off and of course the trip hazard. It's almost an invitation for some lowlife to sue and even stage an 'accident'. There's such a compensation culture nowadays plus H&S issues.
And I'm thinking about when I was a kid and if me and my mates knew what was going on we'd be such a PITA - cutting off the water'/ kinking the hoses / stepping on them etc with the hope of trying to get the bloke to chase us.
And if he bit and he did.....well, that'd be it. We'd love it and be at it all day - not malicious, no damage or anything like that just pure entertainment value.

 

[THL4KEL]

Its not that much different to running a hose for window cleaning I don't place it across roads though. As far as kids no issues, these days theyre all sat in their bedrooms talking to their mates on the internet not like the old days when kids played out.