Looking for advice on couple of things, just starting up.

[chris940]

Hey

So I'm starting up with driveway, patio etc.. pressure washing. I'm a gardener with my main work being lawn care and hedge cutting. I've done a few jobs in the past for current customers with a small 9lpm pressure washer but quickly realised that if I wanted to do it properly, I'd need something bigger.

Decided on the loncin 21lpm from rutland pumps. Think ill probably go with the bundle to get the surface cleaner and bin conversion kit as well.

Just looking at few extras I need and i was wondering, is the 240l bin usually enough or should I opt for the 360l? I'm having to buy one and it's not a huge price difference. Also for hose to feed the bufffer tank, should I go 3/4 or 1 inch?

Thanks

 

[ched999uk]

Go bigger buffer if you have space in van. Fill hose is restricted by customers tap and the fitting plus 1 inch is quite big to coil up.

 

[DeLaCruz]

depends on space - you can run a 21L machine on a fold up canvas water butt easily as long as your mindful of the water levels and flow. if you have space go bigger, if not use what you can fit. get suttner kew trigger and lances that fit that, makes life infinitely easier.

 

[chris940]

Ah ok. I'll go with the 3/4 inch then. I just figured bigger was better when it came to hose diameter, especially if your using a long hose but never thought about it not fitting on the tap.

depends on space - you can run a 21L machine on a fold up canvas water butt easily as long as your mindful of the water levels and flow. if you have space go bigger, if not use what you can fit. get suttner kew trigger and lances that fit that, makes life infinitely easier.

I've seen those canvas water butts, are they any good? Cheap for the size of them compared to proper tanks. In the future, if it takes off, I'll look at some kind of semi-permanent van setup. Permanent water tank in the van but with the option to remove the machine easily if i need the extra space for other work.

I'll maybe go with the 360 then. I've got a lwb vivaro so no reason I can't fit everything in, I think. I'm just concerned I'll be stopping every 25 minutes with a smaller bin.

I think the bundle from rutland pumps does come with a suttner kew trigger which is part of the reason I'm going for it. Seems worth the extra.

 

[Pjj]

All depends on flow from the tap a small bin will be ok if you have high tap pressure with a good flow , if pressure is low the bigger the bun the better as when it’s full it will last longer , we have a 23 lpm machine and have a 240 ltr bin but do run out on a few jobs that have poor pressure and flow , I just go and do something else for 5 muinits it’s not usually a big problem but can be frustrating when trying to crack on

 

[chris940]

On those jobs you do run out, is it just once or twice on your average sized driveway or more? I mean if i can save £40 on something that would likely be replaced in the future anyway, I'll do it.

 

[chris940]

Also, i know this can be a touchy subject for people, so tell me to piss off if you want, but I'm really struggling to figure out local prices. I'm in Yorkshire. I've seen prices in London starting at £4.50 per m2 for block pavers including sanding then another in Kent charging like £2 per m2 then another £1 per m2 for sanding.

I dont know if those prices will fly up here. Trying to get a yorkshire man to part with his money is tough.

 

[sleepyfolk]

We got so sick of buffer running out all the time we ended up putting a 1000L ionic framed tank we found cheap in one of the vivaros which helped but maybe we are just surrounded by crap water pressure in Cornwall!
It’ll still go pretty quick if you’re at full chat whatever you have but also try not to make the mistake of cleaning everything at full blast - you may well be experienced to know but I’ve had a couple of window customers accepted cheaper quotes, one of which has had 40m of sandstone balustrade that was lovely and smooth although horribly green and black that has now been blasted with a turbo off a big machine and it’s as rough as breeze block! Teach em for going elsewhere
I’m down south and £4-5.50 but my dad lives in Yorkshire and I can’t believe the prices he pays for any trade up there, so god knows what you’ll get there 50p probably they got ferret food and flat caps they’d rather spend their dough on

 

[chris940]

I can’t believe the prices he pays for any trade up there, so god knows what you’ll get there 50p probably they got ferret food and flat caps they’d rather spend their dough on

Hey, some of us have got normal pets and a more modern sense of fashion

But yeah, it can be a nightmare up here. Trying to get people to pay decent money for lawn care and hedge cutting is a pain. I've actually got a couple of customers who upped their prices for me, telling me I was too cheap. I'm sure they're from down south cause they certainly couldn't be yorkshire.

1000l is definitely what I'd go for if I didn't need van space for other machinery/garden waste. But yeah I'm new to the game really but have found out that sandstone requires lower pressures. A lot of indian sandstone patios in my area. Do you tend to have to swap nozzles out on surface cleaners and stuff when lowering the pressure?

 

[Pjj]

Hey, some of us have got normal pets and a more modern sense of fashion

But yeah, it can be a nightmare up here. Trying to get people to pay decent money for lawn care and hedge cutting is a pain. I've actually got a couple of customers who upped their prices for me, telling me I was too cheap. I'm sure they're from down south cause they certainly couldn't be yorkshire.

1000l is definitely what I'd go for if I didn't need van space for other machinery/garden waste. But yeah I'm new to the game really but have found out that sandstone requires lower pressures. A lot of indian sandstone patios in my area. Do you tend to have to swap nozzles out on surface cleaners and stuff when lowering the pressure?

With the fsc just reduce the revs or undo the unloaded valve to reduce pressure you don’t need to change the jets . Same with the turbo but they shouldn’t be used on delicate surfaces

 

[chris940]

Ah ok. I figured you have to have different sized nozzles for different pressure that can run the machine at. Saves messing around changing them, especially on the fsc.

Got a few block paving drives and some patios lined up in the next couple of weeks for current gardening customers once I get sorted so hopefully get the chance to have a play around with different settings.