Pressure Washer choice

[Deleted member 7446]

Cheers. Got one on the way. Should probably get one for the Rocwood too.

For what they cost mate it's worth it. I have them on my generators, pressure washer, water pump

Top tip. Throw away any double sided tape they come with and get some 3M VHB double sided pads

You only need around 5 coils or the wire neatly and firmly wrapped around your HT lead approximately 80mm from the plug cap and use some small cable ties and a piece of gaffa tape to keep the wrapped coils together

B&Q Heavy duty outdoor grade, same Isle as masking tape and glue decorating section

 

[Truckcab79]

Well. FedEx finally pulled their fingers out and it arrived today. Haven’t had a chance to try it but on first impressions, very pleased. Obviously I only have the Rocwood to compare it to. But very solid. Nicely built. Engine pump and gearbox all look nicely made and suitably chunky.

Came with box and pump already filled with oil and supplied with engine oil.

FSC is different colour to the one on the website which is neither here nor there and according to the box is 19” not 18” as advertised. All looks very much more ‘serious’ than I’m used to. Very pleased with it thus far.

Should have ordered more hose as stupidly it hasn’t crossed my mind it would be a bigger bore. I’ve already ordered another 10m which will be no good for this machine but I’ll use on the Rocwood as that one leaks anyway.

What am I looking for? Hose that I’ve received is marked 10mm and 3/8”. Supplier I spoke to today though said that if it’s not 1/4” then I need 5/16”.

Either way I assume that the fittings will be M22 and 3/8 bsp QC’s?

Many thanks for the continued advice.

 

[Truckcab79]

Well in the absence of any answers I’ve done the sensible thing and called Rutland. Very helpful lady identified what I need and 20m of lightweight twin-wire winging it’s way to me. Not the cheapest option but my own fault for not ordering extra at the same time as the machine. At least I know what’s coming will be correctly sized and good quality.

 

[Truckcab79]

I’ll report back after it’s first use ‘in anger’ next week when I’m cleaning down a deck prior to a partial rebuild as it’s very rotten in places. Good example of how this works as an add-on for me. I’d have probably given the deck a jet wash first anyway as it’s covered in moss and dirt. This way I’m being paid for it and added the patios and paths to the job. £600 more than I would have earned on the deck rebuild.

Anyhow. Thought I better get it all together and actually start it up. Got my 10m hose and my 20m Rutland one, check all fitted together as it should. All good.

Started literally first time. No hassle at all. Runs quieter than the Rocwood (not difficult to be fair).

My god it’s powerful. Like difficult to hang onto the lance powerful on full blast. Very impressed.

Only slight disappointment was that on first start water was spraying out of the connections to the output hose. Loads of it. Messaged Jetmac but before they replied I gave it a quick tighten and it was just a very loose connection. Obviously been missed on assembly. All sorted now though.

Give its first proper try-out next week. Need to go a bit easy as this thing will obliterate the deck if I’m too heavy-handed.

Have also fitted my tach. Good little gadget. Must get one for the Rocwood.

 

[Truckcab79]

Well. First paid job for the Jetmac. Performed flawlessly. More than powerful enough for my needs. This is actually a client who had booked a deck refurbishment as there is quite a bit of rot. Being paid for pressure washing it first is a nice added extra and also ‘upsold’ to include the patio, path and side return. Threw in a clean of the walls of the raised deck as a freebie just because they looked awful against all the newly cleaned parts.

Very glad what I had a 20m and 10m hose. Didn’t have to move the PW once. FSC worked perfectly. Was nervous that it might leave swirl marks in the timber so turned it down but actually full blast was fine. Helped that the deck is old and worn and didn’t need to be too careful.

Turned revs down for rinsing as it was way too powerful on green nozzle and too weak on black.

Very pleased. Fuel economy seemed decent. Tacho works well. Did 3 hours in total. Buffer tank was adequate. Had to stop occasionally for to let it catch up but not often enough to want a bigger one given it has to fit in my van.

 

[Pjj]

Well. First paid job for the Jetmac. Performed flawlessly. More than powerful enough for my needs. This is actually a client who had booked a deck refurbishment as there is quite a bit of rot. Being paid for pressure washing it first is a nice added extra and also ‘upsold’ to include the patio, path and side return. Threw in a clean of the walls of the raised deck as a freebie just because they looked awful against all the newly cleaned parts.

Very glad what I had a 20m and 10m hose. Didn’t have to move the PW once. FSC worked perfectly. Was nervous that it might leave swirl marks in the timber so turned it down but actually full blast was fine. Helped that the deck is old and worn and didn’t need to be too careful.

Turned revs down for rinsing as it was way too powerful on green nozzle and too weak on black.

Very pleased. Fuel economy seemed decent. Tacho works well. Did 3 hours in total. Buffer tank was adequate. Had to stop occasionally for to let it catch up but not often enough to want a bigger one given it has to fit in my van.


View attachment 26635View attachment 26636

Looking good well done ?

 

[Truckcab79]

Looking good well done ?

Many thanks.

Had to go very carefully up to the edges of each stone using the turbo nozzle as the resin pointing has been so badly done it’s complete shot. Gives me another job to come back and do mind. Half my work is redoing other people shoddy workmanship.

 

[kevinc250]

looks good there matey, the black nozzle is for chems and rarely used, for rinsing or light cleaning the white or yellow nozzle works fine, sometimes you could just connect to the hosepipe instead of the buffer tank, its slower work but does mean you are constantly working instead of waiting for the buffer tank to re fill.
lowering the revs means you lower the horse power in effect meaning that it is more gentle on surfaces that require it ie wood on harder surfaces you can crank the revs up meaning you can clean harder but quicker if that makes sense?
long story short but about six months ago i walked into my local window cleaning shop to buy a couple of filters and the guy offered me a pressure washer that he had taken in to sell on, minus the fsc as that sold very quick, i looked at the virtually brand new 6.5hp washer with 20 metres of hose lance turbo nozzle and when we tried it out it was under powered compared to my old washer but my old washer was old-just that old and basically falling apart it had done its part and earned its money many times over, so, for £500 i came away with two filters for the ro that in went in for and a 6.5hp jetmac pressure washer it paid for itself within the month- you'll soon find that
you'll be into profit quite quickly, what i have found that on small jobs its a dream to use as its erm small, but on larger driveways for instance its a proper pain as it is slow due to the horse power and the lacking of it hence this week the engine is going through a few modifications to zing it up a bit, at the end i hope to have an 11hp engine maybe more but with the smaller footprint so its fits into the van nicely.
keep going with it and your end results will get better and better the more you get used to the washer and, good luck

 

[Truckcab79]

looks good there matey, the black nozzle is for chems and rarely used, for rinsing or light cleaning the white or yellow nozzle works fine, sometimes you could just connect to the hosepipe instead of the buffer tank, its slower work but does mean you are constantly working instead of waiting for the buffer tank to re fill.
lowering the revs means you lower the horse power in effect meaning that it is more gentle on surfaces that require it ie wood on harder surfaces you can crank the revs up meaning you can clean harder but quicker if that makes sense?
long story short but about six months ago i walked into my local window cleaning shop to buy a couple of filters and the guy offered me a pressure washer that he had taken in to sell on, minus the fsc as that sold very quick, i looked at the virtually brand new 6.5hp washer with 20 metres of hose lance turbo nozzle and when we tried it out it was under powered compared to my old washer but my old washer was old-just that old and basically falling apart it had done its part and earned its money many times over, so, for £500 i came away with two filters for the ro that in went in for and a 6.5hp jetmac pressure washer it paid for itself within the month- you'll soon find that
you'll be into profit quite quickly, what i have found that on small jobs its a dream to use as its erm small, but on larger driveways for instance its a proper pain as it is slow due to the horse power and the lacking of it hence this week the engine is going through a few modifications to zing it up a bit, at the end i hope to have an 11hp engine maybe more but with the smaller footprint so its fits into the van nicely.
keep going with it and your end results will get better and better the more you get used to the washer and, good luck

Cheers.
The white nozzle funnily enough was my most used on the Rocwood. Forget what angle it’s marked up as but very useful. The Jetmac was advertised as having five nozzles but only space for 4 and it didn’t come with white. Must pick up a spare and drill the panel for the extra one.

I’ve not even marketed pressure washing as such as the main job is landscaping and I’m booked up for months thankfully. Todays job and one next week will pretty much have paid for the machine. The tool-buying fanatic part of me then thinks ooh. Should have bought a more expensive one! but actually this is ideal for my use as it fits my small van comfortably along with my buffer tank, FSC, fuel etc etc.

Buffer tank is great. Slides in the van. Stores all the hoses and lance, gloves, wellies. Size wasn’t an issue. Aside from leaving it to top up while I was doing something else anyway it only actually ran dry once all day so for my set-up I think it’s turned out to be ideal. Only way I could imagine needing more is that I definitely need a bigger van for work and I’m half tempted to keep my small one as a dedicated PW van and pimp my occasional labourer out on jobs on his own. ?

 

[Truckcab79]

On the subject of spare nozzle sets are they all much of a muchness? Can’t really find anything except 5 piece sets for about £8. Spec pretty much all the same. All say they are stainless etc.

 

[ched999uk]

On the subject of spare nozzle sets are they all much of a muchness? Can’t really find anything except 5 piece sets for about £8. Spec pretty much all the same. All say they are stainless etc.

Make sure the orifice is the same size as your existing ones though. I think first numbers are fan angle last set are orifice.

 

[Truckcab79]

Make sure the orifice is the same size as your existing ones though. I think first numbers are fan angle last set are orifice.

Yea. They all seem the same as far as I can tell. I’m talking about the coloured ones for lance though, not the FSC just to be clear. Colours seem to also denote fan angle as far as I can see and they’re all 1/4 quick connects, and all are stainless (except black which all appear to be brass). Did have a look at Rutland to see if there was a better quality option but the section for nozzles has no product.

 

[Truckcab79]

Won’t post any more before and after pics as I’m sure everyone knows what a clean driveway looks like, but one more set for the sake of extolling the virtues of the Jetmac machine. Here’s a small part of todays job. Decent sized driveway. All done in two hours including soaking time for the hypo.

 

[ched999uk]

Won’t post any more before and after pics as I’m sure everyone knows what a clean driveway looks like, but one more set for the sake of extolling the virtues of the Jetmac machine. Here’s a small part of todays job. Decent sized driveway. All done in two hours including soaking time for the hypo.

Looks good, are you still pleased with the machine? Do you think it saved you time over the old machine?
Keep posting picys if you want, always nice to see a good job.

 

[Pjj]

Looking good well done keep up the good work don’t forget to take before and after pictures of the same bit and build up a portfolio this is really helpful showing potential customers what you can do ,I find it really sells the service to the customers

 

[Truckcab79]

Looking good well done keep up the good work don’t forget to take before and after pictures of the same bit and build up a portfolio this is really helpful showing potential customers what you can do ,I find it really sells the service to the customers

Many thanks. Much appreciated Yep. I have. I normally send clients a couple as well just so they can appreciate the difference it’s made. I also post daily on Facebook. Not that there’s any great following but I find it useful to be able to direct clients there to see previous work. Likewise my website.

 

[Truckcab79]

Looks good, are you still pleased with the machine? Do you think it saved you time over the old machine?
Keep posting picys if you want, always nice to see a good job.

Absolutely. Couldn’t be happier with it. It’s loads more powerful. Rinsing is so much quicker. FSC is bigger and faster. I can’t see why I’d need anything bigger, though I can guarantee I’ll buy another bigger one at some point. ?

Today was great also as the client had decent water pressure. Didn’t stop once to let the buffer tank catch up.

My only regret is that I’ve got so much non-pressure washing work booked up that I cant really justify marketing it. Really enjoy it. Very rewarding, great client satisfaction and decent money too.

 

[kevinc250]

its all looking good mate, glad you are happy with it and getting the results that pleases the customers,
a few tips, just things i have found helpfull and these were passed on to me so the credit is for other people.
place a golf tee into the ground before taking a photo, it makes it easier to return to the same place after the job to take the after photos,
use the tie wrap workaround on the handles of the lance and fsc, not exactly hse compliant but it makes life a lot easier,
buy an x jet m5 and your work will become quicker and easier
use lithium grease for the fsc not the normal type as it has more drag or friction so will slow it down, carry spare jets as they can become blocked if dirt gets into the fsc usually by placing the handles into the soil-carry a needle on the van so you can unblock them.
wear ear defenders, many will laugh at that comment but when they have hearing loss in years to come they won't be laughing too much then.
eye protection is good too even sun glasses in the hot weather its suprising how much dirt can throw back at the face.

 

[Truckcab79]

its all looking good mate, glad you are happy with it and getting the results that pleases the customers,
a few tips, just things i have found helpfull and these were passed on to me so the credit is for other people.
place a golf tee into the ground before taking a photo, it makes it easier to return to the same place after the job to take the after photos,
use the tie wrap workaround on the handles of the lance and fsc, not exactly hse compliant but it makes life a lot easier,
buy an x jet m5 and your work will become quicker and easier
use lithium grease for the fsc not the normal type as it has more drag or friction so will slow it down, carry spare jets as they can become blocked if dirt gets into the fsc usually by placing the handles into the soil-carry a needle on the van so you can unblock them.
wear ear defenders, many will laugh at that comment but when they have hearing loss in years to come they won't be laughing too much then.
eye protection is good too even sun glasses in the hot weather its suprising how much dirt can throw back at the face.

Cheers for the tips.
Always wear war defenders even when the machine was miles away. I assumed everyone did.

Always carry a needle. Mainly because my old FSC seemed to block quite easily. Must get some spare nozzles though.

Cheers for grease tip. Funnily enough I gave it a couple of squirts yesterday after googling what grease and all the comments said standard grease. Annoying but I’ll get some lithium and pump it through to replace.

Is the tie-wrap to keep it ‘on’? My FSC can be locked on (but I don’t), but the lance can’t. I actually don’t find it too bad but strangely I REALLY feel it in my muscles the following day from the pressure of just holding the lance. (Doesn’t sound very butch does it?).

I’ll Google the XJet M5. Might be obvious when I see what one is but in case not, how does it improve things?

Oh. And I wear glasses so eye-protection is pretty much ‘standard’. Funnily enough always wore it anyway. Habit from wearing contact lenses for years and getting stuff in them. Very painful.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

 

[Truckcab79]

Oh. And cheers for the golf tee idea. I actually take dozens of photos and make sure they include ‘matching’ ones. Just didn’t use them in this thread. I’ve also found a very simple app called Layout that allows you to do a collage. Let’s you place two photos side by side to show the difference really clearly. Free app. Nothing too involved. No photo editing etc. but good for what it is. You can join them horizontally, vertically, diagonally etc. worth a look.

 

[ched999uk]

Oh. And cheers for the golf tee idea. I actually take dozens of photos and make sure they include ‘matching’ ones. Just didn’t use them in this thread. I’ve also found a very simple app called Layout that allows you to do a collage. Let’s you place two photos side by side to show the difference really clearly. Free app. Nothing too involved. No photo editing etc. but good for what it is. You can join them horizontally, vertically, diagonally etc. worth a look.

There is an Android app called Before & After that allows you to pick a previous image and then use the camera so it shows you the before image as a transparent image. So you can frame the after by viewing it through the before image! It takes a bit of playing but there is a good tutorial.
Actually I had forgotten I had the app, it would have come in handy the other day -whoops. Cheers for mentioning picys.