Pressure Washer choice

[Truckcab79]

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.

Sounds great. Must be something similar for iPhone I’m sure. Took me ages to find one that wasn’t just littered with ads

 

[kevinc250]

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.

many won't or don't wear ear protection mate ok, if you are way far away from the washer then fair enough but deafness issues is a gradual thing.
take care of the fsc always try to prop it up against a wall or upside down so the inlet is not near any dirt- found that out the hard way
chatting to ben a long while ago why my fsc wasn't spinning that quick-i was using normal grease too and thats the culprit its way too thick and was slowing the spinning hence the lithium as its thinner plus lubricating too.
the tie wrap, its not exactly hse compliant but so many use it. use a thick black tie wrap and with the lever down compress the tie wrap to that and cut off the end as it gets in the way, in use, you slide the tie wrap down and it locks the lever/slide it up to stop the lever working.
some use tennis balls to jam the lever full on and a quick flick of the ball to remove it should the site foreman be on his rounds.
ahh, the m5, take the patio you did the other day, standing over that with some kind of sprayer head down breathing the fumes in its not good for your lungs in the long term, with the m5 it would have taken maybe two mins at tops to spray that, come away and have a brew- no point breathing in the fumes from hypo and come back either rinse with m5 or your jet of preference, i find it probabaly would save me at least two hours or more on a job if i reverted to say, a backpack or pump sprayer-wouldn't consider that whatsoever if mine broke-i'd just buy another.

 

[Truckcab79]

many won't or don't wear ear protection mate ok, if you are way far away from the washer then fair enough but deafness issues is a gradual thing.
take care of the fsc always try to prop it up against a wall or upside down so the inlet is not near any dirt- found that out the hard way
chatting to ben a long while ago why my fsc wasn't spinning that quick-i was using normal grease too and thats the culprit its way too thick and was slowing the spinning hence the lithium as its thinner plus lubricating too.
the tie wrap, its not exactly hse compliant but so many use it. use a thick black tie wrap and with the lever down compress the tie wrap to that and cut off the end as it gets in the way, in use, you slide the tie wrap down and it locks the lever/slide it up to stop the lever working.
some use tennis balls to jam the lever full on and a quick flick of the ball to remove it should the site foreman be on his rounds.
ahh, the m5, take the patio you did the other day, standing over that with some kind of sprayer head down breathing the fumes in its not good for your lungs in the long term, with the m5 it would have taken maybe two mins at tops to spray that, come away and have a brew- no point breathing in the fumes from hypo and come back either rinse with m5 or your jet of preference, i find it probabaly would save me at least two hours or more on a job if i reverted to say, a backpack or pump sprayer-wouldn't consider that whatsoever if mine broke-i'd just buy another.

Great. Much appreciated.
And with the M5 no greater chance of overspray onto plants, lawns etc?

You’re absolutely right about the pressure sprayer. Entirely my own fault as I hadn’t tightened it properly but first time I used my backpack one I managed a nice scabby chemical burn down my back as it was leaking and as I didn’t have a waterproof jacket on, first I knew about it was when it had already soaked thorough my jacket and sat against my skin. Lesson learnt.

 

[Truckcab79]

Just started a fencing job today. 46 panels and a custom built pergola just for good measure.

Mentioned to client that the patio could do with a good clean and I’d be happy to provide cost to add to the job.

‘Thanks so much!’ She said.

New machine now more than paid for ???

 

[Truckcab79]

Just started a fencing job today. 46 panels and a custom built pergola just for good measure.

Mentioned to client that the patio could do with a good clean and I’d be happy to provide cost to add to the job.

‘Thanks so much!’ She said.

New machine now more than paid for ???

Well, fencing and pergola all finished. Today I was back with the client all day pressure washing. Dozens of potted plants to move off first. Nice selection of surfaces to work on. Porcelain patio, stone patio, concrete side return and a large block paved driveway.

Won’t post photos of most of it as it doesn’t photograph particularly well and was dirty but not so dirty you’ll see a shocking difference. Driveway came up beautifully.

Jetmac machine continues to perform well. Can’t fault it really. Buffer tank size is perfectly matched. Never ran out once.

Did realise that resting the fuel cap upside down on the hot exhaust is a really stupid idea as it melted ?‍ Perfectly ok still but reminded me I should carry a spare.

Came home and as I always do gave everything a thorough clean. Pumped a load of new grease into the FSC. Well worth doing as it pushed loads of water out.

Slightly disappointed to see that the Jetmac FSC head isn’t stainless. Everything else on it looks like aluminium or stainless but the head/bar is already covered in rust pitting so I guess it’s chromed steel. Odd that the part most at risk is the poorest quality. Even the bar on my old FSC that was £70 off Amazon is stainless. Oh well.

Other than that I’m still over the moon with it

Did think I should buy some sort of pedestrian barrier for either side of the muck running off the driveway. Sort of ‘apologies for any inconvenience’ rather than to actually stop anyone.

Here’s a couple of pics of the driveway. Those marks are wet areas not dirt or oil. Will try to get some better ones later.
Back tomorrow to sand it and put 500 pots back on the patio.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

That was a good one, all down hill. Doing one tomorrow round a backdoor where water pools in a corner. Did it 3 years ago so it shouldn't be that dirty. Will use my twin turbo lance and another one with a 60 degree nozzle for rinsing.

 

[Truckcab79]

That was a good one, all down hill. Doing one tomorrow round a backdoor where water pools in a corner. Did it 3 years ago so it shouldn't be that dirty. Will use my twin turbo lance and another one with a 60 degree nozzle for rinsing.

Yep. Nice one to do. Came up lovely. Both the patios and the driveway had drainage channels too. Blocked solid so I cleaned out the one on the patios first to make rinsing easier.

The one in the driveway unsurprisingly wasn’t a proper drain. Don’t think I’ve ever found one that was though to be fair.

I do one about two or three times a year where its all built in very old and in part badly damaged bricks. Pools everywhere and if you can get it out of the bricks at all it pools alongside the lawn in a big muddy mess. There is drainage if you can get it all toward the house but it drains through gravel that covers the channel so as you can imagine it blocks in seconds.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Yep. Nice one to do. Came up lovely. Both the patios and the driveway had drainage channels too. Blocked solid so I cleaned out the one on the patios first to make rinsing easier.

The one in the driveway unsurprisingly wasn’t a proper drain. Don’t think I’ve ever found one that was though to be fair.

I do one about two or three times a year where its all built in very old and in part badly damaged bricks. Pools everywhere and if you can get it out of the bricks at all it pools alongside the lawn in a big muddy mess. There is drainage if you can get it all toward the house but it drains through gravel that covers the channel so as you can imagine it blocks in seconds.

You will find alot more of those drains that don't go anywhere. I ended up fitting a few strip drains in for my mate due to bad pavers doing the job cheap. If its uneven then I PW and then put my 94kg whacker on it to make it acceptable. Its another service that the customer likes rather than looking at a bumpy driveway. ?

 

[Truckcab79]

You will find alot more of those drains that don't go anywhere. I ended up fitting a few strip drains in for my mate due to bad pavers doing the job cheap. If its uneven then I PW and then put my 94kg whacker on it to make it acceptable. Its another service that the customer likes rather than looking at a bumpy driveway. ?

Had crossed my mind. Not for this job though. Driveway was very nicely laid. All by one man apparently!

Have a compactor for my landscaping work. Decent bit of kit for the money. Only a Wolf one but does the job really well. 100% reliable and very quickly cheaper than hiring one. More importantly always there when I want it rather than waiting for hire shop deliveries or doing it by hand on smaller jobs as it’s not worth the hassle or cost of hiring.

 

[Truckcab79]

Another job for the Jetmac. Part of a bigger job for a client and the pressure wash was just the start of a whole patio refurb and a load of other work. Redoing the pointing obviously makes a huge difference but thought I’d continue my fanboy status of the Jetmac by posting another before and after to show the difference it made to the stone itself. Client thrilled with it. Driveway to do next.

 

[Pjj]

Another job for the Jetmac. Part of a bigger job for a client and the pressure wash was just the start of a whole patio refurb and a load of other work. Redoing the pointing obviously makes a huge difference but thought I’d continue my fanboy status of the Jetmac by posting another before and after to show the difference it made to the stone itself. Client thrilled with it. Driveway to do next.

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Nice job done there ?

 

[ched999uk]

Another job for the Jetmac. Part of a bigger job for a client and the pressure wash was just the start of a whole patio refurb and a load of other work. Redoing the pointing obviously makes a huge difference but thought I’d continue my fanboy status of the Jetmac by posting another before and after to show the difference it made to the stone itself. Client thrilled with it. Driveway to do next.

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Nice, looks great. What did you use to point (sand cement or a jointing compound) and any tips as mine needs doing and I have never been very successful at pointing!

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Another job for the Jetmac. Part of a bigger job for a client and the pressure wash was just the start of a whole patio refurb and a load of other work. Redoing the pointing obviously makes a huge difference but thought I’d continue my fanboy status of the Jetmac by posting another before and after to show the difference it made to the stone itself. Client thrilled with it. Driveway to do next.

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Did you softwash it aswell?

 

[Truckcab79]

Did you softwash it aswell?

3:1 hypo mix followed by perimeter with the turbo. Then FSC. Then turbo on any remaining blackspot followed by neat hypo for anything that was still clinging on at that point. 100% blackspot removal. Also showed up the fact that the chaps that laid it didn’t use a full bed and used a wet mortar both of which can and did stain through the stones. A shame but it will fade once it dirties up a bit again.

Then just a light rinse down after. I’d wanted to use my new vario nozzle from QWashers for that but it turned up the day after I was done cleaning.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

3:1 hypo mix followed by perimeter with the turbo. Then FSC. Then turbo on any remaining blackspot followed by neat hypo for anything that was still clinging on at that point. 100% blackspot removal. Also showed up the fact that the chaps that laid it didn’t use a full bed and used a wet mortar both of which can and did stain through the stones. A shame but it will fade once it dirties up a bit again.

Then just a light rinse down after. I’d wanted to use my new vario nozzle from QWashers for that but it turned up the day after I was done cleaning.

I thought so. I usually dip rags in neat hypo and lie them on the remaining blackspot to remove them. It can be a long drawn out job trying to remove them all.

 

[Truckcab79]

I thought so. I usually dip rags in neat hypo and lie them on the remaining blackspot to remove them. It can be a long drawn out job trying to remove them all.

Yea. Worth it though. I’d always feel like I’d done half a job if I leave any. ?

 

[Truckcab79]

Nice, looks great. What did you use to point (sand cement or a jointing compound) and any tips as mine needs doing and I have never been very successful at pointing!

Always try and convince clients to use a traditional sand and cement. On sandstone in particular as resin pointing looks so out of place in my opinion.

I use a 3:1 mix of sand and cement but use 2 building and one sharp as it adds a bit of textural interest.

Process is simple but labour intensive. I use an Erbauer mortar rake to take the bulk out, keeping away from the edges. Any really thin pointing needs the same but with a standard width diamond cutting disc. Then its all manual. I use a couple of old well blunted screwdrivers. Never found anything better.

Aim for a minimum of 20mm depth.

I do use the resin pointing systems but only really with porcelain. Most of my refurb work is taking them out and replacing as they are often quickly and poorly laid. Guys like them because although the material is expensive it’s dirt cheap on labour because it takes no time at all to apply it.

 

[Truckcab79]

Very frustrating day today. Side by side clients. Patios and driveways.
Noticed half way through the first one that a joint was dripping just before the unloader. Worse when the lance or FSC was running. Got rapidly worse until it was unusable.

Assume issue was the dowty washer so swapped a couple round. Tried PTFE. Tried adding rubber washers either side. Just got worse. Then realised it was coming out of the back of the swivel connector. It’s a flared fitting like a brake line, so no seal to speak of. P’$$ing out the back of it. If you look back to the start of the thread you’ll see this leaked on receiving the machine and I nipped it up and has been fine since.

Never thought to carry spares of this and surprised that it can have failed after 14 hours use. Maybe it was damaged in transit. Maybe it’s taken a knock in the van. Anyway. Down tools and have to reschedule.

I assume that a new one will solve it but given there’s a fair bit of slack on one of these fittings I cant see why it would have failed. Looks fine. Ignore the rubber washer. That was an attempt to stop what I thought was a leaking dowty. It’s the silver fitting between the banjo bolt and the brass unloader body that’s the culprit.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

You have got to carry those O-rings that can fall out of the quick coupling. I ended up buying a box of O-rings for £15 and keep them in the van.

 

[Truckcab79]

You have got to carry those O-rings that can fall out of the quick coupling. I ended up buying a box of O-rings for £15 and keep them in the van.

?. I’ve got hundreds of them and never needed one. I’ve also got all my plumbing gear. Nothing useful that could replace this. It’s a flared / cone high pressure fitting. Already ordered the swivel part as it’s cheap and likely to be the issue. Just looking for the banjo bolt part in case it’s that end but don’t want to pay £15 postage for an £8 part if I don’t have to. I’ve already paid £12 delivery on the other bit that is £2.40! and a handful of dowty washers 30p each.

Had a lovely day lined up too. £700 without even having to move further than next door. Ah well.

 

[Truckcab79]

I don’t think this part can be faulty but anyone know a supplier that doesn’t charge a million quid delivery? Just need the ‘through’ bit really, not the banjo bolt.