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Starting up pressure washing.

GSS Window Cleaning

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307
Location
Birmingham
Right I've got a small petrol 11lpm machine and do the odd drive. But thinking about getting the proper gear and pushing drives as an add on as have lots of customers I clean windows for where I think I could get the drives too. Where would be the best place to go for a good 21lpm machine and flat surface cleaner?

 
its time consuming , if you have a few days spare a week, go for it. i did it but my window cleaning has taken too much time, better in spring summer months, more light etc. weekends are great for it. i had a 15lpm loncin from jetmac, great machine, i had it for 2 years, sold it for near to what i paid 4 it, i always get queeries to do pw, if i do it again i wont be offering silly prices. id start from £90 minimum. scrap the low payers who expect to pay around £40+

 
As you're obviously looking at spending a few quid Rutland Pumps have an excellent reputation and are the most highly regarded company that I'm aware of, and can tailor a set-up to your particular reuirements and budget.

 
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With a 21 litre machine will it be able to get 21pm out of a garden tap? Or will GSS need to constantly fill up a wheel bin and down tools when its emptied. Most bins I think are 240 litre so thats 15 min washing time before refill is needed. (Water pressure is pretty poor where I live, last job I did last week the customer let me connect to his bathroom shower, it got the job done)

Just asking because I run a 11litre machine but thinking of maybe upgrading possibly. Good thing about my machine is its very reliable, electric and takes no time to set up. 

I set a minimum fee of fifty quid but its a bit low..

Been getting a fair few calls lately about it but where I live if i set the rate to high there are plenty who put in a lower price..

 
Taps give between 8 & 12 litres per minute depending on area.


Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Forums

 
With a 21lpm Pressure Washer you'll need to use a tank (or wheelie bin) as a buffer.

Constantly on fill whilst you use it, if you start from a full tank + a constant tank fill rate of 10lpm on average this will provide ample work time with perhaps the odd break (for a cuppa) depending on the size of the job.

Ideally the bigger the tank you start off with from full the better.

For driveways it won't take long with a (genuine) 21lpm machine, unless it's a huge drive of course. 

 
I've only got a 400 litre tank on the van. I'm sticking with my current machine less hassle. All the messing around with water and down time is not worth it. Most the driveways I do aren't even that big. Tend to get them done in two hours and make a hundred quid. 

 
ah yes......low pressure and poor drainage, the bain of all pressure washers, ive taken care of 100m2 paved drives in a couple of hours where drainage and pressure is good but 30m2 with **** poor drainage and ponds forming in the middle of the drive can require a much longer stay (think most of your day). never quote without seeing the place and having a look at the drains, checking theres adequate pressure from taps, do you need to take adapters to use the indoor taps? will you be flooding next door due to the fall of the paved area? so many things that unfortunately you'll have to experience to get around.

anyway to answer your questions, yes its worth setting up properly, the works there if your realistic about prices (theres no quick money to be had with crazy quotes, too many cowboys around that will do a quick fix and not have to worry about getting called in 3 months when its back to square one, be realistic about what you want for the time it will take you and leave the exact figure per m2 out of the eqation). Loncin are good but had terrible after sales, once theyve made the sale they dont want to know you, rutland are carrying a very good reputation at the moment so I would advise you check in there first. a 21lpm machine will run a  FSC perfectly, however you do need to be mindful of the sheer amount of water you'll be dealing with and where its going to go

 
i had one the other day, bloody nightmare, kept flooding up in a couple of spots...

So i got the gutter wet/dry and vacuum out of the van and sucked it all up in matter of minutes. Just put it down the drain and it saved a lot of time.  

 
I've only got a 400 litre tank on the van. I'm sticking with my current machine less hassle. All the messing around with water and down time is not worth it. Most the driveways I do aren't even that big. Tend to get them done in two hours and make a hundred quid. 


This is what I've found. I have a 12lp 7hp machine.  Pretty small, pretty light easy to chuck on and off the van.

I have a bigger 13hp machine a while ago but it's far too big an heavy to be slugging about and its not worth it for the size of jobs that I do. Like you most average property's semis and small detacheds don't have massive areas wanting doing, normally decks, small patios etc. No point forking out a couple of grand for a 21lpm machine of most of the jobs you come across are 50-100 quidders. There just aren't property's big enough in my area to warrant a big machine.

 
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