Pressure Washing In Rain?

Hi all!

Im really on the verge of buying a cheap petrol pressure washer ( I know I know cheap is slow and will take alot longer etc etc). My window cleaning round is through the roof and actually probably at my lmitation with all  customers in a 2 mile radius. I also offer gutter vacuming which is maybe once every 2 weeks I do one. However as I still don't window clean in anything over a drizzle as it just pees my customers off I was wondering if doing some basic pressure washing on rainy days could be a thing? 

Im not too fussed about paying 6x more to be done 6x faster as it will be my least service offered and I want it to be something I can do on a rainy day to atleast make some money for that day?  I would also only quote on jobs that I felt were nice and steady/small. 

 But this will only work if it's a viable option to do on bad weather days, as dry days I'm fully booked up window cleaning ?

Thanks for any replys and sorry I haven't been on in months! Busy busy ??

Personally would replace customers that are telling you what to do and when. Faffing around playing at pressure washing with an inadequate washer is, in my opinion, a waste.of time and money.

Part Timer said:

Personally would replace customers that are telling you what to do and when. Faffing around playing at pressure washing with an inadequate washer is, in my opinion, a waste.of time and money.

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Hey part timer long time no speak!

I appreciate your feedback but honestly my round is booming and partly is because everyone reccomends me because I'm not like those other pesky window cleaners who work in the rain and leave the sills black ?. So good money to be earnt on all the dry days which is great. However I could sit at home on wet days but I get ants in my pants. I'm not even fussed about it being a big money maker for me, just would be nice to know on a wet day I could still make £50-£100 doing a small pressure wash job for someone for a few hours. Hence why I'm not after a super powerful system that does it it 10x quicker....it will also take 10x longer to repay itself back and with it being a service I will just offer here and there I see no need. 

However my original question stands.....is there any reason not to pressure wash paths and driveways in the rain? ?

Bongofish said:

Hi all!

Im really on the verge of buying a cheap petrol pressure washer ( I know I know cheap is slow and will take alot longer etc etc). My window cleaning round is through the roof and actually probably at my lmitation with all  customers in a 2 mile radius. I also offer gutter vacuming which is maybe once every 2 weeks I do one. However as I still don't window clean in anything over a drizzle as it just pees my customers off I was wondering if doing some basic pressure washing on rainy days could be a thing? 

Im not too fussed about paying 6x more to be done 6x faster as it will be my least service offered and I want it to be something I can do on a rainy day to atleast make some money for that day?  I would also only quote on jobs that I felt were nice and steady/small. 

 But this will only work if it's a viable option to do on bad weather days, as dry days I'm fully booked up window cleaning ?

Thanks for any replys and sorry I haven't been on in months! Busy busy ??

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Buying a cheap pressure washer is not the best idea as your workflow profitability will be low.

Working with a generic 6hp Chineseium machine will not deliver the results you need and you'll lose time faffing around.

Cleaning windows when it rains actually helps and takes less time if the rain is hard enough.

Customers that don't want cleans when it's raining are the type of Customers you should give to someone else in my opinion

Apw1210 said:

Buying a cheap pressure washer is not the best idea as your workflow profitability will be low.

Working with a generic 6hp Chineseium machine will not deliver the results you need and you'll lose time faffing around.

Cleaning windows when it rains actually helps and takes less time if the rain is hard enough.

Customers that don't want cleans when it's raining are the type of Customers you should give to someone else in my opinion

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But surely if I don't window clean in rain, even making £50 using the customers water for 2 hours is alot more profitable than making £0? 

Like I say this is something that will be offered as a last resort if the weather is forecast to be bad for a few days. If it takes me an hour longer than it would do with a machine that costs 5x as much as I really don't mind. 

However I do want the results to atleast be good. But again I will do the work happily on a lower hourly rate than my windows as it's just a side way to make some income on a rainy day when I would have made £0, if I feel like it. 

I was looking at the Wilkes USA TX750 if anyone knows much about it? 

Bongofish said:

But surely if I don't window clean in rain, even making £50 using the customers water for 2 hours is alot more profitable than making £0? 

Like I say this is something that will be offered as a last resort if the weather is forecast to be bad for a few days. If it takes me an hour longer than it would do with a machine that costs 5x as much as I really don't mind. 

However I do want the results to atleast be good. But again I will do the work happily on a lower hourly rate than my windows as it's just a side way to make some income on a rainy day when I would have made £0, if I feel like it. 

I was looking at the Wilkes USA TX750 if anyone knows much about it? 

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Making £50 for a pressure washing job is a minus figure in my opinion.

By the time you've brought 10L of petrol got to the job setup faffed around with hoses finding a tap or lugging water around to fill a buffer tank if there is no tap your earnings are peanuts in my opinion.

I used to have a 6.5hp machine just for cleaning my van and it was slow.

The pumps aren't that reliable and ensuring your preventative maintenance is done correctly as they often fall apart due to standard hardware with no loctite or anti rattle washers.

Does your insurance cover you for it's 3200 psi ?

I'm using a 21lpm machine at 2900 and that's on the limits

If you feel that this is a venture you want to do then do it. Don't let a forum of opinions run your business, 

I'll be Frank, your wasting your time and money, Like many machines they don't work when they are delivered so don't market anything until you have it and tested it.

Bongofish said:

I was looking at the Wilkes USA TX750 if anyone knows much about it? 

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They are budget machines - Sid from Partridge Exterior Cleaning on you tube used to use one of the Wilkes machines. I think it lasted him a couple of years. I think it used to vibrate a bit and loosen some bolts, fittings not best quality etc but it did do a reasonable job. The one you listed is 11L/min so that should be OK for domestic jobs. One thing to look at is your insurance. Some policies only cover pressure washing if under 250 Bar!!!

Bongofish said:

However as I still don't window clean in anything over a drizzle as it just pees my customers off

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You could just 

Bongofish said:

my round is booming and partly is because everyone reccomends me because I'm not like those other pesky window cleaners who work in the rain and leave the sills black

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My round is booming and I get recommendations and I'm one of the pesky window cleaners that works in the rain. Your customers need to be brought into the 21st century. What happens when, if, we get a long dry spell or it only rains at weekends and at night. The pressure washing jobs you've promised to do don't get done and you're reputation will go downhill. 

Or this might mean you will have to do them on weekends and end up doing jobs on your days off for pennies, not my idea of a good plan. Ultimately it's up to you but my experience in business is if you're not 100% committed to a new project it'll fail.

Part Timer said:

My round is booming and I get recommendations and I'm one of the pesky window cleaners that works in the rain. Your customers need to be brought into the 21st century. What happens when, if, we get a long dry spell or it only rains at weekends and at night. The pressure washing jobs you've promised to do don't get done and you're reputation will go downhill. 

Or this might mean you will have to do them on weekends and end up doing jobs on your days off for pennies, not my idea of a good plan. Ultimately it's up to you but my experience in business is if you're not 100% committed to a new project it'll fail.

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I'm a pesky window cleaner also, when the water is upto your waist it does make it difficult though

Bongofish said:

Hey part timer long time no speak!

I appreciate your feedback but honestly my round is booming and partly is because everyone reccomends me because I'm not like those other pesky window cleaners who work in the rain and leave the sills black ?. So good money to be earnt on all the dry days which is great. However I could sit at home on wet days but I get ants in my pants. I'm not even fussed about it being a big money maker for me, just would be nice to know on a wet day I could still make £50-£100 doing a small pressure wash job for someone for a few hours. Hence why I'm not after a super powerful system that does it it 10x quicker....it will also take 10x longer to repay itself back and with it being a service I will just offer here and there I see no need. 

However my original question stands.....is there any reason not to pressure wash paths and driveways in the rain? ?

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£50- 100 for  the day ?????? That should be the goal per hour I think you need to seriously look at your customer base , don't let them dictate when you will work , as part timer said either educate them or replace them it also sounds like you might need to look at your pricing as we have a minimum price of £150 fir any pressure washing work  thus stops the ones that have a path and expect it to be done for £20-40 you have to take into account the cost of the machine , servicing , set up and pack up  times you should also be looking at earning several times per hour  more than window cleaning , I don’t want to sound condescending but think it might lay to sit down  and look seriously at your business plan and re adjust in a few areas . 

Pjj said:

£50- 100 for  the day ?????? That should be the goal per hour I think you need to seriously look at your customer base , don't let them dictate when you will work , as part timer said either educate them or replace them it also sounds like you might need to look at your pricing as we have a minimum price of £150 fir any pressure washing work  thus stops the ones that have a path and expect it to be done for £20-40 you have to take into account the cost of the machine , servicing , set up and pack up  times you should also be looking at earning several times per hour  more than window cleaning , I don’t want to sound condescending but think it might lay to sit down  and look seriously at your business plan and re adjust in a few areas . 

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Hey PJJ mate! 

Window cleaning I sit at around £40 p/h. Which to me is bonkers. My initial set up including the gutter vacumn has been about £7k including the van and everything I've bought up till now! And may best day has been £450. And usually try and make a steady £180. I know us window cleaners get used to the rates ( I sure have) . But I still remember working for £11ph driving a lorry up and down the country, not knowing when I was coming home and paying for my own breakfast lunch and tea. So I'm also not super greedy. I have a young family and if I can make an extra £100 in a day where otherwise I would make £0 due to weather it's still asking to me (even if you take off £20 per job for fuel and maintainance. 

I think sometimes it's a personal thing. I would feel alot happier at 2pm in the afternoon knowing I had gone out and made £100 than sitting there saying I've done nothing. It's still a damn site better than working for £120 a day lorry driving and never seeing family or being able to work how you personally want to (start/finish when you want, have a break when you want etc etc) 

I shave fallen into the trap where I come home and a conservatory roof has took me alot longer then expected and I'm annoyed and I say to my wife "ffs I've done £25 an hour on that!!", And then she tells me to calm down and tells me how much more that is than what I was making and hating every second. 

I guess it's just perspective. ?

Bongofish said:

Hey PJJ mate! 

Window cleaning I sit at around £40 p/h. Which to me is bonkers. My initial set up including the gutter vacumn has been about £7k including the van and everything I've bought up till now! And may best day has been £450. And usually try and make a steady £180. I know us window cleaners get used to the rates ( I sure have) . But I still remember working for £11ph driving a lorry up and down the country, not knowing when I was coming home and paying for my own breakfast lunch and tea. So I'm also not super greedy. I have a young family and if I can make an extra £100 in a day where otherwise I would make £0 due to weather it's still asking to me (even if you take off £20 per job for fuel and maintainance. 

I think sometimes it's a personal thing. I would feel alot happier at 2pm in the afternoon knowing I had gone out and made £100 than sitting there saying I've done nothing. It's still a damn site better than working for £120 a day lorry driving and never seeing family or being able to work how you personally want to (start/finish when you want, have a break when you want etc etc) 

I shave fallen into the trap where I come home and a conservatory roof has took me alot longer then expected and I'm annoyed and I say to my wife "ffs I've done £25 an hour on that!!", And then she tells me to calm down and tells me how much more that is than what I was making and hating every second. 

I guess it's just perspective. ?

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I hear what you are saying , and do understand, but don’t let the customer dictate  about a bit of rain stoping work , when I started I had ones say the same thing and initially accepted it now all like that have been dumped  and all are happy to be cleaned in the rain 

Bongofish said:

Hey PJJ mate! 

Window cleaning I sit at around £40 p/h. Which to me is bonkers. My initial set up including the gutter vacumn has been about £7k including the van and everything I've bought up till now! And may best day has been £450. And usually try and make a steady £180. I know us window cleaners get used to the rates ( I sure have) . But I still remember working for £11ph driving a lorry up and down the country, not knowing when I was coming home and paying for my own breakfast lunch and tea. So I'm also not super greedy. I have a young family and if I can make an extra £100 in a day where otherwise I would make £0 due to weather it's still asking to me (even if you take off £20 per job for fuel and maintainance. 

I think sometimes it's a personal thing. I would feel alot happier at 2pm in the afternoon knowing I had gone out and made £100 than sitting there saying I've done nothing. It's still a damn site better than working for £120 a day lorry driving and never seeing family or being able to work how you personally want to (start/finish when you want, have a break when you want etc etc) 

I shave fallen into the trap where I come home and a conservatory roof has took me alot longer then expected and I'm annoyed and I say to my wife "ffs I've done £25 an hour on that!!", And then she tells me to calm down and tells me how much more that is than what I was making and hating every second. 

I guess it's just perspective. ?

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I personally think PJJ's advice is worth taking and considering your customer base and telling them you'll clean when it rains or find new customers.

Build up your round and save that £300+ and put away a bit more when you can to purchase a proper pressure washer which will then give you a better added service and another income lead to compliment your windows and gutters.

I've seen many on here wanting to do the cheap option however pressure washing on a professional level and it's equipment doesn't start at the £200 - £300 mark.

Bongofish said:

Hi all!

Im really on the verge of buying a cheap petrol pressure washer ( I know I know cheap is slow and will take alot longer etc etc). My window cleaning round is through the roof and actually probably at my lmitation with all  customers in a 2 mile radius. I also offer gutter vacuming which is maybe once every 2 weeks I do one. However as I still don't window clean in anything over a drizzle as it just pees my customers off I was wondering if doing some basic pressure washing on rainy days could be a thing? 

Im not too fussed about paying 6x more to be done 6x faster as it will be my least service offered and I want it to be something I can do on a rainy day to atleast make some money for that day?  I would also only quote on jobs that I felt were nice and steady/small. 

 But this will only work if it's a viable option to do on bad weather days, as dry days I'm fully booked up window cleaning ?

Thanks for any replys and sorry I haven't been on in months! Busy busy ??

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Buy a PDPro loncin 7hp make sure it's one with the reduction gearbox, there just over £700, they do a Honda equivalent for £950 but the wee loncins definitely  mighty wee machine. Sthe 13lpm is more than most houses can put out anyway mate and I guarantee you'll still find yourself waiting on fills every 1.5/2 hours and I use a blue recycling bin, I have one of them wee machines and a bigger 21 litre Honda gx390 with the same pump and no doubt it's a faster and a more powerful machine but I only really use it for the bigger jobs as most houses I go to don't have the water output for it, and I'm constantly waiting on water. The wee 7hp is handy lifted in and out of the van on your own aswell, the big girls a wrestling match lol, I would advise getting a spare lance with a turbo nozzle (the turbo nozzle will save you a lot of water and get you through an area in half the time and make sure it's a .5 turbo nozzle you get mate), get the fittings quick realeased and maybe a few 10m hoses to use if you can mate(you will definitely need them) but if your on a budget move your bin with you as you go and buy a longer garden hose or a second one to give you extra distance from the water source. I would definitely recommend using a smaller hose and getting extra hp hose to help keep the tap running at the highest possible water pressure, even if it's just 1 extra 10m length so you can start washing at a safe distance from the machine

always shield your machine with the bin or something bigger like a plastic road barrier wrapped in plastic to cover the holes and wash away from from your setup, the bin has a lid to stop dirt getting into it and if you stay 5m from it and always wash away from it you'll be flying

Cm external cleaning said:

Buy a PDPro loncin 7hp make sure it's one with the reduction gearbox, there just over £700, they do a Honda equivalent for £950 but the wee loncins definitely  mighty wee machine. Sthe 13lpm is more than most houses can put out anyway mate and I guarantee you'll still find yourself waiting on fills every 1.5/2 hours and I use a blue recycling bin, I have one of them wee machines and a bigger 21 litre Honda gx390 with the same pump and no doubt it's a faster and a more powerful machine but I only really use it for the bigger jobs as most houses I go to don't have the water output for it, and I'm constantly waiting on water. The wee 7hp is handy lifted in and out of the van on your own aswell, the big girls a wrestling match lol, I would advise getting a spare lance with a turbo nozzle (the turbo nozzle will save you a lot of water and get you through an area in half the time and make sure it's a .5 turbo nozzle you get mate), get the fittings quick realeased and maybe a few 10m hoses to use if you can mate(you will definitely need them) but if your on a budget move your bin with you as you go and buy a longer garden hose or a second one to give you extra distance from the water source. I would definitely recommend using a smaller hose and getting extra hp hose to help keep the tap running at the highest possible water pressure, even if it's just 1 extra 10m length so you can start washing at a safe distance from the machine

always shield your machine with the bin or something bigger like a plastic road barrier wrapped in plastic to cover the holes and wash away from from your setup, the bin has a lid to stop dirt getting into it and if you stay 5m from it and always wash away from it you'll be flying

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Just to clarify, pressure washers, generators are IP rated and do not need to be covered as they need an air intake rain is not harmful.

I've seen people put bin bags over engines when running because they didn't want to get it wet

Apw1210 said:

Just to clarify, pressure washers, generators are IP rated and do not need to be covered as they need an air intake rain is not harmful.

I've seen people put bin bags over engines when running because they didn't want to get it wet

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Apw1210 said:

Just to clarify, pressure washers, generators are IP rated and do not need to be covered as they need an air intake rain is not harmful.

I've seen people put bin bags over engines when running because they didn't want to get it wet

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You go Wash around yours when it's running then mate, rain water is completely irrelevant to the point at hand

 And just to clarify I said shield not cover the machine with the bin, a shield etc protects it from getting covered in dirt etc, hence why I use a wheelie bin with a lid aswell to stop dirt, leaves etc falling in to your waster reservoir. if you read the mans original post you would know that he's a  bit sceptical and that he wants to spend as little money as possible to he gets the feel for it, and he's not going to go out and buy 60 or 70m of hp hose, think of when you started out, you weren't working 10 or 15 metres away from your machine at all times.

your impressing nobody with your irrelevant clarifications and made up stories, not everybody has large industrial contracts or 5k to put towards initial startup. If you did yourself your lucky but I know personally speaking I built up as I went, started with 2 10m hp hoses and kept buying as I went, my first machine was the Londis version of the 21lpm gx390 I bought for £400 second hand,a great starter machine, lasted me nearly 3 years and I sold it for £350 before I had my first new machine, Please read comments in future before making mindless remarks that make no sense to the matter, the man was looking to set up as cheap as he could and wanted a bit of advice on decent starter machines, not a load of old codswobble about needing to start of with a gx390, if you knew half of what you thought youd know that there's a lot better alternatives to the 390 than a generic 6hp chinesium,

i must add that that the 7hp loncin and the 6.5hp Honda must have the reduction gearbox, the direct drive ones are as big of balls of dunge as the rest of the cheaper ones

Cm external cleaning said:

You go Wash around yours when it's running then mate, rain water is completely irrelevant to the point at hand

 And just to clarify I said shield not cover the machine with the bin, a shield etc protects it from getting covered in dirt etc, hence why I use a wheelie bin with a lid aswell to stop dirt, leaves etc falling in to your waster reservoir. if you read the mans original post you would know that he's a  bit sceptical and that he wants to spend as little money as possible to he gets the feel for it, and he's not going to go out and buy 60 or 70m of hp hose, think of when you started out, you weren't working 10 or 15 metres away from your machine at all times.

your impressing nobody with your irrelevant clarifications and made up stories, not everybody has large industrial contracts or 5k to put towards initial startup. If you did yourself your lucky but I know personally speaking I built up as I went, started with 2 10m hp hoses and kept buying as I went, my first machine was the Londis version of the 21lpm gx390 I bought for £400 second hand,a great starter machine, lasted me nearly 3 years and I sold it for £350 before I had my first new machine, Please read comments in future before making mindless remarks that make no sense to the matter, the man was looking to set up as cheap as he could and wanted a bit of advice on decent starter machines, not a load of old codswobble about needing to start of with a gx390, if you knew half of what you thought youd know that there's a lot better alternatives to the 390 than a generic 6hp chinesium,

i must add that that the 7hp loncin and the 6.5hp Honda must have the reduction gearbox, the direct drive ones are as big of balls of dunge as the rest of the cheaper ones

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Wind your neck in

Apw1210 said:

Wind your neck in

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If you pressure wash your pressure washer or get it covered in dirt then you're doing the job wrong, don't get personal with the wording. I was starting my opinion and some will be confused by yours about protecting a pressure washer

Apw1210 said:

If you pressure wash your pressure washer or get it covered in dirt then you're doing the job wrong, don't get personal with the wording. I was starting my opinion and some will be confused by yours about protecting a pressure washer

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I don't mean to get personal buddy, my point is you probably use a surface cleaner for most of your washing, as you know the turbo nozzle sends bits of dirt every direction and if you working of a short length of hp hose you have be careful, there's a good chance myself and you have our machines further away from ourselves when we're cleaning than a man only starting out has in hp hose, not trying to start an argument just trying to give advice that has worked for me in the past

Bongofish said:

But surely if I don't window clean in rain, even making £50 using the customers water for 2 hours is alot more profitable than making £0? 

Like I say this is something that will be offered as a last resort if the weather is forecast to be bad for a few days. If it takes me an hour longer than it would do with a machine that costs 5x as much as I really don't mind. 

However I do want the results to atleast be good. But again I will do the work happily on a lower hourly rate than my windows as it's just a side way to make some income on a rainy day when I would have made £0, if I feel like it. 

I was looking at the Wilkes USA TX750 if anyone knows much about it? 

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Stay away from wilkes.. machine mart who supply them from america are useless and customer service non existant and this is from experience..when it does break and it will you will have so much grief dealing with them it's not worth it.