Delavan Cast Iron 4-Roller Pump — 9.2 GPM, 150 PSI

Mark Fermoyle · Lead Tech Certified

Tough Spider Webs, What To Do??

Ray Burke · Community Member

Mark, soap is the secret weapon against spider webs...lots and lots of soap. Double or triple what ever detergent/surfactant us are using.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Carry a pump up sprayer and pretreat those webs with a stronger bleach and green wash mix. This way you dont waste chem all over the home / building just for a few webby areas. Those spider egg sacks (velcro balls in the industry lingo) are really hard to get off textured surfaces. Takes stronger mix to break up the spinnerette (chem in the web that makes it sticky) so they will come off.

Thanks,

AC

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Or try a brush with soft bristles. I use a power washer to rinse so I really don't have this problem.

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

michael derose wrote:
Or try a brush with soft bristles. I use a power washer to rinse so I really don't have this problem.

Yea get a power washer, we cleaned a building that has more spiderwebs than one can imagine. I pumped up the surfactant as ray recommened but I also have a pressure washer to knock them off.

Doug Rucker · UAMCC Officer

A cob web remover (duster) works great for heavy infestations, then you can soft wash or pressure wash as usual. Just DO NOT get the duster wet.

Mark Fermoyle · Lead Tech Certified

Great advice fellas. My "Blasta-Matic" is still part of my skid and that's what I've relied upon for the pesky web jobs. I'm just trying to figure out how to adjust my plan of attack once I go "strictly SoftWash". I'm hoping not to have to replace my power washer once it finally gives up the ghost.

Thanks again!!

Roof Cleaning Tallahassee · Freshmen Member

michael derose wrote:
I have a question for those that strickly "softwash". How are you rinsing? If you are using a garden hose it has to be taking forever right?

Same as Chris, we use the customers water supply but we also use a ball valve with a 4 tip holder. One of the 4 tips is a zero tip and does quite well removing spider webs. Hitting them with a good dose of SH and surfactant weekens the web so much that they don't give us to many problems. Now the wasp nests and mud dobbers are a different story! But as for taking forever, not really. I can reach and rinse up to a second story peak from the ground and when I get closer to the first story I switch over to a fan tip (25). A one story can be knocked out in no time at all with a good ground guy following me, rinsing the house and keeping the vegetation watered down.

Ray

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Tallahassee on Tuesday 13th of November 2012 10:43:31 AM

Chris Madden · Lead Tech Certified

michael derose wrote:
I think in actuallity both ways are kind of the same. In both techniques you are using chemicals to do the work and low pressure to rinse. I just find with the power washer you get more volume of water to rinse which equates to less time on the job becuase it rinses faster. This is just my take as i have tried both aspects.

For me it would be silly not to have a power washer. Like i said concrete and pavers are done to final result before we leave. Also knocking out old poly sand is hard to do with out one.

+1 Mike

I have a pressure washer, trailer mounted with a 230 gal buffer tank.

and some chem tanks.

At one time I was looking at buying large volume pumps to replace

the high pressure pumps on my pressure washers, but they were very expensive.

All I wanted was volume for rinsing on a second machine. That is about the time I

started playing with alternative methods of softwashing. Buy a SoftWash Systems

Skid and be done with it.

Mike if you want a rinsing monster at a decent price look at roller pumps.

I bought a Chinese 6 hp motor on sale for $79.00 at Harbor Freight, and $20

for a 2 year replacement warranty. You can always buy a Honda or Briggs

if the Chinese motors scare you.

The roller pumps are great for just WATER no chems.

Link Below:

Delavan Cast Iron 4-Roller Pump — 9.2 GPM, 150 PSI

Run this pump to pull from a buffer tank and you have a rinsing monster.

I am staying away from anything gas operated for my business, so I will

be using a Pentaflex for backup rinsing on the homes with low water pressure

or wells.

Chris

-- Edited by Chris Madden on Tuesday 13th of November 2012 02:33:14 PM

-- Edited by Chris Madden on Tuesday 13th of November 2012 02:37:57 PM

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

I have a question for those that strickly "softwash". How are you rinsing? If you are using a garden hose it has to be taking forever right?

Chris Madden · Lead Tech Certified

michael derose wrote:
I have a question for those that strickly "softwash". How are you rinsing? If you are using a garden hose it has to be taking forever right?

We use a 200' of 3/4" garden hose on truck mounted hose reel. We use water only from the

clients water spigot, and no accelerator pump, just water pressure. It does not take that long to rinse.

If I run into stubborn webs, I just pick up my pole and brush that I am using for gutter brightening and knock

them off, quick and easy.

I can clean 4 homes (2 story) a day and not kill myself (1 man crew). I sell my services against any use

of a pressure washer on a house. My clients love this fact and some insist, due to bad experiences in the

past from "Pressure Washing"

I use to use a Pressure washer and downstream SH and Simple Cherry onto

homes and rinse with the pressure washer. I started playing with 12v pumps in 2008, and Air pumps in 2009.

I went completely Air pump by mid 2009 and Now use nothing but 12v systems for solution application and

just garden hose for rinsing. Clients love it, and it is a great selling point for us as to Not using a pressure

washer at all for our service. We have been educating the residents in this area, and they are now understanding

and spreading the word that the use of a pressure washer is not in the homes best interest :)

Chris

Chris Madden · Lead Tech Certified

Question for the guys out there still using a pressure washer to

clean or rinse a house.

What size machine are you using? (How many GPM)

What size Nozzles are you using? (40's 50's etc.)

Chris

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Chris Madden wrote:
Question for the guys out there still using a pressure washer to
clean or rinse a house.
What size machine are you using? (How many GPM)
What size Nozzles are you using? (40's 50's etc.)

Chris

Chris,

I have it set up to use a 12 volt pump to apply our mix and have the groung guy ( second guy) come behind him and rinse the house with a 5.5 gpm pressure washer using a 0050 for the top of a two story and a 4050 for the bottom 12 -15 ft. We really can fly thru a house wash and i know its thoroghly rinsed. The pressure is nothing coming out ( according to my pressure gauge its less than 200 psi.

I do it this way so two guys can work and we can rinse faster with 5 gpm compared to the mostly well water houses we have here. I might set up my other trailer to strickly soft wash using 12 volt pump to apply chem and another 12 volt pump to rinse with. It will be cheaper than buying another machine and also save some gas. The only problem i see with that is when we do concrete and pavers. I like to give my customers instant results so we use chem plus a surface cleaner.

Chris Madden · Lead Tech Certified

michael derose wrote:
Chris Madden wrote:
Question for the guys out there still using a pressure washer to
clean or rinse a house.
What size machine are you using? (How many GPM)
What size Nozzles are you using? (40's 50's etc.)

Chris
Chris,
I have it set up to use a 12 volt pump to apply our mix and have the groung guy ( second guy) come behind him and rinse the house with a 5.5 gpm pressure washer using a 0050 for the top of a two story and a 4050 for the bottom 12 -15 ft. We really can fly thru a house wash and i know its thoroghly rinsed. The pressure is nothing coming out ( according to my pressure gauge its less than 200 psi.
I do it this way so two guys can work and we can rinse faster with 5 gpm compared to the mostly well water houses we have here. I might set up my other trailer to strickly soft wash using 12 volt pump to apply chem and another 12 volt pump to rinse with. It will be cheaper than buying another machine and also save some gas. The only problem i see with that is when we do concrete and pavers. I like to give my customers instant results so we use chem plus a surface cleaner.

I do run into wells once in a while. If you run into them allot then you definitely need more than

the garden hose pressure. My fix is the same as yours. I am setting up a buffer tank to fill from

the clients home and pull and rinse through a Pentaflex 7gpm. pump. (Same as a buffer for a pressure washer)

I use to use a 4gpm machine with 030 tips which put me around the 50-60psi range.

Most of my clients homes are new and have great water pressure, some as high as 100psi.

I do have my current rinse hose setup just like my solution hose.

I have quick connects with 2 bangers instead of 4 bangers as there is really no need for 4 tips.

I use a 040 zero degree tip, and a 040 twenty five degree for my hose rinsing. It will knock

most webs and debris off a home. If something is stubborn I just use a brush on a pole.

Chris

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

I think in actuallity both ways are kind of the same. In both techniques you are using chemicals to do the work and low pressure to rinse. I just find with the power washer you get more volume of water to rinse which equates to less time on the job becuase it rinses faster. This is just my take as i have tried both aspects.

For me it would be silly not to have a power washer. Like i said concrete and pavers are done to final result before we leave. Also knocking out old poly sand is hard to do with out one.

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

Depending on the home, homes with good hose pressure I will have the ground guy rinse because the flow is just as much as my fatboy. I don't have that much pressure washer work YET! That I need a big pressure washer, I have a small honda 2700 PSI I just put a 0 tip on so I can reach, the second stories. For cobwebs I think the pressure washer is necessary( for speeding up the process) . For a typical house I just pull from a water tank to rinse the house down, and I am also rinsing my pump.

This year I took some of my money earned to buy a snowplow, After next spring I am going to buy a big pressure washer with a mounted reel.

Dan

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Dan call me before you purchase your machine.

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

michael derose wrote:
Dan call me before you purchase your machine.

It won't be until the spring and I already had you in mind.

kleen · Freshmen Member

I have always rinsed with a hose and the homes water supply. But, many area's I work in have wells, and some have terrible water supply. I am setting up a new trailer with a pump that will give me around 10gpm, and low pressure for rinsing. Going to be able to rinse fast, efficient, and be able to reach further.

Bill Booz · Junior Member

@ Chris M. 8.5 gpm with 60 orafice nozzles. We clean 3 story homes a lot and we did the garden hose thing. I want to see you guys rinse mud daubers off a third story gable with a garden hose without a ladder.

Bill Booz · Junior Member

My recommendation would be 6gpm instead of 8.5. Still very versatile and less likely to use all the water. a 40 or 50 orifice should work nice on this.
For our 8.5 we use a quad banger with 15/10, 15/20, 15/60 and 0/60. The 20's are perfect for wood, the 10 hardly gets used but creates the full strength of the machine if needed. 60's are for rinsing most things.

Doug Ford · Junior Member

As some of you guys saw at softwashapalooza this past weekend my system has the pressure washer on it and if needed I will pull it out and take care of them but most of the time the softwash system will handle it. and that is another reason for me to have a the power washing system on my skid system. Also a good handle helps with your pressure. and the funny thing is that for me the cheap handles work better. I'll take a picture and post what I use. $5 a piece. the same ones we used this past weekend if you were working around me.

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

Midsouth Prowash wrote:
As some of you guys saw at softwashapalooza this past weekend my system has the pressure washer on it and if needed I will pull it out and take care of them but most of the time the softwash system will handle it. and that is another reason for me to have a the power washing system on my skid system. Also a good handle helps with your pressure. and the funny thing is that for me the cheap handles work better. I'll take a picture and post what I use. $5 a piece. the same ones we used this past weekend if you were working around me.

Doug I was looking through some of the pictures and I really liked your rig, from bumper to bumper. Great lettering and nice SWS with pressure washer. How do you have that pressure washer plumbed? Didn't look like you had a buffer tank.

Dan