I used a 1% mix of Calcium Hypochlorite, with GW at standard mix.
Sprayed it on and let it dwell for about 10 min, went back and hit a second time. Rinsed heavily with plain ol' water and used a brush in the really heavily stained areas - like the side of the house with the energy meter. (See pics)
Customer was ecstatic!
However, I had calcium residue on the windows like CRAZY. I think I didn't rinse it off the windows quickly enough. Had to go back and hand wash and scrub every window with a white scour pad - took actually longer to wash the windows then to softwash the entire house.. I was very very surprised using such a low strength mix to get such bad stains...
You CH guys out there, do you typically rinse windows instantly after applying? I should've pre-wet the windows ahead of time as well. Still in the learning curve. My new skid system on order will help me alot I know.
On a side note I did find SH for 3.70 gallon in my area - but the supplier is 40 minutes away... So I'd have to go pick up a couple barrels at a time. Before the cheapest I could find was $6.50 / gallon.
Wet your plants, wet the glass, spray CH and then rinse glass immediately. Let dwell then rinse. It takes longer to rinse than to clean. Thats why a booster pump is a good addition. Make sure you use paint sock to dissolve the CH. To remove dried CH use a 50-50 mix white vinegar/water. use reverisble squeege with cloth scrubber on one side and rubber blade on the other. It cleans easily. You can also spray bleach wash and agitate with soft brush on glass. It gets easier with practice.
There seems to be a lot of drawbacks with using CH in comparison to using SH or at least that is the impression that I'm getting. I have also noticed a big drop off in CH posts over the last couple of months.
If the mixed CH was filtered before going in to the main tank would that remove most if not all of the residue?
THANKS TIM for the advice! Can you tell me step by step how do you filter the CH in a paint sock? Run water through the paint sock? I'm not picturing the system...
The big drawback for me personally on SH is cost and logistics. It's expensive and takes about an hour and a half round trip to pick it up. Wheras I can pick up 100 lb drum of CH 8 min up the road (they don't even sell SH there - not many pools in rainy Portland).
I'm drawn to CH because of how little it damages plants. I've poured a 3% solution straight into a lawn and not had a single blade of grass brown. (I don't recommend this - it was simply a test)
If I can dial in the residue and the mixing time, I'd like to use CH 100% of the time.
My CH cost - $0.12/oz
My SH cost - $4/gal
Cost analysis for 100 gallons -
3% solution - (CH - 300 oz @ $0.12/oz) = $36 using CH
3% solution - (SH - 30 gal @ $4/gal) = $120 using SH
Aug. 3% solution - (SH - 20 gal @ $4 gal) + (CH - 100 oz @ $0.12/oz) = $92 using Augmenting (SH+CH)
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Brandon Vaughn
All-Clean! SoftWash Gresham, OR brandon@allcleansoftwash.com www.allcleansoftwash.com 503.887.6404
Make sure you pre-wet, and rinse again and again. Keep your mix tank cleaned do not let sediment build up in the bottom. I had to rinse mine out every couple of days when I was using ch.
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Dan Signor Owner/Operator 7850-A Clinard Farms Rd, High Point, NC 27265 My Direct Line, (336) 525-WASH, Fax (336) 899-8438
Make sure you pre-wet, and rinse again and again. Keep your mix tank cleaned do not let sediment build up in the bottom. I had to rinse mine out every couple of days when I was using ch.
If you keep them wet you won't have any problems. Make sure you have the right amount of greenwash in your mix and it gives you a sheeting action that helps with the spotting. Ispray my chem mix back over if I they look like they're drying out and don't have fresh water handy and have never had a problem(knock on wood), so don't let the ch hater's get to you down. The added plant safety is well worth any mixing problems or windowspotting you will see(just my opinion). If your having problems with mixing you should look into a small pump for mixing only, I got mine for $60 at Tractor Supply for 2gpm pump and $11 for extended warrany which covers anything. Hope this helps.
For a 3% augmented mix I use 50 ounces ch and 10 gallon sh in a 50 gallon tank. I put ch in paints knock and tie storing around it. I hang it in tank. i add my sh. I then put hose against paint sock and may spray though it. When it is dissolved you will have marble sized ball left. Put spray wand tank to mix or use a pump to mix. Keep eye on residue and Rinse out tank.
Dan, are there any softwash authorized guys around you? Try offering augmented SH/CH as a selling feature. There are alot of guys that spray bleach. How many can use Ch effectively? Apples and Pears baby!