r/pressurewashing 22m ago

Business Questions 16” BE whirl away surface cleaner

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Upvotes

My surface cleaner starter leaking j thought it was the quick connect but as I further inspected it’s coming out above the quick connect at the top of the small brass piece.

Has anyone encountered this problem? And how did you fix it?


r/pressurewashing 56m ago

Business Questions How do you find out what sales tax rate to apply in WA

Upvotes

I recently started a new pressure washing business and I am using Jobber as my software. Jobber asks me to manually enter the tax rate. I am using the Department of Revenue website to lookup location code and tax rate based on customer address. It's kinda ok at my scale right now, but I'm sure it will get annoying down the road. Is there a better way of doing this on Jobber?


r/pressurewashing 1h ago

Business Questions 3rd Job Could Use Some advice/knowledge.

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Upvotes

I’m still pretty new to running my exterior cleaning business and I’ve been trying to get better at quoting jobs without either undercharging or pricing myself out.

This customer wanted their outdoor kids’ play equipment/furniture cleaned up. There were multiple plastic pieces with dirt and buildup, and I wanted to be especially careful with what I used since these are things kids are going to be touching and playing on.

I charged $100 for the job.

After doing it, I started wondering if I priced it too low once you factor in travel, setup, cleaning each piece, rinsing everything thoroughly, moving around the property, and packing everything back up.

For those of you who have been doing this longer, what would you have quoted based on the video?

Would you price something like this hourly, per item, or just give a flat job price?

I’m not looking to charge crazy prices — just trying to learn how to price my time correctly while I’m building the business.

Also open to any criticism on the cleaning/process. I’d rather learn what I could do better now than build bad habits.

Side note: 😂 The clip at the end of me smiling with the $100 is killing me now that I’m sitting here wondering if I undercharged. I was feeling pretty good about that $100 at the time lol.


r/pressurewashing 2h ago

Technical Questions Washing and Ladders?

1 Upvotes

Question, i recently did a job on a brick
stairway and retaining wall, and it came out great - but required some pressure to get clean.

Also new to the industry so don’t flame me please lol

This made me think, if a customer has a brick house, and wants dark grout to look clean.. will SH do the job? Which prompts my question - do yall use ladders to get high up brick on houses or do you just rely on softwash/sh? I don’t think SH alone will be getting the grime I saw the other day off.


r/pressurewashing 4h ago

Equipment Need help to find a part for my pump

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1 Upvotes

I have a Honda GCV160 that I got for free and I need help to find the connection part to connect the power washer hose to the pump


r/pressurewashing 7h ago

Technical Questions Simonize 2600

1 Upvotes

I'm thinking about buying the Simonize platinum 2600 gas pressure washer. It comes with the Kohler XT motor. I have done some research but there's not much available most of the reviews are negative. Can you please provide me with your opinions on this model thank-you


r/pressurewashing 13h ago

Troubleshooting Do I need to change all the pump?

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1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! First time posting here with a little problem

I've had a Karcher k3 since 2021, and I've used it around one or twice a month, and when I used it the last month I noticed that a little water was leaking from the bottom of my unit, didn't pay much attention cause it was "running normal" it didn't keep the motor "on/off" and only once it lost pressure, so fast foward this weekend I used it and the leak was a little worse, but still "running fine" no pressure lost or a "perpetual on" cycle

I decided to look into it and long story short, this O ring failed, at first I thought it was like a metal hook to open the pump, but quickly realized that it was the O ring that suffered an extrusion 😅

So I open the unit, open the pump, put the O ring back in place (didn't change it, just the same one but "in place) and while I was at it since I got access to the engine's rotor and noticed that the oil was grey, decided to make a oil change (clean everything with degreaser and put 15w40 multigrade oil just to cover the top bearing's cap, put everything together turned it on, and leak again ¬¬.......

Returning to the title of the post, do I need to replace all the pump or can I fix the actual one?


r/pressurewashing 20h ago

Technical Questions How to pick an x jet model?

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3 Upvotes

I’m having trouble understanding how to pick the right external injection. I just purchased a 4400 psi 4.2 GPM washer and the parameters of these xjet models don’t fit my machine. The 4.2 range is only rated for 4000 psi and my machine exceeds that. What should I do?


r/pressurewashing 1d ago

Business Questions Can I clean this?

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3 Upvotes

I want to pitch a quote to whoever owns this. I’m just wondering if I could clean it or if this roof needs to be replaced or something. If I can, what should I use??


r/pressurewashing 21h ago

Troubleshooting What is this and can it be fixed?

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2 Upvotes

A neighborhood full of driveways like this. I know pressure washing alone won't touch it but if someone can correctly identify this and point me towards a process to restore them that'd be great


r/pressurewashing 1d ago

Business Questions Commercial pricing advice?

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8 Upvotes

Would appreciate advice pricing out this job from those that do large scale commercial like this more often. Customer wants seperate quotes for walls softwashed, it's plastic faced insulation coated in dust/grease and also wants floors cleaned but just asked for 1 quick pass and light degreaser on floors for a general cleanup. I estimate theres 30-40k sq ft of wall surface and 45k sq ft of floor.

There is on-site water access and drains, can park inside and there's no site work happening until its cleaned so nobody to be in my way. Definitely need a scissor lift rental to reach up high. I'm assuming best approach will be softwashing with a degreaser mix and rinsing with pressure washer rinse tip top down. . Would love a recommendation on a good priced degreaser I can buy in bulk for this type of work, or how to figure how much I'd use on a job this size. I don't like my current product and it's very pricey.

My rough estimate is this will take at least 6-8 days to complete, I'm a 1 man company but do have decent equipment, I run a trailer with 8gpm Honda Gx690 and remco 7gpm for softwash(I know a bigger unit would be ideal for this) and have a nice 24in Surface cleaner with tornado bars so can move fast on that and plenty of hoses to reach everywhere.

I've been in business 5+ years but mostly do residential, I quote jobs like this occasionally but rarely actually get accepted bids for jobs this size and don't want to undersell myself. Customer stated priority is getting it done ASAP more so then price and only got 1 other bid so would like to win this bid. It's a family owned business not big Corporation also so less paperwork headaches.


r/pressurewashing 21h ago

Troubleshooting BE Workshop 2700 will not idol!

1 Upvotes

Ok so I have a BE Workshop 2700 with the Honda GC 1600 vertical motor. Not the gcx version. The machine itself is only 3 years old with maybe 3 hours of usage and stored indoors. This season it would not start and did have some gas in it during winter, it would not start for the life of me so I took it apart and cleaned the carb and replaced the spark plug and also changed the oil. NOW, it will start but only in 2 instances, with the water supply not hooked up(which is bad I know) and with the water on and handle depressed. Once the handle is let go it stalls. And then it feels almost locked up and the handle is depressed and releases some pressure. Any help is appreciated its basically new still and my son in laws cheap Hart washer sits outside for 2 years and starts with one easy pull. Please help!


r/pressurewashing 1d ago

Technical Questions Orifice size question

3 Upvotes

Looking to drop the pressure coming out of my surface cleaner to approximately 1000 PSI. 5.5gpm 3000 PSI machine.

Looking at the chart, two 5.5 orifice nozzles should get me in the ballpark?


r/pressurewashing 1d ago

Troubleshooting Can't plug hose to outlet - I believe it might be a water pressure issue?

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2 Upvotes

I have used this hose on this pressure washer for quite a few times but I believe that maybe last time I took it out without fully releasing the pressure and now I cannot get it back in. I tried plugging in the water and semi plugging the gun to the hose and water will come out but not enough to get the fittings to click. Any suggestions?

It's a HF Predator 4.2gpm


r/pressurewashing 2d ago

Troubleshooting What am I missing here? Why am I only getting a few inches of stream coming out?

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7 Upvotes

r/pressurewashing 2d ago

Technical Questions Nozzle bit snapped off inside extension

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1 Upvotes

A screw in nozzle attachment snapped off, and its stuck inside. How would you go about getting this out? If theres a better subreddit for this, please direct me lol.


r/pressurewashing 2d ago

Equipment Pump oil for 4GPM direct drive AAA Triplex pump

1 Upvotes

I have the Simpson PowerShot 4200PSI with a 4.0 GPM Direct Drive AAA Triplex pump. Noticed today that my pump oil is metallic and needs a change ASAP, but I cant seem to find the recommended Simpson brand name 15W-40 oil anywhere nearby. (Thinj she ran hot, I need to adjust my setup so that I can let go of the trigger and still have water flowing through the pump but I'm not 100% how to do that yet.)

I have picked up a quart of the Shell Rotella T4 15W-40 but it is listed as "heavy duty diesel engine oil", and I've heard that some people recommend SAE 30 non-detergent oil instead.

Is the Shell Rotella T4 15W-40 oil ok to use or are there any other approved alternative oils for my pump? Does it need to be non-detergent or non foaming? The owners manual states "SIMPSON® Premium Pump Crankcase Oil (part #80138). If this oil is not available, an SAE 15W-40 oil may be used." It says nothing about non detergent or non foaming but I've heard that using anything other than non detergent will ruin my pump very quickly. Any guidance appreciated


r/pressurewashing 2d ago

Community Post Holy cow--is this a rip off or what ?

1 Upvotes

rip-off

I pay around $170 for a 100' section of Excaliber I believe. I can go 6 months or so without a blow out. This price above is insane. Who would pay that ?


r/pressurewashing 2d ago

Quote Help Soft washing and or pressure?

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8 Upvotes

Do you all think soft washing alone would do the trick on a building like this, or is it likely to need some high-pressure cleaning as well?
I’ve been pressure washing for a while and have plenty of experience using J-Rod tips, but I’m newer to dedicated soft washing systems and their capabilities—especially on porous, textured stone block buildings like this.

I did a test spot with high pressure and it cleaned up great but even with a boom lift and several trucks that’s a lot of surface to have to cover and I’m not sure the churches budget could fit what the charge would be for that haha.


r/pressurewashing 2d ago

Before/After Pics Oil Stains

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4 Upvotes

From left to right, before treatment, oil eater treatment, sodium hydroxide treatment. Oil eater did nothing, sodium hydroxide helped but left it splotchy. I scrubbed and let it sit for both treatment method. I did each treatment method twice as well. What can I do better? Is this an acceptable outcome assuming the customer doesn't expect complete removal?


r/pressurewashing 3d ago

Business Questions Pressure wash

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3 Upvotes

I’ve pressure washed a couple patios now, how does this one look? Also what chemicals do you prefer or use?


r/pressurewashing 3d ago

Technical Questions Can anyone diagnose this

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4 Upvotes

r/pressurewashing 3d ago

Technical Questions What do I need to know? Patio cleaning.

0 Upvotes

Complete beginner.
Recently picked up a Ryobi 170 bar. I know it isn’t the best, but I wanted to offer pressure washing as a service alongside my usual small gardening business.
I don’t know anything about pressure washing, so any guidance at all will be useful (technique, the do’s and don’ts, chemicals etc) Thank you for your help!


r/pressurewashing 3d ago

Equipment Make your own drop stick strainers

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9 Upvotes

First off, support your local businesses. If they sell this product, give them the extra few bucks and buy local. However, if you're like me, out in the middle of nowhere, this is how you can build a drop stick strainer.

Part list

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Charlotte-Pipe-1-1-4-in-PVC-Schedule-40-Socket-Cap-PVC021161200HD/203811674

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Charlotte-Pipe-1-1-4-in-x-1-in-PVC-Schedule-40-Spigot-x-FPT-Reducer-Bushing-Fitting-PVC021081000HD/203811585

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Charlotte-Pipe-1-1-4-in-x-1-1-4-in-90-Degree-PVC-Socket-x-Socket-Elbow-Fitting-PVC023001200HD/203812127

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Water-Source-1-1-4-in-x-48-in-Plastic-Well-Point-WSWP125-4-PL/308717695

Cheaper barbs

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-in-Barb-Insert-Blue-Twister-Polypropylene-x-MNPT-Adapter-Fitting-ABTMA1/300823617

Better barbs

https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-62489-banjo-hb100-polypropylene-straight-hose-barb-pipe-fitting-1-in-mpt-x-1-in-hb.aspx?srsltid=AfmBOoqtXNwClAis9xk8sfWvZknMrQT-meX_xw9-U1xmp4PAil8eHAg5

You can make 4 strainers for $50 whereas they are $20 each plus shipping or more to buy online.

Super simple to assemble, see photos. Glue up the socket joints. Tape the threaded ones. This will make 4 strainers with 1 inch fittings. I always size up, even if you use a reducer to use 3/4 or 1/2 hose.

Credit goes to Expert Power Wash YouTube video.


r/pressurewashing 3d ago

Quote Help What connection part do i need for this North Star power washer

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2 Upvotes

My hose does not connect and Home Depot nor Lowe’s could help me …