So, i just got my ‘big’ machine. It’s big for me 4200psi, 4gpm, and i’m lovin it. The pull ration for the chems is 1:10.
Is this normal? I’ve used a rental machine before with the same specs and it soaped up nicely. I used to do a regular 2500sq/ft house with 2 5/gal buckets of solution (3gal bleach, 2 gal water simple cherry and dawn). The new machine is throwing hardly anything on the walls. I did a deck house today, maybe 3000sq/ft, and i used half a bucket. I was pulling my hair out and couldn’t figure out why there was no pull. Nothing is blocked, checked everything. Are there any injectors available that would change this draw strength.
Try posting over on pressurewashingresource.com. Same laid back, informative vibe as here + people who can help with that specific type of question = awesome.
[MENTION=803]Thad[/MENTION] [MENTION=6425]ARCPW[/MENTION] [MENTION=74]EcoClean[/MENTION] can maybe chime in here…but they all post up over there all the time.
Will do, thanks.
Does anyone know if a ‘high draw injector’ from bob @ pressuretek work?
Hey Sam.
You have a fixed injector?
How much hose are you running?
What gets blocked, that you can’t see without taking it apart, is the little metal or ceramic ball inside the injector. Did you try another injector? They are easily the most fickle piece of equipment we use. They aren’t exactly cheap, but they have to be thought of as disposable.
The second place I would look is whatever you are using to alter the pressure in the hose (ball valve, etc.). If the pressure in the hose is too high, the injector will not pull chems.
Yeah, the injector is the one that came with the machine if thats what you meant by fixed. Currently running 2x50 ft hose
[/quote]The second place I would look is whatever you are using to alter the pressure in the hose (ball valve, etc.). If the pressure in the hose is too high, the injector will not pull chems.[/QUOTE]
I’m using 0040, 0030 and soap nozzle, nothing else to change the pressure.
this is a fixed injector, it is set at one draw rate.
this is an adjustable.
I was just wondering which you had.
Where did you get your machine from? Have you been to power america over in ayer? they are a bit over priced but you can get stuff right away if you are in a pinch
Mine is fixed and I got it over at Home Depot in Nashua, but I didn’t know that power America is in Ayer. That is really good to know. The rental I used had really good draw ratio and this new machine is a little disappointing with what it can pull.
I need to do each wall twice in order to get enough soap on it. I’ve been thinking about x-jet in order to pull better but I like/d downstreaming and didn’t want to change
Thanks for the input
changing you mix ratios is faster and easier than washing each wall twice. And bleach is a waste of money, get some SH
If you’re diluting regular 6% bleach with water and then adding more water to that when the soap is injected into the stream you’d be lucky to be getting 0.3% on the house. If you use 12.5% S.H. cut it 3/2 like you’re doing, you’ll be getting more like 6% on the house, way more effective.
Your right that solution is too weak at 1:10 ratio but last year that was the ratio i was using and it worked perfectly. My new machine just isn’t pulling and i cant figure out why lol
You know when an injector wears out it starts pulling a lot more through it before it finally quits altogether. I assume this is because the huge amount of high pressure water traveling through enlarges the orifice. It’s possible that you were actually pulling a lot more than you think if the injector was worn.
The previous machine was an ex-rental so that would make complete sense. But this new machine is pulling very little i don’t even think it is 1:10 more like 1:20. Oh the joys of being self employed lol
Here is good article that might help you out. You can also try to connect the injector between the two sections of hose and see if you get more pull. That gets it farther from the pump and thus enables a greater pressure drop.
DOWNSTREAM INJECTION TEK ARTICLE - INJECTORS GENERAL PUMP / ADAMS
Thats great to know, thanks for the input
Hi Steve,
When i first started house washing this is the sort of advice that was given and that was always the solution that i have used. It has always worked well. Understandably i don’t want to dilute the solution too much but the new machine’s ratio is too much!
I
If you bought your injector at Home Depot, that’s mainly your problem right there. Call Bob at pressure Tek and order his modified injectors. Get at least 2-3 of them. Again, their not cheap and you have to think of them as being disposable. I’ve had some last 2-3 months and I have had some last a week or two. Just part of pressure washing. We keep AT LEAST 3 spares on the truck at all times. I think with all the fittings they are around $35 each. When one goes bad, 30 seconds later we have a good one ready to go to work:)
i had the exact same machine and the exact same problem. i just returned it for a full refund. that injector is total garbage. i’ve seen several other people complain about the same problem.
just bought this instead. should have done it the first time.
