Here I hope to show some of the things that I have learned about learning to be more effective with pressure washing. Now’s a good time to start upgrading everything so you can be ready for Spring.
First is Downstreaming. Downstreaming is injecting chemcial through the hose downstream from your pump. If you use the injector that probably came with your pressure washer, and is installed inline with the inlet for water, that’s Upstreaming, and can possibly (will) harm the pump. With downstreaming, only water flows through the pump.
A chemical injector for downstreaming can be bought for under 25 dollars. You want to make sure that the direction of flow is in the correct direction for your machine. The direction of flow will be indicated by a small arrow stamped into the brass. I usually put quick connects, a male and a female, on the injector so it can be replaced quickly if needed.
It’s really a good idea to have an extra injector on hand. They have a spring and a small ball bearing inside of them, to determine whether you are using high or low pressure. The injector will only suck chemical if you’re using low pressure. Sometimes these springs will break. You can buy replacement springs, but it’s easier to just replace the whole injector and worry about the spring later. At only 20 bucks each, it’s well worth it.
The good thing about the injector is your chemical can stay right with the pressure washer. There’s no need to carry the chemical around like with an x-jet. You’re only limited in the amount of high pressure hose you use. Unless you have a high GPM pressure washer, or a specialized injector, you want to keep your hose to under 150 feet.
I mentioned that the injector will only draw when you’re using low pressure. How do you get low pressure? You can use the black soap nozzle, or you pimp out a nozzle. You can put one together by using a 1/4 male quick connect, a 0040 hose barb that’s threaded on one end, and teflon tape. These will get your chemical a good 30 feet, higher if you have a higher GPM pressure washer. The stream will have very little mist. I get these from my local pressure washing supply store, they’re around 7 dollars. You would think that this stream would cause damage, but you can actually spray your hand with it.
Since you can get good distance with these nozzles, I ditch the “wand” or “lance” part of the gun. It’s only added weight.
So this is what I use to apply my chemical. I can cover a lot of ground this way. I can cover a house from top to bottom with a nice foamy chemical very quicky with this one tip. Allow for proper dwell time, and them come back for a good rinse.
