Looking for advise and clarification on soft washing systems
I have seen two type of systems
Read up everything you can on pressurewashingresource.com. PTState.com is pretty good, too.
General idea is you use nozzles with larger orifices to bring the pressure down to where you want it. Use a down-stream injector to apply detergent. An x-jet is a good tool to have if you ever run into a situation where you need a bit stronger mix than the ds injector can provide.
Read, read, read!
other little tips:
-4gpm minimum machine (psi matters much less). Belt or gear driven pumps last much longer and are more versatile than direct drive.
-Over 4gpm you should really have a buffer tank (and you may run into homes on well water where the supply won’t even keep up with a 4gpm machine).
-if you setup a buffer tank, make sure to run your ‘bypass’ back to the tank, so that there’s always cool water circulating when you aren’t pulling the trigger.
-research a lot. The guys on the pw’ing forums are less tolerant of ‘dumb questions’. You’ll also want to fill out your signature before posting over there. For some reason they’re really hung up on that.
I will just get into some of what you need .
Any power washer with a pump of 4 gallons per minute or more (preferably one with a good motor Honda is good )
An Injector that will draw the soap
The right set of tips
( the tips will lower pressure ). There is a chart for the type of pump you have . whether it be 4 gal per min or more …it will help you understand what size tip you need for the psi you want to get out of your machine .
Normally guys use 4 tips for “soft washing”. One for high rinse , one for low rinse . The other two will be for drawing soap. Those two tips will have a bigger orifice ( the bigger hole in the tip helps draw the soap which in turn bypasses the pump ). So the to soap tips will be for high soaping an low soaping
The proper solutions. Most guys use liquid pool shock , an eliminator soap or fresh wash .
You will need all other stuff that is used for power washing guns ,lances ,hoses ,O-Rings
You will also need to read up some more on this nobody will be able( an especially me ) to give all you need to know in one post. That’s is why most won’t get into it. Got to www.pressuretek.com. An type in the search field Down streaming or soft washing. And start reading it will help tons
Sent from my iPad using Window Cleaning Resource
Thanks for the pointers.
You guys that do soft washing. Do yall use electric pump system or pressure washer system
One nice feature about having a soft wash system is roof cleaning. A huge add on to the job. The one we carry has a dual tank so you can have your roof mix in one and your house wash or driveway mix in the other. You still need a pressure washer to rinse and flat work and as Mike said a 4gpm would be a good choice. http://shopwindowcleaner.com/smart-wash-dual-tank-system.html
I’m confused. I was told by the soft-wash websites that you can’t soft-wash with a pressure washer, that you need to diaphragm pump.
I don’t know if that is true. From what I have read if you have a tip with large diameter you can bring down the pressure pretty low while retaining gpm
“Soft Wash” is an arbitrary term- it means one thing to some people, and something different to others. What you are really trying to do is clean X surface at the lowest pressure possible, so don’t get caught up in the terminology.
you can absolutely soft wash with a pressure washer. you just use tips on your wand that have larger openings- that reduces the PSI coming out (the pressure) but not the volume (how much water is leaving the tip at any given time).
Think “adjustable garden hose nozzle” you twist it to jet mode- it shoots out a tight, high pressure spray. you twist it to fan mode- it shoots out a wide, gentle spray. the same amount of water is coming out, it’s just coming out a different way. same principle when changing tips on your wand.
the difference between low pressure washing with a diaphragm pump vs a pressure washer is pretty simple:
-with a pump, you can ONLY wash at low pressure (usually 100psi or so)- limiting, but also low risk, since you literally can’t smoke a surface with high pressure.
-with a pressure washer, you can wash at low pressure with wider, more open tips on your gun, or you can wash at high pressure with smaller tips. you change the outgoing pressure by adjusting the size of the hole the water is exiting through at your gun (or surface cleaner, or whatever other tool you attach to the end of your hose). there’s more risk, because you could accidentally use too much pressure and damage something (if you don’t do your homework). but a good pressure washer will let you clean a lot more different stuff, and will last way way longer than a dedicated soft wash pump.
you need to look into donwstream intectors and x-jets if you want to wash at low pressure with a pressure washer.
