When is it too small, when is it just right, when is it too large? Power washers are closer to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears than you would think.
This entry will not win me friends with the larger is better crowd. Nor the handy man specials that try to cut prices, only to cut quality and are gone as fast as they came. It is more about finding what is right for you and what you do as a professional power washer. Knowing and finding your nitch in the industry is what it is all about.
Our last house washing in Springfield MO found us back at school. While we were not the highest bid or the lowest we still won the bid on this home just off campus. It helped that I had done the complex just two doors down last year. I showed up with my house washing rig parked next to the home which was very dirty and covered with your normal algae, mildew and years of grime.
The house mother told me, it seems that over the last few years the "handyman" was charging for a yearly washing but the home just seemed to get that much dirtier. My rig may look a bit small next to the home but it has everything needed to do this job as well as any other house washing job, with top name and commercial quality washers and equipment.
 |
| Cleaned by Pete's house washing set-up |
 |
| Cleaned by Pete's house washing rig I can do projects this big or bigger with it. |
Do you need a trailer with a 500 gallon water tank? Do you need a large 4 wheel drive pick-up? Do you need a hot water skid? If we do I'll go back to the shop and get one. Day in and day out this little rig will help save me and my customers money also help out our environment. Saving gas, oil, exhaust output by the truck and the washing unit as well as soaps, cleaners and water. On the other side of the field we are a small footprint but do not lack in quality of machinery on this rig. No "big box store" or "the warehouse" sale items here. Finding the just right as Goldilocks did was the trick I have been working at it for years, finding the just right for me. Many will say a bigger power washer with more pressure and gallon flow will do this that and the other, but for washing houses is it really needed?
 |
| House washing done by: Cleaned by Pete |
 |
| House washing done by: Cleaned by Pete |
 |
| House washing including the upper deck done by: Cleaned by Pete |
I have invested in top notch equipment and over the years, used and decided what works and what does not for us. In a discussion the other day we were discussing what size pump is needed to wash a house. As with any discussion sides were taken and defended. I took the side that a 4, 5 or 5.5 gallon pump is all that is needed in most house washings. Others said no! Less than 8 gallons to 10 for washing a home was simply a waist of time (time and speed being their total basing factor). With a larger pump, came disadvantages for me. One being that you will need a larger motor 20 hp to 25 hp motors have to be used on most of these pumps. That is a twin cylinder of some type. Two cylinders mean twice as much gas and twice as much exhaust. I run a small 5 gallon pump off a 13 hp motor with lower psi to help save gas and exhaust (my carbon offset). The second reason: I like the control of the 5 gallon pump enough and plenty of extra power to clean any house or residential need I have come across. Others say you can do it faster and in less time with larger pumps that may be. I'm out to clean / wash and not racing to see how fast I get done. That is not part of my game-plan. A third reason is that the large pump and motor will take up a lot more room and it also weighs more. With more weight comes more ware and tear on the service truck. This will add more cost in gas and maintenance too. Larger pumps just ware things out faster too, nozzles, hoses, and other parts will just ware out quicker. Size is at a premium on the S10 also bigger may not fit. The fourth reason I don't wish to use larger pumps is they need more water 250 gallons or 500 gallons in a tank you need to pull around. Water supplies will not keep up with this type of water usage. Residential homes do not have this much water pressure or flow. Transporting large amounts of water to a sight that has water does not make scene to me. Again larger trailers, larger trucks, larger motors to run the pump all for the sake of time and speed. The last big factor in my game-plan is the bigger units original cost is quite a bit more this is a big factor when you're running a business. Does getting done quicker justify the cost how much return is realized.
So is smaller better? Could be. Having just what is needed to get jobs done is what I strive to do. So is larger better? Could be, depending on who you ask. Yes I do use my larger unit for commercial cleanings. Too small is just not in the equation for me at all, consumers grade power washers do not get the job done. Could I use my house washing rig to clean a large apartment complex? I could but it would be not as efficient, this house is about as big as I go with the house washing unit. That is why I have larger units and use then when needed. The same thing should apply for going the other way. Is a big unit as efficient for house washing? Is the only drawback here is speed and time? The savings to me, my customers and helping be as "Eco friendly" as I can, out weigh that one difference. You can not judge a book by its' cover you also can not judge a washer by the size of the truck. You have to look further than truck size, what equipment is on-board, Are they using "commercial or industrial" grade equipment. Customers should ask and look talk to you the intended hired contractor. They should check them out we need to be able to answer question and reassure them the job completed will be the best possible.
Here is a new truck, it happens to be one of my competitors, I don't judge them though they have mislead some of my customers. But still that is their business tactics and the way they want to run their company. What I'm saying is look at the pick-up and the equipment. Does this big new big pick-up help to clean and wash? Then look at mine who do you want cleaning your home? The largest single investment you have. This is actual photos taken on a bid I was doing and the competitor show up with their equipment to do their bid. What and who would you like to wash your home?
Cleaned by Pete was driving the company truck too.
 |
| Beside the dedicated unit on the service truck you can see: a 16hp motor with a gear driven Hypo pump (the blue one). This is a smaller footprint due to the geardrive replacing the belts. A direct drive AR nickle head pump powered by a 15hp motor. We needed some portable units to get around and on the roof and in some areas we could not just run hoses to. These two units are custom built for size and power with all top graded parts and pumps. |
There is also a difference between a service / work truck and one you drive around for personal use on the week-ends. It shows more of a commitment to your business and to the customers. A truck will get you there but it does not help you wash a home that is all in your equipment. You can see above a "big box store" consumer grade power washer in a big new pick-up, yes this is their power washing unit. Or you can pick from the industrial / commercial grade equipment on the back of a custom built cleaning rig designed by Cleaned by Pete with house washing in mind. While it is not new, a 4x4, crew cab, and I can not drive it on a date Saturday night it does what it was made and built to do, work.
Nice truck to get you there in style while supporting your consumer grade washer, is this to small?
Cleaned by Pete's house washing and residential cleaning rig, we find it just right for our cleaning style. jobs, and the size of what we clean. Not to big, not to small but just right for the residential and commercial jobs we do.
We had a photo of a super rig here,
the builder of the rig wished it removed.
I will honor their wishes. It was sourced off
the internet without any references to
ownership. Sorry for any uses of said
super rig on this blog.
It now has been removed.
Special built custom rig for commercial lot and structure washing, while
just right for what it was built for, could be a bit of an overkill for
washing a house and most residential usage. The question again arises when is
a power washer to small, when is it just right and when is it too big.
I have always subscribed to the simple fact having the best equipment, tools, and washer to do the job. I could never uses my equipment to clean a large garage or even a oil rig, nor would I want to. It is just as simple each job dictates what pressure washers and equipment needs to be used. Each job is different each job requires specialized equipment and tools. Each contractor knows his equipment and what can be done with it. There is a limitation of what one can do with a washer and on the other hand to much power is not always a good thing at times it will all depend on what we are washing. Most power washing contractors seem to find their special part of this vast cleaning field and then mold and fit their rigs and pressure washers to what they want to do. Professionals use professional equipment not a "box store washer".
That is why Cleaned by Pete has 3 service trucks and a fleet of washers. Witch includes skids to portables, hot water and cold water units, electric and gas, to meet the needs of each customer and their jobs.
Cleaned by Pete
is a power / pressure and soft washing company
specializing in residential and commercial exterior cleaning
serving the greater Springfield and Southwest Missouri area
417.459.7869
Thank you for the visit and reading the blog, leave us a comment and you are welcome back at any time.
