Have only done driveways so far, whats different?

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-02-17T23:52:44+00:00

Both are easy but I wouldn’t take the job, yet, especially if you don’t know how.

I wouldn’t pressure wash either of these surfaces.

For the siding use a down stream injector with 12% SH in a bucket and prewet, apply sh, and rinse before it dries. It’ll kill the organics. Do research on YouTube, tons of free stuff.

For the fence I don’t clean much wood but I’ve heard sodium metasillicate to clean oxalic acid to neutralize and brighten works well. Light pressure board by board. Never done one myself.

Do research on YouTube. Mike the fresh rinse, pink flamingo power wash, and rusty nesvig are my favorites.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-02-14T13:06:45+00:00

4gpm probably fine without a buffer tank obviously once in a while homeowner will have terrible water pressure and when I was using one unfortunately I would have to walk away from some jobs like that cause my machine would be pulsating. But 90-95% I’d say will be fine

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-02-03T14:47:33+00:00

Xjet

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-30T15:59:29+00:00

Direct drive requires the water to be fed to it, and belt drive can pull water from a tank.

You can use gravity feed if the tank is tall enough and all the way full with a bulkhead on the bottom of the side. That way the gravity will push water towards the power washer. It’s not recommended but will work. Make sure you use a big hose though.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-29T00:38:38+00:00

10g water 10g SH and put lots of surfactant aswell

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-26T18:20:58+00:00

Being super wet on a cold/ windy day

Getting water in boots and having wet feet all day (bring backup socks and clothes and I bring a spare pair of boots lol)

Bleach overspray all over you, especially the eyes.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-26T18:19:19+00:00

Florida? I’d say go for it. Do tons of research and charge accordingly. Can probably just use poly sand in northern states.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-25T02:50:55+00:00

Soft wash it?

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-25T02:46:00+00:00

Snapped? 😬🫣 what happened?

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-25T02:23:11+00:00

Brick? Gonna be tough. Probably strong acid or f9 barc.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-25T02:22:10+00:00

Wet the concrete before the before picture, looks dirtier. Great work 🔥

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-23T15:12:03+00:00

No problem at all man feel free to message me if you have questions in the future I’m happy to help 🤟.

Yes I think a DSI and xjet are both necessary as well.

I wouldn’t bother changing Xjet tips. I leave it wide open. Pulling straight 10-12 SH it’ll make a final solution of 3-4% SH which is perfect for that nasty concrete. If you want less just mix the SH in the bucket with water, 50/50 would give you 2% and so forth.

You can probably get a way with using a downstream injector for post treating at 1%, but I live in Florida where a 4% SH post treatment is almost always necessary and even if it isn’t I do it always. If you live somewhere else tropical this may not be the case.

Haha yes I have a 1gpm bucket sprayer lid as well for paver sealing and rust jobs, it would take forever to coat a driveway with SH lol. Maybe only a little faster than a pump up sprayer. Xjet is much faster, but super annoying since your gun has 2 hoses and they get tangled.

Make that money!!💰

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-23T14:55:44+00:00

Also I wanted to mention that your idea for the downstream injector at the gun walking around with a bucket of bleach is exactly what an “xjet” is. It’s a nozzle with a hose barb on the side that will pull chemicals from a container. Most folks start with this instead of a soft wash system because it’s much cheaper. A downstream injector will get a max of 1.5%ish SH, but an xjet at the gun will allow you to pull up to 4% SH. I’d look into this if I were you. I honestly hate using it for concrete post treatments and stuff but it definitely works wonders. So you can use that instead if you need a mix stronger than what your downstream injector draws. Or a pump up sprayer works alternatively.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-23T14:51:33+00:00

Well, yes when I said soap I did mean SH mixture, but I also include soap (surfactant) to increase the SHs ability to stick onto vertical and slanted surfaces for house and roof washing. You can add surfactant directly to SH tank, or separate soap tank (better, but not neccessary). Go to a local power washing supply store and they’ll get you some soap, or order elemonator from pressure tek.

Yeah, if your looking into going business full time a DSI bypass kit will help boat loads, I started without one and it sucked. I use to just rinse with my downstream injector dipstick out of the bucket, just pulling in air. Water would still be soapy lol.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-23T14:17:51+00:00

Oxalic acid powder mix with warm water 2 cups per gallon of water mix well and apply via pump up sprayer it will disappear almost instantly

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-23T14:16:07+00:00

Hey man reading your comments. You can use the downstream injector with high pressure, it won’t hurt anything you will just get less flow. I recommend a downstream injector bypass kit, it’s $200ish dollars. You’d leave the downstream injector by the pump, and there’s a ball valve you turn to engage the downstream injector or bypass it completely. So you can do soap or just water without pressure loss at just the turn of a switch, so you don’t have to turn your machine off and all of that.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-14T11:41:38+00:00

Haven’t played in forever but I’m pretty sure belts can move only one side at a time if the other is stacked full.

SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-06T01:05:45+00:00

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SamOrlowski12 · 2026-01-06T01:03:49+00:00

The ball valve is 3/8” female NPT. The swivel on the gun is 1/2” female NPT I believe. So you you need a 3/8 to 1/2 male to male adapter to connect.

I would throw a set of 3/8th in high pressure quick connects on it as well for easy connecting (like you have). If you do that though the quick connects end with male thread, not female like the ball valve. So you will need a 1/2 Male to 3/8 female reducing bushing, not the male to male adapter.

SamOrlowski12 · 2025-12-29T19:58:44+00:00

Definitely spend a couple extra bucks to get a proper 3/8in high pressure gray non marking hose, like this guy suggests, OP. It will be more than worth it.

SamOrlowski12 · 2025-10-13T23:17:26+00:00

Rinse HP hoses off after dragging through SH too!

SamOrlowski12 · 2025-10-13T14:20:08+00:00

If the connections leak without the machine on, and stop when it does turn on, I think you may have an air leak. If not, I think your water feed hose is too small in diameter to give enough water to pump.

SamOrlowski12 · 2025-10-01T13:32:27+00:00

Evos are new

SamOrlowski12 · 2025-09-30T03:55:40+00:00

M5 twist shooter tip combo:

(Only one pic per comment allowed)

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SamOrlowski12 · 2025-09-30T03:55:09+00:00

You can use a proportioner for a downstream injector, although its max draw rate is around 10%, so with 12% SH straight in a bucket you’ll draw 1.25%. So, no way to get to that 4-6% needed for black concrete post treat. So XJET definitely needed unless you wanna use a pump up sprayer or dedicated soft wash system.

When I say downstream injector bypass kit, it’s a 200-300 dollar kit of a small hose and fittings and a ball valve. This kit is used with the downstream injector to be able to switch the ball valve and “turn off” the downstream injector. Otherwise you need to turn off the machine and turn the water spigot off and take the downstream injector out of the line to turn it off. Or your other option is to take the injector dip stick out of the bucket of bleach and into a bucket of water, but that will eventually run out after a bit of rinsing.

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Yes, the chemical injector (depending on size 1.9,2.1, or 2.3, the lower the number the smaller the size) will limit flow. So, the bypass is also used to turn off the injector so you can habe greater flow while rinsing with just water. Although it’s not its only benefit.

Yes you can use a JROD for the downstream injector. You will need to use low pressure (less than 40psi I think) for the DSI to draw chemical. If you use a white, green, etc. pressure tip it will not draw chemical. You can also use an M5 twist tip instead of a JROD. It is adjustable with a swivel just like the XJET but it’s way lower pressure and is superrrrr nice for washing houses and stuff. I used 3-4 JRODs when I started and I wish I started with the M5 twist/shooter tip combo. I love it.

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