Prepping your Home Exterior for Spring

 The most efficient and simple way to clean the majority of your home’s exterior is with Pressure Washing. The strong flow of water breaks down dirt, grime, salt, mildew, and grease on a variety of surfaces around your property with minimal waste or cleaning solutions. Pressure washing is ideal for everything from your siding, gutters, stained deck or fence, patio stones, cement walkways, all the way to your driveway.

Which Nozzle should I use?

Each nozzle degree and type of nozzle services a different variety of purposes. It’s important to know which one is right for what you’re looking to clean. If you use the incorrect nozzle for the wrong job you may end up not completely cleaning it, or you may end up permanently damaging it.

• The 0 degree nozzle* is the most focused spray pattern we offer and sprays in a straight laser like pattern. It is universally identified by its red color, implying its power. This nozzle should never be used on a vehicle for cleaning; however, it may be used for stripping the paint. This nozzle tip is ideal for paint removal, concrete, stone washing, and driveways. *Never use the nozzle on a human or animal, it will do damage to the skin.
• The 15 degree nozzle is another very powerful spray tip that should be used with caution. Slightly more fanned than the 0 degree, the 15 degree nozzle is safe to use on wood surfaces, like decks and fences for removing stain and mildew. It also works great on concrete and pool decks. You may prefer using the 15 degree nozzle over the 0 degree because it cleans more surface area in each pass.
• The 25 degree nozzle tip is identified by its green color. This nozzle tip is powerful yet safer to use on more delicate surfaces. This nozzle tip is perfect for cleaning patio furniture, siding, BBQ grills, vehicles, and boats. Perfect for so many surfaces this nozzle tip is the most popular for residential use.
• The 40 degree and most fanned nozzle is identified by its white color. Many car collectors will choose to use the 40 degree over the 25 degree to rinse because it’s the lowest degree and has the least focused stream and is less likely to cause damage to surfaces. This nozzle tip is great for older vehicles, ceramic paint jobs, gutters, hot tubs, and mailboxes.
• Turbo Nozzles are characterized by their conical tapered shape. Inside the nozzle, there is a zero degree pin assembly that spins under pressure. This 2000+ RPM oscillation opens the 0° pattern into a 26° pattern for enhanced cleaning ability. Turbo nozzles are made for stripping, removing paint, stain, mildew, and mold. They should only be used on concrete or asphalt for hard surface cleaning. These are also used in Hydro excavation for exploratory and sensitive digging when uncovering electrical wires, gas lines or sewer piping. Never use turbo nozzles on decks, fences, or other wood surfaces

Check out this video for a visual on each nozzle and see firsthand how each one works. 

Electric or Gas pressure washer?

• The short answer is “What is your power source?” and “What are you trying to clean?” Electric and gas pressure washers maintain identical performance in many ways, although, professional and residential cleaners make their choice based on the above questions.
• Gas pressure washers are considered to be the most mobile as they carry their power source with them, along with fuel. They typically have reliable components that are built to withstand 100’s and 1000’s of hours of use (with proper maintenance). Normally, there is a minimum quality threshold for gas-powered units due to the motor quality so these will last longer and sell for no less than $250.00 for a low-end unit. Gas units will usually have a higher flow which greatly assists in the cleaning process as it flushes away debris that the pressure has freed.
• Electric pressure washers are less mobile but considered to be more user-friendly. They are typically quieter and experience less wear and tear since they are often in a fixed location. The exception would be smaller electric units widely seen in residential use. Small residential washers are really only built for the first 25 hours of use and with a low GPM (under 2 GPM), they have a hard time flushing away debris. Higher-end electric washers will retain the same specs as their counterpart, gas washers, but have less extended life issues and are not as hard on accessories, leading to lower maintenance costs.
• The sweet spot for most residential applications would be 2.5 GPM and 2500 PSI. Any gas or electric washer that can produce these operating specs will get the job done for weekend warriors.
• When it comes to more professional applications, many cleaners are switching to higher flow rates in an effort to effectively flush material and debris away from the cleaning site. They still maintain 2500 PSI but migrate to 5 and 8 GPM. 

How can I upgrade my system?

• House Cleaning:
  • Telescoping Wands to reach higher on the siding
  • Foam Cannons to foam siding with anti-mildew and anti-microbial
  • Bent lances to improve spray angles
• Soft Washing
  • Foam cannons to improve dwell times of chemicals applied
  • Stainless Fittings to limit corrosion
• Sidewalk Cleaning
  • Water broom for faster debris removal
  • RotoJet German engineered Turbo nozzles for faster cleaning without striping
  • Italian Easy Pull Spray guns to prevent hand fatigue when cleaning for extended periods of time
• Deck Cleaning
  • 15° and 25° nozzles Stainless nozzles to remove the guesswork of variable nozzles
  • 79” lances for cleaning beneath or on the sides of tall decks
• Vehicle Cleaning:
  • Magnum28 Snub style foam kit for increased dwell time in tight spaces
  • Bent 20” lance for cleaning on top of SUV’s and Trucks
  • Undercarriage lance kit for hard-to-reach places
  • Pressure Gauges with mounted fittings to establish baseline PSI’s
• General machine upgrades:
  • Grey hose to eliminate scuff marks on light colored driveways
  • Stainless fittings to eliminate corrosion
  • Built-in gun swivels to eliminate binding and twisting hoses at longer lengths