Clean deck with surface cleaner? yeah or nay

[zing]

Have a customer that wants a deck done. It's a simple rectangle, ground level with a 500 Sq/ft base.

I have a surface cleaner and have heard contractors use these at times on decks.

Compare and contrast a wand cleaning and a surface cleaner cleaning.

Thanks

Zing

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[Jon Fife]

dont those things clean with about 4,000 psi??? if so, that would mangle the deck. i sometimes use 3,000 psi on pressure treated, but that is with a 40 degree tip and staying about 9-12 inches off of the wood. i believe i'd test this before trying on a customer
good luck, jon

deck masters

nashville, TN

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[zing]

I would use it with the pressure regulated down to 800-1000 PSI.

I could of sworn I heard people do this!

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[Jon Fife]

zing---

oh, that probably wouldnt be bad. i have seen the advertisements for these machines and they show the person cleaning decks with them, but i always understood that they were extremely high pressure, i didnt realize they were adjustable. sounds like a winner plan to me! i have considered getting one of those machines, some are about 400 dollars and some are about 1100, what is the difference?? how fast does this speed up your time for cleaning a driveway, and does it leave streaks?? do you have to follow it with a regular pressure washer to spray away the loosened dirt?? any help would be appreciated thanks
jon
deck masters
nashville tn

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[Clean County]

Zing,
I use surface cleaners all the time. I use them for just about all the flat work that I do. If a deck is small then that is the only time that I do not use the surface cleaner. They do a great job, they make the job get completed much faster, they are big time back savers and last but not least they are actually fun to use. Its like exercising when you are using these machines and your making money to boot.
They are as simple as pie to use on concrete and brick. As far as using them for decks, well you have to practice because this one is like an art. You can never let these machines stop on wood because they will scar it. After using the surface cleaner you use the wand to cut everything in and to blow off the rest of the deck. Like I said for decks it is like an art, be careful!! If you can master them for decks then your job will go much faster in my opinion. Of course you will find some people here who will disagree with me on this but its up to you to figure what works best for you.
As far as lowering the psi in the powerwasher so you can use these on wood you wont have to do that once again in my opinion. If I remember correctly if you are using a 3000psi PW at 5gal/min and your surface cleaner has two tips then each tip is producing aprox 1500psi at 2.5gal/min. You will have to ask the Wiz on this to be sure. For concrete, brick and stone I use hot water and for decks I generally use cold water. Good Luck -John-

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[Shawn Perkins]

John,
You are 1/2 correct.

As long as you stay at the gpm of your machine
your pressure will stay the same.You will split
your gpm but they will equal the total gpm output
of your machine.

Ex. A machine that produces 5.0 @3000...

one 5.0 tip @3000
is the same as
two 2.5 tips @3000

If you go over the gpm of the machine you will
start lowering the psi...

Ex.same machine with a 6.0 tip will bring the
psi down to about 2700. gpm still being the max
output of your machine which is 5.

If your tip is smaller than the gpm of the machine
you will raise the psi because the flow is
restricted.

Ex.same machine with a 4.0 tip will bring the
pressure up to about 3400. It will bring the
gpm down a little to about 4.5
THIS IS VERY HARD ON YOUR PUMP PACKINGS!!!!

Good Luck
Shawn Perkins


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[Mike Hughes]

I have talked to many different people about this.....most say no, and a few that swear by it. Like John said, if you do it, never stand in one place with the surface cleaner running.........you have to keep moving. I believe the hover type surface cleaners would work best on a deck.

Myself, I have never tried it. I have a 18" Whisper Wash that would be perfect for it, but I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to deck cleaning......and I don't think I'd be happy with the results of a surface cleaner.

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Mike Hughes
Everclear
Souderton, PA

 

[Brad]

I use my Landa surface cleaner on large decks every time. They work great if operated correctly. My advice to anyone who uses one on a deck............
1) DON'T stop moving.......if you do, you definitely will leave a swirl pattern mark and/or score the wood.

2) ALWAYS run parallel to the wood grain, don't run diagonally.

3) RELEASE the trigger a few feet before you come to the end of the boards (prior to the spindles). You can come back and finish the PW with a wand.

Just my opinion. Good Luck.

Brad - Performance Pressure Washing......


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