[Darren O]

Can I use my freedom trolley to do soft washing I've just moved into a new house  and the side wall on house is really discoulered was going to use hypo and cleverwash  will the hypo damage pump and will the pump be powerful enough thanks Darren

[Smurf]

You could probably get away with using a week sh mix  1-2 % max. Then afterwards make sure you flush out with water thoroughly,
Mind you could also knacker the pump as it's not a chemical rated pump. That is why I don't run chems through my pf trolley anymore.

[Smurf]

As a stop gap as I needed a chem pump and small tank for the van so ended up buying a cheapo 55 ltr atv spot sprayer http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/55-Litre-Quad-ATV-Spot-Sprayer-System-60psi-SHURFLO-/141393008062?hash=item20ebae15be

I then just added a new leisure battery and digi flow controller that I already had for the pump. Also took off the lance and replaced with a male connector on the end to be able to use a wfp hose reel.  Works a treat and has paid for itself many times over 

[Darren O]

Cheers mate

[Smurf]

So are you going to risk it?

Ben from Benz softwash says a standard wfp pump works just fine. The question that he has not answered is for how long though 

[Darren O]

Yes going to do it anyway I've also got a backpack I could use but the trolley has a bigger pump what's the ideal flow rate for softwashing  I was going to use a facelift pole with a jet attached to it think its called a da applicator bought it for cleaning facias and gutters.

[Darren O]

Smurf I've got a Honda pressure washer 21lpm would that not be to powerful and don't no what kind of lance to use with it

[Smurf]

It's not recommended to pressure wash render as high pressure can damage the surface.

You also  might be tempted instead to downstream hypo using the likes of an xjet from the ground. That is not ideal either as causes too much chemical drift, a lot of run off and is a waste of chems too as most of it ends on the floor and everything else not where you want it.

Best/safest way I've found is to use a wfp method with a wfp brush on the end of the pole so the hypo is directed directly on the wall where you want it to go. In doing so reduces chemical drift, chemical wastage and by being able  to adjusting the flow via the pump controller can also help reduce chemical run off too.

I do use benz spray nozzles at times too but not when the chem starts to drift. Anyhow having a wfp brush on the end of the pole helps to gently brush the surface at the same time so to get to the surface layer of crud better.   On really bad render you may need to  go over the area twice with a rinse in between then a final rinse afterwards.

Offering on quotes (site visits) a demo test patch sample using a hypo softwah mix is the best way I've found to win work. Do it on your own house and you will see what I mean 

Then you can also upsell a treatment of biocidal wash (DDHC) afterwards  so the render stays cleaner for longer.

[Darren O]

Gonna get the freedom trolley out of shed and use that thanks for the help.

[Smurf]

Post some before and after pics 

Oh and make sure you wear safety glasses at all times as those face shields are not all what they are cracked up to be. Now I wear both  as have got hypo in my eyes more than once and don't forget to wear gloves too or you could end up in a burns unit like I did   

[Matt.]

I have dropped 40L of 15% sh into my 650L tank, on more than one occasion, running it through shurflo pump, then bypass di bottles and into hose reel, and to brush head.

On completion of the job I will fill the tank up with tap water a few times leaving small section of hose out the back of the van, with the pump running ...... Often get motorist  shout " u have water coming out the back of ur van it looks like a small hose" 

Then when cleaned and ready to use pure I will run water through di bottles and back into tank to ensure clean

[Smurf]

Mat what % strength of hypo mix where you using and how many ltr did you make in your 650 ltr tank with 40 ltr of 15% hypo added?

[BDCS]

There is more cattle poo talked about softwashing. You guess what mix you will get away with and squirt it on - if it works then great if not chuck some more chemical in. You lot will be signing onto the purple rhino mortgage machine and spending a grand on a course and still know next to nowt after. If you were doing it every day the yes buy good kit but for the odd job they you only need a very basic kit. I only use the tank of my drain jetter for softwashing, Windows every other month and the drain jetting

[Matt.]

I wasn't meaning to soft wash 

I was cleaning cladding that was rotten with moss and other stuff, I did a few test patches, so started with a full tank ( 650L ) of water and added 20L barrel of 15% SH, done a good job so cracked on.

Done the job with 1 barrel per tank full, at the end there was a few areas that needed going over again using 2 x barrels per tank, the concrete floor at the bottom was spotless when I had finished

[Smurf]

I wasn't meaning to soft wash 

I was cleaning cladding that was rotten with moss and other stuff, I did a few test patches, so started with a full tank ( 650L ) of water and added 20L barrel of 15% SH, done a good job so cracked on.

Done the job with 1 barrel per tank full, at the end there was a few areas that needed going over again using 2 x barrels per tank, the concrete floor at the bottom was spotless when I had finished

Indeed hypo can make light work of cleaning manky cladding for sure
I prefer to batch mix smaller amounts than 650 at a go though. That must have been some size job to use two tanks full?

[Smurf]

Was halfway through a job last week and my chem pump started to play up so in the end I had to use my old pf trolley instead.
The pf trolley seemed to work just fine with a 1-2% SH mix but I made sure I flushed it through thoroughly afterwards. Still I would be very reluctant to use it for regular use and more so using a stronger SH mix as would kill that wfp pump quite quickly I would have thought.