Power Washing - Pressure Washing Tips

1. When pressure washing, think of the surface as six o'clock. Now, pull the trigger at four o'clock, slowly ease the spray to the six o'clock position (approximately 12 inches away from the surface, but certainly varies) make a nice long even pass (no back and forth stuff) and then ease the spray up to the 8 o'clock position before releasing the trigger. Power washer marks are like tattoos in your wood deck or masonry surface. Always start in the most un-noticeable part of the job and allow yourself to get familiar with the process, it will make a big difference in the appearance of your work where it counts the most. You will also have much less time in the job not having to fix ugly, aggressive power washer marks, if it's even possible.

2. If you are pressure washing a wood deck, make sure to wash one or two boards at a time, depending on the distance that seems to be working well. Do not have the top or bottom part of the fan pattern cutting into the adjacent board. Do not go back and forth. Think long and even passes. Never pull the trigger if the wand is aimed at the surface, this will keep unwanted power washing marks from appearing. A couple of easy even passes are always much better that trying to speed up the process by being too aggressive.

3. If you are washing a concrete or masonry type of surface, always do step #1 and as you are making your passes make sure to overlap by 50 %. For professional results, if you washed the concrete in a East to West direction, now wash it again in a North to South direction. This is almost always necessary in helping eliminate power washer marks especially when removing heavier or stubborn debris from the surface.

4. Several pressure washer manufacturers make an osculating tip. This tip takes a zero degree fan pattern and spins it in a circular motion. These tips can make a job go much faster in many circumstances, but are very aggressive. Always start in an inconspicuous place.

5. If you have power washing that requires a ladder, do know that General Pump manufactures high- quality extension poles. The DLTG 18A collapsed length is 7'5" and extends to 18 foot. The DLTG 24A collapsed is 9'5" and extends to 24 foot. These are the best poles that I have found for power washing. Most poles are simply junk. If something breaks on the General Pump poles you can get the part to replace instead of disposing the whole unit. This tool will undoubtedly save the homeowner or professional contractor considerable time and money in many circumstances. To find dealers go to http://www.generalpump.com/Locations.asp