July 7, 2020 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

XJET MODIFIED FOR DOWNSTREAM

Have you ever wanted to use an XJET but without all the mist and pressure that the XJET puts out? The good news is that you can do exactly that! I’m going to walk you through an XJET modified for downstream. Remember that as you are evaluating a job, you are evaluating three things. You are looking at the surface type and stain presence, which then helps you determine which application method to use. Application options include downstream injector, dedicated pump, XJET, or even a pump up sprayer. The XJET is just one application for applying your bleach mix.

XJET SET UP

Here are a few preliminaries before the XJET MODIFIED FOR DOWNSTREAM is executed. The XJET comes with hose, nozzle and proportion attachments that help meter the mix coming out of the XJET bucket. Its very important when using the XJET bucket, which comes separately, to ensure the back valve is open. This allows for ample ventilation. Otherwise, the bucket will collapse as a result of vacuum suction upon draw. One end of the hose will attach directly to top of the XJET bucket.

XJET MODIFICATION

The main step for an XJET MODIFIED FOR DOWNSTREAM is to install the main part of the XJET in between the gun and the lance of the pressure washing gun. For more information concerning the BEST SOFT WASH GUN, click here. Remove the quarter inch plug fitting from the XJET nozzle and the spring and orifice from inside. Install a quarter inch threaded fitting directly into the gun. We always recommend using teflon tape with lock seal to secure the fittings. Next, screw the XJET fitting directly into the threaded fitting now attached to the gun. Then there is another quarter inch fitting with threading INSIDE which screws on to the XJET nozzle. After you reinstall the wand, place the quarter inch coupler on the end of the wand. Now, using the JROD for downstreaming along with the XJET modification, you have much lower pressure. The same down streaming distance of 40 feet can be acheived with this XJET MODIFIED FOR DOWNSTREAM process.

EXTRA HOSE

The XJET arrives with an approximately 15 foot hose. This will require needing to move the XJET bucket every 15 feet. This will add needless time to every project that the XJET bucket is used. We always recommend purchasing a 50 foot hose to use in place of the 15 foot hose it comes with.

XJET XTRAS

One of the great advantages of this XJET MODIFIED FOR DOWNSTREAM process is that your bleach mix is not running through more equipment, which means this equipment will last much longer. In addition, this method means you will use more bleach. This modification allows you to use your XJET as a downstream injector, which is great for post treating concrete surfaces with heavy landscape. Mist and overspray is greatly reduced and much more controlled with an XJET MODIFIED FOR DOWNSTREAM. I have provided a detailed video on my YOUTUBE channel link here which provides further insight and details for this.

LINKS TO NEEDED SUPPLIES

X Jet Long range Nozzle

X Jet Bucket Pail System

50 Foot Flexzilla 3/8 Air Hose

The quarter inch threaded couplings you can get at any building supply or plumbing supply store.

June 17, 2020 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

Downstream Injector Check Valve

For about the last eight months to a year I have been using a Downstream Injector Check Valve for Soft Washing. These not only help the injectors last longer, since we are removing the ball and spring, but they also actually make the mix a little stronger. We have been able to clean some porous surfaces that have the black algae stains on them, a little faster than using the injectors how they come. They are available on my store HERE .

Very easy to install, you simply remove the hose barb from the Downstream Injector. Then you remove the ball and spring, which will pop out anyway. Attache the check valve where the hose barb was, and you are ready to attach your hose and start downstreaming.

For the last few years there has has been a lot of mis-information about what soft washing is and isn’t. As long as y9u are using low pressure to apply your chemical mix, and rinsing under low pressure, you are Soft Washing. The use of a dedicated pump does not dictate that you are soft washing. Downstreaming is the original soft wash method that I was taught to use way back in 1979.

While a dedicated pump will allow you to apply a stronger mix than downstreaming, just like a pump up sprayer will. In fact, thats all a dedicated pump is, a pump up sprayer on steroids. If you want to clean buildings and houses faster, then using a downstream injector check valve is the way to go. Your mix will be much stronger than a traditional injector.

I always encourage people starting a pressure washing business, to learn how to downstream first. This will help you learn to clean in a traditional way, and help prevent damage to landscape.

For more educational options, be sure to check out our online video school. You can also check our class schedule page.

June 5, 2020 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

Best Soft Wash Gun

There are a few different soft wash guns available on the market today. A soft wash gun is a gun used for applying your house or roof wash mix through your dedicated pump. In the video below I discuss the various one’s available and what I consider the Best Soft Wash Gun that I use. Be sure to subscribe to my You Tube Channel so you get notifications of new educational videos I post.

Choosing a Soft Wash Gun is more of a personal preference thing, than someone telling you this gun or that gun is the best out there. I can only tell you what gun works best for me. Most often times you have to try them all to figure out the Best Soft Wash Gun for you and your business.

I personally don’t like the type with the long sprinkler riser coming off the ball valve. But many people do and that’s fine, because it works for them. I do prefer using a ball valve type gun though, as it won’t cause restrictions, loss of distance and flow like trigger guns. Trigger guns are much safer though, because if you drop one, they immediately stop spraying. My favorite ball valve gun is the one HERE. Remember this is the not the type of gun you can use on a pressure washer. It’s only for use with a soft wash dedicated pump.

Be sure to check out our training opportunities if you are starting a pressure washing business. I have multiple options available from hands on training to a couple different online video schools. I am here to help you become successful, and any student that pays for my training is considered a student for life. If you have any questions about our training options, please feel free to email me at pressurecleaningschool@gmail.com

May 24, 2020 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

Pressure Washing Hose Care

How you take care of your Pressure Washing Equipment plays a big factor in how long it will last. One of the most often overlooked is Pressure Washing Hose Care. We all try to prevent cars from running over them, dragging them through rough terrain, and other obstacles that our hoses face. One of the easiest ways to prevent damage is in the rolling up of your hoses onto hose reels.

In this video I show you a kink I found in one of our pressure washing hoses that was caused by the hose not being stretched out straight as it approached the hose reel. When at all possible always make sure the power washing hose isn’t twisted or kinked when rolling them up.

On our residential rig’s we install the hose reels on the passenger side of the trailer or truck. This makes it easier to roll out and roll up because we position the reel to feed down the driveway. When parking in front of a house, we always block the driveway with the trailer or truck. The hose reel can then easily feed down the driveway. Blocking the driveway also prevents cars or trucks from rolling over our hose.

On our commercial rig, our hose reels feed off the back of the trailer. With wide open parking lots, or areas to park, this makes it easier. Especially if you are cleaning large concrete areas or need to move the truck and trailer while working. Disconnects at the hose reel allows us to drop the hose from reel before moving. Dragging a hose while moving the truck or trailer can cause damage to your hose.

Be sure to watch the Pressure Washing Hose Care video, and subscribe to our You Tube Channel and hit the like button. Leave a question or comment and I’ll be sure to respond as quickly as I can.

Starting a Pressure Washing Business? I have a great online pressure washing school with over 215 videos. I also have monthly Hands On Pressure Washing Training here in Houston that also covers Soft Washing and Roof Cleaning. If you have any questions bout our training please contact me at pressurecleaningschool@gmail.com or HERE.

May 17, 2020 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

Pressure Washing Equipment Oil

When owning pressure washing equipment it is very important to properly maintain your equipment. Using the correct Pressure Washing Equipment Oil for your machines is very important. I have switched all my equipment and trucks to the High Performance Lubricants brand of oils. My equipment and trucks run much smoother and I also have more time between changes. This saves me time and money.

There are many options out there to consider for Pressure Washing Equipment Oil, and most of us do like I have done. Go to the auto parts store and get the oil that we feel is the best value. That’s all well and good, but those oils are not really the best for the equipment we use, and how much and often we run them.

The High Performance Lubricant brand of oils do exactly as they say, give you High Performance. I stock and sell them in our store, because I feel so strongly about them. You can find the ENGINE OIL HERE.

Also available on the store Site is Pressure Washing Pump Oil as well as Air Compressor Oil if you use an AODD pump for Soft Washing like I do.

These oils are competitively priced, only a little bit higher than the store bought brands. The little extra you spend, you will make up on extended equipment life, less failures, and more time between oil maintenance changes. Always remember to change your oil filter when changing engine oil.

If you have any questions feel free to email me or use the contact form on this site. You can also text me at 281-883-3630. Be sure to check out our online pressure washing school if you are starting a pressure washing business. With over 200 training videos you will drastically cut your learning curve.

February 8, 2020 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker No Comments

February Difference Maker School

FEBRUARY DIFFERENCE MAKER SCHOOL

Invest 2 days at our FEBRUARY DIFFERENCE MAKER SCHOOL with Doug Rucker and Gerald Vess. You’ll gain practical, useful information and benefit from Doug’s and Gerald’s years of experience as roof cleaning and pressure washing contractors. Total price for both days is $359.00 and you can register and reserve your spot below.

We will meet at the Country Inn and Suites located at 20611 Highway 59 North, Humble, TX 77338. We have a special room rate of $70.00 per night. Call (281) 446-4977 to reserve your room.

We want to share with you proven methods that will help be Difference Makers in your new businesses. Please come prepared to learn about:

Residential Cleaning Processes and Procedures
Residential Sales Techniques
Job Pricing
Soft Washing VS Pressure Washing
Window Cleaning and Pricing
Setting Customer Expectations
Identifying Surfaces, Stains, and Application Methods
Following Up With Customers
Managing Customer Data Base
Creating Residential Proposals
Property Protection
Chemical Mixes and Ratios
Saving Time on The Job Site

And much more! This school is designed for those that are wanting to start a pressure washing and roof cleaning business or have been in business for 3 years or less.

Register for The Difference Makers School, being held February 8 and 9, 2020, at the Country Inn And Suites, Humble Tx.

Be sure to register and check out our FREE community bulletin board

We also have an online video school available

January 3, 2020 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

Pressure Washing Business Start Up

Doing a little playing around with iMovie the past couple weeks. Hope you enjoy. It was a quick put together, not perfect but I kind of like it. Developing one of these can be as challenging as a Pressure Washing Business Start Up

If you are planning to start a pressure washing, soft washing, or roof cleaning business, please consider attending one of my training events. Next year we will celebrate our 10 year anniversary, training and mentoring new business start ups. March 2011, Pressure Cleaning School was born after I saw a need to help new guys wanting to start a business. Over the last 10 years I have trained, taught, mentored, and coached, a few hundred businessmen and women in the exterior cleaning industry.

Hands On Pressure Washing Training

My school was the first to offer hands on training, and I have been doing that every month for the last 10 years. Since that beginning, I have also added two different online video training options, one at Online Video Training and the other at Cleaners University.

My schools are designed for anyone that is starting out or has been in the Pressure Washing Roof Cleaning Soft Washing industry for 3 years or less. My passion is helping the new guys start and grow a business, and I love watching them take what they learn, put it to action and watch them succeed. Once you attend one of my schools, you are a student for life, and I am available to you, at no extra charge, anytime you need me. Remember, just because the school is over, doesn’t mean the education is.

Contact Us Call or Text 2818833630

If you would like more information, please visit my web site at https://www.pressurecleaningschool.com, or contact me by email, pressurecleaningschool@gmail.com, or call or text 2818833630…. Be sure to check out our February 2020 Difference Makers School at https://www.pressurecleaningschool.com/event/2020-february-difference-maker-school/

December 7, 2019 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker No Comments

December Difference Maker School

DECEMBER DIFFERENCE MAKER SCHOOL

Invest 2 days at our DECEMBER DIFFERENCE MAKER SCHOOL with Doug Rucker and Gerald Vess. You’ll gain practical, useful information and benefit from Doug’s and Gerald’s years of experience as roof cleaning and pressure washing contractors. Total price for both days is $359.00 and you can register and reserve your spot below.

Location is the Country Inn and Suites located at 20611 Highway 59 North, Humble, TX 77338. We have a special room rate of $70.00 per night. Call (281) 446-4977 to reserve your room.

We want to share with you some things that have been the Difference Makers in our businesses. Please come prepared to learn about:

Residential Cleaning Processes and Procedures

Residential Sales Techniques

Job Pricing

Soft Washing VS Pressure Washing

Window Cleaning and Pricing

Setting Customer Expectations

Identifying Surfaces, Stains, and Application Methods

Following Up With Customers

Managing Customer Data Base

Creating Residential Proposals

Property Protection

Chemical Mixes and Ratios

Saving Time on The Job Site

And much more! This school is designed for those that are wanting to start a pressure washing and roof cleaning business or have been in business for 3 years or less.

Register for The Difference Maker School, being held December 7 and 8, 2019, at the Country Inn And Suites, Humble Tx.

Be sure to register and check out our FREE community bulletin board

We also have an online video school available

September 13, 2019 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

Pressure Washing Training Houston

We are adding a different kind of school to our schedule this year. For the past 6 years I have been offering a 2 day monthly Pressure Washing Training Houston Texas school. This October I am teaming up with Gerald Vess, the Roof King, and we will be hosting a 2 day school October 19-20, 2019.

The last few years I have noticed that many start up companies are not comfortable with proper cleaning techniques and how to price jobs. There are far to many that think soft washing can only be done with a 12V pump. Because most assume a pressure washer can only be used for cleaning concrete or porous surfaces. Knowing how to sell your services and how to create value gives way to bidding a low price just to get the job. Once this happens your company is not profitable and therefore not sustainable for the long term.

Power Wash Training That Makes A Difference

Not only are we going to teach you proper cleaning techniques, we are also going to spend time on the Business End of your company. Pricing commercial and residential jobs, creating value in your services at fair prices for you and your customer. Managing Customers, Property Protection, Chemical Mixes and Ratios, How to save time on the Job Site, Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing and how to identify surfaces, stains and application methods are just a few of the classes we will be teaching on.

This school is being held at the Country Inn & Suites located at 20611 US-59 Humble Texas. We have a special room rate of 70$ a night. Just mention that you are attending the Doug Rucker School. You can call the Hotel directly at 2814464977. If you are flying in, I suggest flying into the Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, (IAH). The hotel has a free shuttle that can pick you up and take you back when the school is over.

It is my desire that this Pressure Washing Training Houston Texas school will be a Difference Maker and help take your business to the next level. The cost of this two day training school is $359.00 and you can register by CLICKING HERE.

Please check out my You Tube channel and SUBSCRIBE HERE.

August 2, 2019 by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

Pressure Washing Strainers

Hey, everybody! Real quick. I’ve see some post with people having problems
with their bleach tank getting degraded for various reasons. Pressure Washing Strainers degrading bleach can be the biggest cause for this.

A lot of the time it’s caused by these metal strainers. Your bleach will degrade these pretty quickly.
It can cause your bleach mix to turn orange or black. All these metal shavings will get left down
at the bottom of the tank. Every time you put bleach in it, it’s going to continue to degrade it. We
use our bleach fast enough that it doesn’t have time to degrade.

Get rid of these! Don’t use them on anything that’s going to come in connect with bleach. We
don’t even use them with water. They come with the X-jet. Use the pail system on the X-jet and
get rid of this. You won’t have that problem.

PVC Pipes are great Strainers

If you’re downstreaming or using a dedicated pump, there are a couple of different ways you
can do it. These are two different types of PVC pipe. You have the female threads on the inside.
You can screw you pipe onto those. These are plastic, it won’t degrade it. I don’t like these
because I feel like these can starve your pump. I don’t think you get the flow you should. People
disagree with that and that’s ok. It’s what I feel so I don’t use these. I’ve had these sitting around
for years. If I ever did use them, I’d cut them off here.

Mainly, what we use, depending on if it’s a dedicated pump or if it’s downstreaming, we’ll use
something like this. It’s cut of and angled. We’ll actually run our dip hose or our braided hose
down through there. We’ll fasten these black strainers on if we’re downstreaming. That’s what
we use. There is a little weight in there.

I’ve never had a problem with these degrading our mix or the black causing it to turn a color.
They’re pretty safe. What you will have is the bleach will eat this cap our. The weight or
magnet will fall out. That’s why we have the pipe on there to keep it weighted down in the
bucket or the tank. We use those.

On our dedicated pumps, we don’t use a strainer. We actually use a PVC pipe and a 90. That
way we’re getting full flow.

Keep Your Pressure Washing Tanks Clean

One of the things we do is we keep our tanks clean. We have a bulk head that runs at the
bottom of the tank. We’ve been doing this for three or four years. It doesn’t hurt anything. The
bleach doesn’t hurt the bulk head fitting. At least, we’ve never had that problem. We run a hose
off of that bulk head fitting.

We use that for filling up X-jet buckets if we ever need to use and X-jet. Mainly we use it for
filling up pump up sprayers when we need to use pump up sprayers. We also use it to keep the
tank flushed out. It’ll get empty and about every 2 weeks we’ll take a water hose in there. We
don’t get a lot of grit in there. We keep it clean.

The other thing that could cause your problem is the type of soap you’re using. Sometimes
different types of soap can cause your bleach to degrade. It can cause it to turn colors. You
might switch your soap and see if that’s the issue.

Metal Causes Rust Issues

When you got a tank and bleach that’s degrading/changing colors, you’ve got to find out what is
different in that tank. What’s in my water tank(if your water tank is not doing it). Bleach will
attack anything.

I hope that helps you guys. That’s various different ways to get rid of these. You can use these if
you feel safe. We don’t sell them. I don’t recommend them. You can get them at many of the
other vendors around that sell those. This is what we use for downstreaming. Then just regular
PVC, we cut and angle or we put a 90 on it. We get our full flow. The key is keeping your tanks
clean for whenever you have a problem, isolating and figuring out what’s caused it. Using the correct Pressure Washing Strainers will help to solve this.

I hope that helps you guys!

If your just starting out in the pressure washing and roof cleaning business be sure to check out our online video school.

Also be sure to join and subscribe to my You Tube channel for more Pressure Washing Education.