i live in detroit michigan. i need some aluminum tubing i want to make a 16 ft wand for my pressure washer?

inroughdia

i bought some tubing from a hardware store but it burst what kind of tubing do i need ? thickness of wall do i need? would stainless steel be cheaper ...? i need to make the end bend in the shape of a hook for cleaning gutters my pressure washer is 2900 psi ...... no go and amaze me this is why i come here .
meant to say now go and amaze me

Answer
Aluminum cannot handle high pressure all that well as you have seen. It will handle 2900 PSI if the wall thickness is thick enough. My guess is your first tube burst at the bend. Bending the metal will weaken it. Aluminum is not very ductile (bendable) so it tends to fracture easily when it is bent. You will have this problem even with a thicker wall tube.

Stainless steel would be far stronger and with the right wall thickness could easily handle the pressure and bending. The BIG drawbacks are the it is very hard and not easy to bend and also is very heave compared to aluminum. A 16 ft piece of 1/8" wall tubing would weigh more than 40 lbs. Not something you want to lug around all day.

The only thing I know that is light enough and strong enough is composite materials. They cannot be bent after they are laminated up so the bend would have to be part of the manufacturing process. Very, very expensive.

Good luck

Cleaning gutters/ siding SAFELY?

Sue

This weekend, a teenage boy and his mom (me!) will be on the roof cleaning leaves out of gutters, scrubbing the gutters themselves (algae) and using a powerwasher on siding.

We have a multi-level roof, and will be standing on a lower portion while cleaning the upper-level gutters at about head-height.

What safety equipment should I consider?

A friend who worked as a painter would set an empty bucket at the end of his scaffold platform, so that he would kick it BEFORE he walked off the end. So, I'll do that, but what else?
Algae is on the outside of the gutters (from a year of the house sitting empty, and the gutters overflowing regularly)

We will be installing plastic gutter guards/ screens while we are up there, too. (Good ideas!)

Answer
If they are inexperienced on a roof, tie a safety rope to them and to a place that will hold them in case they do fall, they can grab it. It is a cheap way to save a leg.
If the roof is steep, they will need it anyway, but if not, that should be sufficient.
Also, be careful not to stream the pressure washer too fine, or it will pit the siding. A nice wide stream should do the job.
Good luck.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

cleaning outside of gutters, I have a high pressure washer. Whats the best cleaner to use?

wanttolpve

Answer
For cleaning outside the gutters, the high pressure washer will do the job. I live in Guam where its very humid and mold is a constant problem. The pressure washer handles the job.

Once in a while I use some simple green. I soak the area down, saturate it with simple green, scrub it with a fox tail or puch broom, then pressure wash it. Simple green is biodegradable and does not hurt the environment and it actually works very well.

Good luck

Would a 1600psi 1.5 GPM Pressure Washer be strong enough to clean gutters and remove paint from wood?

Q.

Answer
I have a pressure cleaning business and can tell you it will take longer than necessary if you have a lot to clean especially if you are removing paint. It will only take off very loose paint and not very well, if you want to repaint. If your gutters are packed with wet leaves you would be better to remove by hand, that size pressure washer will be a waste of time. Your best bet would be to rent a more powerful pressure washer 3000psi or higher for half a day. You can do an entire house in 2 or 3 hours depending on the square footage. If you live in Tampa, Fl write me back and I will give you an estimate to have it done.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

How to Pressure Wash a house?

home owner

I want to know how the pros do it.

Answer
1) Protect any plants, light fixtures, or other breakable objects around the house with plastic bags, duct tape, and drop cloths. Move obstacles and outdoor furniture away from the house.

2) Connect the pressure washer to a garden hose. If the machine has a detergent dispenser, fill it with the cleaning solution.

3) Working from the top down, hold the wand at about a 45-degree angle, and spray soffits, overhangs, gutters, and downspouts. Then move it across the siding from side to side at a steady pace. Hold the nozzle a couple of feet from the wall and adjust its distance back and forth for the best cleaning action. As well as you can, direct the water slightly downward so it isnât blasted up under horizontal lap joints of the siding. When working near windows, direct the nozzle away from the window, holding the wand at an angle so you donât drive water into the window or frame.

4) Rinse off the siding with clear water, using a garden hose, working from the top down. If you plan to paint, allow the siding to dry for at least two days.

Just got a pressure washer for the house. Vinyl siding, Any tips or ideas appreciated.?

starman

I have a 2 story townhouse with vinyl siding and alum gutters and soffits. I purchased a 24 foot telescoping ext. but have never done a house. How about a good wash detergent? Do I actually have to get really close at the top in order to get it clean? Any tips much appreciated....Starman

Answer
using a non toxic detergent will help with any runoff.dont get to close or use a tip that has to much pressure or you will make a hole in the siding.depending how old and brittle the siding is will determine what tip to use.the north side may have algae and/or fungus and the south side may be more brittle due to exposure to the sun.you will have to take your time .start from the top and work down.good luck

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

How can I clean my stained gutters that have what seems like baked on stains?

pressure washer gutter cleaner image

Q. I do not think that they need to be painted, just cleaned. A pressure washer would not clean them.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Answer
Mine had the same thing, it was mold and mildew. I mixed one part bleach with 4 parts water in a spray bottle. Guard your eyes and skin when spraying. One application may not be enough. Wait about 5 min after and then use soap solution and brush. Reapply if needed..............JJJ

Using a Hot Water Pressure Washer to get ice off of roof of house?

Minn_Wild

With winter coming up here in Minnesota, I was wondering how much it normal cost for someone to come out and get a roof cleaned off for a normal rambler with a Hot Water Pressure Washer?

Thanks for your time

Answer
I doubt you'll find any body reputable to do it.

It will cause more ice growth when the water freezes.

It could blow holes or find leaks in your roof.

The best answer is electric roof defrosters. You can also get electric defrosters for your gutters to melt the ice in them too.

Both are available at major home improvement places like Home Depot and Lowe's.

They are asy to install and have plug into extension cords. They turn on automatically when the temperature drops beyond a certain point. The last one I saw in an ad was set to trun on when it drops below 35 degreess fahrenheit.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

i live in detroit michigan. i need some aluminum tubing i want to make a 16 ft wand for my pressure washer?

pressure washer gutter cleaner image

inroughdia

i bought some tubing from a hardware store but it burst what kind of tubing do i need ? thickness of wall do i need? would stainless steel be cheaper ...? i need to make the end bend in the shape of a hook for cleaning gutters my pressure washer is 2900 psi ...... no go and amaze me this is why i come here .
meant to say now go and amaze me

Answer
Aluminum cannot handle high pressure all that well as you have seen. It will handle 2900 PSI if the wall thickness is thick enough. My guess is your first tube burst at the bend. Bending the metal will weaken it. Aluminum is not very ductile (bendable) so it tends to fracture easily when it is bent. You will have this problem even with a thicker wall tube.

Stainless steel would be far stronger and with the right wall thickness could easily handle the pressure and bending. The BIG drawbacks are the it is very hard and not easy to bend and also is very heave compared to aluminum. A 16 ft piece of 1/8" wall tubing would weigh more than 40 lbs. Not something you want to lug around all day.

The only thing I know that is light enough and strong enough is composite materials. They cannot be bent after they are laminated up so the bend would have to be part of the manufacturing process. Very, very expensive.

Good luck

What can I use to clean the ground of my drive way?

Kim

I just bought a home and I am doing some cleaning. the driveway ground is very black and dirty, probably from the gutter being recently cleaned after a year.
what can I use to get the ground white again?

Answer
If your driveway is "ground" i.e. "dirt" you can't make it white.

If, however, it is concrete, your best solution is to rent a pressure washer and use a mild solution of TSP (tri-sodium phosphate, available cheap at any paint department -- but do read the mixing directions; it is powerful stuff).

A good gas-powered pressure washer with TSP in the detergent tank will remove dirt, oil, grease, and anything else dirty on your driveway -- but do read the directions girl and don't point the thing at anybody.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

cleaning outside of gutters, I have a high pressure washer. Whats the best cleaner to use?

pressure washer gutter cleaner image

wanttolpve

Answer
For cleaning outside the gutters, the high pressure washer will do the job. I live in Guam where its very humid and mold is a constant problem. The pressure washer handles the job.

Once in a while I use some simple green. I soak the area down, saturate it with simple green, scrub it with a fox tail or puch broom, then pressure wash it. Simple green is biodegradable and does not hurt the environment and it actually works very well.

Good luck

Just got a pressure washer for the house. Vinyl siding, Any tips or ideas appreciated.?

starman

I have a 2 story townhouse with vinyl siding and alum gutters and soffits. I purchased a 24 foot telescoping ext. but have never done a house. How about a good wash detergent? Do I actually have to get really close at the top in order to get it clean? Any tips much appreciated....Starman

Answer
using a non toxic detergent will help with any runoff.dont get to close or use a tip that has to much pressure or you will make a hole in the siding.depending how old and brittle the siding is will determine what tip to use.the north side may have algae and/or fungus and the south side may be more brittle due to exposure to the sun.you will have to take your time .start from the top and work down.good luck

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Just got a pressure washer for the house. Vinyl siding, Any tips or ideas appreciated.?

pressure washer gutter cleaner image

starman

I have a 2 story townhouse with vinyl siding and alum gutters and soffits. I purchased a 24 foot telescoping ext. but have never done a house. How about a good wash detergent? Do I actually have to get really close at the top in order to get it clean? Any tips much appreciated....Starman

Answer
using a non toxic detergent will help with any runoff.dont get to close or use a tip that has to much pressure or you will make a hole in the siding.depending how old and brittle the siding is will determine what tip to use.the north side may have algae and/or fungus and the south side may be more brittle due to exposure to the sun.you will have to take your time .start from the top and work down.good luck

I would like your opinion on the proper way to waterproof a basement.?

Marie

I have had 4 contractors out for an estimate. Three out of four said the way to go is to install a system inside by breaking up the concrete floor 1 foot around the entire basement and putting in a drain system which means drilling two holes into each cinder block around the bottom of basement and installing a drain system, then putting up a special two board two foot up the wall from the floor and then re-cementing the floor. The other contractor wants to dig around the outside of the entire house and tar it from outside.

Answer
First of all it is important to understand why basements leak: basements leak because the dirt around the foundation, which was once excavated to pour or build the basement walls, and then back filled tend to be always more lose than the undisturbed soils around the hole. As a result it tends to soak up water like a sponge and become over saturated.

When that happens, the resulting hydrostatic pressure pushes water against the basement walls and eventually it will find its way in through cracks and joints.
That said, the only way to stop basement leak is to keep that soil around the foundation as dry as possible by providing adequate drainage:

Simple measures to improve conditions in the basement:
- Keep gutters clean or install them if you don't have any.
- Extend downspouts as to discharge as far away from the foundation wall as possible.
- Grade the terrain as to slope away from the foundation
- Avoid using garden hoses and sprinklers too close to the house and keep plants that need constant watering away as well.

With these measures in place you will then need to provide better foundation drainage and there is two ways of accomplishing that:
1 - Digging out the foundation from the outside and laying drain tiles (also known as french drain or weeping tile) by the footing, to collect ground water. French drain installation is messy, disruptive and quite expensive, specially if you have porch, deck or sunroom, as those need to be taken down to install a french drain.

2- By installing an internal perimeter drainage system. These systems do exactly the same thing a conventional french drain does. They intercept and collect ground water, diverting it to a sump pump system that will them discharge it away from the foundation, thus relieving the hydrostatic pressure and stopping leaks.They are not to be confused with simple baseboard systems which allow the water in and then divert it.

Internal perimeter drainage systems have been used with succes for over 20 years, and have many advantages over conventional methods.
- They cost less . around 50% less that convetional methods
- They also take care of other water sources, such as plumbing leaks, water heater tanks, running faucets and toilettes, burst washer hoses.
- Unlike conventional french drains, they are serviceable throughout the years, which is why good companies back them up with a Transferable Lifetime Warranty. Just make sure the company you hire has been in business long enough, so that you know they will probably be there for many years to come, to honor that warranty.

As for the tar option, just don't do it. It does not to relieve the hydrostatic pressure and the water will eventually find its way in. Tar is an old fashioned foundation damp proofing (not waterproofing) method proven to deteriorate overtime. Just think: Driveways are paved with it. How many times a homeowner needs to reseal the driveway because the tar was deteriorated or washed away? Can you trust that stuff to keep your basement dry?

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

i live in detroit michigan. i need some aluminum tubing i want to make a 16 ft wand for my pressure washer?

pressure washer gutter cleaner image

inroughdia

i bought some tubing from a hardware store but it burst what kind of tubing do i need ? thickness of wall do i need? would stainless steel be cheaper ...? i need to make the end bend in the shape of a hook for cleaning gutters my pressure washer is 2900 psi ...... no go and amaze me this is why i come here .
meant to say now go and amaze me

Answer
Aluminum cannot handle high pressure all that well as you have seen. It will handle 2900 PSI if the wall thickness is thick enough. My guess is your first tube burst at the bend. Bending the metal will weaken it. Aluminum is not very ductile (bendable) so it tends to fracture easily when it is bent. You will have this problem even with a thicker wall tube.

Stainless steel would be far stronger and with the right wall thickness could easily handle the pressure and bending. The BIG drawbacks are the it is very hard and not easy to bend and also is very heave compared to aluminum. A 16 ft piece of 1/8" wall tubing would weigh more than 40 lbs. Not something you want to lug around all day.

The only thing I know that is light enough and strong enough is composite materials. They cannot be bent after they are laminated up so the bend would have to be part of the manufacturing process. Very, very expensive.

Good luck

What can I use to clean the ground of my drive way?

Kim

I just bought a home and I am doing some cleaning. the driveway ground is very black and dirty, probably from the gutter being recently cleaned after a year.
what can I use to get the ground white again?

Answer
If your driveway is "ground" i.e. "dirt" you can't make it white.

If, however, it is concrete, your best solution is to rent a pressure washer and use a mild solution of TSP (tri-sodium phosphate, available cheap at any paint department -- but do read the mixing directions; it is powerful stuff).

A good gas-powered pressure washer with TSP in the detergent tank will remove dirt, oil, grease, and anything else dirty on your driveway -- but do read the directions girl and don't point the thing at anybody.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers