Is it feasible to use a Backpack Sprayer as a beginner softwash setup for pressure washing homes?
Particularly for a small pressure washing business getting off the ground?
My thought process for using a Backpack Sprayer has several factors, which I cover in the video but I will also touch upon them here.
At the moment most beginner softwash setups require a commercial grade pressure washer to act as an applicator. The pressure washer provides the power (engine), the pump provides the force to push the water, and some form of injector (X-Jet etc.) applies the cleaning product.
Without question it's a tidy setup for any pressure washing business. But it does have some drawbacks that (at least to me) seem apparent. One is that you are resigned to the high volume output of the machine you are using. There are tools to regulate the flow but even so, you will use a lot of cleaning product with this type of setup. Secondly it absolutely requires you to continuously run your pressure washer. The associated wear and tear on the engine and pump, not to mention the increased costs of gas, seem like an undesirable tradeoff.
There are of course alternatives. However, most seem to rely on unreliable 12v motors that are not readily available in large box-stores like Lowe's or Home Depot. If they fail, you better have a spare on hand.
Enter the Husqvarna 4-Gallons Plastic Backpack Sprayer. The maintenance costs to operate it are minimal. No gas, no oil, no battery. It's a manually pumped Backpack Sprayer with a 5 year warranty (not sure how that works, but it's on the box lol). In fairness to Husqvarna they do provide a parts list in the manual, so they seem like they've setup a system to replace individual parts for their customers.
In an event worst case scenario is you have a jaunt to Lowe's and buy a new one for $95 the same day. Not a bad insurance policy. There are serious question marks over whether the line and pump can tolerate bleach, or sodium hypo, but I do consider this strange. Glyphosate is probably the single most destructive compound man puts into the soil, and this sprayer is designed to sling it. I am not a chemist though so maybe I'm wildly off there. It just seems odd to me that bleach is a step too far. If it is corrosive to the line and/or pump, it unit is replaceable or the individual parts are (again, Husqvarna provides a parts list).
Compared to the reliability of a 12v pump I'd say this isn't really a drawback.
The big question I had for this Husqvarna 4-Gallons Plastic Backpack Sprayer was whether is had adequate pressure. Roof be high. In pressure washing you have simply got to put that product on that roof.
The video demonstrates that this unit is a viable beginner softwash setup. I am not making any concrete, irrefutable claims in this video. I am merely stating the obvious point that a Backpack Sprayer - particularly this Husqvarna 4-Gallons Plastic Backpack Sprayer - can be considered as an alternative to a traditional softwash setup.
It does have severe limitations, and I am not recommending established businesses switch over. But for men getting their businesses off the ground, with limited capital to invest, I don't see why it cannot be at the very least be considered as an option.
Backpack Sprayer:
www.lowes.com/...
#softwash
#pressurewashing
#review
25 авг 2024