Our Pressure Washing Services
After 10 years of experimenting, our
East Ellijay Pressure Washing
Technicians are constantly trying to improve our cleaning solution,
we finally got a working solution we are really happy with 3 years
ago. The trick with washing wood products is not to cause damage
while washing, but getting it clean, too! There are two difficulties
with this. First, pressure higher than around 1,000 psi causes most
wood to fuzz up slightly, (or a lot!). Second, if the cleaning
solution itself isn't applied fast enough, or evenly enough, a good
strong solution will cause a horrible mess with streaking, caused by
the concentration being different in different areas. For instance,
the solution may run off the edges of windows, leaving light spots
dripping down from each side that can't be removed!
The solution? Really high grade, expensive, food grade, 15% sodium
hypochlorite, (yes, bleach.) Of course, all bleach does is kill
mildew, and bleach out the mildew stains. It DOES NOT clean
anything! And bleach attacks wood and stain, weakening it at the
critical time when you need it to be strong, during cleaning. That's
why BUFFERS are needed, to bind to the bleach and keep it from
damaging the stain and wood. The buffers also contain soap
surfactants, at a VERY high concentration, since the soap has to
match the power of the bleach we have. We mix our buffers, soap, and
bleach all together to create a balanced cleaning solution. All that
power lets us suction it through our pressure washer hose, and apply
large volumes of the mixture at a final strength of 1-2% on the
wall. The large volume of cleaning solution put on quickly keeps all
the wood wet evenly, prevents streaking, and ensures the mildew and
mold get enough dwell time to be sterilized properly.
Compare that with guys applying the bleach with pump up sprayers,
too strong since they use straight 3% bleach, and too little volume,
since they have to refill every 3-4 gallons. This is a recipe for
disaster. Even the ones that use a pressure washer suction system
use store bought bleach or outdoor bleach from Lowe's or Home Depot.
That solution gets weakened down to only 1/2% by the time it mixes
with water to get drawn through their system.
Last, our low pressure system is not just us staying away from the
wall with a regular pressure washer. We have special tips that lower
the pressure right at the gun, while keeping the large volume of
water needed to rinse properly. Our technicians can select from 250,
500, and 750 psi, depending on what is needed for your job. The tips
that let our washers reach pressures of 3,000 psi like most other
washers, are thrown away as soon as we buy the machine.
Only our system gives you the right strength, with the right volume,
so you can use the right pressure to get the job done.....right!
Chemical stripping your log home involves using special chemicals designed specifically for wood care. These chemicals must be used in a system, and it takes practice to do it right.
The first is stripper/emulsifier, designed to soften the stain, and break it down, just like soap dissolves grease. While it does this, it also raises the Ph level of the wood, causing it to darken, sometimes dramatically.
This brings us to the second step, which is a wood conditioner/neutralizer. This brings the Ph level back down to normal, which causes the wood to lighten dramatically. It also conditions the wood to accept more stain by opening the wood pores up about 20%.
The more stain we can get into the wood, the longer it will last, stretching your dollar as far as possible. We get great results using this method, but we prefer the first method even more.
Pressure Washing Equipment
Why bother having a trailer for pressure washing?
It is a good idea to run pressure washers off of a tank system. This keeps the pressure washer(s) from sucking the well dry, if you have a slow flowing community well. In this area of North GA, many of the cabin communities don't supply enough water flow to support a strong pressure washer. If you run the well dry, you may burn up your well pump.
To keep from doing this, we allow water to flow into a holding tank, which acts as a buffer between our pressure washers and your well pump. This is just one way our Ellijay log home restoration contractors look out for your interests.
Our Ellijay Pressure Washing Contractors Provide These Detailed Services
Recent Articles about Pressure Washing
- Chemicals, Pressure Washing & Your Home
- Ellijay Log Home Restoration Strategies: Pressure Washing and More
