what size tank would be big enough

[jayjacquie]

hi, my name is jason and im from palm springs california. ive been learning alot from these forums for the past month.. im a newbie and the question i have is what size tank should i buy if i want to pressure wash 2500 to 3500 square foot homes. i want to concentrate on homes first then do a little commercial if i can get it.. most homes that i want to do are around 2500 to 3500 square foot homes in high class ares.. i just bought a cold water cool drive washer 4000psi and 4gpm im gonna buy a tank this up coming week and the one im looking at is the 300 gallon tank. is that big enough to do these type jobs.. I know there are alot of variables to consider in my question, but i just need some idea????[help]

[wsmile] thankyou for your time!!!!!![wsmile]

 

[Dan S]

doing homes .......... most of the time you can use their h20 just buy several feet of good contract hose ! why even bother having a tank ? unless Cali is so much different

 

[jayjacquie]

yeah dan i hear ya, but im just starting out and i figure i will start washing some cars first, so in the mean time i can market my business. just about everybody hear in cali have tanks, and half those people do everything including washing cars, so i figure i can market myself better that way also.. so if anyone has any info on my first question.. please help!!! thanks dan for the reply!!

 

[Sparklean]

How much does water weigh? Approximately 8 pounds per gallon. 300 gallons = 2,400 pounds.

How much can your vehicle carry or tow? How much can your trailer hold? Are your breaks adequate for X pounds of water?

Perhaps a smaller tank would suit your purposes nicely, or maybe you could drive around with a half-full tank and top it off on-site, if allowed.

Just my $.02

 

[jayjacquie]

hey adam you make some good points but i have all those ares more than covered. i just need to know if a 300 gallon tank is enough to wash a house?? , i know there are alot of variables in my question but if someone with experience can give me a ruff idea, like i said im new to this and ive spent alot of time on these forums tring to learn all that i can.. thanks adam for the reply!! anyone with anymore insight is greatly appreciated!!!!! thanks again!!

 

[Ryanm86]

Jay, think of it this way, at 4gpm you will burn 240 gallons per hour. So that basically gives you a little over an hour of gun time. How fast you can wash the house is up to you. Take into consideration that you will not be able to use every last drop of the tank due to the lack of water pressure you will have once the tank level lowers. It will depend on your pump ability to pull the water belt vs. direct not sure what you have. So count on 1 hour of gun time to be safe.

 

[jayjacquie]

thanks adam, the reason im making such a big deal of this is because im live in palm springs california and ive been doing research on other companies around and asking them questions , the ones that are willing to help that is...lol... and from what im getting at is most people around here dont like you to use there water source..plain and simple... i believe that because ive lived here for 32 years now and i know how people can be around this part of town...lol... dont mean to be such a pain....lol.....
but i guess you pretty much anwsered my questions adam....... thanks....

 

[Ryanm86]

Whats an Adam?[wsmile]

 

[jayjacquie]

sorry my bad...lol thanks ryan

 

[Sparklean]

Using the correct chemical mix and you should be good with 300 gallons on the average house. No chemicals? Way more than 300 gallons. Cleaning a driveway and a house? More than 300. If I were in your situation, I believe I would tell my customers "I bring some water with me, but as water is very heavy and I often have to use a few hundred gallons I might not be able to bring enough. If there is a problem with my using your water supply then I will need to charge $X for hauling in additional water." Or something similar to that.

Ryan, you should fill in your information so we know your company name and number.
Which areas of Houston do your serve? I'll go all over for the right price, but I try to stay in the NW side. Spring/Tomball/The Woodlands areas.

 

[DAFF]

300 Gal is a good start. Look into a cube van and adding some water volume. Not until you can bring enough water to complete a job with out a garden hose from the customer can you really charge the big $$. Plus bringing your own water only adds to your image and commitment to the industry.

DAFF

 

[Ryanm86]

Sorry Adam, your correct I need to fill in My info will do ASAP. Just kinda jumped in while the water was warm. My primary service area is the heights and surrounding areas but we are not against driving further if it is worth it. That dodge looks nice did you have a graphics co. do that?

 

[Sparklean]

I did all the art-work myself in Adobe Illustrator. I took a picture of my truck and then photoshopped all the artwork onto it to see what the finished product would look like. I liked it. My family liked it. I got Fast Signs to print and cut the vinyl decals. I won't use Fast Signs again--at least not that location (they're a franchise)--as I had a number of issued with them and had to go back 2 or 3 times after initially getting my decals. Took over two weeks to get all the stuff from them and they still didn't print everything the correct size. I finally gave up so the truck you see looks a little different than the way I anticipated, but I think it look nice.

Sorry Adam, your correct I need to fill in My info will do ASAP. Just kinda jumped in while the water was warm. My primary service area is the heights and surrounding areas but we are not against driving further if it is worth it. That dodge looks nice did you have a graphics co. do that?