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10 Things You Should Never Pressure Wash

February 24, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Pressure washing is an extremely useful way to maintain your home. However, it is a tool that must be used correctly, or you’ll actually end up causing damage which will cost you money. Here are a few items that should never be pressure washed.

  • Under Your Car’s Hood

The pressure from the water could easily disconnect wires under your hood or force water into places it shouldn’t be. The force of the water may actually clean areas that you don’t want to clean; removing lubricants that are needed for the car to function properly.

  • Car Exteriors

A pressure washer is strong enough to chip paint and dull your car’s finish. Some may even be strong enough to put tiny dents in your car. In this case, using a pressure washer can be overkill for your car’s exterior. A water hose or car wash is the best choice.

  • Asphalt Roofs

Asphalt roofs cannot withstand the strong jet of a pressure washer. The granules are easily knocked off, leaving your roof compromised and susceptible to damage.

  • Electrical Meters and Panels

It’s best to be on the safe side and not blast electrical panels or other components with water, even if they are on the outside of your home. The force of rain is much less than that of a pressure washer.

  • Stained Wood

If you are preparing to re-stain wood, then a pressure washer is great. However, if you want the item to remain stained, you should avoid using a power washer or let a professional pressure washer handle the job.

  • Aluminum Siding

Aluminum is a very lightweight metal and dents extremely easily. Pressure washing aluminum siding can lead to unsightly dents in your home’s exterior. Some professionals may be able to handle an aluminum siding project, but it can be a tricky task for a DIYer to undertake.

  • Lead Paint

If your home was built before 1978, there’s a possibility its paint may contain lead which is an environmental hazard. You don’t want lead filled dust flying into the air, and you definitely don’t want it to leech into your soil where it can contaminant water sources. You’ll need to get your exterior paint tested by a professional to find out if it contains lead or not.

  • Crumbling Brick or Mortar

In most cases, brick and mortar can be pressure washed just fine. However, if it is in bad condition with sections easily crumbling and falling off, pressure washing will just weaken its structure further.

  • Shingle Siding

Shingle siding is much too delicate for pressure washing. The flow of water can rip shingles right from the surface.

  • Any Living Thing

Pressure washers can provide 30-80 times the intensity of pressure you would get from your standard garden hose.

There are many things to consider when deciding whether to pressure wash a surface such as what intensity of pressure to use and even which type of spray nozzle attachment is best. Let the professionals at Oceantime Pressure Washing LLC take care of your heavy duty cleaning jobs without causing damage. Visit us online to find out more.

Handling Pressure-Washed Decks

September 3, 2019 / / 0 Comments

So you’ve just had your decks pressure-washed. You may be asking yourself, “What now?” Well, there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to handling freshly pressure-washed decks. To find out, simply read below.

Temperature management

Pressure washing wooden materials means applying lots of water and having those surfaces soak up all that moisture. The ideal scenario would be to have the sun dry all that H2O out as quickly as possible and render those surfaces perfectly crisp. However, life sometimes gives us lemons. To make lemonade, one can anticipate such scenarios and plan ahead before the pressure washing session. Paying attention to weather forecasts can help you catch that perfect time slot of sunshine needed for drying the decks. Having a tarp to cover the decks wouldn’t hurt either—in case those meteorologists get it wrong.

Infestations and invasions

Wood is a natural substance perfectly suited for various organisms to thrive in. When termites and various beetles come across some quality bark, they would often love nothing more than to lay their eggs in it and even make it their home. Spores of fungi and pollen can also join the party, to our dismay. Thus, having a solid exterminator or pest expert inspect your decks before having a pressure washer spray water on them can be helpful. In the long run, it should also ease your mind about pesky crawlies amounting to an infestation.

Arranging scenery

The thing about wood is that water softens it; wood decks that have recently been soaking in water are vulnerable to dents by furniture and other heavy objects. Unlike carpets and memory foam, wood is less prone to revert to its original form once it has been imprinted with impressions. Although harder woods can take something like 1200 to 1500 psi from a pressure washer, wood is still wood. Especially for softer kinds like cedar or pine, the marks of one’s stomping can be indelible. To reduce these impressions, consider skipping that retread on your freshly-moistened decks. Placing picnic tables or other outdoor furniture on the decks right after the pressure washing may not be the wisest move either.

Conclusion

Of course, no deck is perfect; wear and tear is inevitable despite people’s best efforts to maintain them. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to retain our decks’ beauty as much as we can. For more information on the best ways to clean your deck, consult Oceanside Pressure Washing and Roof Cleaning today.

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