For all the northerners: How do you winterize your gear? Some cold nights are coming and I'm thinking of pumping windshield washer fluid through the equipment to prevent freezing. Then I'll be able to pump it out when things warm up and hit any available roofs.
Other folks may do it differently but we use the intake line to inject ethylene glycol into the pump. The safe antifreeze mentioned above (polypropolene glycol) is more corrosive.
Procedure: Detach your intake line from your reserve tank. We have a little 5 gallon tank with handles and bulkhead barbed fittings to mix and inject antifreeze solution. I have had good success with a 60/40 mix (water to antifreeze). Inject fluid until you see green for a couple seconds then shut off your barb valve at the pump. We do this without the hose attached beause we then use an air compressor to blow out the hose lines.
-- Edited by PA Roof Cleaning Pros on Monday 1st of November 2010 10:55:06 AM
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Ken Fenner PA Roof Cleaning Company offering Roof Cleaning Western Delaware County, PA + Main Line including Broomall, Newtown Square, Media, Springfield, Aston, Ardmore, Haverford, Drexel Hill, Aston, Haverford, Ardmore, Villanova, Radnor Roof Cleaning.
I've never winterized my pump. Been lucky too. Well everything is out inthe weather now and not in the shed. I'll have to do it this year. Really need to do it soon I think.
Hoping for 1 or 2 more washes before the gutter cleans go crazy!
The pump I'm talking about isnt the 12 volt but the washer pump. Should anything be done with the 12 volt?
my all flo get rinsed out and put inside. My pressure washer gets rv antifreeze and everything else get blown out ie. hoses. tanks are drained to about 5 gallons of water.
RV antifreeze works great for the pressure washer pumps. Everything else just take the water out of and you will be good. I have been using this method for years and have never had a problem. The bigger problem is anything on your rig that has a engine make sure the carb is cleaned and winterized, nothing like a gummed up carb to start the season.........
But I am in North Florida it does not get that cold here, maybe different up north a little ways........
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Brian Margettes Roof & Exterior Cleaning Professional Lawtey, Florida 32058