Why are my arms so tired?
Pressure Washing equipment is very heavy, the main machine is a motor on some small wheels that has to be lifted and rolled up onto an equipment trailer or into the back of the truck or van. The hose is steel-braided line encased in 3 layers of industrial plastic and rubber…all heavy. The fuel is a large gas-can and you generally need 4-5 gallons to make sure you have enough for a large pressure-wash job, possibly way out in the boonies on some ranch or custom home. The spray-wand is high-grade stainless-steel built to handle 3000+psi of jet-pressurized water and to be dropped on the concrete by wet slippery hands.
It all adds up to weight and struggle, the hose fights you at every turn, you have to hold it up, you have to drag it through the grass and around plant-stocks that grab it, over rocks and around corners. When the hose is coiled it weighs about 20 lbs unless you have a custom trailer that holds the hose at all times…most window cleaners do not, we only take the pressure-washer out for specific jobs.
Actually running a pressure-washer is fun, blasting away all the dirt and stains, pure joy but setting it all up, thats the work and getting into position to do the work is a lot of work.
We try to work as a team when doing this task so you can switch-off the spraying and let your forearms and back rest then get back at it also the second person can manage the hose and lift it following the sprayer to relieve the weight.
Above picture: My lovely assistant doing some light ground work as i re-position the main engine and hose for the next stage of the job. Pressure-washing with high-powered equipment is not generally a female industry but I have found that women love the way these machines blast away dirt…it is very fun to do!