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Nick, we use Fatboys on our trucks. That's all we have ever used never tried the 5850.  We don't get on roofs and the fatboy will spray at least 30 foot or more.

This is my first complete year with 1000 roofs under my belt (ok, just kidding from the other post)... I have only used the fat boy and will not go with anything else. Some of my decision is from what others have tried. I also like that I can actually pick the psi I want and go with that. For house washes it will reach the peak of a two story home w/o a problem. It gets in places some home water pressures can't reach.

I have the pleasure and honor of speaking with roof cleaners around the world and I gather as much innformation as possible by asking lots of questions and listening.

PWP recommends starting out with the 5850.  The Fatboy is too much pump for a beginner IMHO.  If a beginner starts out with the 7 gpm (actually ~ 5) and doesn't find his or her groove quickly and does not move quickly enough, plants will die, run-off will end up being much more than anticipated especially in non-guttered buildings, more chemical is used and you spend an extra $100. 

Adding regulators (I have sold them for the 12 volt pumps from the beginning) or accumulator tanks is like putting lipstick on a pig.  You are adding more pieces to a system and every extra connection is a potential for ripping your hair out during "a middle of the biggest softwash job of the year pump problem"!!!  Keep it simple.

To start out, get the 5850-101E, 200' red or blue Kuritec hose with crimped fittings (no hose barbs), a 3/4" SCH 80 PVC Full Port ball valve, reducing bushing and a 1/4" stainless steel male socket.  Use 0040, 1550 and 2550 1/4 MEG nozzles screwed into a tribanger or 1/4" Female sockets in stainless steel.   Save yourself some money and wire the system yourself.  Use 10 gauge wire, shrink tubing, heat source, wire crimpers/cutters, In-line waterproof fuse holder and backup fuses, 30 amp waterproof toggle switch, connectors and a fully charged deep cycle marine battery with lots of cca's, battery charger and some common sense.   Keep Rex, The Pump Guru's number handy (727-424-6600 do not leave a message: keep calling) if you encounter any technical problems with your pump or wiring and Lori's number for installation questions.

You don't really need a hose reel in you need to start out on a tight budget.  It helps maintain a professional appearance, organize your hose and save your arms, shoulders and back from coiling 200' of hose on a hot day over and over.  The ideal hose reel is Titan's 4318S.  It is a full frame Titan reel with a stainless manifold.  It will hold a little more than 200' of 5/8" hose.  Add a jump hose to connect the reel to the pump and two crimped fittings, a pvc corrosion resistant swivel and a street 45 in brass to allow the hose to lay flat against the barrel and rinse it out after every use and the reel will give you YEARS of service.

Bottom Line:  Delavan's 5850 or Everflo 5500

I started with the fatboy a few yrs back, tHIS YEAR I PURCHASED A 5850, to me there is a big difference,I had a hard time getting used to the 5850, to me it seemed to took  for ever to do a roof, I will have to agree with Lori, if you are starting out, you might want to start with the 5850, the fatboy throws a lot of love,

I ended up going back to my farboy and use the 5850 for a back up...

Mike...you do a lot of monster homes that are two stories and off grade about five to six feet. That's pretty high up there and must put a lot of head preassure on the pump. Have you been using the same pump and if not, how long doeas a 5850 last you? I'm looking into a back-up and thinking of going with another 5850.

Roof Cleaning Tallahassee wrote:

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Mike...you do a lot of monster homes that are two stories and off grade about five to six feet. That's pretty high up there and must put a lot of head preassure on the pump. Have you been using the same pump and if not, how long doeas a 5850 last you? I'm looking into a back-up and thinking of going with another 5850.

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went through 2 5850s, though the 1st one was due to me not cleaning the ring terminals ... i rinse at the very least 5 gal after every use, probably did about 70-80 roofs this season

like Ed, I've heard nice things about the system that Paul sells ... I'm looking into moving to the all flo next season

I say screw the hose reel, none hold up, for very long.

As far as the choice of roof cleaning pumps, The Delevan Fat Boy is a proven roof cleaning pump. Bob knows that pump inside and out, and can usually fix it quickly. Pauls system is unfamiliar to me, I must have missed it's demo in Tampa, because I was there.

I am aware it uses 2 pumps vs one, but pump for pump, I don't think it can equal the fat boy. Paul also has a great reputation in the Industry, so it would be a very tough choice. 

We use air diapragm pumps, and use flojet pentaflex pumps as back ups.

Personally, I don't care for ANY 12 volt pump enough to use as my main pump.

This is because we clean a LOT of tile roofs here in Tampa Florida, and when you use a small nozzle to cut down run off, or simply turn the ball valve 1/4 of the way on, the 12 volt pumps go crazy, and cycle on and off. It don't take long to burn them up this way. 

It is true you can use accumilators to help solve this problem with 12 volt pumps for tile roof cleaning, but we chose to solve the problem a different way, we don't use big 12 volt pumps to clean tile roofs with.

My personal opinion on your question is this, I would go with the Fat Boy setup in your situation simply because in my mind, it is a more proven pump.

Several RCIA Members who are friends use them, and they are proven.

I really don't hear much here about Paul's pump system, but it is popular at some other places. It does offer 2 pumps vs 1, but I seriously doubt that single pump vs single pump, it can equal a Fat Boy.

Perhaps if TWO of the pumps are run at one time, it may equal, even surpass the single fat boy ?

But I  would have to see/measure this, to see if it is so. 

Now, assuming it will outperform the fat boy when it's 2 pumps are running, it has the advantage of 2 pumps. So, if one of the pumps fail, you still have one to "get by" with, until Paul can send you out another to replace it.

Of course, there is nothing to "stop you" from having a second Fat Boy under the seat of your truck (just carry one less pistol) 

Fat Boy's are not real expensive, and some people do just that. We own 2 Flojet Pentaflex Pumps, just in case.

Central Iowa Roof Cleaning 515-971-1430 wrote:

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Great feedback and information but should this be on the open side?

I thought the open side was to promote, not to teach or train? SEO.

Wouldn't this topic be better served on the preimum side?

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Roof Cleaning Severna Park MD wrote:

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I purchased the twin setup from Paul and he's a nice guy, but I just haven't had good luck with the system. Blew out a pump the first time I used it, tripping the pressure switch pretty often which requires me to unbolt the pump and then push the pressure switch several times and then reassemble. Distance is a real problem for larger roofs, but when it's working, it works great for small to medium sized roofs.

I also encounter another issue with air getting into the system nearly every time I use the pump, so I'll be going back to the Fatboy this year or springing for an air pump.

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 Air getting into the system can be a BITCH to figure out. Sometimes, even replacing all the intake hoses don't fix the problem in a 2 pump system.

Plus, it is difficult to get 2 pumps working EXACTLY the same, and sometimes one pump will cycle on you, and you know what happens then.