Water Blasting Hacks: Avoiding Streaks & More

There are few feelings as satisfying as giving a deck the water blasting of its life; indeed, the blasting away of cumulative year's worth of grime, dust and dirt is enough to give anyone a sense of satisfaction. But- picture this; you finally finish the job, having carefully targeted every last inch of the deck when funny looking squiggly lines begin to form. After water-blasting the deck again, the lines continue to stay; and now, instead of having a clean, smooth looking deck, you have a clean, but very squiggly looking deck! This streaking is the bane of every good bout of water blasting. Luckily, it can be easily avoided; indeed, a number of water blaster hacks exist that make water blasting easier and more satisfying than ever before. 

Here are some handy tips on learning how to water blast!

Tip 1 - Preparation is key

As with everything, preparing correctly for your DIY job is the most important step. Now although this doesn’t mean drawing up a detailed plan and studying every inch of the area about to water blasted, it does involve one crucial step; studying the water blaster itself! Making sure that every part of the water blaster is working the way it should and has all necessary attachments is key. The correct pressure and water blaster for the job, as well as working methodically will go a long way in ensuring that you won’t make any streaks or any unwanted patterns.  If you don’t want to fork out hundreds for a brand new one, then hiring one can be a great option; often, you’ll also receive handy advice about other potential tools you may need depending on what you’re water blasting. 

Tip 2 - Know your water blasting directions

Every surface is slightly different to the next; after all, replacing your roof will most likely require you to use a completely different material to the one that you would, if, say, you were replacing your deck. It makes sense then to use a different water blasting technique with different surfaces. 

If you’re dealing with: 

Driveways and paths 

Make sure to start at the top of your driveway and work your way towards the bottom, leaving any guttering for last. This ensures that the sludge from the gutter isn’t thrown back up onto your path or driveway.

Houses

Start at the top, targeting the roof and all of its leaves that it collects. This means that the dirty water from the roof and roof guttering can run down the walls of the house and it will not matter, as the logical next step is to target these walls. Once the walls have been targeted, skirt around the bottom of the house, getting rid of any dirt that’s naturally accumulated there.

Exterior walls

Getting a clean exterior with a water blaster can sometimes come with a risk to damaging your property if you don’t prepare correctly. It’s recommended that you avoid washing exterior walls with high pressure, and evaluate the condition and materials of the property exterior walls before you start. Damage to plants, stripped paintwork, marking or gauging cladding and water damage from forcing water into crevices and cracks are all risks when DIY water blasting. If you’re worried about any of these it may be best to to enlist the services of a professional. If, however you are comfortable that you have evaluated and minimised the risks and the job is straightforward then proceed with a low pressure wash. Selecting the right water blaster for this job could also mean the difference between a clean house and a damaged property, so it’s worth getting right. 

For exterior walls, simply start blasting the top of the wall and work your way down the wall. It is best to aim downwards for this so that you can avoid water being forced into a wall cavity; a handy tip to make sure the water blaster is always facing downwards is to simply stand up on a ladder or mobile scaffolding (with appropriate support, of course!). Your walls should be clean in no time.

Decks and patios

We think of our decks often as extensions to our houses and living areas, not as part of the wild jungle that is the classic Kiwi backyard. As you wouldn't want to water blast the interior of your house, it pays to clean your decks and patios in a sweeping motion away from the house; this way, the waste and grime will be washed completely off your deck cleanly, and not pile up against your walls and windows. 

Finally, you may need to ensure that you’re using the right water blaster for the job. Extremely high powered ones, for example, may not be suitable for decks and plastic guttering but will work perfectly for roofs and paths. With a range of water blasters to choose from, hiring the particular type you need is often a good option to ensure no nasty surprises occur. 

Tip 3 - Wash, blast and rinse

Washing, blasting, and rinsing- you could call these the three pillars of effective outdoor cleaning, and the average water blaster is well equipped to complete all three tasks. Excess dirt and grime, and loose objects such as leaves often don’t need a full blast to come off your wall, roof, deck or driveway. Instead, first focus on using the water blaster at a distance, or a high powered hose to remove this. Using a water blaster at a distance or a hose should get rid of most of the apparent debris, and means that you won’t have to worry about these debris flying around and attacking you once the blasting gets started.

And now, it’s time for the fun part! Once all the excess debris has been washed away, prepare to water blast at a closer position to get the real, underlying job done. By working methodically down your walls or across your deck with your blaster on a high pressure, you should be able to see an instant change in the way your surfaces look. That slightly black and faded look will be removed, and the surfaces will be glistening once more!

Streaking, or those undesirable squiggly lines that appear after you have finished blasting are typically caused by: 

• Using the incorrect nozzle or attachments 
  
  
• Uneven application of water and pressure 
  
  
• Too much or not enough water pressure 
  
  
• Incorrect use of chemical cleaners 

These are all avoidable if the recommendations in this guide are followed, and you use the right gear for the job, work methodically and test small a small area before you crack on with the whole job. 

Once the blasting is done, it often pays to rinse the surface to wash out any remaining dirt and dust. In this stage it can even pay to use a detergent that can prevent the surface from getting dirty again for significant periods of time, and can also add that extra bit of sparkle. For full instructions on how to water blast your path or patio check out our guide here

Tip 4 - Start somewhere inconspicuous

There is a bit of a learning curve to using a water blaster and going straight in with it may result in a streaky finish. A handy tip is to start this build up of pressure in an area of your deck, wall, or driveway that’s less visible, just in case the worst does happen and the pressure ends up being far too high (thus causing streaking). Starting by holding your water blaster at a distance until you have a good gauge of the pressure and can move it closer means this is less likely to occur and means that you’re not (quite literally) blown away by the high pressure of the water blaster. 

If you're feeling unsure about what water blaster or pressure will be right for the job, then don’t worry! Many water blasters will have a limit on their pressure, and the Hirepool team can often find you the right type fir your job so that all you’ll have to worry about is where to hook up the water to. 

Tip 5 - Water blasting corners

Water Blasting walls and paths is easy enough: the water simply runs down. However corners can be just a little tricky. The water has nowhere to go, and you might end up accidentally splashing yourself. Just keep a few key rules in mind though, and water blasting corners should be as easy as water blasting anything. 

Make sure you begin with a long sweeping motion into the corner, and follow this with a short sweep out of the corner. Additionally, ensure that you’re working in the direction out of a corner, and not into it, meaning you’ll be protected and the corner will be efficiently cleaned. 

Give it a go with a Hirepool water blaster

Water blasting is a fun, easy and satisfying DIY job that nearly everyone can undertake in less time than it takes to complete the weekly food shopping. Water blaster hire is an effective way of ensuring that the water blaster you decide to use is right for your specific situation, and Hirepool can help immensely with this, offering petrol water blasters, electric water blasters, hot water blasters, and a variety of other tools and attachments to assist any aspiring DIY’er who doesn’t want to break the bank buying a variety of tools. No matter what water blaster you decide to go with, just keep these tips in mind and your water blasting job should be easy and satisfying, leaving you with a clean surface to enjoy for months to come!