# Pressure Washing a Brick House?



## guest2

I was thinking of using my pressure washer to clean up the bricks a bit but I don't want to blast the mortar out of the joints. Any suggestions?


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## jodyand

As long as yo use the fan pattern and not the jet pattern i don't think you would have a problem. That is as long as your mortar don't crumble when you touch it. Test it on a spot thats not to noticeable and see what happens.


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## guest2

Thanks Jody. Someone had mentioned a chemical cleaner to me awhile back but I can't remember what it was or if it was pet safe.


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## Durwood

Not sure i would power wash it at all. We used to use mauratic acid i think it was diluted in water. We would wet the brick with a hose, then use a special scrub brush on a 4' paint stick handle and scrub it good with the acid mixture. Then wait 5 minutes or so and then just wash it off with a hose. I would go to a place that sells bricks or call a bricklayer and ask questions. Make sure nothing is downwind of your spraying off the acid.


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## guest2

Durwood
Sounds like a good idea and less aggressive than the pressure washer.


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## Live Oak

I think you will be fine with the wide fan pattern nozzle as jody mentioned. I use it to clean my wood deck, tractor, and truck and it works very well without causing damage. I have the Coleman 13.5 hp 3500 psi 4.0 gpm pressure washer. 

Now if I could just get the soap suction to work. I went to use the soap suction port on mine today to clean my 4410 and I could not get it to work. The manual does not say anything about it. I took it apart and there was a check ball that I ensured was free but this did not make it draw soap solution in the pickup tube.


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## jodyand

Chief it has to be on low suction for it to work. If it a cheap-o like mine then you have to pull the adjustable tip out. If its more expensive model then you have to put the low pressure tip in.


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## guest2

Chief
What do you use? Just water or a cleaning agent?


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## aegt5000

sixchows…

I’ve been pressure washing the brick on my walkways and patio
every spring will no ill effects. I think the chemicals and soaps
are more trouble than their worth and I have just used water for
the past 6-7 years. I have a 5hp pressure washer and use the fan
pattern, it works great. Just to be on the safe side, do what Jody 
said and try it on a test area first.


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## Live Oak

> _Originally posted by jodyand _
> *Chief it has to be on low suction for it to work. If it a cheap-o like mine then you have to pull the adjustable tip out. If its more expensive model then you have to put the low pressure tip in. *


I just got back from the Coleman web site. You are absolutely right Jody. I have the low pressure soap or solution injection tip that I had a case of the dumb ass and did not install on the pressure wand. :duh: The owners manual I have does not say anything about the solution injection. I will try it again tommorow. Thanks for the tip Jody! 

Anyhow, the 4410 sure does look a lot prettier now. I will shoot it with some wax tommorow.


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## Live Oak

Well, I went out and tried it again today and it was a no go with the chemical injection. I took the chemical injector apart from the high pressure hose disconnect and found that it had been assembled without the check ball spring. Without the check ball spring, it would draw chemical solution for only a split second. I have emailed Coleman to see if they will send me one. I can probably use a spring from a ball point pen and cut it down a bit.


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## Live Oak

Success!!!!!!!!! After being blown off by Coleman customer service, I called the Coleman authorized repair dealer (which oh by the way is over 40 miles away). The repair dealer did not have any repair kits for this chemical injector so I asked him to find me one and mail it to me. 

I got a burr under my saddle and went to the local hardware store and sent a couple of bucks on some springs. I cut a spring down to what looked like the right size and PRESTO! The chemical injector works like a champ! It is a crying shame that Coleman could not have resolved this problem by offering to mail me a 25 cent spring. 

Anyhow the Deere and the Dodge are fixin' to get real shiney.


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## sammy_ully

*Pressure Washing Brick*

Best to adjust the water nozzle to "low pressure" and dip the detergent injection tip into your choice cleaning solution before working your brick wall from top to bottom. Then switch the washer to "high pressure", remove injector from the solution and spray until no more soap suds come out. 

The only time the mortar would blast out is if you have done some patches recently and they haven't dried up prior to the pressure washing job.


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## flman

jodyand said:


> As long as yo use the fan pattern and not the jet pattern i don't think you would have a problem. That is as long as your mortar don't crumble when you touch it. Test it on a spot thats not to noticeable and see what happens.


X2, I have done this with just water to get the dust off the bricks, did not use soap. I had no problems, and it is much more efficient then a garden hose alone.


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## kau

I've used my pressure washer to wash our brick lots of time. No issues with loss of mortar and our house is 50 years old.


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## Grateful11

The only damage I've seen while pressure washing our house is the area that has some sandstone 
blocks under the front main windows. It doesn't take much blast those away.


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