I field a lot of mix questions, especially for augmenting, because I use almost exclusively CH. So I thought it would be beneficial to create an Excel based Mix Calculator. Some of the ones I've seen are on the complicated side.
So I made one - I named it 1.0, because I'm sure we will come up with some cool ideas to add to it.
Enter your desired gallons & percentage mix - and get an exact recipe. Also includes factoring CH and augmenting.
Cool Beans! I see you adjusted for the 1 oz per gallon employee math factor on the CH. Maybe do so for the GW as well and do a factor for horizontal versus vertical (cling factor) for the GW. ie: 2 oz per gallon for Verticle and 1 oz per gallon for horizontal????? SWS is working on an AP but that is a bit long in coming.
AC
Jesse Bracken said
Aug 28, 2015
Awesome Brandon! Thanks for sharing
Jeff Thompson said
Aug 29, 2015
Thanks Brandon.
Anthony Joseph said
Jan 14, 2016
Very Cool!
Anita Ingram said
May 24, 2016
I'm such a newbie lol. I have no clue what all the abbreviations mean .
Brandon Vaughn said
May 24, 2016
Anita - SH is Sodium Hypochlorite, CH is Calcium Hypochlorite. I was right there with you when I started reading through these forums a few years ago!!
Anita Ingram said
May 25, 2016
Ty. So SH is bleach and CH is the powder bleach?
Brandon Vaughn said
May 25, 2016
Exactly Anita.
Anita Ingram said
May 25, 2016
Well i know the obvious difference but is there any other?
Troy Layman said
May 30, 2016
Several differences between the two. This is not a 100% complete list, but what I could think of off the top of my head.
SH: Pro's
Very easy and very fast to mix with water and your surfactants - mix and agitate briefly and you're ready to go to work.
With the SoftWash Calculator it is pretty quick to figure how much SH to add to give you the the strength mix you need.
You can quickly bump up the strength of your mix if it is too weak.
The mix stays useful in your tank longer than CH when mixed.
SH mix does not need to be agitated as much as CH.
CH: Pro's
No salt in the mix - so the CH is safer to use around plants.
CH (when dry) can be stored for years without losing potency.
You can carry enough CH on your truck to clean for days.
The Calcium in the mix is beneficial to plants.
SH: Con's
SH (Sodium Hypochlorite) has a 119 gallon restriction via DOT. To carry more you need a CDL with an endorsement. As stated you can augment your mix if you think you will use more than 119 gallons of SH in a single day, or if you want to reduce the amount of salt in your mix for some sensitive plants.
SH has salt (Sodium), which is poisonous to plants.
When the job is done, the bleach can be neutralized but the salt remains.
CH: Con's
CH takes a lot longer to rinse your CH with water to get it all to dissolve.
CH needs to be rinsed before it dries or you can have a chalky residue that needs to be cleaned off - requires manual agitation to clean.
CH has a higher specific gravity - meaning the bleach settles faster and requires a lot more agitation to keep the bleach mixed and a consistent strength mix. If not, the bottom of the tank will end up being a lot higher strength mix while the top will be weaker.
At the end of the day you will end up with sludge in the bottom of your tank, which is partially water hardeners that make pools more crystal clear and other items. You can get this out with a wet/dry vac though.
At the end of the day though, unless you have a system set up to handle CH effectively, SH is going to be more profitable because it is faster and easier to use. Although CH is a bit safer for plants, if you are using good spray techniques and your assistant tech is doing their job effectively rinsing plants and property, SH is typically going to be the better and more cost effective choice. AC has equipment that filters the CH and keeps it agitated, and if you go that route, CH is a much better option as most of it is automated.
Clive McCaughey said
Jun 13, 2016
Hi Brandon, first of all thanks for the wonderful job on the Calculator, but I was wondering would it be possible for you to change the Gallons to Litres for us over here?
I hope this is possible and very much appreciated. Kind Regards and thanks Clive
-- Edited by Clive McCaughey on Monday 13th of June 2016 02:28:37 PM
Brandon Vaughn said
Jun 13, 2016
Here you go Clive - this should do the trick. (I hope I did my math right!)
What can I say Brandon other than a massive thanks for you taking the time to do that for me.
Thank you so much.
Brandon Vaughn said
Jun 13, 2016
No problem Clive!
John Miley said
Jul 31, 2016
I am new and researching the soft wash cleaning business. I am very impressed with your the calculator.s Would you consider a version with ounces and/or ml for test batches?
Steve Cullen said
Mar 15, 2017
Hi Brandon, I'm new to this business and based in the North West of England UK, the calculator is a great tool and thanks for that. Everything here is so expensive in respect to equipment etc. My next purchase will be for a soft wash rig to accompany my New pressure washer system already in the van and working, always looking for information about the best basic system to get started and look to upgrade as the jobs start coming in, many thanks in advance and look forward to hearing from you soon
Joe Bleich said
Jul 10, 2017
Thanks so much.
Michael Garrison said
Feb 5, 2019
There new version this yet, think should be mixing ratio you want to apply it through like xjet or down stream
I field a lot of mix questions, especially for augmenting, because I use almost exclusively CH. So I thought it would be beneficial to create an Excel based Mix Calculator. Some of the ones I've seen are on the complicated side.
So I made one - I named it 1.0, because I'm sure we will come up with some cool ideas to add to it.
Enter your desired gallons & percentage mix - and get an exact recipe. Also includes factoring CH and augmenting.
Enjoy!
Brandon very nice...thanks
AC
I'm such a newbie lol. I have no clue what all the abbreviations mean .
Anita - SH is Sodium Hypochlorite, CH is Calcium Hypochlorite. I was right there with you when I started reading through these forums a few years ago!!
Ty. So SH is bleach and CH is the powder bleach?
Exactly Anita.
Well i know the obvious difference but is there any other?
SH: Pro's
Very easy and very fast to mix with water and your surfactants - mix and agitate briefly and you're ready to go to work.
With the SoftWash Calculator it is pretty quick to figure how much SH to add to give you the the strength mix you need.
You can quickly bump up the strength of your mix if it is too weak.
The mix stays useful in your tank longer than CH when mixed.
SH mix does not need to be agitated as much as CH.
CH: Pro's
No salt in the mix - so the CH is safer to use around plants.
CH (when dry) can be stored for years without losing potency.
You can carry enough CH on your truck to clean for days.
The Calcium in the mix is beneficial to plants.
SH: Con's
SH (Sodium Hypochlorite) has a 119 gallon restriction via DOT. To carry more you need a CDL with an endorsement. As stated you can augment your mix if you think you will use more than 119 gallons of SH in a single day, or if you want to reduce the amount of salt in your mix for some sensitive plants.
SH has salt (Sodium), which is poisonous to plants.
When the job is done, the bleach can be neutralized but the salt remains.
CH: Con's
CH takes a lot longer to rinse your CH with water to get it all to dissolve.
CH needs to be rinsed before it dries or you can have a chalky residue that needs to be cleaned off - requires manual agitation to clean.
CH has a higher specific gravity - meaning the bleach settles faster and requires a lot more agitation to keep the bleach mixed and a consistent strength mix. If not, the bottom of the tank will end up being a lot higher strength mix while the top will be weaker.
At the end of the day you will end up with sludge in the bottom of your tank, which is partially water hardeners that make pools more crystal clear and other items. You can get this out with a wet/dry vac though.
At the end of the day though, unless you have a system set up to handle CH effectively, SH is going to be more profitable because it is faster and easier to use. Although CH is a bit safer for plants, if you are using good spray techniques and your assistant tech is doing their job effectively rinsing plants and property, SH is typically going to be the better and more cost effective choice. AC has equipment that filters the CH and keeps it agitated, and if you go that route, CH is a much better option as most of it is automated.
Hi Brandon, first of all thanks for the wonderful job on the Calculator, but I was wondering would it be possible for you to change the Gallons to Litres for us over here?
I hope this is possible and very much appreciated.
Kind Regards and thanks
Clive
-- Edited by Clive McCaughey on Monday 13th of June 2016 02:28:37 PM
Here you go Clive - this should do the trick. (I hope I did my math right!)
Thank you so much.
No problem Clive!
I am new and researching the soft wash cleaning business. I am very impressed with your the calculator.s Would you consider a version with ounces and/or ml for test batches?
Hi Brandon, I'm new to this business and based in the North West of England UK, the calculator is a great tool and thanks for that. Everything here is so expensive in respect to equipment etc. My next purchase will be for a soft wash rig to accompany my New pressure washer system already in the van and working, always looking for information about the best basic system to get started and look to upgrade as the jobs start coming in, many thanks in advance and look forward to hearing from you soon