Does anyone know, will it harm these pumps to run bleach through them?
Depends on the diaphragm material, but 9 times out of 10, yes bleach will destroy these pump heads. Also, it will vary with your concentration of bleach. Try not to leave the system pressurized either.
For my pressure washer setup I will never run any detergent or bleach through my high pressure pump. The damn thing costs over $1000 to replace and the 3 seals are $100 each time I have to replace them. Instead I spray my detergent using a 2.2gpm 12v on demand pump that I get from Northern Tool. These are also not supposed to run bleach through, so it will void the warranty immeadiately, but the whole pump is $80 if you get the one with quick connect ports. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200578568_200578568
I use the one with the quick connect ports so that in the event the diaphragm in the head fails, I can do a quick swap for another pump head without messing too much to unthread the hoses and dismount the motor. That all stays in place and I put one of these on: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200587334_200587334
They are only $30.
I dilute the 2 gallons of bleach to a 24:1 ratio and it is still effective to clean without doing any damage to the glass as long as it is not allowed to dry on hot panes. This dilution allows me to run a pump head for about 5-6 months before it starts to fail.
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Bleach will damage any of those electric pumps at some point, we have two of them for roof washing and chemical applications. The key to keeping them longer is flush them out with water every time your done on a job. I mean flush really well. Even the pumps with the better seals will fail. Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is very corrosive. What you make revenue wise with those pumps it’s not that big of a deal to put a new one on every 6-12 months depending on your usage. We pay about 150.00 a pump, so…one roof wash averages 450.00-500.00. They do their job though. Hope that helps a little.
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So RHG makes a really good all-in-one bleach system with 1/2" line and awesome built in tank/pump/reel. It’s about $5,300CDN, though. I mention it only because that looks like the pump they have on the rig, and they definitely do make SH safe pumps.
I’m using a Delavan pump. I get 100psi, 7 or 8 GPM, and it’s spec’d for 3/8" hose which does me fine for house washing. I’ve hooked it up to a cheap 35 gallon pvc tank that fits nicely in my truck. I run it all off a DEEP CYCLE (whatever you get, make sure it’s deep cycle) 12V battery. I have about 150’ of 3/8" hose to reach most any rooftop scenario.
I’ve also built it so that in cases where I have a big strata complex to work on, I can roll the tank and pump rig out of my van and up/down the strip of units to tackle huge projects. Refilling and mixing as I go.
The Delavan pump is about $350CDN and the tank was $125CDN. The hose you want is braided pvc, which is just clear PVC hose that has a fabric braid weave through it for higher pressures. Super cheap stuff.
I hope this helps.
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NOTE: you are going to drop some serious coin on stainless steel connectors. Go for PVC fittings where you can, but when it comes to running out to your gun you’ll probably want a quick release or two. For this you need to budget for stainless unless you want to replace all your fittings every few months.
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