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I've been absent awhile working in political nightmare this country is facing ....the Marxist entitlement cradle to grave gubbimunt check is better for some than real capitalist work in a free market place I'm afraid.......

I got a call from Jack in NJ and he gave a glowing review of the M5 x-jet ....What I decided to do was....drum roll please.....all 3 !! x-jet.....get a new down stream ( built in on pump doesn't work any more) add on ...and fix my hose reel system with stainless or plastic connections to withstand the chlorine and a new pump.....all of this is WELL below the cost of a Bandit or roofster system

HOW TO GET THE MIX ON THE HOUSE? I know this crossroads has been reached by many p-washers and soft washers . But the Question is still ...to x-jet....downstream ...or a dedicated pump system to apply the house wash mixture ? I have done all 3 ....except not an actual x-jet but a rigged up high pressure shooter . This spring I set up a 12 volt pump 16 gal tank system. I hooked up a 150 ft hose reel with a spray gun that would shoot about 25ft. It paid for itself on the first 2 jobs . The only problem is that chlorine is a beast on all the connections and the pump is loosing power. Yesterdays job we were down to about 15 ft on the range ....even after a battery check .... I looked at the Bandit system and one on Sun Brite ..roofster ... that are dedicated pump systems . They claim they are built to withstand the harshness of the chems ... Today after reading many x-jet threads ....and with my pump system loosing pressure .......with a job looming this Monday ...I think at the least I will put the x-jet on my trailer and get my hand truck out of the shed to tote the 5 gal around. Luckily my son does most of the work these days but I still need a system that is simple to use . My pump system cost me about $125 for the hose reel...hose ..connectors ...and the gun I already had a tank sprayer for my lawn business and a 12 volt battery in the shed . My son would pull up to a job and unreel the hose . Turn on the switch and he could do a large house in 2 hours with this system. We developed a rinse system using the pressure of the garden hose . 2 large houses were easy with this system .....3 if they were close enough in travel time IN may cases he did the house wash without getting the pressure washers out .....I am interested in the Bandit system as it looks heavy duty but at $1,400 vs $150 for an x-jet ...today I'm headed to buy the x-jet and I will work on a more durable system of replacement parts for my current set up . I could use a more than 60 psi 2.2 gpm 12 volt pump the tank came with ...to get more height and some stainless connections to step up my system . After all these years in this business it is still fun to experiment with new ideas and process' to make this work easier and more profitable ........

We started last week here in Maryland ! We did a deck with a solid stain for a client we washed their house at the end of last year. This is my 20th season in this business and I still love this work. My son came on board 3 years ago when he got laid off from his auto -tech job. I had both hips replaced last year and my son took over the the work but I'm fixed up almost as good as new....Who says you can't put humpty dumpty back together again. I have been relegated to bidding and sales with an occasional supervisory role .....I did the deck this week with my son and this work is still rewarding and fun to see the looks on the customers face......!!! It must be a sickness!!!! It is amazing how the business has changed....and at the same time stayed the same.....MANY new players out here with the economy driving prices for this service. Many calls from people selling their house to get the hell out of Maryland . The most notable change I have seen is the turn to a service of quick washing a deck and then staining over old stain. A yearly service model to meet a price point demand I guess. The most notable ...same ...is that there is nothing new under the sun for this business.....good work = good pay = good referrals ...and there will always be someone doing this business on the cheap.... GOOD LUCK TO ALL THIS SEASON!!! $$$$$

I'm all for helping as we all have on this forum but a man has his limits . I went by there today to get an after picture of the staining my son did and that picnic table stain is still there. I'm not training my replacement!!! or my competition.

Today we were washing a house , deck, and pool fence . This is a 4 peat customer. Their neighbor usually has us do their deck right after theirs. Today a kid was there trying to get off some picnic table redwood stain . He approached me for help. I told him that he was now my competition as that HAD been my customer for the past 2 stain /wash cycles. He didn't know how to get the stain off he started to apply as the homeowner hated it. Now I was that kid once......Well , maybe not so young when I started. I did what any good business man would do ...I protected my territory and my customer base... Sorry kid ....can't help you take away my customers......I'll wait for the call from MY customer ......Welcome to the big leagues kid!!!! When I was where he was there was no google or internet to youtube any answers....

19 years in this business and I got a call about my first IPE deck!!!! what do I need to know about washing and staining this wood that may be different than PT wood or cedar even?

I went to the store yesterday to see the stuff. The mgr. tried to tint it to a cedar color and it looked like puke! You could see the red flakes of iron oxide used to give it UV protection . I wondered it that would e effective as a clear seal with UV protection . I told him I'll pass on that product for now . I'll stick to what I know works . They gave me a good price on Wolmans toner so I will try and sell that as well.

NO one!? sheesh!

My Sherwin Williams wants me to try ZAR semi-transparent deck stain . anyone out there have experience with this product. It is similar in formulation ...waterborne oil base... to Olympic that I have used since 2005 with great success. The reason I ask is I can get a better price with my SW discount and availability at my local SW store

We do decks , fences, house wash, concrete , patio's , and a roof or 2 . I've been around since 1992 . I can't say I've been asked to wash anything really crazy but I did use my pressure washer to dig some footers for a retaining wall . I cut a hole in the bottom of a 5 gal. bucket and used my 0 degree nozzle . It was a hot dry summer and I was building a retaining wall at my house around my pool area. I couldn't dig in the hard ass ground so I used my pressure washer to dig them. I just put the tip through the hole in the bucket to prevent blow back and simply spun the tip in a circular motion and it cut through that hard rock and clay in no time. We get calls to do one dirty side of a house and we charge enough to make it worth the trip. Usually I find you can up sell more once your there.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll experiment with something else. innovation keeps me passionate about this business.

calcium hypochlorite vs sodium hypochlorite (liquid SH) . Most tablets are calcium hypochlorite. I guess I just have to try it and see for myslef if I can get good results.

I am wondering if anyone has tried the dried chlorine available at pool supply houses. I would like a more portable and convenient source for my house wash . I mix HD80 with water for decks and that is a portable source . When they add on more work it is easy to just mix more dry than tote liquid. I would like to carry dry chlorine to mix with water for those customers that add on service when you get there . " My house looks great. How much to do the sidewalk and driveways" If so what was the chem name and your results?

I used hd80 once when some girls threw 3 eggs at our house. This guy says it has been there since august! I gave him a price and said I could not guarantee the removal though. l'LL just bring all my chems .