Freshlook

I do hear of all these complaints of people hating lugging their container of chems around when using an x-jet.. so I improvised.. I took a 3 gallon backpack sprayer I had gotten from TSC and cut the hose from the bottom feed and clamped the opening off. Then at the top there was a rubber vent insert which I removed and using a 1/2 inch drillbit opened up to fit the existing hose that came with the backpack sprayer, fed it thru the hole I had created to sit inside the container. ""NOTE" do not make the hole too big or you will have chemicals spilling/seeping thru the hole opening during sloshing, I even applied an epoxy around the opening to seal any small holes that may have been there." I then took a barrel filter that came with a downstream injector that I had and clamped it to the end of the hose which sits inside the continer,as the strainer that comes with the x-jet is AWFULLY BIG and undesirable as it didn't fit inside anything besides a 5 gallon bucket. I then shortened the hose running from the on/off valve to the container leaving it nearly at wasteline for instant/easy access, and kept the hose from the opposite outlet side of the on/off valve the same length to the x-jet chemical inlet. Downsides-- 1.) If you don't have a good back it's not doing you much justice/ I'm 26 and still have a few good vertebre left back there! =) 2.) Running with no proportioner you will siphon 3 gallons fairly quickly but I've been able to manage running a stronger solution with a proportioner and great results. A (+) is while using the backpack you are able to with a quick shimmy tell how much solution is left in your container, leaving you able to judge how much time is left before refill. 3.) After running out of solution in the backpack you still have to refill but I have found this not unreasonable as I have complete mobility requiring only using the quick connect to disengage the x-jet from my wand and I'm free from all other equipment. 4.) Lack of ability to carry more than 3 gallons of chemicals, but due to the fact that I notice some lugging around 5 gallon buckets it's not nearly a bad trade off. "no hoses deciding to jump out of the bucket when your in the middle of a job. I don't believe in taking shortcuts when doing jobs, however I do believe that making my equipment work easier for me will essentially make my job at hand less of a challenge. If anyone decides to try the same setup, or has the same setup let me know how it's worked out for you. Here's a few pics of what I did

Look bad? I thought I should update the situation and state that for all last year I suffered (ZERO) burns or chem exposure. I took great effort to ensure seals were effective, and leaks were prevented. I did appreciate the concerns and althou seeming brutal and off the cuff statements, they were at least sincere. I since did need the capacity for a greater volume so I went with a 30 gallon system with a piggy back 5er and a split valve to enable me to change chems at the wand without mixing. I now still keep the backpack for off the wall chems like when I did a carwash for a fundraising event for local kids. 3.5 gallons of 100% detergent, mixed down to 16:1 went quite some ways.. fun times ahead.. I think half the fun when doing a task I have is.. Can I make this easier to do... and HOW??? a little creative ingenuity pays off in the long run.

all you people having problems with fungal infections of your feet, you might find it beneficial to keep salicylic acid + benzoic acid cream on hand at home.. once a week or so has prooven beneficial to keep down fungal infections from the """yucky boots""". I also on my down days soak my foot attire in pericarb for a few hrs.. keeps em from really getting out of hand smell wise, and it's sanitary at the very least.. As far as burns are considered.. the only burn I've gotten was when I was walking back to my washer, tripped over a curb, and "YEAH" i caught myself.. too bad it was with my hand on the exhaust!.. wasn't "too" bad thou.. some silver sulfadiazine cream and it was good in bout 7 days. I suggest everybody keep SOME ON HAND it's not really all that expensive, good anti-microbial to keep from getting infected, and REALLY aids in the healing process.

well.. this thread is around A LOT longer then i thought it would be

20-30 degrees is what i call making a nice slippery driveway, hmm.. thinking of that I wonder how effective saltwater out of the ol' x-jet would be at de-icing a driveway!!!.. deff would need the 1:1..

If you were only around last year!!! :lgmoneyey I hope your really serious, because there is an increasing number of $25 house wash companies popping up around here, I keep my work under wraps. I found out really quick what can happen when i advertised too aggressivly. Too much work. not enough time to do it when i already have a full time job.. If you need any help getting going, give me a shout.

Get yourelf a good 6-8 MP camera (to allow you to zoom VERY close up on a picture that has already been taken clearly) and make sure you take 8-10 pictures of each house you do (with their permission). If they deny me permission I REALLY hesistate to take the job. A couple hundred dollar house wash isn't worth the hassle when they accuse you of something you didn't do. Also it provides you with the nice portfolio that will ultimatly lead you in closing more sales in the future. I usually dillute my SH down to around 0.5%-1.5% depending on the severity of the job. Haven't had a problem yet. Just wet.. rewet. and keep rinsing, and if your still in doubt.. Cover it.

I'd suggest walking away, OR go get yourself a power hand planer and a 13" surface planer. Get ready to spend about a solid week pulling boards off and planing them down, then sanding, and reattaching. For the posts, your looking at making the beltsander your wife for a good 1/2 day. ALWAYS wear a respiratory mask. and I would charge starting at 7$ Sq/Ft and factor up from there for the PIA factor. If you don't get the job, OH WELL, it wasn't worth your time anyhow to do it for anything less.

I have to say with my past experiences, I've been let down by a few vendors, and also VERY pleased by others. The deciding factors I go with are kinda hard, as each vendor has specific products that if I"m used to and familiar with, I tend to be in a bind with the specific supplier does not come thru. However, I must agree with all of the traits Scott has mentioned, however would like to add a few. 1st. Product availibility - Don't sell a product if you don't have it, many of us don't keep $1,000's of $$$ in inventory and when we are running slightly low I reorder, However if it takes 3 weeks to a month to get a product in, WHO plans for that??? 2nd. Honesty - If you say your going to do something, DO IT!! 3rd. ANSWER THE PHONE!!!! - Need I say more 4th. Correct mistakes in a timely manor - If you shipped a product I didn't order, YOU SHOULD PAY FOR THE RETURN SHIPPING! and not 2 weeks later I get a x-mas gift at my front door. And lastly 5th. - Give me materials to enhance being able to sell the product (Stains) that I can present to customers, that will both give the supplier more buisness, and leave me with information to make an easier sell. It's better to show someone what color they are choosing as opposed to going and getting a box of 64 crayola crayons and picking the closest one. Other than that, they take my money, give me stuff, and I go make more money.. it's really a win win situation.. I just wonder why some just can't get it right.

looks good, I also use gutter grenade, works well. I hate paying the price for shipping thou. Unless you buy it in bulk, shipping is nearly the cost of the product in small quantities

About 2 brief passes with the 1st 60 grit and 2nd 80 grit would take that off, You want to see fuzzies, I should show you what I encountered 3 weeks ago where I came to quote a deck that looked like it had a fur coat. between the squirrels that tore up the corner posts, and the mildew that had grown from the overhanging treeline, lol. it was perdy!!!! Didn't get the job, but I bid it about $300 higher just for the sanding necessary. Not sure how the color will look on your 'puter, but it's not to orange, once it dries in a bit. Just as advertized, "warm honey gold". I like that color, maybe I'll try a new line of products in the near future I've always wanted to give WTW a go but I like the ease of parafinic stains. especially with helpers that I can't stand over at every minute. I guess I'll have to work on it.

it's just a sign of the times man, money get's tight and people get cranky, and look to get something for nothing, or try to heckle you down as far as possible, and then may not even pay you.. The sad part is when you finish a job to said specs, and know there is really no reason not to be happy, and then to have to hassle about a price already negotiated, I feel like throwing these people into a street in china with 1 million rickshaw's plowing them over time and time again.. MY point is, if you can't pay, don't even call me. Heck this isn't habitat for humanity. Instances just as such will make you have a bad taste in your mouth, the sad part is if you can't shake it off, it will affect your future attitude, and it will be apparent to the "GOOD" customers out there. Hope you get your $$$ man..

Personally, I feel like you are getting involved in a much larger issue that you may not be realizing. Ever hear of buyers remorse? ok. so he goes and agrees to pay your "x" ammount of dollars for work to be done, and then husband goes rediculious on finished product, due to feeling guilty about spending amt. of money, and feels that he can get you to go down on your price by giving you a difficult time, hoping you will settle for whatever he gives you. These people are EVERYWHERE!! Even with a signed contract and all corners rounded and all i's dotted and t's crossed you will still run into them. those which still give you a hard time, regardless of what you do, they are just unhappy people. In my opinion their marriage is a little disfunctional if the wife approves something, and then the husband has the nerve to cross her judgement and demand otherwise. It sounds to me like that marriage isn't 50/50. Heck what does she do, run to him to wipe his arse when he demands it. I've actually walked away from jobs because of a feeling I get in my gut. you know like when something just "ISN'T" right. And doing a job for a mutual friend isn't one I'd take on. The only thing I'm going to do for my friends is get them a beer when they come over. Anything more than that leads to complications. Sure I'll "HELP" them do their deck, but I keep $$$ out of the equasion if I actually value the friendship. $$$ ruins a lot of things, friendships included, heck it's the #1 reason for divorce in america today. My advice - Trust your gut, do a good job for a fair price, and get your act together when it comes to customers expectations. I would also go along with Ken's methodology to collect payment, however remember you share a mutual friend and there is going to be bad feelings regardless of the outcome on either behalf. I had one instance where I delt with a customer much like the one you are describing. After job completed I knew I wasn't going to collect payment, by a conversation overheard the family was having financial problems. Something about a credit card, and he was yelling at his wife. Well.. he then tried to tell me he couldn't pay me for the job because it "WASN'T WHAT HE WANTED" heh. No hard feelings I said, I'll come back tomorrow,for "x/$" more, just sign this statement stating that the work performed was what was agreed on, and I'll attach the labels and invoices to send along with a claim to the court house. If I really wanted to be a jerk I would have came back the next day stripped the stain I applied and left him a message stating" Here's a blank canvas, have at it picasso"

After running into a few problems of which i was using TOO LITTLE pressure, I wanted to get a few suggestions. My unit is a 4gpm 4k Psi unit and there is all sorts of suggestions on what tips to use, and I'm a little confused. I've gone as far as using my m5 at 30 degree fan to make sure not to damage decks, however not achieving the stripping results needed to remove deadened fibers and stubborn acrylic stains. Just wanted to get a little advice from those who've been at it for eons and learned what's best

pay off what little debt I have and invest the rest in mutual funds beings I'm 26 at 12-16%, with $200 extra a month I'd have $66,331,144.00. at the age of retirement, and just sit back and relax...:lgmoneyey

At LEAST 10 year old fence "owners couldn't remember" that has never been touched. I just cleaned and brightened it, and now they want it sealed!! gotta love it when they ask for more... I figured I'd post some work I've done since I never have Before---

so the stain is comming from the leeking oil tank? I would suggest a 130 degree hot water bath and some mild detergent first see what comes off, if that dosen't take it all off I'd suggest a mild degreaser. With the sodium Hydroxide I'd say mix to general cleaning strength do a test patch in a small area to check for compatability, You may even be able to try some graffitti removal chems as a 1st option. I've been able to get pretty good results from them when cleaning oil from the sides of siding that was next to a garage.

Yes, go search the thread "Making the x-jet easier to use" I rigged it up due to the annoyance of a 5er and lugging it around the worksite.

Nice, I love the quality of pics you post, what camera are you using? so very vivid. Being myself thou, I look at the deck and notice the corner joint isn't flush anymore, do you typically do the little 5 minute repairs (If possible) like that when on a job? I started to, but I have to stop myself after 20 minutes or so.

I just noticed something too.. KEN see my little x-jet backpack in the last pic I posted.. I'm actually loving that little thing... been using it for quite a while now and to quiet the skeptics, NO SPILLS or LEAKS

Rando, I was not trying to be arrogant or anything, I simply understand that there A LOT of homeowners that frequent this forum latley. When I do get a job, I also go the extra step to have all my chems mixed before the job and unless you can tell the product by it's smell or other charecteristics.. One would have a hard time, picking it out of the air by a plastic container with no label. I'll tell you the basics of what I used, HD-80 at 6oz/gallon x-jetted with no proportioner, the fence was never sealed or treated so I wasn't trying to strip an existing sealant. Dwell time was 25 minutes. Then hit the fence with a 4010 tip. Applied citralic twice at 4oz gallon and x-jetted also with no proportioner. Dwell was 30 minutes and did a VERY good rinsing. I also did 1 more step to the fence which I'm still playing with so I'm not at liberty to leave open for discussion. but here's a hint. It's a very old and good way to get rust off, and considering the fence was there for 10 years, there was a fair ammount of rust around all nailings. The reason I have to x-jet is I don't have enough motivation to set up for DS'ing. and make sure to rinse it out very good after each chem.. AND if you do x-jet your chems on MAKE SURE TO USE A RESPIRATOR! and GOGGLES..

What I used can't be picked up at home depot nor the equipment either. and for first time users if in fact you are trying to do your own fencing I wouldn't recommend it as there are several steps to take, such as dwell time, pressure to be used, and NOT to mention SAFETY. You get this stuff in your eyes and it's been known to cloud retinal tissue and be nearly irreparable. or breathing in a cloud of overspray isn't the best for your lungs. What I'm trying to convey here is if you do your research on this forum, you will find more than enough information already, as to what chems, what equip, and what procedures to follow. I actually do a few things that i've experimented with that i've never posted on here due to any competition in my area. If you've read any of my previous posts you will also find that I do more procedures than all of my competition, Such as offering a TOTAL SALVAGE deck service,Where I remove the whole deck to it's supports and evaluate if more support is needed via adding perpindicular cross supports, and correcting or replacing bowing supports, the next step is where I take each board, evaluate it's integrity and if it's sound, I take it off plane it down to remove cupping, or other correctible defects, and re-apply the board to their orrigional position via coated deck screws which for a 500 sq ft deck will cost nearly $100 just in fastners. I'm anal, yes.. but I've NEVER had a complaint and I should be charging a little more than I do for this service, I do make a handsome profit, but if i would charge more, they may just be able to get their deck rebuilt. Which I do as well. The only thing I don't do is additions and new deck builds, as most homeowners don't want to deal with codes and want me to build a deck illegaly. I'm in the process of building my reputation and name. Once I get a good referral basis from the work I complete, I hope to be in KEN's position. He's very skilled in a lot of areas, but the area I most respect him is in his buisness sence. Sure he's made over 3600 posts and maybe over 100 of them by helping me out. If you are still really interested in the journey, use the search function. The basics consist of knowing the charecter of the wood. Stripping, Brightening/neutralizing, and proper selection of a stain/sealant. I will help you all I can, but I'm not the holy grail of information. I've actually screwed enough of my own stuff up by testing what not to do on a customers. I'm a decent carpender and able to replace or fix what I do with minimal cost involved. By doing a little research on your previous posts I see you have a hot water rig. 1st hint, NEVER use hot water on wood

A Big Bottle Of Sunshine!!! Applied at 4k PSI with a 0 degree tip 2 inches from the surface. then to get the rough spots out I took a butter knife and scraped them off. Oh and I had silvia brown come over to let me know what the fence was thinking while I was working on it. Funny enough the fence was tickelish and the grey shook off.

As a youngblood, I've played and played with my chems and still get a little fuzz. I'm thinking of trying F-18 as everybody i seem to talk to is all about it. Most fuzzing I get is on spindles, where yes, I have gone as far as removing all the spindles and using a table belt sander brought them smooth as a baby's bottom. On some occasions I would think it would actually be easier to replace the spindles. Truth is as I'm learning more and more ontop of what I already know I'm accepting the role and feel obligated to correct any blemishes caused by any errors on my behalf. Fuzzies are there, but the frequency is going down as well as the severity.

Flipping boards over is really only a viable option if whomever built your deck didn't toenail the heck out of it, used spriral galvanized nails, or screwsto build your deck. As sprial nails and screws will be impossible to remove without tearing the deck up, not to mention that in my experience about 10% of the screwhead will end up breaking off from weathering. See if you have several nails on the "SIDES" of the boards not at the end but actually lengthwise in the sides, where the boards run perpendicular to the supports. if your counting more than 2 per board I'd say flipping is out of the question as in my experience removing these boards without replacing is highly unlikley and you will most often end up with side splits. Depending also on how if the stain was applied properly applied between the boards you will also have stain once again in between the boards when you flip them. do you have a pic of your deck. It may not be a suggestion you want to hear, but a belt sander and some 50 grit paper may be your best bet, then follow with an orbital and some 80 grit to smooth the rough surfaces. Hope you've got some spare time on your hands.