Don Phelps

Water Cannon sells the Pressure Pro line of equipment that I and others sell. The equipment is very reliable, as there are several others here that can attest to that.

We get ours at Tractor Supply then drill them to install a Hudson float valve.

It's obviously your call regardless, but I would consider a 30 or less to save weight/space with whatever setup you go with based on the size of the machine.

One of my skids is a Delco and it used to amaze me that it could run off of a 2 gallon buffer tank, but it does just fine. It looks like a battery box with a float valve.

You can get a trailer like that around here for $700-$800. If you haven't already, you might want to shop some actual trailer sales companies. These others you listed have 'middleman' prices for their piece of the pie. The tank you asked about is called a tote, which can usually be found for cheap. They're often used to transport soft drink syrup, bulk chem purchases, etc.

We bid high. If they accept it, we'll be 'happy' to do it for that price. :lgmoneyey The only way I would otherwise refuse to do it is if it were in a dangerous area/situation or it went beyond my equipment/experience. We would then politely decline the business.

There was some consideration being given to it, until I read the recent thread on ***. But to answer your question specifically, No.

Here is a link to the wand pics. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3117 This is a link to a pic of the tank. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4669 I don't have any other current pics to show you, but the only difference is there's a jumper hose from the tank to the ShurFlo and 200' ft. of hose attached to the outlet side of the pump to the wand. On the inside of the tank there's a hardwired pvc pipe that goes down to the bottom of the tank. Hose tends to curl up or the end will float back to the surface in the tank and draw air, so I find it best to use the pvc pipe to keep it near the bottom.

It was good to get a chance to hook up with you today Chris! Hopefully you took some useful knowledge away from the experience and it will help to cut your learning curve way down. You've got a great attitude and will go as far as you want in this business.

We got there on Friday and there was no snow anywhere but the slopes and the temp was in the 40's. By Sunday night there was almost a foot on the ground and it was freakin' cold! No matter how much I travel, it always seems weird to throw a snowball in the morning in NY and walk the dogs in warm, sunny FL in the afternoon. We had a great time though! Talk with you soon, Don

Hi Chris, Sorry I haven't gotten back to you yet. I haven't forgotten though. I can show you a ShurFlo set up and a gas-powered pump (< not cheap). I've got a house wash and some concrete lined up for our co-op day. It's been a catch-up week, but I'll call you soon or you can give me a call at your convenience. Ps. Most ShurFlos will last quite a while if outfitted with the correct seals, valves etc. and rinsed thoroughly after each use.

Speaking of Bella, here's our girls. Bella, Roxy and Gidget. Bella was a little camera shy so I had to snap her shot while she was hiding under the bed. The other two lazy slackers were in bed as you can see.

We put a 2021 pump on a 13hp gear-driven unit as an experiment, which is what Jim was talking about. It increased the flow, but we couldn't get more than 26-2700 psi(?) out of it without dragging the motor down.

No disrespect to Lance, but I think the math might prove to be very improbable. Russ Johnson can elaborate if he so chooses.

One of the differences I see here is trying to compare 'residential' to 'commercial.' Since this is a rather broad stroke, here is an example. I have a restuarant (drive-thru/sidewalks) that I clean twice a month for $140/each cleaning. It's nothing special, $280 for 5 hrs. work (alone). However, when things are slow, this money is always there and in the bank. On the residential side, we can get anywhere from $185 to $595 for roof cleanings and/or package price cleanings, etc. Then, as John, Jeff and a few others here will understand, there are commercial jobs where some very lucrative cash can be made in a very short amount of time. Since some will probably try to split hairs and draw more differences to support their cases, I'll simply caveat this by saying that this next 'commercial' job is a 'roof cleaning only' job and it involved 16 three story residential buildings, 1 office/clubhouse and approximately 8-10 one story parking/storage buildings, gazebos, etc. The bid (including lift) was almost $31,500. It took us 13 days to complete the entire job and after all the overhead was deducted, I netted almost $20,000. I normally don't openly speak about pricing (nor does Jeff L.) However, the point needs to be made that there are a few of us around that are capable of making a very good profit on 'commercial' cleaning. As this end of our business continues to grow I'm faced with the decision of dropping one and going with the other. I can't speak for other areas of the country, but it seems to be an easy decision to make in Orlando, FL (where pw'ers can work year-round and there are 200 listings in the phone book). In the end, if the math works for you, that's all that matters, isn't it? Just make sure it does. Just my .02 :)

It's always a trade-off due to the fact that it takes a certain hp rating to spin the pump and achieve specific flow/psi ratings.

Hi Mark, Per our phone conversation, here is a link to a suitable ShurFlo unit. Some prefer to go with a lower gpm unit also. It was good talking with you and feel free to give me a call anytime. Good Luck! http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=527&R=527

Give me a call tomorrow if you want and I can help you out. If you haven't already, you might want to do some research in the 'Up on the Roof' forum also.

I've still got the 3 gpm ShurFlo (new, in the box) that you were interested in about 6 months ago if you need it.

I'm not sure whether this is true in your case or not, but for some companies that sell SS fittings. The 'SS' stands for 'somewhat stainless' as we like to call it. If it's not true 316 grade stainless steel, it won't last. There are lower grades out there (imported from China) that get passed off as true stainless. One use will usually tell the tale.

Yours was the ultra trick 10,000 psi titanium prototype that came absolutely free of charge with an 8gpm skid that most only dream of having. :lgmoneyey

HELP WANTED Entry level position. Starts $8 per hour. Primarily we clean roofs and gutters, pressure wash and trim trees. Looking for someone who is not allergic to sweat. Must be able to work without a coffee cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Must understand that it's OK for the boss to make a profit. Must understand that company vehicles are not to be used for crash tests and are not receptacles for your personal trash. Must own and know how to operate an alarm clock. Must not request more days off than the boss. Must not ask the boss for a raise if you've turned down overtime. Must understand that opening day of fishing and hunting season are not considered automatic days off. If you think it's OK to be late to work, I'm sure you won't mind if your check is late also. Having your wife or girlfriend call about this job does not demonstrate that you have good delegating skills. If you've had more jobs than you can remember in the past year, do not call to brag about how many trades you know. If you take company tools and supplies home and never return them, do not apply. If you like to work a couple months and collect unemployment the rest of the year, do not apply. If you only believe in taking a shower, dressing decent and brushing your teeth on the day you apply for this job, do not apply. If most of your work experience is making license plates we are not authorized to make or sell them. If you always seem so much smarter than the people you work for, start your own business. This is a copy of a 'Help Wanted' ad from the Money Saver in Eugene, Oregon on December 11, 2005 Credit- Ed Kuvlesky Best Choice Window Cleaning Vero Beach, FL

Personally, I like both the xjet and downstreamer, but I think some are skeptical about the downstreamer possibly because they've tried the cheap, low volume ones that usually come with the machine rather than a higher grade stainless steel unit with a 20% draw rate. It's been my experience that the good ones work just fine, and the cheap ones are just that----cheap! As previously stated, we use the xjet too and have success with both.

Wesley's trailer pics.

I suppose that I split the difference ethically. If it's residential I'll shoot straight with them and let it be known if I think it's not necessary. If it's commercial, it's open season. I have a $21,000 tile roof cleaning contract coming up for another apartment complex. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have them cleaned for another year as they're not that bad.....But who am I to decide how and when they spend their money? Lucrative commercial contracts are hard to come by and everyone has their own view as to what's considered necessary on any given property. Just my .02