rholman

I received the adapter yesterday from Alkota! Thank you Alkota(I know you are watching me..lol) I don't usually "plug" manufacturers, but i feel like they went out of their way to remedy this situation. Anyway, i took the adapter to a metal fab guy and he finished the install for around $250. He finished it in a few hours and I just have to route the engine exhaust tomorrow through the burner exhaust piping. I can't wait to get to work!!

smart decision

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doesn't the lawnmower guy know that you deflect your cut grass the other direction....away from the house?

I need some help with what hose to use on my 1.8 GPM @ 100 psi shurflo pump. It seems like a no-brainer because the shurflo instructions says to use 3/8 or 1/2" hose on the inlet and outlet. Well I just received my 100' of chemical hose w/ gun combo from Envirospec. I naturally assumed that it would be 3/8" hose. Well, it came and it is 1/4". Should I switch my plumbing to 1/4" or am I stuck with hose that will end up hurting my shurflo over time? Since my GPM is real low I can see getting away with 1/4", but I wonder if anyone else has been using 1/4" hose. I also am curious whether I can use PVC air hose to run chemicals through. I have 100' of red air hose and that is 3/8". I like the hose because it has crimped ends(no hose clamps) and it came with my hosereel anyway. I use primarily sodium hydroxide & citralic acid. I also am wondering if i should get rid of the brass fittings that I used to connect the strainer to the inlet hose when I run chemicals through it. I definitely flush after every job, but realistically how long will brass last in a situation where the brass is submerged in sodium hydroxide or citralic acid. I just got done custom fabbing 2 spray carts for stain and chemicals and I just want to get it right from the start...thanks for your help!

Squirtgun..... are those used hosereels? new? how much?

cool! I won't even worry about it anymore. Peace of mind is priceless! Thanks for the info.

thanks for the info! I will probably use the 3/8" air hose for chemical then and the 1/4" for stain. any thoughts on if my strainer will hold up to chemicals as long as I rinse it out after each use? I tried using this red filter in the bucket, but it caused the line to collapse every time i turned on the shurflo. I guess it was too restrictive due to the smaller openings in the screen/strainer? not really sure why. just figured i would save someone the headache. I did remove the brass hose barb so maybe that messed up the flow in some way. tankfilter.bmp

I bought 2 at tractor supply Co......$59.99 each. The hosereels come with 100' of hose. I did get two different hosereels even though they had the same model #. One of the hosereels has 200' capacity....the other just 100'. Anyone using air hose for chemicals(PVC not rubber)? Legacy is the manufacturer of the hosereels.

Doug, thanks for offering that info...it sounds like I'm getting taken care of on this trailer, but I will definitely get back with you in the future for the 2nd rig. i want to duplicate the rig i am working on now. i doubt I'll be getting any more freebies from Alkota, so i love the sound of $75!... it sure beats what i was quoted yesterday($800 included EVERYTHING....adapter ....pipe...flashing...cap)

I sure do....I didn't want to go with a marine style battery box because when i haul it in my truck i take the battery out to lift it in and then lay it down in the bed of the truck. So i used some plastic spindle material that i found and drilled matching holes for the battery posts to fit snug into, but it still covers the posts from anything that might fall from above...like a big ol' screwdriver! I've seen some ideas on the web, but wanted to make my own style cart. I am taking this same model and just raising the aluminum plate so i can fit a ~30 gallon chemical barrel for bigger jobs(for mixing all the stain at once instead of 5 gallon buckets at a time to ensure uniformity in color). i might switch to an inline strainer that does not fit in the bucket, but is immediately before the shurflo inlet. I am open to suggestions. Oh yeah... i will be using this unit in the winter to pump rv anti-freeze thru the lines because I don't trust using air to push the water out. that is why i have the jumper hose going from the pump to the hosereel quick-coupled.

Alkota is coming through after all....they are sending a stainless steel adapter in the mail.....designing it today and shipping tomorrow. I'll post a pic when i get it. I gotta wonder if these posts have something do with the instant response. free of charge is the best part!!!! Thanks for all your help guys.

oops...my bad. i gotta give credit where credit is due....thanks One Tough Pressure!

I didn't have much luck today finding a reasonable deal on a custom fab exhaust. I was quoted a price of $800 to do it properly. Apparently that piece of crap adapter was a $10 register boot. Good call Russ... and it would have melted within a week probably(so the metal fab guy said). I talked to Alkota today and the burner puts out 490,000 btu and the temp gets up to 600 degrees. That ain't no joke! Does anyone have specifics of what guage metal they used and maybe even pics? I don't want to cut corners, but i also don't think $800 is reasonable. I talked to 3 HVAC places also today...2 said "forget about it"....the other came and looked at it, but stayed firm on not quoting a price. He also didn't do "in-house" metal fab, so he's out of the picture. This is really turning into a headache. One thing that made me laugh when I talked to Alkota today was when i asked what they recommend using for an exhaust kit. The guy said "well every state is different and has different codes...." Huh? I didn't know that the proper venting of a pressure washer in an enclosed trailer would differ from state to state. So basically, it is definitely a liability issue and they want no part in providing guidance so they aren't on the hook...just in case of a trailer fire. I understand their side of it to a certain extent, but it's also kinda shady to me to not educate your customer with the proper way to vent your product. Considering that I probably would have burned down my trailer because of an Alkota reps dumb idea....I don't see how it keeps them clear of liability by being silent on the issue.

I'm thinking that it must be some kind of liability issue for them to offer that adapter. otherwise why in the world wouldn't they? I also am planning on using the existing vent hole on the roof of the trailer to route the exhaust, but the vent isn't directly above the exhuast port. Do you think that two 45 degree bends will be ok? I'm really trying to avoid cutting another hole in the roof. here is a pic of the rig. Notice where the vent is in relation to the exhaust port. thanks for your info Russ!

i found this pic on some forum a little while back....is this sufficient spacing between the machine and the piping? in your opinion is my dealer trying to rip me off telling me that it costs $130 just for the adapter. What the tape covers up is the 'hack job' cutting that he did to get it to form around the coil. he taped it because he probably used regular scissors to cut the metal! No sheet metal screws either...just tape holding that in place...If there are any ALKOTA dealers on this site please pipe in. i can't believe that Alkota would not offer an adapter for their machines. I will be visiting an HVAC place on monday to get his exhaust done right. Thanks for your advice guys.....keep it coming.

I just got my first enclosed trailer (7X14) and am looking for some ideas and hopefully some pics of how you have your rigs set up. I am looking to paint the floor and walls, but not sure of the best paint to use.....epoxy for wood? If you have any suggestions, even on "little" things, I would greatly appreciate it. I only want to set this up once and want it to be stylin' and well thought-out. Here are the specs of equipment: Haulmark Kodiak 7X14 tandem axle w/ ladder rack 3/4" walls and floors 8gpm @ 3,000 Alkota hot skid 325 gallon water 3 hosereels stacked(2 for pressure & 1 for water supply) surface cleaner chem sprayer cart(deck stain sprayer also) Thanks in advance for your help.

got any pics of your trailer?

thanks for the info on the paint....last thing i wanted to do was put the wrong paint down and have to re-do it later. Do you have pictures of your setup? How many of you enclosed trailer guys vent your ENGINE thru the floor? roof? out the door? I am definitely venting the burner out the top even though the pressure washer will be right up against the back door. I have seen setups where they "point" the burner out the door, BUT I am afraid that if the door every gets mistakenly closed(possibly by an absent-minded employee) then my trailer will burn down. I'm also trying to make this trailer "employee proof". thanks again

what chems do you use?

I'm curious about a few things.....(1)what cleaner would you use considering the foliage surrounding the fence.....(2)tarps or cardboard sheets to push the plants back on both sides?.....(3)how much extra should i charge? I'm thinking I will create a V with cardboard or tarps on both sides of the fence so I can still spray stain and then brush in... if I just push back the plants while i'm staining each section then it will naturally want to spring back into the fence and get stain on it....should I just spend a lot of time tarping everything and remove after a few hours? or is there an easier way?

I need one too...please rickholmanamd@yahoo.com

with that size tank don't even bother raising it. I've never had issues with the tank laying flat....look at pics on the internet of setups and you won't see too many tanks raised. you would have to raise your tank up at least 2 feet in the air because the pump is raised too.....4,000+ lbs of water will find it's way to the inlet...trust me.

What do you guys have as far as legal disclaimers on your invoices and/or estimates. I replied to some old posts from 2 years ago regarding the topic, but I haven't heard from anyone yet. I ran a pressure wash business for 12 years and took a 2 year break from it, BUT I missed the biz so much...I'm making a comeback! 95% of my business before was cleaning cars at car dealerships(not detailing)... now I want to specialize in the deck restoration market. I want to avoid as many issues as possible from the very first job so I am seeking counsel from the veterans. I would appreciate your help on this topic....thanks!

i can tell you car salesmen and especially sales managers are cheap and not the most loyal customers even if quality is consistent....SO, I started in 1995 at $1.00 per car and as of 2004, when I got bought out by my business partner, we were only able to raise the price to $1.50....now keep in mind we were in GM country...Lansing, MI, and there were plenty of dealerships out there to take care of. We used DI water...hooked up to their water...had a buffer tank of at least 110 gallons....1 guy washes...2nd guy rinses....every summer the 'weekend warriors' would come out of nowhere and undercut us...In the winter we would be able to raise the price to $1.75-$2.00, but of course the days are short and hit and miss with the temp. I'm making a comeback, BUT I have NO interest in doing cars again....to make real money you have to wash 600 cars per day and that is not realistic anymore...i'm too old. It was fun while it lasted, but deck restoration is my new baby. Bottom line it's short-lived even if you do get $2.00-$3.00 because you are basing your livelihood on disloyal customers. If there is no one in your area then you might be able to get away with those prices for awhile, but as soon as a sales manager figures out that his 16 year old son could make good money doing the same thing then it's time to lower the prices or at least lose that account for the summer. If you can get it...go for it!!