squirtgun

Travis, Are you using the Cat injector?It looks like an Xjet but does not have nearly as good a draw rate. I have both and the Cat sits in the tool box(I even removed the metering valve and swithed it to 3/8" hose and it still won't draw as good)To each his own,but I prefer our Xjet

We get it from a guy in Moultrie,Ga $1.25 a gallon. A little to far for you guys to drive though. Call around to chemical supply companies ask for Chlorine 12%(liquid pool shock) or Naoci 12%.

Eric, We have 50ft of 3/8" hose on our xjet,with no draw problems.5 gallon buckets are easy to move around,but it may take several buckets to get some housewashes done.We have a 15 gallon drum strapped to a hand cart that we use,it makes moving around a lot easier.I also mounted a small hose reel to the cart that we store the xjet on.

CCPC, How did this job go?????

Ok well maybe 2 1/2 hrs for a 2300sq.ft 2 story,and you bet it's clean. Not only that but we never unhook the xjet the entire time.Apply chems with it,rinse with it.It's the best $$$ you can invest in accessory equipment. The chems you use make a big difference in how much extra detail work you have to do.

We have cleaned a little over 3500sq.ft in 2 1/4 hrs with our 16" surface cleaner.If the surface isn't real dirty you should be able to get it done. Be sure to take plenty of gas and whatever you need with you,getting in and out of those gated communities is a P.I.A. Good Luck,I believe with the equipment you have it shouldn't be that hard to get finished. P.S. Don't forget to add on extra $$$ for pulling them out of a bind.

CCPC, If you have a surface cleaner it is possible to do it in one day.One very long day.What size machine and surface cleaner do you have???Hot water would be a huge plus.as i would just about eliminate the need for chems. We are 3 hrs away,but if the price were right we would pull our rig down and help.

10% pool chlorine.

My question is. What do you use to brighten decks?? I know oxalic will take your breath away just being within 10ft of it. If you are using brightener like oxalic without a respirator,I imagine your lungs won't hold out to many years.

No need for gasket seal,just a little locktite on the bolts so they won't seize.

Cannon, It sounds like you may have been using to much pressure and may have been to close to the siding.These 2 factors often force water under the siding. We use our Xjet to apply our housewash and also to rinse.We stand back from the siding about 10ft when applying and rinsing.If we find a spot a little harder to clean than other we put the low pressure tip on the Xjet a get a little closer(maybe 18")from the sidng.This happens rarely. If you notice dirt coming out of weep hole back up and keep rinsing,it will stop draining out eventually.It will add on to your cleaning time,but the customer will remember that you didn't leave there house all striped with little dirt trails.

Cannon, The original X-jet will handle the caustics with no problem.Just rinse it with water after each use,as you would with anything you run harsh chems through.You won't be able to get full strength chemical mixes with an X-jet,but 50/50 or 1/1,which ever way you want to say it. The housewash mix we use includes the 12.5% chlorine in the mix,along with a foamer and wet wax.We achieve great results this way and can do a 2000sq.ft. housewash in 1 1/2 hrs with now problems.Oxalic would still have to be applied seperately.

Ryan, I would think a small diameter string and a baseball would be a great way to get ropes over the higher roofs. Just duct tape the string to the baseball and throw hard,then just tie the string to your rope and pull it over the top of the roof.

Psi Phil, I don't feel it's fair to get on a soap box and bash smaller companies. To do the volume work you describe you would have to have several crews working at the same time/place.Anyone can see by the pics on your website,that some of these properties would have required multiple crews to do them as fast as you do.Yes the work is impressive,I don't think anyone will dispute that. Our customer don't seem to have a problem with 1 1/2 to 2 hr house wash(2000sq ft average),no that does not include the roof or concrete.Often they are at work when services are done,so how would we have kept them from doing something else? We don't sell plant protection,nor do we cover plants,if the time is taken to pre wet and rinse afterward there are no problems.Throw plastic over some 80 yr old ladies day lilies for 1 hr in 90 degree heat and see if you can get her foot out of your rearend because you fried them. We have been doing a few larger houseswashes(4500 sq ft)with concrete(7000 sq ft) lately,we can do them in the 6 hr range.Not to bad for a husband and wife team.No,we don't have the extra cost of insuring employees,but we like Mike carry liability and pay for our own med/dental/life.You can't blame smaller companies because you chose to have a larger operation.I hope we are that big someday.You bet we get paid an obsene amount of money,we give the customer what they pay for and more.We are always looking for more efficent way to get the job done,and when we find something that works for us we use it.If it means we can pass some savings to our customer we do. The soap Mike refers to is top of the line,we use several products from the same supplier.They are great chemicals and there is great customer service behind them. Wouldn't it be easier to share some ideas on making our little companies more efficient,instead of trashing us because we are making a living doing things a little slower than your company does?

We are on bellsouth DSL and use their homepage and internet explorer.We aren't doing a lot of wood,but I would like to get in on the chats to get some marketing ideas.

I can't log into chat,I have tried clicking on the chat link,and it pulls up a blue screen with a small red "x" in the top left corner.

Mike, When you use SH to clean roofs you need to rinse every inch,it has a lot more cling that chlorine does.I just started experimenting on our roof and learned it first hand.Because of the rinse time invovled it takes much longer.

Clean Streak, Check with dry cleaner or places with an automatic car washes.You might also look around where you live to see if there is a campany that re sells used cotainers.these companies clean them and sell to the public and 2nd user companies.

Ron, Happy to hear about your new job.Please keep posting,your advice is always top notch. I also wanted to tell you how much I appreciated the advice on the Largo machine,it has been a great investment,and it's a work horse. Good Luck in what ever you decide.

Rob, Brushing spider webs dry is the way to go.I have tried both ways,and wil never go back to wash and scrub.Paul is right when he says you can get about 95%.

FYI everyone, This thread also appeared on another BB, and has taken a turn for the worse.It has lead to personal attacks on at least 1 guy that I know posts here. The Admin. and Mods. of this board are to be commended for keeping this thread ongoing in a professional manner. It's a shame that some folks can not agree to disagree without getting personal. P.S. To the guy that was attacked on the other BB(you know who you are),I read nothing in your postings that should have lead to the attacks that you recieved.I feel you handled yourself extremely well,and you show an enourmous amount of class in your responses to those individuals who lashed out at you.

One Call, Simple fact,you can't lump all muslims in with the left wing nut jobs that have committed these crimes against humanity. I detest those that have taken part in the bombings and destruction,but I do not hate every single muslim because of those acts. These are my facts - I rarely watch the news or read the paper, so I guess I have no one to tell me what to think other than me. I'm sure you'll shoot for the dumb redneck cheap shot in response to my post,but I can take it,I don't claim to be a scholar.I do,however,undertsand that you can't blame all, for the actions of a few. Let me add this.We(american citizens) can only blame ourselves as a nation for what happened in Alabama with the Ten Commandments monument.This was done to us,by us.We allowed church and state to be seperated long ago.I hate it and think it was a step backwards in the moral fiber of this country.

Big Bill, Oneness and One Call are 2 different people.One call is the one who started this post.

Hey John T, I though since you brought it up,I would ask the question. ---Does Pete Rose belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame?--- Yes,yes,yes.I know he gambled on the game,I know it's against the rules.However,this man was one of the all time greats of the game.Look at the statistics he racked in his career.That alone should get him in.

Okay I'll do it,would ya'll please SHUT UP!!!! This has been a great debate,but it can and will drag on forever.I stated before"look inside yourself for the answer you seek"some will not believe in a God until he reaches down and thumps them in the head. I can also say that Dale and Paul B. are 2 of the most intellegent guys I have ever seen debate this topic.You both have handled yourselves in a professional manner that is greatly appreciated.It's a pleasure to know that things like this can be discussed in such a calm manner,or at least it reads as such.