Jeff

They arent the same thickness as say, leg tanks, but they work well. I did see one collapse once. I Have a couple like the one you showed. its a good decent tank

Does everybody try to upsell, when you are looking at a job? Do you give customer a price/estimate for what they ask to be cleaned and then do you automatically add the surrounding areas to the estimate I just got a good upsell on a condo complex I do every June, its 35 buildings, 181 units. The complex is 3 1/2 years old. I noticed the small concrete walkways & driveways were starting to get dirty. I called the property manager and mentioned this, she said give her a price. I priced the small drive and walk at $24 a unit, then I also added $10.00 a unit and we will clean the curbing and a couple other common areas of concrete. The curbing is low and can be done with a surface cleaner for the most part, The concrete isnt bad at all. I also told them if its done every year I'll reduce the price by 10%. I got the upsell, I really didnt think I would , but you dont know until you ask! I try to upsell all the time, Id say I get something extra 15-25% of the time. Even if it just something little, its money in the pocket What are some of your best UPSELLS This is the complex

Im not great with contracts, as trying to secure work. No written long term contract. But what I did with them and Ive told other property managers is if they do it the next year within a12 month period, I'll charge them the same as the year before. I already have done this one 2 times and I toldthem Id have to raise the price $ 4.00 a unit. it cover increases in gas and other things, I was already getting a good price on this job. This complex is great its fairly new and they want to keep it that way Large gutter cleaning jobs I do have them sign for 2 years what ever it is 1/4ly, biannually etc Some of the other complexes I do wont sign, Most dont want to do it every 12 months, they will wait until they start seeing green mold & mildew , I get several within 16 -19 months and some wait even longer and will put bids out. Some have it in thier budget some dont. I'll get better at doing contracts for regular cleaning, but quite often the HOA just doesnt have the money

Nah, heck the concrete is at least 3 1/2 years old and not really dirty at all, cleaning it every year we'll be able to fly through it. Driveways are real small and the walkways are 6-10' long. Piece of cake, easy $$$ OHHH, I get it, 10% every year. just 10% of original price, derrr

I once did a house wash and to get the sides of 2 little widow dormers, I went up a step ladder and got on the roof it was about 8-10' high. Got off step ladder, up on roof, cleaned and ready to come down. OOPS step ladder blew over. Well I knew the homeowner was home, but he had told me he was going to tale a nap and paid me ahead of time. Well I kept looking and thinking I can just jump like the stuntmen do in the movies. I decided to try to wake up the homeowner. So hear I amm jumping up & down on the roof, banging my foot, going over to the side with windows and knocking on house. This guy sure can sleep!! Well I did my stuntman thing. I knew to jump and try to land easy on my feet and then roll, you know the stuntmen do it all the time. Well I did it, other then a good stinging feeling when i first hit the ground I was fine, Real good tuck & roll technique I used. I no sooner got down and the homeowner came out and said hows it going, He couldnt sleep.:lgbugeyes I didnt mention to him I just jumped of his roof. I surprised he didnt ask why I was limping

Some areas now will not allow you to use any hydrants. The next county over from me use to rent the meters, but no longer allow it.

A couple years ago, I put an extension pole and brush down on a customers lawn. It had strong Oxalic on it. This guys lawn had some real nice GREEN grass, real fine, it was hot out. 10 minutes later i pick up brush, a nice rectangle of yellow burnt grass. I had two cans of Green rustolium in my truck for some lawn furniture I was going to sand & paint. Well it matched up pretty close and I got out of there. Do you think I should have used a primer first? LOL

You wont need 10 rigs to be king, 3-4 should be enough, lol

Every $100 in payroll is around $13.88 extra for W/C. P/L ???

Harness should always be used in a lift. True story about 2 months ago, i was on a 40' JLG and I noticed the tilt was tilting on the bucket and I wasnt doing it. I came down and the tilt was real bad. I called Sunbelt to come fix it and if i didnt keep going I may not have been able to finish the job that day as I planned. I took the lift back up and it kept tilting (the bucket) and I would just adjust it back up. I saw no hydrualic oil anywhere. Then I saw Sunbelt coming in lot so i started to come down and about 3 ft from ground, there was a big jolt and the bucket tipped a hell of a lot. I grabbed on, I wasnt going to fall out, but if that happened while I was higher up and maybe reaching a little who knows, Wear your harness!!! The reason it was tilting was it was loseing Hydrualic fkuid, but it was gathering in a little nook and was not dripping on ground. Sunbelt looked at it and I was pissed. At one tome one of the lines was fixed. Instead of useing a hose barb and the proper clamps, whoever fixed it used a straight 1/4 pipe no barbs and just hose clamps. I had them bring another lift out As for ladder use. Yes most of the time it would be user error in ladder accidents, but they do happen all the time, by some of the most experienced in any trade. If I had to use a ladder 8 hrs a day to do what I have to, I would . But I dont so I wont. Please if anyone one uses ladders USE STABILIZER BARS and dont reach to get that one little spot thats only a few inches out of reach. Also be careful using ladders on frozen ground thatmay thaw. I prefer a pogo stick myself LOL

I was injured in a work accident and didnt want to go back into being a union steel painter and when I moved to Myrtle Beach saw the need for pressure washing and decided to do it part-time and within a year, I realized that the need for pressure washing & reliable contractors in this area, could lead to a profitable business. I didnt work out a formal plan, but I did work out plans in my head and started from there. I'm doing alot better than i thought I would be by this time, so my informal plans are working. Ive thought about doing other ventures or spin off type biz's, other than PW biz. But this area needs good reliable PW contractors and there is just so much that needs to be cleaned always. My plans are to have a small fleet of machines & workers that always have work. To be able to make a good living and have good employees and to pay them a living wage and someday offer them some benifits. I figure if i have that, I have a good business. My unwritten plan is to organize my business. The office stuff, this could be my only real down fall

Everrett is absolutly right on discounting. I do it all the time, Asfor having employees its great. They make me money everytime. Like the complexes i do. I'll have 3-4 machines cleaning, say 3 machines, 3 guys. I bid a building at $400 times 20 buildings. on a hot summer day I alone would clean only one building. Not what I consider a good days pay $400. But I have 3 guys working the buildings. I usually set up one doing the front and one doing the back & sides, then I have 1 machine doing another building or maybe they have multi level walkways and I put him on that. The buildings go straight down a line. They know what to do, just keep rolling down the line of buildings. They get use to it and they can do 4 buildings a day the 1st or 2nd day. Now 4 buildings X $400 = $1600 I pay out $400-$500 payroll for that day and chem & gas I still make anywhere from say $800-$1000 a day and we finish in 5 days. Good weeks pay for me. And the 4th guy who didnt work the complex is doing my $100 house washes say he does 4 houses, pay him $100 for the day, thats another $300 in my pocket. It pays to have employees, when your real busy. It was like this this past summer I had 3-5 guys working and some days, many days I didnt pick up a wand and we did this for months Discounting I have a gutter cleaning contract 47 buildings every 3-4months its close to $6000 minus $900 for a lift. I told them Id discount it 10% not counting lift charge if they do it every 3-4 months 5% if its done every 6 months. They needed it every 3-4 months so I discounted it over $500+ big deal The first time we did it it took 4 & 1/2 das the second time 3 days, me and one other guy. the discount helped them make the decision to do it 3-4 months and add it up i do it 3 times approx a year, does the discount hurt or help? You have to discount and even go a little low to get the regular 1/4ly, biannual or annual contracts. In the long run you can make very good money. Those $400 buildings i do house washes that are half the size sometimes, but its very competitive around here so you have to figure out how to do them and still make great $$$ and the only way is Discounts & employees. Im not trying to just make a living I want to make a killing and have a large very busy business

Scott, thanks I'll be calling them. They look like the Rapid Reel, Ive called a couple and they say they can get them and then they find out the they are discontinued. The dont make them anymore. Maybe this guy has some in stock Thanks Jeff

Hell of a job, Great work!!

I 2nd that, good reels Hey Mel or anyone else. Im looking at getting another hose reel for my portable machine I have hooked up to my water tank. I have the 22" titans with 200' of pressure hose with plenty of space for more hose. Do you think the 18" titan will hold 250' of pressure hose for this other machine Thanks JL

Im praying for my brother and all you folks down in Florida, be careful & safe Please.

Hope all the Florida folks are doing alright, just got off the phone with my brother in St. Cloud and he said its pretty wild, not real dangerous yet. GOOD LUCK ALL

Beth & Rod, Id like to rate this BBS, Its great !! To bad it took me so long to get here. I like all the info & discussions and ofcourse all the other members what an informative and fun tool this is. Keep up the great work What a great group of folks:club:

Jeff, Ladders are safe, but not as safe when holding a wand, with water & pressure coming out of it. Ive used ladders all my life, as a steel painter in the painters union and I was on many many large projects. I have dealt with OSHA and have had many OSHA training classes, some years ago. I can tell you if you were on a large project and OSHA showed up and saw you on a ladder witha pressure wand working, the least they would do is tell your boss to get you down and not do it that way or at the most, close the job down. I know they would have you erect staging or get a man lift Of course you wont see OSHA on any residential jobs so you can do it. But it isnt totally safe, no matter how experienced anyone is. Not to say I myself havent done washing off ladders and many other things off of ladders. But the way you talk of ladder use is against many common OSHA rules. As for clean enough we all have are own ways and My customers are happy with the job we do and so am I and I making a good living and have a great reputation in my area.

I agree!!!! Rinse/wet windows within less than a minute and in the heat of the summer even quicker, and after you rinse whole side hit them again. This is definitly a situation where you rinse, rinse, rinse. I tell my worker constantly about rinsing windows & shrubs, windows I dont want to have to come back & clean and I never do, with good rinsing

I understand not getting under the siding, I almost always apply chems & rinse at an angle because yes in the past when i started PWing I had alot of the problem with weep holes, well not alot, but it did happen. So I figured it out. I apply at angle and rinsing I actually go from left to right or vise versa and its more like pushing the water across & down the siding, with alot less chance of anything getting behind siding or in holes. these 1 story homes with 15 -20 foot peaks, i cant justify doing them another way. Its clean, no problems with drips etc. Homes with brick & or wood siding is even easier. Homes with stucco/dryvit, sometimes I have homeowners request we dont do the fronts, but thats because of poor building and theres a ton of law suits and replaced dryvit around. As for being on ladder with wand I dont like that. I just do it the best way I know how and cost effectivly, with very good results and happy repeat customers. I am in no way putting down how Everitt & others do thier house washing, I just like the way I do it, with simular results. But I also am learning every day and from this thread!

What are you guys washing off houses that you need so much brushing & direct pressure, is it pollution, dirt? Just wondering if its a north/south thing. Do must people you deal with up in your area clean yearly I mostly deal with a little green mold and black mildew on trim and of course some dirt, dust, webs & some bugs and a lizard or 2. I have had to brush a couple homes in 5 years. Mostly everything washes right off with application of chems, brushing gutters & a real good rinsing & the homes sparkle

From start to finish the storm I heard lasted approx 60 hrs in cozamel/Cancun area, what a nightmare that must of been

I wish i could get the prices you do up north, but i wouldnt get it down here. I do small one story homes for about $100+ this is 1100 - 1600 sq ft homes. I brush almost all gutters and apply ox as needed and quite often restore the vinyl shutters and I charge more for that if I see it needs to be done when I do the estimate. I run into into alot of siding this is oxidized and i try to get the homeowner to let me clean the siding properly and I tell them the price and they tell me no they just want the dirt, mold & mildew off. Some homes Ive told them i cant do them at all because the oxidation is so bad, People have told me why did you charge my neighbor this amount and you want to charge me over double. I just try to explain to them the problem with thier siding. Ive done only a few homes this year that they were willing to pay. Im lucky thou, Id say at least 85-90% of the homes i do are one story and are washed once a year. 2 guys working different homes we can get 5-8 homes a day plus some extras as gutters which many homes have very little gutters to clean, driveways etc. The higher end homes 2500sq ft & up I always get much better money. But alot of the homes are splash & dash with alittle extra care than my comptition. Do people up north usually wash thier homes every year

OLD SCHOOL I'm 44:lgbugeyes