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Jeff

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Posts posted by Jeff

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I use the heck out of my big guy, but there are a few things I really hate about it. BG owners, let's disect this monkey and get Whisper Wash to release a new one that suits our needs even better. Here's my gripes.

    First, the big guy has a noticible disadvantage over other surface cleaners because of it's 1" diameter spray bar. That massive bar presents a frontal drag that is nearly TWICE that of standard 3/8 steel arms. This means that more energy is required to keep the bar spinning that is NOT being used for cleaning.

    Also, when a heavy bar like that solidly strikes a fixed object like a curb the damage is significant. Neither the massive bar or the curb yield, forcing the failure to occur at the spinner hub. Very expensive and unneccessary repair. Allow the bar to break or install a failure point that can be replaced cheaply.

    Finally, the aluminum bar is just too soft and wears out about every 3 months. Aluminum was just not meant to be in a highly abrasive, corrosive environment. The leading edge of the bar becomes significantly worn causing the useable threads (that hold the tip) on the drop from 5-6 to 1-2. Next, something inconsequential like a small stone strikes the tip, forcing it out of the bar. As that happens, the remaining soft aluminum threads yield and are ripped from the bar rendering it useless.

    Phil I'm surprised your having these problems. Mines 2 years old and the only part Ive replaced is the skirt and the fitting at the gun.

    I like the bar on the Big Guy, because it is one piece. Are you talking the spray bar every 3 months . I try to stay away from stonesbut have hit a ton of them and my tips have never fallen out and the threads are still fine, I change them every so often. I have no complaints at all with the Big Guy

    Its to bad your having these problems mine is nothing but a work horse

    JL

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I Love it!!

    Went to do a estimate on some brick pavers, concrete & paint removal.

    Guy was from my home state Mass and we talked for quite a while, real nice guy the PM for large condo tower. Told him Id get back to him on price. Just called him told him $800 , over the phone he said " you can do it for under $1500" I said did you hear me? He said ya he only has $1500 in the budget

    TOTALLY COOL GUY Love it when a plan comes together. Sometimes the small talk pays off.

    I also asked him about his 5 story parking garage he said give him a price he'll put it in his budget for the fall COOL

    They just did 12 million in renovations so I guess he doesnt mind spending

    Just wanted to share how small talk can pay off. Unreal got to love PWing

    JL

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Don your on your way to being the King, Congrats.

    I remember the 1st good sized job I got it was $1800 and I was so excited, I finished the job in a day and a half with a helper. I thought then this is the biz for me.

    You know just the other day I was thinking how for a few weeks Ive had a lot of little jobs all between $1000 - $2500 and no bigger 5K, 6K, 10K jobs. Then I thought how cool is it that I can say that a $2000 job is small.

    Don good going landing the work and keep that brain working on Ideas & ways to keep getting the work. More post cards in the same neighborhood right before you do the jobs.

    Sell Sell Sell

    JL

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Tips for high reach chem application, like Barry said, 0020-0050

    Tips for mid range chem application - 0540 and 1540

    Tips for short range chem application - chemical tip and 1550

    ----------

    Tips for long range rinsing - 0010 - 0030

    Tips for mid range rinsing - 0515

    Tips for short range rinsing - (I like to use) 8010, 9510, 8020, 6515

    -----------

    Hell now i know why I Xjet, I'd loose all those tips, plus my eyes, I could never read the tip size on all those

    My guys call me the deaf blind pressure washing king

  6. Posted · Report reply

    Hey I finally got my 1st restaurant cleaning job. I clean dumpster pad and concrete entrances every month and the do all the other concrete walkways every 4 months. I got the job but I need to right it up in a contact

    Anybody have a template or sample contract I could use for this kind of work thanks

    Somebody had sent me one once but i must of deleted it

    Yay, I finally got one

    JL

  7. Posted · Report reply

    One home demo for free. I would have said I dont work for free and told her I will do it for my regular price then start a discount by volume.

    The hell with them , dont send them another email, dont call them again and if they call you or email you, I wouldnt respond, screw them

    I never work for free unless I want to. Ive done a few PM's homes for free and I was happy to , they given me 10's of thousands worth of biz, they've tried to stuff money in my pocket and I wouldnt take it just like I wouldnt take it from a friend

    A sample is just that, a parking garage I'll do a 10X10 area to sell them on doing it all, but Im not going to do a whole level as a sample

    Please pass on this and if they say the free thing, tell them no thank you:lgwave: :bullistic and walk

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Heck I know a guy up the road that would blast the hell out of that deck with pressure and put a cheap water seal on it for $150, He calls it a "hard wash" He's been in biz years and screwed up a lot of decks, but you know I actually know that some of his customers are happy with the job, go figure

    I dont do much wood, but I definitly dont do "hard wash"

    I dont like the small decks becuase of the fact you have to go out 2 days to wash & seal $350 up would be what I charge. I just had one about the same size no railings had a couple benchesand I quoted $450 it was 45 minutes away and with gas for the estimate and 2 trips I wanted to make it worth my while. They said to much and that was ok with me

    JL

  10. Posted · Report reply

    Ken,

    Excellent training as always! Being a newbie with a very limited portfolio, what are some of the questions I am likely to get and what would you (or anyone else) suggest as strategies to deal with this issue. I'm speaking primarily about questions concerning my experience level. Professional appearance, speaking, etc shouldn't be a problem for me.

    Experience level, sometimes you just have to bulls--t a little. You read and learn a lot right here on these boards use it when talking to customers.If its residential , take pictures of everything you do and put together a photo album, do family house take pics, do friends house & deck take pics, do your house & drive take pics. you can fill up a small photo album quick and it can look impresive to customers.

    JL

  11. Posted · Report reply

    Ken good stuff as usual!!!!

    I'm not great with the numbers but I am trying. I'm way ahead of last years #'s and of course it because of more work that I've gotten, but I do and am trying to cut cost without cutting quality. Some simple things, better time management getting my guys out working quicker, shopping for price & quality on chems, replacing parts before they wear out and cause problems, grouping jobs(residential) one neighborhood one day and another a different day

    As for time estimates Ive also gotten much better with that and I've had to increase some of the prices on some jobs. Ive lost a few jobs because of it but Im making more per job for less work.

    If you aint growing your dying, very true!! The past years Ive double or almost doubled my gross, this year it wont be double but my #"s are great and hope to have my 1st half million year in 2007 or 08

    Target marketing works, I like and make good money with PM companies so thats 80% of my marketing. I've decided not to drop residential and may even start targeting it some in upcoming months for a couple reason, it fills in some slow times and theres a need for it in this area so I figure why not help fill that need. I usually dont make as much doing residential and its more time consuming doing the estimates and everything else involved, but I can still make a good days profit

    Ive definitly found theres more to biz than just the actual work and you know I enjoy most of it and I hope someday that I wont be doing the actual work. I wish I had a better business mind and was better with the #'s but you have to work with what you got.

    Good stuff Ken we all learn from each other

    Thanks

    JL

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Gosh, I didn't mean to start another one of "these" threads. I know there will always be two sides to it and that there will be hardcore xjetters and hardcore downstreamers when it comes to doing houses, but I'm an open minded person and I wanted to learn both ways. I don't bash one or the other, both ways work and always will. What really got me curious about downstreaming houses is that most of the veterens do it, they started out doing it, tried the xjet for houses, and most of them are going back to downstreaming, so I asked myself why? I wanted to see for myself. Well I am pretty confident, once I get my tips figured out and practice on a couple more houses, that downstreaming is faster and more efficent for most house washes than xjetting. Don't knock one or the other until you've tried it both ways.

    Theres no problem Barry, like Mike & Lance said. What ever works best for the individual. I never put down downstreaming because Ive never really done it. I just state what works for me. I do so many complexes and have to run so many feet of hose and need to pump that chem on fast every single day that I just stay with my xjet for now. Im the old story of its hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Hell I hooked up a chem injector a few weeks ago and couldnt even get it to draw so I gave up. Maybe one of these days I'll get one of these downstreaming guys or you to come set me up the right way and I may convert, until then its the hose & bucket routine and on to the next complex.

    JL

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Isn't the point to using the Xjet the ability to draw MORE chems than downstreaming?

    I wish I could explain it, I still get a ton of chem and it cleans fast, but with 3/8th I used say 2 & 1/2 5's compared to say 1 & 1/2 5's when using 1/4" line.

    I'd like to show you what i mean, there s a big difference and its lesser amount of times you have to fill the bucket. I mix 2 - 2 3/4 gallons 12% & soap and top off the 5 with h2o. Get plenty of chem.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Great work Barry, Im just so used of using Xjet, maybe some day I'll try downstreaming , I just worry I use up to 300- to sometimes 400ft of pressure line

    For those who use Xjet, I put 1/4 inch line, barbs & shut off valve and I use a lot less chem. I mix 2 gallons of 12% soap and the rest water in a 5 and I can do a 1200-1400 sq ft house with the one 5. I have no clamps on my xjet hose or the at the shut off. I just apply chem pop off line at shut off and rinse it takes a second and then rinse.

    Converting to a 1/4 inch xjet hose saves a lot of chem and does the job

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Head eng, head of maint. Procutrment Dept. Colleges have web sights, look for Dept heads and call & write them ask to meet with them. Most or all work at Universities have to have 3 bids

    I got on a univ. list for all their bids for washing, I called head of maint. asked to meet with him, brought in a couple dozen donuts, list of references and we talked and gave him sales pitch. It took almst 10-12 months before I got 1st call to bid and it was in the form of an email

    Ive bid on 3 projects and got one so far, a slate roof on a large building. If you get a meeting do follow up calls every 3 or so months

    They will do a lot of the work when students are out on breaks also

    Look for the websights gget some good info sometimes

    JL

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks guys

    Im going back to pissing & Moaning WHY? I just had 4 new tires put on 2 weeks ago and as my guys were driving to the next job today, they saw one of my tires pass the on a main road, yup the whole damn tire fell off, while pulling trailer. The shop didnt tighten lugs, the service guys from one of their other shops came and put lugs on and got it to shop, smashed up rear 1/4 and ground down the drum, no one was hurt. I'll be pissing & moaning at the tire center, they said the tech is no longer with them and insurance will take care of it

    I got a friend lending me his truck to tow my trailer Cool

    Just another day. MY DAMN TIRE JUST FELL OFF can you believe it

    Everyone have a good one

    JL

  18. Posted · Report reply

    I've realized recently that I have been pissing & moaning a lot and just not being positive in some of my posting, Ive been complaining about, gas prices, the goverment, illegal immergrants etc.. One of m workers the other day said to me man you just been negative lately, I do some of the same pissing & maoning about stuff that I have on this BB lately, that made me think.

    I have a great life lots of goods things happening and my biz is going well, I get stressed and I dont like a lot of things that are happening in the country, but I wont fix them by complaining. So I apologize for being negative recently and Im going to change my attitude on this board and in everyday life.

    Life is good, sometime you just have to remember that

    Everyone have a GREAT day!!!!!:lgbounces

    JL

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Carlos & Rod, I know many different nationalities come here illegally, but the biggest group that I see every day is latin american, south american etc and these are the people I see taking lower paying jobs which are bringing the wages down for many. I know Im sounding racist and Im sorry, but ive seen this happening & growing for years , not just recently from the news accounts. I just brought it up because of the boycott and whats been going on in congress.

    I have no problem with Mexicans or others who come here legally. we just have to many, to fast coming here, theres reasons we just dont say anyone can come here whenever they want. Hell we'd have a 1/4 of the people on this planet or more come here. We cant have it that way

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Yesterday as we were out working, we noticed that there were almost no contractors out there (smaller crews and fewer trucks), and the landscapers were not out at all. This area has a huge hispanic population. From what we could see here both legals and illegals took the day to rally. Of course we are in the DC area. We even had a homeowner (not one we were working for just a bystander) try to give us a hard time.

    I'm not going to get into the right or wrong of it all.

    Beth

    Ive read & heard of many businesses & people being threatened If they went to work or open their businesses, businesses run by Americans or Mexican Americans. Now is this the element we want in our country. We have illegals threatening legal americans or even illegals that just dont want to start something

    I just want to know who they think they are to come here illegally and threaten us. Close the borders now!!! or we will keep paying in many ways

    My Brother has lived in the Orlando/St Cloud area for over 22 years and always loved the area, I was never a big fan of the area just because its to hot for me. But my brother has raised his kids there and loved it. He now says its just not the same anymore and is thinking and is going to move out of the area for 2 reasons overcrowded and to many mexicans, he feels its brought the quality of life down. He's always been an Exec Chef and worked with all races well, but now its just different he says an he's uncmfortable in his own country or that part of the country

  21. Posted · Report reply

    You know the rally's went off yesterday, did it help the illegals or hurt their cause

    I personally dont like that we have a million or more illegals walking in protest and nothing is being done about it by our goverment. I know they couldnt sweep in and start arresting them, there would of been a riot. But like one sign I saw said" Im illegal so what". I think these rally's are just going to bring a bigger wave of illegals into the country, what do they have to fear? not much and I'm once again blaming our goverment. We are doing nothing. Why?

    We have a goverment that supports illegal activity

    I think many Americans are just sitting back watching and many dont like the fact that the illegals are here and may vote that way. I think the illegals should shut up and be happy they are getting away with it

    Why dont they protest in their own country for better living & working conditions. Their goverment is supporting them coming to America, soon there will be no real border and more illegals, drugs & crime will just flow into our country whats to stop it. Yes there are many hard working mexicans , but there is a lot of crime & corruption in Mexico and its just going to keep coming our way with out secure borders and dont dought that many terrorist have come here and possibly are hear now and they came over from mexico.

    We need to secure our borders, get a handle on stopping the flow of illegals, drugs, crime & terrorism and then once the borders are secure we an start to process immigrants quicker

    Im voting for the 1st candidate that states he's for closing the flow of illegals, makes it a felony to hire them and wants the ilegals deported in mass, Republican or Dem they would get my vote

    Boycott in your own country and stay there.

    Whatever our opinion is let it be known www.sanate.gov www.house.gov

  22. Posted · Report reply

    I agree with Lance on the speed of downstreaming and with Ken on chemical strength overkill when using an x-jet on average housewashes.

    Maybe that is why so many have problems with windows and plants.

    There is a lot of overspray I guess, but Ive only had problems with plants a couple times in a few years and windows once and that was on a 4 story building with a lot of wind. Ive done well over 1000+ homes in the past few years plus roofs, decksetc with the Xjet. You just have to know how to use it as with any other kind of tool, a quick wetting of plants & windows will save you any problems. I do tons of complexes 2, 3, &4 story condo anywhere from 2 -48 buildings and many have a lot of mold & mildew buildup. with the xjet I can get the chem I need and fly through these complexes.

    Im not saying xjetting is better I just dont know, but with the amount of complexes we do, Im staying with what Im used to. Wet & rinse & your OK

    JL

  23. Posted · Report reply

    I feel that everybody should become legal! But it should be before they ever come here. There are many immigrants from South America that are very hard working people should they have to wait 8, 10, 12 years for papers or to become a citizen probably not. 1, 2, or 3 years or a little more to be allowed to come work legally yes and then another few years to see if they are worthy to become a citizen and then after they pay their dues and stay within the laws & rules of our country they should be allowed to stay.

    I just think & fear that we as a country cant sustain 1/2 to a million illegals every year or so coming here. Ive seen wages go down in my area in construction and hotels because of so much cheap labor from the illegals and my area is in a building boom and wages shouldnt be going down. I also think you should learn the language & customs of the county you want to call your new home.

    Many years ago 1980 I lived in Santa Barbara CA and I worked in a computer clean room it was me and one other american guy and about 8 mexcan women. I used to come in and the radio was on a mexican sttion and I would turn it to an american station so I could understand it. After a few months working there a couple of the mexican women started complaining to me, they spoke broken english. They didnt like me turning the station, nicely I told them I dont know spanish and that why I would turn the station( plus i cant stand the sound of the music ). Well there was many complaints about me turning the station to our boss and he said why dont you listen t the mexican music for half the the shift and my music half. It became a big thing ad I said its ammerica and we shouldnt have to listen to Mexican music that i dont understand at all. Well it went all the way to the top brass and at the time it was decided and I think it was the rule of the area or company that everyone was to speak english. so they said the same about the radio and it no longer played mexican music. I had some mad mexicans but i also had a few say they didnt blame me

    Come to our country legally and prove your self and and learn or rules & customs, immigrants from all ver the world have for decades. Our country wasnt designed to take in immigrants and set up a bunch of little mexicos it was designed to bring in immigrants and make them a part of America making America stronger not to divide it into little ethic groups and Im not saying they have to give up their culture, but they sure should learn ours and make it a major part of their everyday life, my ancestors did and so didnt every other group of foreigners for over a century or 2

    We cant keep up the pace of illegals coming into this country with out it adversely effecting the country. We pay a lot out of our pockets every day to give them free services etc. Let them work and contribute just like all of us do

    God Bless American and dont change the Anthem

    JL

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Anybody going to participate in the national boycott that is going to go on Monday for the illegal aliens or the rallys. I'm NOT. I dont like being around that many people breaking the law

    I just cant figure why they are going to boycott the economy that is giving them work. I was told by many in construction that there has been a lot of immigrants not working this past week out of fear of a immigrtion sweep. I heard they might do it at some of the smaller rallies or take photos of them and get them later, we'll see

    I'm getting a little sick of seeing some of them holding the American flag upside down

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Congrats Jeff let me tell you a lil funny story.The wife and I had three ultra sounds as a precaution and on three different ultra sounds and different techs they all told us its a girl well my wife had a c-section and they pulled her out and low and behold it was a boy.We had everything planned we had a name Madison Ray,all of the new baby clothes had been washed and ready to wear we were ready to bring our baby girl home.The Dr. pulled her out and I said my girl has balls.The Dr looked at me and laughed he said I don't see any balls but I do see 2 testicles.My wife looked up at me and said you have to go home and get some boys clothes.We weren't disapointed at all just a lil surprised.We have a healthy 3 1/2 yr old boy named Aydan.We aren't sure when we are going to tell him that story for fear of giving him a complex but I am sure one day we will.

    No way Mel, thats unreal. My wife would die

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