RyanH

Verizon has worked everywhere for me except deep in the inner bowels of a super Walmart and a few spotty areas in the mountains (not a problem in southern FL).

Awhile back one of the places I worked was doing some roof work over machinery and they didn't want the risk of rain getting in the equipment. They tied huge tarps to the roof and gathered them along the bottom and directed the fall into 55 gallon drums. They span of roof damage was around 70 feet and they had 20' tarps dropping into 4 55 gallon drums and it worked rather well. It'll be a chore getting the tarps up there and tied off, but once it's in place things should work rather well. As for allowing the HD-80 or F-18 to get on the brick pavers, that's for someone with more exp. to answer....

Northern Tool sells them....it's basically a 13 - 18 HP motor connected via a belt to multiple blades on a deck with wheels. You crank it up like you do a push lawnmower, hook the hitch up to your ATV, golf cart, go-cart, etc. and pull it around. I made a redneck version of this with a 3.5 HP murray push mower years ago and a golf cart and rope. It worked rather well!

I've been using a 24' fiberglass for quite awhile with a stabilizer and have loved it. Last week, however, I had an opportunity to use an aluminum Little Giant....I'll be buying one of those VERY soon!

2 feet doesn't seem like too far....what if you tied off some heavy plastic under the deck to direct the runoff from the deck to the ground below, angled backwards so that it doesn't have a chance of making its way to the water.

By how much does the dock hang over the water and how wide is it? How high from the water surface?

Interesting topic. Taking it a step further, does anyone check the country of origin when buying products? I used to buy whatever was cheapest. As I'm moving into home ownership and am shopping for things for the house, however, I've become quite averted to things made overseas. I guess I'm just tired of some of the cheap crap I see flooding the shelves in places. It's getting the wife aggravated at me...especially when I passed up a china-made Craftsman cordless drill sale for $99 for an american-made brand at $199. I know in a macroeconomic application free market can and will rule, but I like keeping money local, too.

If you think there is a good possibility of selling quality services in the neighborhood to people touring, perhaps you can do the entire thing for the original proposed clost of the flooring with the agreement that they will display your flyers and have a stack of business cards available to everyone who sees it. Hey, do a two-tone and really sell the thing! Wife and I went to a display of several high-end homes being built in a neighborhood that had various things homeowners would want on display (decorations, media rooms, game rooms, specialty tile work, "luxury" bathroom designs, deck staining quality that is very unusual for the area, etc.). Every contractor that had a part in putting the finishes on the house had displays and flyers detailing their work. There were many many many people passing through who signed up for estimates to have things done on their own property.

Another... What occurs once in a year, twice in a week, but none in a month? the letter "e"

I don't like to pull out the equipment for less than about $275, but I will occasionally go out for a $100 driveway or something that can be done in about an hour. I absolutely despise the calls I get where the customer says something along the lines of "I already did this and that and just need to have this other little thing cleaned. It isn't much." Implicitly they are telling you that they don't want to spend more than $20 or $30 on it (geography depending).

I may do it...my granddad has a weekend house on a little river (close to Toogoodoo) in Hollywood where I spent many childhood days casting for shrimp and picking at the fidler crabs, catching shark (before the trawlers), and playing on the mud flats. When I would swim in the river, we'd tie a 50' rope to myself and the dock so the current wouldn't carry me too far away. Oh how those were the days. I'll probably be making my way down there quite often over the next few years to visit him before it's too late (gave up one of my businesses...now I have more time for the important things in life!!). Ryan

Chalston, SC eh? (if you're from Charleston, you pronounce it "Chalston" if your family lived in the area for a long time) Ah...my hometown. I'll be heading down there in about 3 weeks to eat some of the country's best bbq (that'd be Roberts).

Okay..I guess I was thinking of the trim that runs along the roof line as being fascia. Whatever those things are called....THOSE are usually made of wood or vinyl :) Or atleast on the houses I've done. I've seen one or two that looks to be aluminum riveted together for long sections, but very rare.

fascia and soffits are usually made of wood or vinyl...sometimes metal but not often. Using purple power will work on these things....I used it on a house today to clean the window sills and trim work and it does a fine job. The down sides of using PP is 1. it costs more to use than bleach/soap combo 2. it is immensely more difficult to rinse than bleach 3. can cause more problems than not if allowed to contact glass I used it today because I didn't have enough of an area to clean to justify pulling out another chem container and hooking up another hose. my PP tank was there and I was already using it on the gutters, but I wouldn't recommend making a habit out of using it all the time. But that's just me.

I'm hard-headed when it comes to doing things myself, so I can kind of see where you are coming from. So, let's say you don't take the advice of others and still want to do it yourself (which, depending upon the size and scope of the project, may leave you regretting it in the end). Nonetheless, you have the equipment, you have the desire, and you have the problem of a dirty house. First, realize that you can see a pressure washing machine as one of two things (of primary use, anyway): 1. You can use it as a way of delivering a high amount of force to remove dirt, paint, concrete, wasp nests, etc. 2. You can use it as a mass-delivery system for water and chemicals...as opposed to using a water hose or garden sprayer. Since you are cleaning wood and not concrete, purpose #1 would not be the route to take. Instead, go with #2. Realize that you are not going to clean your house by blasting every inch with high pressure water. Use your washer to wet the entire structure in a short amount of time, downstream (via the port at your pump exit that goes into your high pressure stream) a chemical, in your case most likely bleach (draw straight from a 6% container, don't dilute), soap (dish soap usually works best), and some Greased Lightning. You can mix this stuff together in a bucket and spray your entire house down (but do one wall at a time). Let it sit, then rinse it off. Don't rinse it off with high pressure close up to the wall, back away. You are *RINSING* here, not blasting the surface off. If this does not successfully clean your siding, you will most likely have to resort to using a brush on an extension pole, reapply the chemicals, and rinse again. Just don't, at any point, try to "blast" the dirt off....it's never a good idea and simply will not work. People have used the "dirty plate" analogy....you can scrub a plate and put lots of force on it with water, but letting it soak in soapy water for awhile will be much more effective. The reason for hiring a contractor is that they will have access to better chemicals than you would find in any retail store, they will have better tools to work with (a pressure washer unit is only a small fraction of the tools necessary to do a quality job in a short time), and they will have the experience to know not to risk damaging paint, wood, or shattering glass by applying too much pressure. And in the time and aggravation you spend on doing it yourself, you may find it worthwhile to hire someone who has the tools. But, give it a shot. You may enjoy it. You may even learn enough to want to do some neighbors houses, buy more equipment, get more experience, and start your own company (I'm guessing that's how some of the naysayers started out in the wee beginnings). Just understand that fixing a problem can be expensive, so if you do damage something and call a pro out to "fix" it, they won't be easy on ya. ;) And if you do it yourself, start early in the morning, drink lots of water, and have a barbecue that evening with a cold beer because you'll need it!

If arrogance is correcting misinformation, then I'm guilty as charged. won't happen again......

Not if there is water remaining in the chamber. And not if the pressure in the chamber gets above 14 psi. Water may boil off at 212 (not 210), but it takes a HUGE kick of energy to get it to actually evaporate at that temperature. Simply getting it to that temp is not enough to induce boiling. sorry for being picky...

Don't forget that notary seal!!

For what it's worth, I refuse to take work where the homeowners just want me to blast the paint off the house and prep for painting. Think about the perception that may set up in a neighborhood for people driving by. One day they see you out there pressure washing a house...one week later they see a painting crew out there painting. With society being as it is now, most neighbors don't go asking what's going on, they just form their own opinion. I did one stripping job to prep for paint....never again. that job took longer than any housewash ever has.

I ran the crap out of my direct drive 3600 psi 4 gpm for well over a year and had no problems with it. If money is tight up front then there is nothing wrong with going this route if you are going to be cleaning houses and such. I'd go to a warehouse store or big box like HD and get the 4gpm unit and put money into extra hoses and an Xjet. Make plenty of money with this unit (and learn lots of stuff) then go buy a belt drive when this one wears out. Or sell it before then.

Go buy a rechargable 1,000,000 cp flash light and do your estimates at night. I picked one up for about $10-$15 awhile back. You don't need daylight to see stuff with that kind of wattage!

Should have told her that that price was her insurance and assurance that she would NOT be receiving the same level of treatment as the last hired help.

I've done estimates in the mornings and afternoons when nobody is home. Just get an idea of what the customer wants over the phone, let them know that you'll be coming by, what you will be checking and go do your measure up. Often I would tell the customer that my rates are based upon measureable dimensions (perimeter of house, number of floors, number of windows, type of siding, "special treatment" areas like flower beds, etc.) so that they will have an idea of what to expect. Others may disagree, and probably for good reason, but I've also found it helpful to get them to ballpark the size of the job and I give them a range of prices. For example, one conversation I had went something like this: " I want my house cleaned." "Ok, what type of siding? Vinyl, brick, wood, etc.?" "Vinyl." "How many floors and square feet?" "About 3000 square feet two floors." "Any idea on the perimeter of the house?" "No, not really." "Ok, that's not a big deal. If it's 3000 square feet then that's about a 1500 square foot foot-print. Most houses are built in a 2:1 or 3:1 width to depth ratio around this area, so that would make your perimeter between 160 and 180 linear feet. On a two story home the cost is between $2 and $2.50 depending upon what you want done. Have you noticed any accumulated grime, dirt, or spiderwebs on your window sills?" "Some spiderwebs, yes. Really haven't noticed if there's any dirt around the windows or not." "Ok, if there is I can take care of all of that. Part of the service includes scrubbing all windows and surrounding trim to remove the dirt and dead bugs. How about gutters? Have you noticed any streaks or severe dark discoloration on them." "Well, they do look dirty but I haven't noticed if there are any streaks." "That's okay..I can check that when I come out. If there are I have a cleaner that will remove them and make the gutters look like-new. How about any thing I should be aware of, like flowers or fences, animals, nosy neighbors, anyone sleeping in the house that I would scare by walking around the house?" "No, no...none of that (if there's laughter, that's GREAT). You're fine to check it out." "Well, I'll come by and check everything out tomorrow morning and leave my estimate on your door. Based upon what you've told me and the approximated measurements, the total should fall somewhere between $350 and $450 for the entire process and that does include brightening your gutters, cleaning your windows and making sure everything looks, smells, and is clean, unless there is anything strange that may require extra steps." "Okay. sounds good." "Did you want me to measure anything else while I'm there? I can leave you an estimate for the driveway or your roof if you feel that you may want those cleaned in the near future." "Yes, you can leave an estimate. I would like to have that done a little later." "Great. Well, I'll come by tomorrow and call you tomorrow evening. Thank you for calling. " It isn't always that eloquant on over-the-phone quotes. You may have to defend why you are $200 more than the last guy. Maybe not. If you are sure enough about how you present it things usually go pretty well. But be sure to not pidgeon yourself into a hole. There are many opportunities for inaccuracies here and they all begin with the area they tell you on their home. You'd be amazed at how many people greatly underestimate the size of their home. They will usually tell you the appraised area and leave out any garages, add-ons, etc. that can easily add more than 40 feet to the perimeter and really affect the final price. Sorry to be so long winded.

A 0 degree does not fan the water out and spread the force of the water over a large area; rather, it concentrates it in a very small area and puts a HUGE amount of pressure on the wood. Doing this can gouge out wood and rip stucco from the side of a house down to the "chicken wire' (you're from GA, so you have probably noticed that we don't use real stucco here...this stuff you can put a hole in with your thumb). It can even gouge some concrete. If you gauge the wood, no amount of sanding the areas around it will every smooth out the damage and hundreds of dollars worth of damage can be caused in the blink of an eye. The only thing I've used my 0 degree for is to knock wasp nests down out of high places.

Check for a clogged tip or your tip is too restrictive or your hose length is too great or the hose is too small. It's a basic form of feedback in the system. Your tip requires a certain pressure to force a liquid through it (more viscous liquid could also be the culprit...what're you pumping through it?) Once the pressure builds up to a certain point, it will flow through the orifice. Simultaneously, once the pressure reaches a certain point the pump will shut off. Most likely the pressure point of your hose/gun/tip system and the pump are very similar and are slightly out of sync. Fiddling with the pressure valve on the pump to increase the pressure at which it shuts off should fix it. I had this problem before but length of hose and vertical distance between pump (on ground) and my gun (3 story roof) were the culprit that day. A weak battery made the situation worse. Check your charge (a multimeter is an invaluable tool to have around).