Beth n Rod

Butyl based cleaners can damage the pigmentation in certain applications, do a test spot first. Rod!~

It sets a very impressive tone to be able to identify and understand any type of wood commonly found on decks in your area. Knowledge gives you key insights into conditions and problems you may face and whether or not you know them could determine the results you are able to get. Rod!~

Go to a lumber yard, pick out a sample of a bunch of types. Explore the color, weight, density, how easily is scratches, how it responds to chems and sealers, etc. Look at the grain pattern. In my opinion, you should know what wood it is, especially if the homeowner doesn't. Beth :cup:

If bleach does not handle it, then it is tannin bleed which can be lightened with citric acid. But...the stains may return again. It is the nature of the beast with this type of decking material that due to composition, the stains are produced from within. Rod!~

With Behr being the last product on it, you may have some residual staining that will appear upon application of the new product. If so, stop, strip it and the entire deck again, neutralize, allow to dry, defur and then seal. Rod!~

Change the switch. It's gone bad. Rod!~

If this is your area and you have Ipe experience, call me. Beth :)

No need to down yourself. We all probably sucked the first time out. I tore up our own old deck just trying to get used to the pw'er. The feedback was constructively intended. Rod!~

To remove fuzzies you need a dry deck. If you get them, better to come back when it is dry and buff them off and then seal the wood, or else you get the crushed velvet look. Been there, done that.... Beth

It's one of two things: either neutralization wasn't complete in those areas or there has been sufficient grease/spill traffic in that area to provide for the discoloration. They stop about where a table would be and the areas given protection by the furniture is lighter in comparison. Decks that have been allowed too much exposure to sun and use will develop these traffic areas and off coloring so much that it cannot be remedied without sanding. As a rule, we train to concentrate more on these areas to alleviate the possibility of stains embedded by foot traffic to become a discoloration later. Under the left side of the grill, there appears to be overlapping going on but still, the pics make it hard to tell completely. Also, I would note that if you get any stain drops or spills on the wood that you pad them out and leave a fading edge. There seems to be some of that to the right leading to the steps leaving an double coated effect. Also, it looks like the first 3 (possibly 5-6) deck boards on the left side of the pic are taking the stain differently. This is normal with newer or UV protected wood in contrast to old wood that sits out farther from the house and gets more direct sun. Sorry for the critique, but it is what I do when training my crews. You wouldn't respect us any more if we were just all saying "whoa, great job!" and not giving you the benefit of our experience with WT in general. Rod!~

Does he have health issues you are not aware of? Beth

There is a surface cleaner with a wand attached for just this type of situation where you need to switch between two units. The least expensive way is a ball valve before the gun. They are heavy and bulky but they do the trick. My technique is to wash all the large areas with the surface cleaner then wand the sides and clean up before moving to the next section. Rod!~

In '99 we started out with a couple of Excell 2500psi, 3gpm machines and they got us through the first year. Granted, we didn't have resources like TGS or other BBs with plenty of info and other willing to share or network. We have continually reinvested in the business by adding new vehicles, machines and other equipment to bring up productivity and quality. People used to tease me for running around with a pw'er sticking out of the trunk and a ladder strapped to the roof of my little Nissan Sentra. Some said all I needed was a propeller and it would look like an out-board motor. The very next year we bought a truck and newer machines and everything has grown significantly since then. Now we have reached a point of outgrowing our current location and have to make considerations in that regard soon. Now, as far as investing ... my first one will be education. You can buy all the tools and equipment you may need but without a good foundation to work from you could cost yourself in trial and error. I'll sit back on the rest so others can elaborate on their suggestions but I strongly suggest you get training in the field you are going to be specializing in before going much further. Once you know what you are doing and can do it well, you can make the money fast enough to buy the extras that our community of posters here will suggest. And they in turn will help you to make even more money. First things first, crack a book. Rod!~

We take them, have for years and it really helps. Some people have the credit line, but not the available cash. Beth

Courbaril is the formal name, aka Jatoba in Brazilian territories. Nice looking wood. Rod!~

That's beautiful wood! Beth

Not sure myself. Thought I would post to keep it towards the top for you though in case anyone happens to know about this. Rod!~

Hey gang! We broke 100,000 posts! Beth

Hi Jim! Good to see you here again! Beth

Oiy & Welcome! Good to see you lads from down under here on TGS. We have a couple more from Australia here as well and you may find networking with them helpful. Perhaps they may post here and introduce themselves as well. Enjoy the forums~ Rod!~

Yeah, I know, but given the fact that the extra cost in itself is enough that most people don't really want to have it done once they hear the price. In all, we have done literally 8 decks on the underside and not all of them were sealed as well. Fact is, most decks underneath are not really that hard to clean and pretty easy to seal so I don't feel we are taking that much of a loss since we are there to do the rest of the deck anyway. It's just an add-on that most do not worry about. Rod!~

So what?!?! The Home Owner made a decision based upon price. Let it go. The other who got the job and possibly ruins the fence will be the one who really pays. Keep your pricing and don't worry about the lowballers. They are a nuisance but they aren't always going to get the job. Once they have burned enough people, others like yourself who can provide reasoning to support your pricing and methods to back it up will eventually win out. Keep at it. Rod!~

Jarrod, Don't know what the weather was like that day, but maybe the key is not just pre-wetting, but setting up a sprinkler on the driveway.... It's cheap to take a supply hose to another bib and attach a sprinkler so you are hitting the most vulnerable area of a surface while you work.... pre-wetting (to me) means keeping the water moving nut just wetting the surface. The reason is simple, moving water will run off with increasing dilution. :cup: Beth

To avoid the mess, we remove everything at the end of each shift to account for all items checked out and the fill any containers and keep an up to date inventory. I have seen the backs of others vans and trucks and being a bit of a neat freak (goes with the job eh?) I insist on everything being orderly at all times as much as possible. My crews appreciate that they can always find what they need and it is easy to get to. We use check out/in sheets to keep track of all equipment, tools, chems, etc. Rod!~

The Envirospec Technical Service School For Contract Cleaners and the Rental Industry Jekyll Island, GA - June 11, 12, 13, 2007 We will also be hosting a best ball golf outing with prizes on June 14, 2007. Only 100 seats available so call 877-351-1238 and sign up now! Classes will be hosted by: Kohler Engine instructor Greg Dupree will be explaining the operation of and proper servicing techniques of Kohler gasoline engines. General Pump Master Trainer Technician Chuck Welch who will explain the function and proper methods and techniques to employ, maintain and rebuild a General Pump. Allison Iron Horse Technicians with both shop and practical field experience. In the classes you will receive: Hands on experience in breaking down and reassembling the General TS-2021 pump. Practical application on servicing and trouble shooting common engine problems and techniques for lasting repairs. Hands on experience from the ground up in servicing an Allison Iron Horse Hydro Cannon and an Allison Iron Horse Hot Water Fire Cannon. Additional classes explaining the operation and proper procedures of rebuilding unloaders, trigger guns, chemical injectors, and more. Extra time and emphasis will be placed on one of the most difficult parts of the pressure washer, the burner systems. You will learn this system from the wiring to final operation, and all the appropriate trouble shooting techniques you will ever need. Instruction will also be given on the proper setup and protection of your equipment to include winterizing techniques and the correct implementation of various components. One thing we can promise you - you will learn more in 3 days than you will in the next 10 years on your own. So if you are serious about this industry - you just can’t miss this school! The cost is $250.00 and includes breakfast and lunch for the 3 days of the school. An Overview of Past Technical Service Schools Various Pressure Washer Components Were Covered Discussions and demonstrations were given covering drive systems, switches, unloaders, nozzles, chemical injectors and trigger guns just to name a few. Each item was given a complete overview of its operation and its proper installation on a pressure washer. In addition, if any of the components could be rebuilt, a demonstration was given on proper disassembly techniques and the correct way to repair the product. We spent time discussing the advantages, disadvantages, and operation of the direct drive, gear reduction, and belt driven systems. Horsepower requirements and pulley sizing formulas were explained and how their relationships affect the total system. Additional time was taken to cover some real world examples for full understanding by all. Demonstrations were also given on how to rebuild a gear reduction drive and how to properly install it on your pump and motor. Throughout the class students were encouraged to participate in the discussions and share their “breakdown” experiences with the group. As each problem was presented, discussed, and solved you could see the students understanding of the components grow. This open discussion helped many to understand the proper application of each product and in some cases exposed how they were being misused which was causing their individual problems. Full Breakdown and Reassembly of Pumps The General TS-2021 pump was the main focus for the pump section of the school. Since the overall design and operation of the pump is common, this class was an excellent overview for all. Class discussion covered how pumps operate, the proper steps in rebuilding your pump, and tips on how to keep your pump running smoother and longer. After our discussion there was time spent in a hands-on teardown and rebuild session. This allowed the students overcome the intimidation of working on a pump for the first time and provided an opportunity to ask questions about what they were doing. This format helped the students get a complete understanding of the operation of a high pressure pump. As a special bonus this year the class will be taught by Chuck Welch who is the senior instructor for General Pump. Pump Competition After the class and hands-on time, a contest was held to see who could teardown and rebuild a General TS-2021 pump correctly in the fastest time. The winning team received prizes for each member of the ‘pit crew’. The winning pit crew consisted of Skip Jozwick, Patrick Petraccia, Robert Seiloff, and Andy Whitehead. This team was able to tear down and correctly rebuild, including the pump head torque order, the TS-2021 pump in five minutes flat. This was only the second time the individuals had attempted to teardown and rebuild a pump, and they did it correctly in only five minutes!!! To give an example of what they were able to learn, here is what the experts did. Allison Iron Horse Technicians and Tech School instructors Pete Case, John Allison, and Vince Troisi were coerced to compete and finished at just 4:31, but in haste, John broke a check valve and was penalized an extra 30 seconds. Kohler Engines In order to make sure you learn form the best, Enviorspec brought in the right people for the job. So when it comes to the instruction on engines we brought in Kohler Education Director Glenn Hamman and chief instructor Greg Dupree. In this section Glenn first covered diagnostics of the gasoline engines and then proceeded into something a little more in depth. This involved disassembly of an 18 HP Kohler Command engine. At this time one engine per every two students was provided and the students were talked through various tasks with his guidance. This small group hands on approach gave every student an excellent analysis of the engine. After the breakdown was completed instruction was given on how to properly assemble the engine using just a paper clip and a rubber band…Just kidding we actually used the proper tools and learned how to use a torque wrench and tighten the bolts using the correct torque settings. Throughout the class Greg moved through the different groups to help them and answer any questions they had. Many of our students appreciated the opportunity this class provided to take the mystery out of small engine repair. Burners While it is a relatively simple system the burners have always caused the most headaches for the pressure washing contractor. Because of this we made this a major topic of the school. This lesson included classroom instruction about how an electrical circuit is set up on a pressure washer burner. All the different switches that control the operation of the burner were explained and a wiring diagram was used to show how every wire is interconnected in the circuit. Discussions on fuel pumps, blower motors, adjustments, and the differences between 12 volt and 120 volt systems followed. After the discussion we went into the shop for some more hands-on time and proceeded to break down a burner and put it back together properly. In this section various diagnostic and repair tricks that have been learned from years of practice were passed on and the reassemble went very smooth. Lessons were learned and tips were shared which in the end allowed the students to leave with enough knowledge to work on their own burner systems without any apprehension. So if you are looking to learn all you will ever need to know about a pressure washer and more you cannot miss this class. Don’t wait! Classes fill up quickly...Call today! 1-877-351-1238 EnviroSpec - 1-800-346-4876