Beth n Rod

I remember when we took the PWNA Wood Certification class in 1999. As I recall Wolman had a great deal to do with the beginning of that program. Over time it has evolved, and more information has been added to it and taken from it, as new products came onto the market based upon new technologies. This is logical. Information needs to continue to evolve and change with the industry. Beth

I never touch the stuff myself...but I do like a productive conversation. Rod!~

Well put! :cheers: Beth

PWNA News December 22, 2006 The winner of this months contest for a brand new Dewalt Pressure Washer valued at nearly $1000.00 is, Kevin Pearson from Great Falls, Montana! Congratulations Kevin we know you will put this pressure washer to good use! The Power Washers of North America would like to thank everyone for taking the time to fill out this survey and we look forward to your responses in future surveys. The PWNA would also like to welcome our newest manufacturer member, Dewalt. Welcome to the industries' association, we look forward to our venture together! The exciting opportunities available through this partnership with Dewalt and other industry leaders are far reaching and will promote the proper techniques used by professional pressure washers across the Nation. We are excited to announce that Dewalt will open its university's doors for PWNA to conduct our educational classes at their state of the art facilities. Also, look out for your associations' logo, it will now be endorsed by Dewalt on all pressure washing product boxes, units, and product manuals. The PWNA job safety manual will also be included with all Dewalt Pressure Washers to promote safe and proper techniques when pressure washing. What else? Dewalt is working with PWNA on creating an advisory board using you; our members and prospective members to give them feedback in the design and marketing of Dewalt products. Further details will be announced in future mailings of Water Works. You can imagine what doors this will open for your association in the future. We received tremendous feedback in response to this latest survey, and we're looking forward to meeting you in Vegas. Please visit www.thepwna.org for more details. If you are not already a PWNA member, give us a call at our main headquarters 1.800.393.7962, we would be happy to help. Please contact the PWNA headquarters at 800-393- 7962 or visit: WWW.THEPWNA.ORG The PWNA has represented the industry for the past 15 years and will continue to do so, on solid ground, for many years to come. Sincerely, Your Board of Directors The PWNA www.thepwna.org 1-800-393-7962 INFO@THEPWNA.ORG

?? you mean the PWNA's bbs? If yes, they pulled the plug on that mid-December. Beth

I think Carlos made a pot of coffee too.... ;) Beth

Having dealt with a number of manufacturers on their products and looking for help in trouble shooting to get a good result for my customers I have come to a conclusion that most do not have what it takes to offer a complete educational course. My reason for stating this is as follows: 1. The ones queried have not actually been out in the field to deal with maintenance after the initial application nor do they always have products that can help get the deck back to the optimal condition. The users of the product are left to punt. 2. They put the blame on the contractor even though they have followed the label directions. 3. Rarely do any of the labeled directions give any instruction on how to deal with the issues associated with conditions present on a deck that has been exposed to life. 4. I have been instructed to use methods contrary to the label, technical data sheets and/or manufacturers specifications for warranted installation. 5. Most importantly, their products do not always perform as stated on the label. These are points I would use to disqualify them as a suitable instructor/teacher for a class. The ones who are qualified in my opinion are the ones who have been out in the field and have had to deal with life exposure decks and structures, neglect, misuse and improper applications. The tried and true experienced professional who can back up their results in an industry sanctified test. As far as how long one has been doing it, the only concern I would have is if that person has been doing it right more than wrong. Take company A who has been servicing for 10 years (arbitrary numbers here) and they have been doing it incorrect by todays standards. While company B who has done their homework and after let's say 5 years is doing work that produces quality far greater than their 10 year in business counterpart. You see, there is a problem with qualification by years in business as to an actual portfolio that shows their work and testimonials. What is a measure of success? Like before in the previous example, determining that company A, B or C has been in business X number of years with Y$$$ income and has X number of employees does not unequivocally qualify them to become an instructor. This is unbalanced and incomplete. There needs to be tangible proof. Tangible proof is in the knowledge and use of X number of products or the use of Y number of equipment-tools/surfaces/structures in addition to Z amount of accredited education. This is the same formula as is found in a resume'. Validation is the determining factor we all must take into consideration. There are a few manufacturers that do offer good quality courses and provide excellent technical support on their products. But who is to accredit them as being a worthy source of information if you don't always use their products? It is biased education. In wood restoration for example, there is a myriad of products for use in cleaning, stripping, restoring that vary by chemical class and specific use of each. Not to mention the number of different types of coatings, finishes, preservatives, sealants, fortifier's and protectants. How many has any one company dealt with by their staff? Don't be fooled, most of them are reading information on a screen to help a caller and the answers are generic and narrow spectrum...for liabilities sake of course. Their products performance capabilities has been determined by an environmental accelerator which exposes a product to various intensity's of UV, heat, dry, cold, rain, freeze until a failure point is achieved in order to come up with an idea of how long it will last. This is not real life. Experienced users know. How about this as a criterion for validation?: How many years have they used a component specific product(s)? Which are they still using? Why/why not? Do they know what determines a component specific products applicability or unsuitability? Do they know how to remove a number of products? Which chemical or compound works best for which situation and why? Do they know which tools-equipment are best for condition A, B, C etc... Do they understand the safety regulations and practice them? What does their business profile look like? Are they following state and federal guidelines in all aspects of their business? There are probably a dozen more qualifying questions but you get the point. As far as BBS's and the information available on them are concerned; That falls into the lap of the person receiving the information to make the choice on whether it is valid or not. Many do research in other areas to qualify what they have read. Let's give people some credit here for being able to think for themselves. Perhaps there are people who would like to see a dependency for information to come only in a structured setting like a classroom. But that is another subject in itself. This subject of correct knowledge alone has it's own merits for discussion and I encourage others to participate. It is important. Rod!~

Personal opinion.... A manufacturer will teach you how to use their product. This may be the extent of it or may not depending on the manufacturer. Manufacturers want us to be successful with their goods so that we will continue to use them. It's that simple. Beth :groovy3:

Ken, You have a wealth of experience, and we are all glad you share it here. I understand completely about the writing thing...that's me as well!!!! ;) All, As I have said before, there are many, many folks here who have wonderful knowledge and experience to offer. It's okay, we don't all have to agree that the net is here to stay and so are the BBS's, we don't have to agree that this is the way the future is heading, we don't have to agree that each day the number of people going online for the first time increases dramatically. We can argue that there is nothing but junk out there, but I guess the fine people at Time Warner, CNN, etc....would not even blink at that. Today, you can get RSS feeds to your phone or other hand held device while in the field. We have users who do. You can go online in the field, look up a member, and call them for help. People do this too. It saves them time and money and it is today's networking. I coud go on and on...and I may later on - NYD and all I am feeling a bit reflective. But coffee....:cup: I'll need another pot to kick start me....back later... Beth

Tony I see your points. I always look to orgs...all of them. Going back to what I said, I do research. If I want to learn about roof cleaning, I look up ARMA and CS&SB and then after studying, talk to guys who do this as a majority of their income. There are various orgs out there, and also government agencies that are helpful, for example OHSA, and EPA, Forest Labs have lots of great info online, and they are certainly valid sources. The PWNA is one option, and we are members. But I don't put all my eggs in one basket or read only one book so to speak. There is a vast wealth of knowledge on many fronts out there. Best advice I can give you Tony, is give in a way that feels right for YOU. If that means you post a little in the slow season, great, if it means you donate time to an org, excellent. It's a personal choice and the fact you help is the important thing. It's that you do help, that is important. Know what I mean? Beth

The sky is the limit. I have only seen one 2 tone solid we did that I personally did not like. (brick red rails, tan floor) But, I bit my tongue and the customer loved it. When we were done the client told us the other color they almost chose (replace tan floor with cornflower blue) - boy were we glad they didn't. That's the hard part...it's their deck. Beth

Be creative, and tasteful, and the sky is the limit. We have two toned log homes, decks, and even a teak table. You can use two semi-transparents, one semi-trans and one solid, or two solids. It's up to you and to the customer's taste. Once we find out if a client is a 2 tone candidate (some love the idea, some hate it) then from there you begin a very patient process of color selection and the desired look. Masking is key. You have to spend a great deal of time on prep, and making sure the colors don't bleed.... Don't take shortcuts on tape, plastic, or tarps. I would also suggest you make the very first two tone job you do a simple one. For example, rails all white, floor in a semitransparent gold tone. Get the feel for it. It takes longer to do too so you need to charge more for two tone than single tone work. Hope this helps :) Beth

If you are not out celebrating tonight, get your pics out and post them before the contest ends. You have till the end of Tuesday... Post pics! :) Beth

Thanks! Here's another one....

Here's a snapshot of some of our users... http://forums.thegrimescene.com/showthread.php?t=8838 Beth

This is a make you think thread. The collaboration of minds here could come up with some ideas that could set things in motion but to where still is over the horizon. Hi Tony and welcome back to TGS. Your points are worth pondering but I also wonder if you have a plan? The subject being broached has a beginning, a middle and a conclusion. The beginning is to get people to realize that quality accredited education is in short supply. The middle is determining qualifications for being an instructor/teacher. The conclusion is the need for worthy leadership to help guide the preceding factors. What are your ideas? Anyone else have something to contribute? As your initial post pointed out, integrity and knowledge are the key components which opens up a gray area that most will find subjective arguments to support their positions. First task is unification. You started it with your post to get people to think about your concern. Next task is deliberation to form a consensus on what action to take. Third is choosing who is qualified, capable and willing to take up the post? I won't elaborate further till the first tasks have been completed. Otherwise, it is all just words on the screen. Rod!~

One other thought to ponder here.... If you go to a convention you meet both newbies and seasoned vets. You meet people from all walks of life will all kinds of experience or lack thereof. I guess I don't see how this is any different; we have all been in business varied lengths of time, we know what we know and we also know that what we don't know we need to learn from one who knows. Beth

I learn something new every day. As good as you are, you can never, ever, know all there is to know. When you think you are doing well, ask yourself a question you don't know the answer to yet, and seek to learn more. One of the most critically important things I walked out of college with, was the skill of research. To me, being able to study, research, think for myself and discover the answers was important. In all of my professional life ( not just in this industry either) this has been very important. It's OKAY to not know an answer. Do you know where a library is? Do you know how to read? Do you check several sources, and do you formulate conclusions based upon facts and date that is well supported? Do you know when to admit to yourself that you don't know the answer instead of Forrest Gumping your way through things? We are grateful to all who post here. We are grateful to our vendors with many years of knowledge who are here. We are grateful to the manufacturers who answer questions about products. We are greatful to the EMT's, Nurses, and so on who have offered first aid advice. They may wash part time, but have other skills to offer as well. We are thankful to those with backgrounds in chemistry who add wonderful knowledge beyond what we learn in the field. We are grateful to you all. We know we are a diverse group who do not know everything, but who together want to know more. TGS is here for the benefit of any who want to help their business grow, and each one of our members makes TGS what it is. Beth

Tony you raise some valid concerns. One of the things that I find so interesting about this industry, is that so many people come into it with a variety of backgrounds, some of them quite interesting. Some people don't have the backgrounds that other do this is true, but when I see some of the folks sharing who do have such rich backgrounds, I'm glad to see it. As an admin, it can be difficult to police all the users and to ensure all real names are used. There have been times when users have started our fictitiously and then changed their information. Some lurkers come around, others do not. I don't know if it helps to share this with you or not, but I hope it helps. :) It's good seeing you online again! :) Beth

Here's another fun one....

Thank you Mark Plaeger! Beth :sunshine:

He was a great steward of the position and should have been elected to fill a term or two of his own. Who knows, maybe things would be much different than they are now. Good-bye President Ford Rod!~

I found this information relating to Big Chaz's question. This is the best explanation my search could find which I think gives a good idea. Generally, a urethane modified product is meant to be more durable and difficult to remove by resisting surface activity by most chemical processes we know here. The term 'Urethane Modified' literally means what it says. I hope this helps. Rod!~

You are very welcome Howard! You are all very welcome. :) I'm adding some more info that I'll be posting a link to soon. We hope will help everyone with marketing and advertising for the coming season.... ;) Stay tuned! Beth

I think Rod uses (or at one time did) a clamp. He clamps the hose at the top of the bucket, with enough length to go to the bottom. Beth :cup: