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Beth n Rod

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Posts posted by Beth n Rod

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Hello Jason,

    You left a lot to be unpacked here.
    When we first started back in 1999, we were heavily investing in the business and broke even that first year as a result. Buying small and 'inexpensive' equipment was the first thing we avoided. While you may save on the money spent, you lose time and spend on fuel in order to replace something that is only meant for the 'Consumer' to use a couple of times a year. No where near the demand you will place on the equipment. 1st lesson: Don't compromise on your equipment. You get what you pay for and that can be costly as you have found out.

    Buy a Whisper Washer (Wheels or not). These units have lasted me years with little downtime and maintenance. Buy an in-line filter for it too! Many times the unit will be left disconnected while rinsing and such which allow debris to get into the connection line and harm the swivel with the grit and worse, plug up the nozzles. All requiring more downtime to fix than the cost of the in-line filter as a one time purchase. The filter has a detachable portion for cleaning out the screen inside and easily reassembled to continue the work.

    We also started out with cold units for our washing needs until we could afford a hot water unit. You will find this alone is indispensable for much of the work and makes it much easier to clean when the temps are not above 50°.

    Next. Stop using direct pressure on aluminum/vinyl sided houses. Get an X-Jet or M-5 Jet for applying the soap to the exteriors and a tank brush for use on an extension pole (varied lengths - 12', 16' or 18' and 24'). Apply your soap to the siding, brush the surfaces starting from the top down and rinse as you go.
    The reason I am being so forward in the instruction here is that you are doing damage by applying pressure to siding. This forces a lot of water behind the siding and can cause the sheathing behind it to swell and buckle (Don't depend on builders to always install a moisture/vapor barrier before installing the siding!!! I have many stories to support this!). The other is that when that much water gets behind the siding, you are going to have leaks either inside the house or at least behind any barrier that is there which will keep the sheathing plywood wet and lead to mold growth. Don't make a sick house!

    Many 'Low-ballers' are around. These fly-by-nighters always do this road signage with rock bottom prices. Don't worry about them. They'll sort themselves out by not making any real money and losing their asses! Trust me on this. Get your pricing in line! Set yourself an hourly wage. Determine your prices based upon the supplies you need to do THAT job. How long it will take and include all the incidentals that go into your business to operate. EVERYTHING!

    Labor is a challenge for everyone in the industry these days. One has to come up with a solution to meet their needs for a wage and any incentives that you can work into your pricing. Remember! Your pricing determines what you can pay your employees per job, which equates to an hourly wage they will get regularly as long as you can keep them busy.

    Look me up on See Dirt Run! Inc. Facebook page and send me a message. I'll get back to you that way and be able to help with many of the other questions you have here plus a supplier that can help with your chems.

    Rod & Beth
     

  5. Posted · Report reply

    On 3/9/2023 at 5:48 PM, jobalthough said:

    Hello all. Well as you all may be well aware of, working on your car, makes messes, stains floors! I personally don't care to much but my land lord threw a fit when he saw some of my floor lol So he want it cleaned up! Heres what I have... Garage floor is concrete and the backyard has concrete pavers. The stains I have on there are, transmission fluid, pb blaster, grease, just car gunk/grease/grime stuff that fell of suspension and other parts of the drivetrain during removal. Heres the big one! I got a bucket and filled it with white vinegar to drop some suspension parts in, well after about a week it turned kinda orange and I took it out into the backyard and took out the parts layed them on the floor and sprayed them with my pressure washer. Left that orange tint residue on the floor, and that the one I cant remove! I have tried the simple green purple heavy duty cleaner, the purple power cleaner, I do have some of that kitty litter oil stuff, not sure if Im using it right because it doesnt exactly make it look like nothing was ever there, and thats if it even lifts some of the stain, dawn liquid soap.

    You have literally created the nightmares of flatwork pressure washing.
    While I am not a specialist in this, there are various cleaners that will help.
    This is the site to start: https://www.diedrichtechnologies.com/

    Rod &     Beth

  7. Posted · Report reply

    8 hours ago, jobalthough said:

    no resposne to this

    Unfortunately, this is a forum for pressure washing trades which has little exposure into concrete staining. We clean this surface all too well.
    I am guessing that no one who visits the forum has anything to help. It is out of the normal.

    I would suggest a concrete installation company or masons for patios that specialize in concrete patios and aesthetic effects to the installation.

    Rod & Beth

  8. Posted · Report reply

    On 12/4/2022 at 7:11 AM, jobalthough said:

    Has anyone or known of anyone whom has Acid Stained their concrete flooring? We are seriously considering this in our bottom story. From our research it appears this is a very long lasting, rather inexpensive to do flooring; with what appears as beautiful results. We will probadly have to travel all the way to Springfield MO to purchase this stain; unless someone knows of a place it is sold in North Arkansas. We looked at Lowes and Home Depot and they do not carry the Acid Stain just the topical stain. IF you have done this WHAT are the Do's and Don'ts that we may advoid. And WHAT were your results? Are you pleased with them? Thanks...  acid staining raleigh

    Being a pressure washing forum, this falls a little into the niche service and not many offer this as it is a rare service for these professionals.
    I would look into concrete installers and such for patios first and see if they would do work inside the home.

    Rod & Beth

  9. Posted · Report reply

    On 11/26/2022 at 7:37 PM, jobalthough said:

    Hi, I Just finished getting some concrete pavers laid (During the rain) epoxy vegas. Because of the light beige color, I want to seal them to protect them from dirt. I have had some prices to get them sealed and the price has totally shocked me! $600 to $700 or about 15psqm I am pretty sure it could not be that hard to coat about 40SQM of them Does anybody know or can recommend a good quality sealing product that I can use? It is only a courtyard but it is a main entrance to the back door and there is a chance we will be BBQing there. What type of product should I use, an acrylic sealer or another? Any other info that may help or is $15 .00 SQM a fair price? Thanks,

    Concrete pavers can be sealed DIY with V-Seal 101. You can buy it online and with a pump sprayer, apply it yourself. At approx 430sqft you'd need 2-3 gallons to do the job.
    The Product is 194.95/gal so therein lies the cost aspect you were shocked by. Others may be more expensive but low cost on labor to apply.

     

    Rod & Beth

  10. Posted · Report reply

    15 hours ago, jobalthough said:

    It seems that my golf cart batteries dripped onto a buddy's new concrete while my cart was parked there over the course of a few weeks while I rebuilt my storage room. The stains are orang/tan and I do have a couple of places where the concrete blistered. Not concerned much about the blistered area as I will skim it with some patch. The solution to the stain problem and how, please? What will remove the stain or bleach the concrete back to the normal off-white color?  concrete sealing jacksonville

    Acid staining is a way to change the color of concrete to begin with. Not sure how to reverse the process excess to neutralize it with an alkaline cleaner or bleach.

    Rod & Beth

  11. Posted · Report reply

    7 hours ago, stitch said:

    hey mate ...

    hypochlorite +- 1 %

    blended surfactants 7.125%

    balance 100% water

    any suggestions on what blended surfactants i should use?

    apparently this mixture is good for mould on canvas ect

    cheers kevin 

    We use citra-spray detergent from ACR Products. It is a great detergent with surfactants and emulsifiers to help clean.

    Rod & Beth

  12. Posted · Report reply

    19 hours ago, Collin said:

    Rod & Beth,

    Thanks for the quick response! Still pretty new at this stuff.  So you are recommending the R.A.D. product over the WD-80?  Are there any tricks to cut down on wood furring?  Especially on log sided homes? 

    Thanks,

    Collin 

    We used to use HD-80 but found that the formula was weakened and no longer as strong as it used to be.

    Avoiding fuzzing is like trying to avoid UV degradation. It is going to be a thing. Best option is to offer the buffing option to your clients as an aesthetic option.
    The fuzzing doesn't affect the performance of the product applied over it, but will turn out less even and in some cases, splotchy.

    Rod & Beth

  13. Posted · Report reply

    On 8/23/2022 at 12:22 PM, jobalthough said:

    Hi guys, I have been asked by a customer to lay ceramic floor tiles have always told people not to use ceramic on floor as it can break easy. But she is no budging on the tiles. It's only a small area 3x2 m2 in a kitchen. Anyone have any tips or advise on laying ceramics on floors as I've never done it. I haven't seen the substrate yet but guessing its concrete. Thanks in advance.

    I have ceramic tiles I have installed in my kitchen which have been doing just fine.
    There is a method and proper requisites in order to ensure the sub-floor is stable and doesn't move which requires joisting below no more than 16" O.C. If that is not applicable, one needs to lay an additional layer of plywood, seal it and then make sure the flooring is level. If not, use self-leveling concrete. Then install the tile.

    A tile distributor would have the knowledgeable people to help get the job right. Just take photos and document the existing project and structural aspects for their reference.

    Rod & Beth

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Hello Collin,

    Yes, we still use R.A.D. and 633ADD for stripping acrylics and other tough oils like Sikkens suite of products (now called Proluxe by PPG Paints) .
    Our source for 633ADD is ACR Products. Tell them Rod & Beth from See Dirt Run! sent you.
    R.A.D. (Restore A Deck) is available from (click the link). The main page this lands you on is the consumer page. You need to create an account to get to the contractor section. Click the Log In link at the top and set up your account.
    I get sent samples from so many other providers but we always seem to gravitate back to R.A.D. as a tailorable strength product that can clean at lower concentrations and more as you increase the strength of it and dwell time. It goes a long way and we use as little as an ounce per gallon up to 4-6 oz/gal for stripping various coatings.

    Hope this helps

    Rod & Beth
     

  15. Posted · Report reply

    I have ceramic tiles I have installed in my kitchen which have been doing just fine.
    There is a method and proper requisites in order to ensure the sub-floor is stable and doesn't move which requires joisting below no more than 16" O.C. If that is not applicable, one needs to lay an additional layer of plywood, seal it and then make sure the flooring is level. If not, use self-leveling concrete. Then install the tile.

    A tile distributor would have the knowledgeable people to help get the job right. Just take photos and document the existing project and structural aspects for their reference.

    Rod & Beth

  16. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, wiliamjacket said:

    I can't be one hundred percent sure, but it seems to me that for a high-pressure washer you don't need a large number of workers at all. Don't you think so? When I hired guys from https://sparklewash.com/foxvalley/, then only 2 people arrived and did their job quickly and efficiently enough. That is why it seems to me that the human resource is not so much needed. It's another matter if we talk about technical resources. More investments are needed here, since these sinks cost a lot of money.

    Perception is key here. You may only see the one crew responding for service to a location. Meanwhile, there are numerous other crews at other locations depending upon the company and the demand they have. Some are one man shows. Others 1-2 crews. Others can be up to a couple of dozen. It all depends on how much demand there is and the ability of the owner to build a service team to meet that demand.

    Rod

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Determining weight capacity is a good thing. Next. Determine what will have weight and what amounts.
    Water is 8lb/gal so you won't have a very large tank when considering the pressure washer weight, the hose reels, hoses and anything else you install upon the trailer.
    The water tank is the largest variable as you may have guessed. Also to consider is a baffle system inside the tank to help with water sloughing inside. This can be dangerous with a barrel tank. Square tanks tend to be safer in this regard.

    Let me know if you have any questions.

    Rod

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Rust is typically removed with Phosphoric acid.
    You mentioned a metal shim so that should be a good course of action. More dwell time as well. This stain looks to have been absorbed over time so it will have penetrated the pores of Ipe which is unlike soft woods which have elongated fibers instead.
    The sanders may come in handy after again.

    Now, as to the photo, this looks to be a caustic stain. Given it in a public use area, who knows. I would try f18 alone. Prepare you may have to do entire lengths of boards to keep the appearance more uniform. Brushing may also be helpful. Neutralize after.

    Rod & Beth

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