Cleveland Mobile

problem with box trucks is the maintenance. Brakes are expensive....and if its a Dodge like mine....a tune up on the 360 is around 600. I've also torn down a few basketball hoops and phone wires through he years. Next time i'm going back to a maxi van. Andy

Be careful its not that recycled siding. You can tell if its color on the outside and black underneath. You CAN wash the paint right off that stuff. I ran into that in cleveland on a 400,000 home. Andy

I've always used an airless to apply sherwin williams.....a trick to get rid of the dark marks is a lambs wool pad soaked in mineral spirits....just rub them out...but it only works within a couple hours of sealing.....after that the dark marks are hard to work with. Andy

Before trying F18 I used my own mix that contains butyl.....I tried the HD80 a couple times (a gift from Mike Cappa before he moved)....Didnt work for me at all....but the F18 really worked well mixing 16oz per gallon. I've even run it through a downstream injector with good results, especially to clean concrete. I'm sure the HD80 is a great product and who knows...i could have mixed it wrong...but I'm a firm believer of carrying the minumum amount of chemicals with me.....usually there are only 3 chemicals in my truck to wash and strip decks....truck washing....concrete cleaning. Andy

I had a situation last year with a guy who insisted on a behr semi transparent stain. Sherwin Williams tried to match the color and when I brought a sample to him he wasnt pleased so I did a stupid thing...I went with the Behr. 2 nights later it rained and he called....said a lot of the stain washed off. Part of me wanted to say tough...but I went back and redid the floor and rail tops. Lesson learned....never again. Andy

It happens......every jerk off out there does something for a living. Thats why I try to be both professional and curtious when on the job or on the estimate. When I ring the font doorbell I always step off the porch so the customer doesnt feel threatened in any way. I try to look professional too. T-shirts with the company name etc. Do the job in a business like manner...no boom boxes blasting....keep the shirts on.....no yelling .....be neat about your work. Remember...every home owner has a horror story....not like the one described by Oreilly....but usually everyone has had work done they werent satisfied with...and that all the more make it necessary to put the customer at ease. Andy

Good luck to ya......I did a cuprinol strip job that was huge...once it was ready to stain it took 35 gallons of stain to do it. The stripping wasnt really that bad as cuprinol pretty much stays on the surface of the wood. Andy

Why? stripping cuprinol is very easy Andy

cuprinol is now called deckscapes....and the cedar color is more orange....looks different. Your always better stripping it off for a recoat as some areas may still repell the new stain. Best advice is use another product or try to get sherwin williams to match the old color. But good luck...i've even been in contact with corporate here in cleveland and they just cant duplicate the color. Andy

you may want to try 2 stepping the siding with an acid and then an alkaline. Although not often, vinyl siding, especially the cheap stuff can chalk up. Also be careful with the recycled vinyl. You can recognize this by pulling on a seam and checking if the color is all the way through. If the siding is white, for example, but black underneath...stay away from it. The color could come right off. And believe it or not, at least in ohio, you find this crap on the 300,000 plus homes. Andy

It has always amazed me that a homeowner will use kill ants with a chemical proven to cause cancer.......drink pepsi that contains phosphoric acid.......spill antifreeze on his driveway.......take a perscription without even checking on possible side effects ...and suddenly he's concerned about how you wash his house. My advice is that is the TYPICAL pain in the ass that is going to nit pick the job to no end.....stay away from him. Andy

Never heard of a ball valve "exploding".....spring a leak...sure, have the packing fail...sometimes. I have used a $7.00 ball valve from a local hardware store for years that is brass. I snug the packing up before I install it (under the handle there is a second nut) and havent ever had a problem. They usually last 6 months or so. I have bought some valves from pressure tek that are a much better and heavy duty valve....but I would never fear anything exploding. Andy

I have to take a physical every year for the health insurance. Same thing happened to me last year turning 50 (the rubber glove and the ky). I think the least the doctor could have done was taken me to dinner and a movie first.....i felt like a cheap slut. lol Andy

I've always used my own creation "Hotsoap" (got the name when my son was 5 and stuck his finger in the mix and said wow thats hot soap.....alkalines heat up when you mix them. A local "mixer" makes the kits for me...its cheaper through him than to buy the ingredients direct. Anyways, I've never ever had to brush anything. Usually a dillution of 15 to 1 is plenty even for the streaks. I use the same soap to wash trucks, decks, and stripping stain from decks. Makes life a whole lot easier than carrying different chemicals with me. The only other sollution I have is an acid for aluminum brightening....and I mix that too. The benifit is cost....the alkaline costs $4 per gallon and the acid $2 per gallon. Andy

Hell I didnt even know you could get vanity plates for a truck (commercial plates) Andy

97 Dodge 3500 dually with a 12' box. 360 gas engine which gets around 13 mpg. I like to take very good care of my trucks so it still looks like new. Over the years I've had chevys and fords too.....they are all good trucks as long as you maintain them...although the fords seemed a little more thirsty when it came to gas...I wish they still made that 300 straight 6. Amdy

You can regulate the pressure on an airless ....or change the tips. If you find the sealer is atomizing too much go to a larger tip. I cary probably 12 different tips ...after a while you kind of get the feel for which tip is needed. Andy

Had a similar thing happen to me with the back pack sprayer....after that i now use a sureflow pump to spray chemical. andy

Celeste... Sorry dont have any pics of it but its just a T attached to a swivel...on the t i put 2 90degree "L's" with spray tips. Thats why i said it looks like a "Z" Andy

Chris, I put a swivel on the end of a lance with a "T" and 2 nozzle tips positioned to spin (think of the letter Z) . I add the powder while under pressure. The lance stays put because of the way the nozzles point, although i periodically grab the lance and move it around the bottom of the drum. Also I used hot water when mixing. Andy

When I buy a pair of leather boots a put 2 coats of Thompsan's water seal on them.....thats right....thompsans...about the only thing the crap is good for. I put one coat on in the eve. let them dry and put another coat on in the morning using a windex type spray bottle. It really works. Andy

Lou... Interested in a hydro tek diesel hot water machine? Call me if you are interested 440-473-9935. Asking 2500 Andy

Reed Have you ever looked into prepaid legal? They have a program thats around 50 a month. whenever you need a lawyer its free. The program for 50 is for business. Look into it....i've used them many times. It sounds like you are doing the right things. Tell the homeowner you will do whatever you can in their behalf if they sue the builder. Andy

I mix all my own chemicals....believe it or not i carry 2..and acid and an alkaline. The alkaline is used for house washing and even deck stripping at full stength. I wash trucks, houses, decks, and flat work with the same soap at different dillutions. The acid is used to brighten aluminum or to 2 step. I have found that a high enough ph will kill mold ....at least in ohio. I've heard about the mold down south but i've never experienced it first hand. I just feel bleach is pretty scary to use with plants and possible streaking. Someday I would love to come down there and see how you use it. I'd be happy to bring some of my cleaners for you to try. By the way....the secret ingredient in all the gutter cleaners is butyl alcahol....i add this to my soap so I dont have to use a seperate cleaner for that either Andy

I never understand why you guys use bleach on a house Andy