Mike Williamson

Jeff: What's your method for getting pine straw out of gutters?

Roughly, yes, using a 3gpm machine. More like 45% GS, 55% water.

I have never figured it up, but I would guess the draw rate would be consistent, just less depending on the proportioner used.

Right, or 3 gallons of water to 2.5 gallons of soap/chlorine/whatever. That's what I said! My point is that rather than having to reference the charts every time, it makes it much simpler once you realize that the consistent draw rate of the Xjet is 2.5gp. Once you know that, you can figure your concentration easily without the chart.

If anything, it helps get me more screened enclosure/pooldeck jobs...that stuff gets all over the inside of the support structure, and doesn't rinse off as well as it does on the outside. Not sure how it affects me getting jobs for housewashing, since I don't get a chance to talk to the customers who didn't call because of the pollen.

What the chart gives you is the ratio of water to chem. If you calculate the draw rate from those charts, you'll see that the draw rate is 2.5gpm, regardless

Great stuff, Ken! I think I need to drive up and follow you around for a week just to learn how to sell the customer! That's a weak area for me. I do close a pretty high percentage of my estimates, but I'm sure I could do better, and do a better job upselling.

LOL! The silver would be loading them in the dishwasher for you and turning it on. You get to unload them after they've dried. A gold wash would be a detailed handwash, allowing them to air dry in the drainer, and again, you get to put them away. The platinum is a detailed handwash, hand drying, putting them away, taking the garbage out, mopping the floor, cleaning out the fridge, washing the car, and mowing the yard. :lgkick:

Just tell them you need to see the job to give an accurate price, so all you need is the address and you'd be happy to come by and speak with them.

Looks like the roof and driveway need a cleaning. Send him a bid!

Did they say why they're closing? Lack of business? High costs of maintenance/operation? Some developer wants to build high rise condos?

What exactly are you referring to? Like a whole house package where you do everything? I usually offer a 10-15% discount if the homeowner chooses to have the roof, house, and driveway done at the same time. The housewash includes everything from the roof line to the ground, and any front/back porches if they're reasonably sized. If the gutters have streaks, I'll include that, and adjust the price accordingly. The homeowner doesn't get a choice in what's included in the housewash. I do, however, like the idea that Ken uses, offering several levels of service from a "splash and dash" wash to a full house washing including everything possible. I may look at doing that at some point.

According to the Xjet draw chart, it draws at 2.5gpm, regardless of your machine's gpm (assuming that you have the right Xjet for your machine). Whether that's totally accurate under all conditions, I don't know. If it is, you will have 45% Gutter Shock hitting the gutters. That's about right in my experience.

Of course. That's included in the bid (which would be higher because you need to set up a ladder and get on the roof).

I do everything from the drip edge down to the ground. I don't include sidewalks or driveways. If the concrete pad can be done in a matter of a few minutes, it's part of it. The chimney is always a part of it. The front porch/steps is part of it. Splashblocks are part of it.

Hey, Wayne! Happy belated Birthday! Sorry I missed it, been busy and had a sick baby to contend with the past few days. You know we love you!!

I make my own oxyclean... www.chemistrystore.com has a recipe. Since I buy the sodium percarbonate by the bucket, I just needed to buy fairly small quantities of a couple other chemicals. My wife uses it in the laundry, and other household uses.

I am always careful to keep water away from the lines, and very little water on the meter box. If everything is installed correctly and is in proper condition, you should be ok with a little water, but as Phillip mentioned, things aren't always in the proper condition. The thing I'm ALWAYS careful of is the ladder...I carry the ladder upright, and if I didn't notice the lines, I'd walk the ladder right into them. Aluminum and electricity don't mix well (or more accurately, mix too well). Be careful with your lance too. I've seen some awfully low power lines coming in, lines I could easily hit with a 4' lance if I weren't careful. Good thing is, 99% of the work I do is in newer neighborhoods with buried cables coming in.

Agreed, if you're not using a lot of it, better to buy in smaller quantities. On a busy week I might go through a couple hundred gallons of 10.5% (12% isn't available in pool stores here). The pool stores here sell it in 2.5 gallon jugs, and that's what I used up until recently. It just got to be a real pain to have to dump 5 or 6 jugs of chlorine into a 30 gallon drum when I needed to clean a roof, or have to run to the pool store every day or so to fill up 15 or 20 jugs. Just a lot of wasted time and effort. It will lose strength, slowly, but it will take many weeks for it to lose enough to notice.

I use 50 gallons of 10.5% and 10 gallons of soap (citracleen currently, fixing to try Sunbrite's citrus cleaner) in a 65 gallon tank hooked to my downstreamer. Works great, and for the rare job where downstreaming just doesn't get it, I use the M5. Just did my parents 2800sf two story vinyl house with a painted deck that wraps around 3/4 of the house in 2 hours, and used about 5 gallons of wash mix. I do NOT miss the Xjet for housewashing. Pull my hoses, crank the machine, start soaping. Swap tips and rinse.

Are the pictures all screwed up in that auction, or is the truck really that silly looking??

That's really what it comes down to for most of us...what we need/want per hour. Most of us make a bit more than $35.00/hour, but then most of us are insured and know what we're doing! You have to figure out what a job it going to take as far as time and supplies, and what you need to make per hour for your business to be successful.

What kind of meeting was this? Roundtable? I didn't even know there was a gathering going on.

Why not just put one two injectors on the same line, coupled with a short section of hose (1-2')? Would this work? If so, could you theoretically add as many injectors in line with eachother as you wanted, and increase your draw rate that way??

I buy the gun with the biggest opening that espec sells.