Mike Williamson

Wow, not here....I don't know the last time I saw an asphalt driveway here. Too hot for a car to park on the asphalt all day...It would deteriorate too fast. Just about everything is concrete here.

Yep, think I'm going to get the parts tomorrow afternoon and give it a shot. Hell, what do I have to lose? I had planned on buying 3 replacement bars and 3 extras....that's $260.00 (if my math is wrong, pardon me...two glasses of wine will do that). I can't spend that much on spinner bars...not when I can make the exact same thing for $10.00 or so.

You can get a 4:1 downstreamer (20%) just about anywhere. Mine came from espec., though it didn't come with QCs. Does your emulsifier come as a drum kit? If so, mix it with half the water... I always cut my 12.5% chlorine down to 6% anyway before I apply with the XJ, so in my case I could just downstream straight 12.5 Chlorine. I like the XJ, but dragging buckets is a pain, and I'm always getting the hose caught on this or that...Just one more thing I have to drag around.....And then there's always the bucket of chem you spill in someone's front lawn because you pulled a bit too far or got your pressure hose wrapped around it. I'll be going to downstreaming as soon as I get mine hooked up and the chems set up in the trailer. Who knows, I may go back to the XJ, or use it when it's convenient, but I like the idea of downstreaming.

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Try putting the 040 tip in the XJet...that's what I do and it works great. I just wish there was a way to QC the tips for the XJ. It is a hassle to have to get the wrench and change tips when I want to use the close-in tip. Have you tried downstreaming your chems at double strength? by that I mean, mix your housewash at double strength. Then you're basically getting the same mix through the end of your wand as you're getting through the XJ at normal strength.

I got the 24 footer from Beth, with the 3/8 hose. It is a well made pole, and though I have not used it much yet, it has been a great tool when I needed it. I agree, 24 is probably too long, I have not extended mine past 18 feet. If I had it to do over, I would probably not go with the 24 footer, since I doubt I will ever use it fully extended.

You can download that sound and record it right onto your answering machine. It is the three tones you hear when a phone number is not in service. Telemarketers' computers are set up to recognize that tone and remove you from their list. I have it on mine, and it has cut the calls way way down. Do an internet search for sit.wav. Just play that tone from your computer to your answering machine message, and then record your message right after it. You may have questions from friends/family, but they'll get used to it. Actually, all you really need is the first tone of the three-tone sound. If you have a .wav editor, you can cut out the last two tones. My machine just aswers with a "beep" and then my message. Works, and saved me the $30.00 or so they want for that machine.

I like how they market this as a water saving device. I appears it simply hooks up to a water hose. If that's the case, it is a water-wasting device! I can "sweep" off my carport with my rig in about 2 minutes....11 gallons. If I use the garden hose, it takes about 15 minutes....That would be what, 50 gallons or more? I've seen several types of "water brooms", so I doubt anyone owns the general design.

Tony: How do you apply the mix? Downstream, X-jet, pump up? What ratio of emulsifier to bleach do you use? I may just try this stuff. Thanks!

bullet: Not really, most guys who charge by the linear foot charge more for taller buildings. If I charge $1.00 per linear foot to clean a 50 foot wall that is 10' high, I'll make $50.00. If you charge $0.10 per square foot for the same wall, you'll also make $50.00. So long as your rater per unit is sufficient to make the money you feel you need to make, it doesn't matter whether you calculate it on the square foot, the linear foot, or whether you figure the displacement of the entire house! :)

Earl: A cup of one thing will have a different weight than a cup of another thing. A cup of Oxalic Acid weighs more than a cup of Sodium Percarbonate. You really need a scale if you're going to be mixing your own. Either that, or work out the equivalent volumes of EACH chemical you're working with and use those. I'd suggesting double or triple checking your formulas if you choose that route. A scale isn't all that expensive, it isn't as if you need accuracy within .001 grams or something. A simple postal scale should be fine.

Ron: Don't take a lack of response to mean anything! Spring is here and I'm sure everyone is busy, what with several boards to keep up with, work to be scheduled and completed, ads to be written, calls to be made, etc etc etc. I enjoyed what you wrote. That took a lot of imagination. I agree with the sentiments Beth has conveyed in her posts about writing...Writing is fun! Thanks for all you contribute. You've helped me in many areas much more than you realize.

Reed: For $849.00 you can put together close to a top of the line Pentium 4 machine with some pretty nice bells and whistles. Does that $849.00 come with a monitor? How fast is the P4 (Ghz)? What other features? I've never had any problems with the emachines I've purchased at work. We have several systems, and several monitors, and have never had a problem. You're right, if you're not interested in putting together your own machine, the prices are great!

ron: The one I have at home handles all the water we run through it for several days before it needs to recyle. Not sure how many gallons that is though. Then again, the amount of water that can pass through it before it needs to recyle is dependant upon how hard the water is. If it is already pretty soft water, the resin bed won't fill up nearly as fast as it will if you're filtering out all kinds of crud. Much of the washing I'll be doing will be using city water which is not nearly as hard as mine at home. I'm curious now about how many gpm I can run through it with city water. I'll have to see if I can find out.

I was thinking of going with the Sears brand softener. They have a smaller one that is under $300.00. I like that the brine tank and softener are all together in one unit. The other upside for me is that I have had them for years at home and thus know how to fix just about anything that can go wrong with them, other than the electronics. Any comments?

I know that our company (my day job) has fidelity bond insurance, which covers us against employee theft, etc. We don't have to do anything to research our employees' backgrounds to get or keep that insurance. I'm not sure if this would suffice for bonding purposes, but you may want to check into it. Ours is through Nationwide Insurance. You may also want to make sure your agent understands that the bonding is for working inside a bank, that may change his tune about it being a waste of money.

I don't know if I'd consider doing the DI method for doing widows unless I was doing a lot of commercial work where the speed would pay off. I don't know that it would be that much faster to do it residentially, not to mention you can't do DI on the interior windows, so you have to squeegee those anyway. Anyone here do residential windows with DI water?

Readyseal makes a sealer specifically for redwood. Can't recall the name of it though. Redwood? :) Oh, and Beth....You're missing out on an amazingly beautiful place. Arizona is gorgeous! The geography varies quite a bit, and there is a LOT to look at! If you ever do go, I'm sure you'll go to the Grand Canyon. When you leave there, head south to Flagstaff and Sedona, and take a drive through Oak Creek Canyon. That is probably the most beautiful part of AZ I have ever seen. I make a point to drive through it every time I head that way. Haven't been there in about 9 months, so I'm due for a trip soon! :)

It is sure nice to see Florida not considered to be a drought area. It has been several years!

Do you add the cascade to your wash mix, or the rinse water? I have heard some mention using the cascade brand additive that is supposed to prevent water spotting on dishes.

Ron: If I recall, you get your Oxalic from www.thechemistrystore.com? I wonder if they've changed their rules...I got a 30lb tub of Oxalic from them two weeks ago and didn't have to sign anything.

I'm in the same boat...The money tree keeps getting picked clean faster than expected...I was lucky enough to have a family member front me the cash for my trailer and machine, but were it not for that, I'd have a HD 3600 PSI 4gpm machine sitting in the back of my 4 cylindar nissan pickup right now. I'm still having to scrape together cash to get chemicals, equipment, etc. Sure, there are things I could buy that would make me more efficient, but if the cash just isn't there, it isn't there. Some things can wait, others can't.

As far as discounting prices on volume, I would think it would be smart so long as the discount isn't excessive. Take the example given above with the deck builder. He can guarantee 5 decks a week, but wants you to discount your rate by $0.25/square foot...You're making less per square foot, but you're not having to spend time looking for work, bidding, calling, etc. You have a steady supply of work....You would come out ahead this way.

Chuck: I have looked at both HD and Lowes, and cannot find a bushing that is threaded both inside and out! Any suggestions as to where I can find this? Thanks! Mike

Well, for some reason, it isn't letting me upload more pics. I'll try another from a different angle, after the cleaning was done.