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Timo

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Posts posted by Timo

  2. Posted · Edited by Timo · Report reply

    Hi,

    I need some info. I dont have my own water tank yet. My question is, can i take customers that have water wells? are there some wells that are ok, and some not? Thanks for any input.

    Yes, there are some wells that are okay and some that are not.

    We carry water tanks with us and refill from the customers spigot, explaining that we never hook any machines or pumps to their well line that would stir up sediment or tax their well. Besides, we're only going to be there an hour or so, so we won't be using that much water anyway.

    Some wells are of such low flow rates that they would not support any kind of additional use. For them, we take our "tanker" which is an old army truck with several very large water tanks on it. We fill it from our well before we leave for the job.

    And then there are cisterns. Nobody wants us using up their cistern water water for a house wash. Sometimes, we schedule their cistern water supplier to meet us on site when we start and then he refills again after we leave but usually we just haul our own water for ease of scheduling.

    There is a charge for each tank hauled.

    So yes, you can do it without tanks, sort of.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    One thing that I always do for my decks is to countersink all nails/screws. I will literally crawl across the deck and countersink the nails with a pin and 5lb maul and if it's screws I use an impact driver. Doesn't take that long but I usually end up with one Popeye arm. It's looking like I've been able to group my decks this spring earlier in the season so March & April are looking busy for deck resto's.

    Problem is I have a bad tendon in my right elbow (I think it's Tennis/Golfer's elbow) and doubt I would make it through the first deck. Already concerned about pulling hoses and regular painting projects. I am looking at possibly looking for a power hammer, or even a 'hammer drill', that I can start using to quickly move through a deck. I have a paslode framing hammer that I was thinking of trying but I had to ruin that if there is something else available.

    Any suggestions?

    You're looking for a palm nailer.

    Stanley Bostitch PN50 Mini Impact Nailer - Amazon.com

    Somebody (Milwaukee?) makes a cordless/lithium powered one now.

    You can even do it left handed.

    It works on screws too. I had an old head tell me once that threads were for takin' 'em out.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    No Doug, one of my non-certified PW mentors that I bought the truck from also has a vinal cutter and plotter. They did it all including the project photos on both trucks

    Both trucks and lettering came out of Bethlehem PA, the smaller truck only has 18k miles on it

    Mathew Johnson

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Mat,

    Study the spelling of the word "certification" and then study the word "dehumidifacation". I think dehumdification is more like certification than currently represented on your truck.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I know there are several chemicals out there for oxidation. What have you found to be the the best at removing it from houses and how do you apply it? Looking at everyones opinion

    We don't remove oxidation, we clean it. It's still there, it's just clean.

    There are any number of products that have been touted and tested over the years with varying levels of success and longevity. I tell my customers that it's wear and tear from the sun and environment and that I have not found a compound that I'm comfortable selling them. But I sure will be happy to wash it for you.

    577-Jersey reacted to this

  18. Posted · Report reply

    [ATTACH]19483[/ATTACH]

    Guy on craigslist wants 700 for it

    13 hp honda engine...belt driven...comes with wand and 50' hose

    I would probably ask $700 for it if I had it.

    But I've never paid more than $450.00 for that or nicer.

    The neat part about that machine is that you could do some simple service yourself if needed in the future.

    At $500.00/whatever, I'd rather have that than any thing you could buy at the store for the same money.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Go to SAMs or Costco and see which one of the machines can fit in your car.

    None of the points the guys are trying to make apply to a man and his maxima.

    Go get a machine tomorrow that works for you today. Then spend some time figuring out if you are going to do this for real or continue doing it for ****z n giggles.

    After you decide to get serious about it and trade your car in for a pick up is the time to start thinking about what would be best in the long run. A car is not a part of a long term plan.

    If this sounds familiar it's because we had this same conversation a month ago on three other forums.

    I do respect your hanging in there though. Keep swinging.

    iPhone - Tapatalk

  21. Posted · Report reply

    You need to go buy a pressure washer. You've been washing for four months with a dime store unit. If you choose not to purchase a professional unit, you must accept the fact that your disposable choice is going to need replaced on a regular basis.

    Consumer grade pressure washers have a duty cycle and a very limited number of hours designed into them. It sounds like you've got your monies worth, it's time to move on.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    I am doing an estimate tomorrow for a painted wood house from 1902, a brick walkway and patio, a concrete drive, and steep pitched roof. So, here are the questions:

    The House: This house was built in 1902 and is painted blue. While I haven't seen the house in person yet, it looks like it is in good shape from Google Earth (I realize this is not an up to date image). What is the best house mix to use and what precautions should I be aware of. It is a single story at one end and two story on the other end.

    The Roof: It has a very steep pitch and is under many trees. I won't be climbing the roof - that's for sure! Can I shoot this from the ground through a PW (I know this is not the best solution). I do have a pump if need be but need to buy a battery and rig a quick system of some sort (advice here is good too).

    Brick Patio & Walkway: What is the best way to avoid effervescence? Best solution mix? Best way to avoid having to re-sand?

    Concrete Drive: At last, I don't have to ask about this one!

    After all of this, I may not even get the job, but at least you will have taught me well. Thanks in advance.

    David

    Test your regular house wash mix on an area that would be easy to repaint if it goes wrong.

    Use a ladder stabilizer and apply the roof mix from the gutter line. No, you are not allowed to ruin your pressure washer and their landscaping using a pressure washer to clean a roof.

    Brick walkway, assuming that it is brick pavers with mortar - downstream house wash mix or direct apply with roof mix depending on severity of staining. Pressure wash with surface cleaner using between six and one thousand psi. Efflorescence is not an issue with established brick walks when proper cleaning technique is used.

    If the walks are sand set pavers, go get trained before you quote.

    Carry yourself like you know what you're doing. Present the price like it's an everyday thing. Pretend that the job is yours but don't be surprised when they choke on the total.

    Do not spend any of the money that you expect to make on the job until after the job is complete and the check as cleared.

    Holler back

  24. Posted · Report reply

    We installed an auxillary battery in the trailer to power the interior lights. There is a 110V battery charger to keep the aux battery charged. The battery still dies after 1.5 to 2 hours. Can I run a couple of wires to the pw battery to keep the aux battery charged? The distance between the batteries will be about 20 feet. I figure on installing a battery isolator between the batteries. The engine is a v-twin Vanguard, putting out 20 amps.

    Yes, you could.

    But if it were me, I'd get a bigger aux battery, and then get another big aux battery and tie those two together sitting side by side.

    Then I would change the lights out to led.

    We use group 31 big truck batteries.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Ok so im booked all week with roofs now that Im equipped for soft washing it should be much quicker. I did a shingle roof today and it came out nice and clean. I used a ground guy and I kept everything wet. I bagged the gutters when I applied the chemical. I then removed the bags after like 30-40 min. I rinsed the roof and put a bunch of water around the gutters and landscaping. Now Im praying nothing dies. ( seem like a lot of sh for the grass). My question is I have a barrel tile roof to do and it was no gutters. How do I keep from killing the grass with w/out being able to control the run off. Any help is greatly appreciated..

    Are you using a proper surfactant?

    Are you using only that amount of SH blended with water to the proper dilutions needed to kill the algae in say, twelve minutes or so?

    We flush the gutters a bit into the downspout bags. Somebody else does the roof rinsing later.

    Do you have tarps for the un-guttered drip line? Keep them wet, but not too long in one place.

    Are you using a proper surfactant and only applying the minimum amount of hypo needed to do the job, and no more? (I see a pattern developing here).

    Minimize mix strength. Optimize surfactant. Apply judiciously.

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