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I have done this type of work a few times with excellent results. The product I use is actually cleaner that I use for cleaning fiberglass on RVs (removing those pesky black streaks). We have a lot of campgrounds in our area. The product is a strong butyl based cleaner. So anything like the Gutter Shock or the other one I forget what it is would probably work at high concentrations. Apply, let dwell, and power wash all that chalky and failed paint away. I don't know if this is the perfect item to use, maybe others can give you a different approach. But this has worked very well for me twice now!

I just bought a box truck and would like a rectangular tank to save on room. I am not looking at purchasing the tank from ebay, someone local to me gets these tanks all the time. The only concern I have with this tank is if it will be strong enough to hold up "over the road." http://cgi.ebay.com/275-GALLON-WATER-STORAGE-TANK-OIL-FUEL-BIODIESEL-GAS_W0QQitemZ7556788851QQcategoryZ46536QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Opinions would be great! Thanks, Nate

Richard, I like your idea of using the gate valve for a dump, How would I install a Bung? Thanks guys,

Thanks for the info Scott U DA MAN! and I mean that.

Looks great in the picture. You say it is comparable to Ready Seal eh? So if i'm understanding this conversation correctly? The Wood Defender has more color pigment in it so it will not fail (color wise) as fast however, you may not be able to clean and add maintenace coat as many times?Did the guys at Standard Paints say anything about how many maintenace coats could be applied? Thanks for sharing!

WOW! wood tux?

Were you planning on sealing the underside of that deck?

This is legitimate. It is by the Federal Trade Commission. You have to use your cell phone for this to work. The National Directory of Cell Phone Numbers is about to be published. Once this happens telemarketers will have access to your cell phone number. Because the majority of us rely on our cell phones for business use, this will be extremely disruptive. These calls will also use our cellular minutes. In a few weeks, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls. Call this number from you cell phone 888-382-1222. It is the national Do Not Call List. It blocks your number for 5 years. Please pass on to anyone that might have been missed.

I did an estimate this week for an older gentleman. He owned an apartment complex. He had a second story porch area that had painted floor boards and painted iron railings all around plus some of the same on 1st story hand rails. The paint was only 2 years old but was peeling dramatically. We recommended that after we power wash and remove all loose paint it be sanded, primer be applied, and re-painted. If ya folks don’t mind, I’ll give dimensions, give me an estimate on what you would charge. Then, I’ll tell ya what I quoted it at. Porch = 72’ x 6’ Porch face = 72’ x 1’ 96 lf of iron railing (ea lf = approx. 4sf of iron) I haven’t done work like this before, I was planning on using something to loosen the paint a little more on the porch boards, and water only on the iron. Remember this is a 2nd story porch. Thanks for your input, I wanna know if I was ballpark or standing alone in left field, because apparently I charge WAY too much! hehe

Thanks for the replies. I may not have been clear on my initial post. We do not do any painting. We were quoting the pressure washing only. Then we recommended that the owner (who would be painting) prime before painting. Yes the paint that was on there was enamel already, however the surface was not prepared properly last time and the paint failed in less then 2 years. I quoted somewhere around 500 something to get the surfaces ready for prime / paint.

This forum will soon be closed to all that are not PWNA members?

With the info given I would come in around $2300.

Hiya Secs, My partner and I are both part-time washers. We've been part-time now for about 2 years. Many people advise, "start small with maybe just a cold washer", well we're doing the opposite and decided we would start big and work full time else where until all of the equipment is paid off. We purchased a HydroTek hot water washer, all the best hoses wands ext. wands, shurflo pump sprayers, surface cleaner, and recently a box truck. After all that we're still well ahead of ourselves with what we brought in over the last two summers, we're not doing any large contracts at this time because of our F/T obligations. Oh yea, I forgot the question. I'm currently in sales employed by Sunline Coach Co. We manufacture travel trailers. We hope to be washing F/T this spring?? :)

I like 5g with easy pour. However, the easy pours need to be improved. If i'm not going to use the entire 5gal then I have to tape up the hole I punched in the lid so that it pours freely.

I do both purchase professional chemicals and get professional results. You tell me to learn before I burn, yet you know nothing of what I use now and you decided to burn me. Seems a little hypocritical to me. I didn't burn Tony, from reading his posts I think he is very inteligent. I was just curious and got left hanging, I will admit when it comes to mixing chemicals I am a novice and I enjoy reading and learning about what chemicals do what. I'm sorry Tony if you took it that way also. n8

Its like when ppl start to tell you something and the say, oh nevermind. lol

So whats the magic additive? Thanks, N8

Bleaaatch! .......lmao

Mike, Yes, I don't come across tannin stains very often. I get oxalic in crystal form, I can mix how ever I want, I can even make a paste and apply that way, try it out. No, oxalic would not be safe to x-jet on a house, haha. It's not a scare tactic. I don't mention ill-effects of chlorine unless the customer seems adament about what I will be using. During an estimate I merely state that we don't use bleach, I don't put it down normally. If they ask what I use or further questions then I feel as though I need to explain to the customer why I use what I use and that is because I don't have to worry about white streaks on surroundings or burning plants for example. In my initial post all I said was a good seller was the statement "we don't use bleach in our cleaning process" thats NOT a scare tactic! I didn't say that explaining the ill-effects of bleach is what got me jobs. We went to a home for an estimate and the customer said "you don't use bleach right?" someone referred them to us because of that! Another home owner had a mildew covered brick patio, and called us because last time she used chlorine and the smell stayed and bothered her for a while. word got to her somehow? I'm not saying you guys personally arnt safe with your chlorine, in fact I hope everyone keeps using chlorine, at least I have something different. Different is good in any business. And my customers are very happy with the results I achieve, it's a win-win for me. That's funny you have to sell that chlorine is all right, I don't think the few of us that don't use chlorine are the ones putting this so called "myth" out there. Fact of the matter is chlorine sits on your nice new shrubs, they get burnt. Citrus-based product sits on the shrubs, no biggie. However, yes when I prespray a side or two the plants do wet down, I just don't worry about it. That is a fact, I am not misguiding someone if I tell them that. It is a fact (again I rarely need to tell someone that) they already know what bleach can do if not used properly, they've seen it themselves somewhere in there past whether they splashed some on their clothes or whatever. You guys are making a big deal out of nothing. Just keep doing good work and you will have no worries. I sell RV's during winter months- we all sell aginst each other. Aluminum vs. wood frame (same concept) we all sell what we believe to be best - there is nothing wrong with that! There are some people out there that shouldn't use chlorine if they arn't aware of the extra steps that need to be taken when it's used. I would never call out another manufacturer or business and say what they do wrong because I don't know they're complete process. Thanks for the discussion guys, but count me out for now, I will try not to express my opinions when they are different from others.

Some questions were directed my way, so i'd like to answer them. First off, the citrus based cleaner I use comes from E-spec, I also include plex-master in my final step which is a sealent (sort of like a wax). The 2500 psi I use is at the nozzle. I rarely have to get up on the siding, plus it's a wide fan tip, so obviously the water hitting the siding is no where near 2500 psi, but you guys know that. I also sell lower pressure!! I am very confident that using angled lances and a flex lance we are able to shoot down on the siding 99 percent of the time which greatly decreases water getting through. A while back I had water leaks after the job and that helped me to get to the process I use now, the leaks have been completely eliminated. Yes in my area, 95 percent of the homes are 2-story, thats where my comments were directed. The x-jet to rinse is OK for 1 story with the other nozzle in, I just prefer a regular tip. But for over 1 story, I love a reg fan type compared to the x-jet stream. Say what you want, peaple like it when I say we don't use bleach. Also the cleaner I use smells good :) I don't use the no-bleach as a scare tactic, it's what I believe, I've seen effects from bleach from other washers, including burned plants. You do what works for you and I'll do what works for me, just wanted to input my opinion, sorry if a offended anyone. Oh yeah, the tannin stains, I like oxalic and also have a product, "rust something" that also works on tannin stains (it's made up of several mild acids, compared to oxalic).

Hi Lance, I like citrus based products. When I say safe I mean for my customers, I think in terms of "for the customer." With no pre-spray of surroundings, my cleaner can sit on the lanscaping (plants, yard ornaments, wooden skirts, etc) untill the final rinse with no ill-affects. I've learned that home-owners usually don't like to hear bleach, chlorine, or sodium hypochlorite when they ask what will be used. It scares them. Plus, that's what the other guys are using. :whoops: haha Thanks for the interest, Oh yeah, I forgot about your other question / comment. Most houses we do include a gutter cleaning (exterior, sometimes interior) all walkways, driveways, we price things so that it is to the customers advantage to get their entire investment cleaned. We rarely do JUST the siding. Oh yeah, and we also squeegee all windows within minutes of the final rinse. Hence the "four to six man hours." Basically, we are very happy with the money we are making. I am sure you do a great job, at least I hope you do. Fact of the matter, if you and I both do awesome jobs, and you use sodium hypochlorite, I believe the homeowner would go with the non-bleach approach, escpecially after I warn of POSSIBLE effects from bleach (my opinion). The great thing is that most people are aware that bleach can be harmful! Have a good one Lance!

I tend to agree with the remarks made against the X-JET being an all-in-one. The X-JET is a great tool, but if you want to use it for rinsing 2nd and 3rd stories, you better break out the bleach or chlorine(in my experience). A great selling point for me that closes a lot of house washes "We don't use bleach or chlorine in any of our cleaning processes" !! Another good one "We never shoot water up at your siding, that allows water to seep through. An extension wand is used on anything over 1 story." It takes my partner and I about 2-3 hours to do an average house wash. We each gross over 50 an hour after gas / cleaners / etc. I think one person going in and taking 2 hours with the x-jet only, can't match our quality, and they probably can't provide the kind of detail they are charging for. JMHO I guess it comes down to doing the best job that you can, we use safe cleaners and muscle (hitting every square inch with a good fan of 2500 psi hot water, which my partner and I both enjoy doing, it's a great workout using the extension wand!) I wanted to give my opinion since it's from the other side of the fence. :beer:

Hi Patrick, I have never estimated on that many decks together. What I can tell you is that your price for each deck is very close to what I would charge (spraying of coarse). I have done estimates on several decks together and I choose not to discount at all. Your putting just as much hard work into each one of those decks. Personally for me, I don't think thats enough for hand brushing everything, however what you bid depends on how bad you need the work, and nobody here can make that decision for you. Hiring someone to do the brushing is also an option. Then you get to do all the fun blasting. Good Luck!! N8 Power Play Pressure Washing Central PA

Hello Everyone, I've been using premier from E'spec with very good results this year. However, I am starting to notice it is very rinse sensitive, lol. In other words you must be sure too rinse VERY thoroughly. Recently I did a gutter job used the cleaner for the exterior gutter surface, the customer called back describing bright white streaks on his freshly sealed driveway. We did rinse the entire driveway however streaks still showed up. I'm a little worried about harming the seal job since it is so fresh. Any suggestions on removing the streaks safely would be appreciated. Thanks, Nathan Harman PowerPlay Pressure Washing Lancaster County, PA

I have learned so much already from this site, and would like to thank everyone for their knowledge and willingness to share. I hope I am in a position to do the same at some point. You guys rock!! :usa: