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Chesapeake

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Everything posted by Chesapeake

  1. Rain Suits

    I had a pair of Helly Hansen pants that lasted for a while. They kept me dry, and were so thin, they were actually comfortable to wear. I've bought the $20 bibs with jacket, and the crotch usuallly rips out the first day, not to mention they are bulky.
  2. trisodium phosphate

    I never used it either and it's not necessary. I'd be careful if you do, because it can etch glass.
  3. Doing some remodeling here. I'm putting up 2 piece crown molding in my office, hallway, and living room. Replacing flat wood doors with 6 panel painted doors. And trying to get half the house repainted before the warmer weather arrives.
  4. SH powder distributor in south florida?

    The powdered bleach from soft wash systems makes 90 gals. of shingle strength mix, or 270 gals. of house washing mix per 45lb bucket.
  5. Anyone interested in a deck wash and seal, perhaps even a deck restoration in Clinton,MD? If so please contact me and I will forward you the information. Thanks
  6. Anyone ever treated a cedar roof with bleaching oil or a 50/50 blend of bleaching oil and weathering stain? The customer wants the roof cleaned, but wants to keep the weathered look. I would plan on washing with a percarb. and following with oxalic, but I know this is going to bring the roof to the "new cedar look". Any suggestions on a sealer that will give the weathered look? There are multiple buildings on the property, and the owner is not interested in one roof looking new and the others old.
  7. Thanks for the product info. I think I may have scared them away with the price. Its a steep roof and will be a lot more work than what the customer seems to think.
  8. Cleaning enclosed cargo trailer

    I usually use a light mix of F-13 to clean the black streaks off my white enclosed trailer. Downstream it on, brush the trailer, and rinse it off. This isn't going to get the rust off though. Try some rust-aid or super iron out for that.
  9. Poll: What type of pressure washing rig do you use?

    Thanks Andrew. Yea, the entire setup was laid out by me. I had been thinking about it before I ever got the truck. My friend and I built the ladder rack and mounted the boxes. I painted everything and my father and I mounted all tanks, reels, and the machine. I even did the signs.
  10. I agree with Guy. You gotta sell yourself and show the customer how choosing your company will benefit them. Create a professional image. As for your friend, $325 sounds like a weekend warrior price, not the price a professional cleaning company would give. 80 linear feet? Is it a row house or town home? I just can't picture a home that size otherwise. Just make sure your not selling yourself short, and deffinately plan on using chemicals.
  11. Poll: What type of pressure washing rig do you use?

    Thanks Nigel. Are you referring to the Sunbrite seminar or the Window Cleaners event? The Sunbrite seminar was the same day as my wedding reception, Lol. So missing that would've been a bad way to start off the marriage. As for the Window cleaners event, it was raining so hard here, I didn't even feel like leaving the house. Hopefully, we can all get together again sometime this year.
  12. Poll: What type of pressure washing rig do you use?

    I've run a trailer setup for close to 10 years. Last fall I bought a flatbed and recently switched everything over. It's gonna take a few weeks to get use to everything being in a different location, but I love not having to pull a trailer. The flatbed is set up with a 5.5gpm hot water skid, 275gal. tote, 125gal. roof cleaning chem tank, 3 35gal chem tanks, delavan, and hose n reels. I'm hoping to add another hot skid sometime this year.
  13. Delavan Pumps

    I run demand pumps. On my trailer setup I had a 5800 wired into the battery on the skid. That way it was usually recharged everyday that it was used. On my flatbed I run the Fatboy, and have it wired into the 2 truck batteries. Its charging on the way to the job and charging on the way home.
  14. Attention Painters!

    Flood-Restora is an excellent product. I only got a chance to use it on one job, but was very pleased with the results. Tim, if you want to share who may still have some, please feel free to pm me the info. Thanks.
  15. Attention Painters!

    As anything else, it depends on the quality of product you coat them with. Use a high quality paint from a recognized company (Sherwin Williams or Ben Moore) and follow the surface preparation directions. Talk with a sales rep from one of these companies and they will be able to recommend the product and tell you what you can expect from it. Another option is if the shutters are going back the same color, they can be coated with a vinyl restoration product. I've also briefly experimented with a clear sealer called SealKrete. It puts a clear satin finish over the vinyl and makes it look better than new.
  16. Hot water skid direction

    I'd center the skid up front near the tongue, and put your tank over the axle.
  17. How much did it cost you to start?

    I started the company with $800 cash for a trailer $4000 on a credit card for a small hot water machine, hoses, chemicals, and a couple ladders $? small general liability policy I had a $3500 job lined up before I ever bought any equipment, and had everything paid for before the credit card bill ever came in.
  18. How much did it cost you to start?

    Deffinately a little tuff to gain the confidence of the customer. Present yourself as a professional, and do professional work, and the work will start rolling in. Use your past customers as references for future customers. If you do good work, the word will spread. I was 24 when I started. I think alot of people think a younger person in business should have cheaper prices because their bills shouldn't be as high as someone with a family. Hold firm to your pricing. I use to get it alot. People thought my prices were too high. I don't have that problem much anymore. Maybe that's because of my company's reputation, or maybe I'm just a better salesman now, or could be due to the fact that I'm getting older and have some grey hair surfacing.
  19. Question / Help

    Photos help, but you can sell the work without them. I've been in business for 9 years now and just started taking pictures and creating albums 2 years ago. I wish I started taking pictures in the beginning. Point is you can get the work without them. My advice would be to go after the work, take pictures of every job you do, and then create a portfolio to showcase your work once you have a stack of pics. It will just mean more if you showcase your own work.
  20. Attention Painters!

    I say the same. $50 a set to remove, clean, 2 coats of paint, and reinstall. You may go a lil cheaper with that much volume. If your gonna paint them, make sure you spray them. Its gonna be impossibe to make any kind of money with a brush.
  21. Dan's got it right. When Cabot changed their formula to become VOC compliant, they had to take alot of the solvents out of the product. Unfortunately this allows the mildew to adhere to the surface much faster. The product hasn't failed, its just mildew growth on the surface. There's no real solution to the problem, other than washing the surface with a light solution of bleach and water. The mildew will usually return within 12 months.
  22. new idea! bout gutters.

    Don't make it an add on. If you give the customer the option, most of the time they will go with the cheapest method. Figure the gutter scrubbing in your house washing price. With the right chems, it really doesn't take long to brush the gutters.
  23. Bringing in Customers

    My website has worked well for me this year, along with the local newspapers.
  24. Recipe for gutters?

    F13 from pressure tek
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