PLD

Yea, but in the video you could see my hand turning red and hear me telling the washer to *hurry up!*. Soft enough not to cause tissue damage, but not soft enough not to sting like he**... Not something I'd do to impress house guests... And for the kids in the audience, this was not a 6 beer stunt. We tested my hand at ever decreasing distances to judge pain levels, the risk of injection, etc. and to determine the actual safe working distance. Then we chemed the deck and did progressive test patches on the deck to determine the status of the wood. Finally, when wood and staff were ready we began. The tech worked around my hand moving in to make actual skin contact only to get the last margins. We did it three times and took at least 20 photos. What you see is the best of the bunch... Based on my experiences on this one, I am of the opinion that just slapping down your hand and going at it with a #12 tip would be a good way to get yourself hurt. work around my hand making contact only as neccessary.

1. At 2200psi/2.0 gpm a green tip just doesn't do that well. 2. Without proper chemicals one must use FORCE to dislodge the dirt. If the dirt isn't coming off, increase the force. It this really that far of a stretch from a homeowner hammering their siding with water at 1.5" from the surface as they "blast" the dirt off? Now, let me show you what a real pro can do with a zero tip!

Update: I have used two 55 gals drums of SunBrites citrus cleaner and I love it. Works great!

Ditto. Mathew is correct that he would have preferred that nothing be posted, but since it has hit the media he wanted the record set straight.

Yep, Cujo defines the term "Mentor" and the PWNA support spirit.

- You have ever put serious thought to using a PW'er for snow making. - If you use an xjet and bleach as a defoliant. - You calculate how long it will take you to heat your pool using your skid. Hint: using gross assumptions 27,000 gal = ~ 12 hrs. - You have ever used a zero tip as a trenching tool for cable or landscape edging.

Uh Oh, should have seen this coming... No, I wouldn't say that at all. I support the PWNA concept even if the execution in this situation has been poor. We all serve to benefit from professionalizing and publicizing our trade. I wouldn't have even mentioned it if not for the fact that the thread reminded me that I didn't get the email. That, and when Cujo read this thread I wanted to remind him to follow up on it for me. That said... IMHO it would be completely inappropriate to turn this thread into a PWNA pro/con flamefest. Cujo & Pam staunchly support the PWNA and have taken significant time from their life to support the PWNA. As such, I have deleted my previous comment and respectfully request that others do the same. If someone wants to start a seperate thread, let the battle begin. But not here...

Here's what happened: Cujo and Pam were riding their motorcycle when they were cut off by another car. This result was them striking the back of a stopped pickup truck at a significant rate of speed. They were both "ejected" and landed in the back of the pickup. Pam suffered serious injuries and was air lifted to the hospital where she remained for 4 days. Cujo was taken by ambulance. The bike is a total loss. Both are doing well given the severity of the crash. Pam suffered rather significant cuts and bruises, but has no broken bones or (it appears) permanent injuries. Cujo has a shattered wrist and will need several surgeries to rebuild it. He will be unable to work for about 6 months. Philip

Frogg Toggs! I haven't heard that name in awhile. My father-in-law was one of their principals/lead sales people for a long time. I got mine at wholesale!

As I am sitting here looking for someone to pass a lead in Zebulon, Ga (Resi wash & deck stain), I thought it would be nice to have a geographic directory of sorts. So, post your service areas in this thread, and next time you're searching for someone toss a lead to look here.

For every link, there are two pieces of pertinent information. The address you link to (the target), and the info shown as the link (the description). The description can show ANYTHING the link author desires. If you look at the bottom bar of most browsers you will see WHERE you are going if you click. In the case of this email, you were headed to: http://mail.holy-tw.com

This summer has been THE summer for complaints. Most ultra-anal in nature. I've had one call and complain that the house was FILTHY after we left. I sent the crew back, and they called to find out what they were there to re-clean. Miffed, I drove out there to school them on clean vs. half-a**ed. Found NOTHING. Called the homeowner and set a meeting. In the meantime, I had a friend of mine close by goand look TRYING to find stuff tthat needed work. None found. At the meeting with the homeowner, she was point out phantom spots. I was taking my sunglasses off, squinting, looking from angles, etc. She saw a FILTHY house. I saw spotless vinyl. I still think she was a bit loopy. I got another call this year that was complaining that the mildew gre back too fast. Obviously we did something wrong, or it would not have grown back so fast.

Ditto. To me it just looks like some organic black gunk. AF spots are VERY well defined black circles about 1/16" diamter. Look closely and they look like little tarballs that have hit and attched.

* If your two year old asks you "did you pressure washer that house?" at nearly EVERY house you pass. * If your wife runs out of Clorox, and you fill the empty jug with 2qts water and 2qts 12% * If you have *many* pairs of underwear with bleach spots. * If you have ever used your rig to water the landscape because it's faster and easier. * If you have ever thrown out a pair of your teenagers $75 bleached and holy jeans because you thought they were old, shot work pants.

Don't feel bad, it happens to us about once a year. Wrong house number, typo in paperwork, etc. Always a simple wash job, nothing like a deck. I just leave a note and a card explaining the error and reassuring them it was a freebie. On our most recent one (last year) the homeowner called to complain that we had missed our appt. I called the crew and they told me they were on site. They were, but they were washing the neighors house. Cause? Mailbox location confusion. I still cannot figure people out: You live in a small, modest neighboorhood of ~75ft wide tree cleared lots. The PW company you hired has failed to show up. However, at precisely the appointed time a well marked truck and trailer from the same PW company just happens to show up and begin washing your neighbors house. How long does it take to realize that it might be a mistake? Why do you not go outside and ask BEFORE you call the company and fuss them out for a no-show? Go figure..

I use the heck out of my big guy, but there are a few things I really hate about it. BG owners, let's disect this monkey and get Whisper Wash to release a new one that suits our needs even better. Here's my gripes. First, the big guy has a noticible disadvantage over other surface cleaners because of it's 1" diameter spray bar. That massive bar presents a frontal drag that is nearly TWICE that of standard 3/8 steel arms. This means that more energy is required to keep the bar spinning that is NOT being used for cleaning. Also, when a heavy bar like that solidly strikes a fixed object like a curb the damage is significant. Neither the massive bar or the curb yield, forcing the failure to occur at the spinner hub. Very expensive and unneccessary repair. Allow the bar to break or install a failure point that can be replaced cheaply. Finally, the aluminum bar is just too soft and wears out about every 3 months. Aluminum was just not meant to be in a highly abrasive, corrosive environment. The leading edge of the bar becomes significantly worn causing the useable threads (that hold the tip) on the drop from 5-6 to 1-2. Next, something inconsequential like a small stone strikes the tip, forcing it out of the bar. As that happens, the remaining soft aluminum threads yield and are ripped from the bar rendering it useless.

Have a customer who wants a bid on a house and deck in Zebulon, Ga. 30295. Call if you are interested. 770-460-0469

I have found it mostly propagated by painters (about paint). I suspect that since most painters do not use bleach (cost?!?), they sell against it.

I have found the orange northern guns (non easy pull) to actually have a softer trigger than the"pro" easy guns. I use a K7 and have triggered the gun just holding it hanging in my hand by my side.

James, "Dicker" is used quite commonly down here...

I agree with Ken. I have lost sales for that reason. BUT, when confronted with that issue I quote full price for 1, 2, 3, or 4 sides.

Stand firm. If you give, they generally feel you first price was screwing them and a bad relationship starts.

FWIW, I tested fantastic straight today just for giggles. Spray, wait, rinse. Every bit as good as the contractor grade products I use now. For cost reasons, this will not likely be a replacement product but it will certainly stay in my bag of tricks for future reference. I have also tested Wesley's Bleach White (for tires) with the same results.

Lance is right about the water. Either go bigger, or skip it. Jordan's Salvage (about 100yds from the train depot) always has chem totes in stock for $70. Or, I'll sell you a 525 gal for $200. Be careful with the turbo, it can damage concrete. As for other things needed: Insurance & license. You will be competing with Cujo and I directly. We will talk negatively about you to every one who asks if you operate w/o license and insurance. Get those, and we can all compete on the basis of merit, skill, etc. One more thing, *PLEASE* compete on skill, quality, workmanship and not on price. All we need here on the southside is another cut rate washer. Start offering super-cheap house washes and all you will accomplish is to set an unreal expectation of price/value and then you will go bankrupt. Sure, you may get a few of our customers, but they'll be back next year when they can't get you anymore.

Mike, Skipping all the complex energy loss equations, try/visualize this. For any given pump-hose-gun combo, take your pressure gauge and hook it everywhere there is a coupler starting at the pump and work your way toward the gun. As you get farther from the pump, you will see the gauge drop. It may only drop a few hundred#'s, but it will drop. That is pressure loss due to line friction. Increase or decrease the hose diameter and you will see the losses increase or decrease due proportionally. Where does all that energy go? Primarily it changes into heat. The amount is negligible, and is masked by the fact that the resultant heat is carried away quickly. Ideally, if you took a super-sensitive thermometer and followed the same path, you would see the water temp rise as the line pressure fell off. In Dan's case, it is highly probable that he was unloading. And with an integrated unloader, he would never know it.... I suspect unloading because the switch to a larger hose would be apparent, but not to the degree he described. I switch all day from 4.0 to 5.5 and while is it noticible, it's not that dramatic. Dan: If you want to make money washing houses, I can not stress strongly enough that you buy a larger machine. If you think a 2.3 is a beast, working with a 5.5 would bring tears of joy to your eyes. I don't mean the following comments to be ugly, but to set some perspective for you: I almost laughed when you said that it almost smacked you in the head. I one hand my 5.5 all day long with no lance attached. And the 4.0 feels like a garden hose. Sure, the 5.5 shortie gets a little tiring on the wrist sometimes but I could work a 2.3 one handed while juggling with the other hand. Anyway, like I said before I'm not trying to brag or be ugly. I just want you to understand that if you think you're happy now, there's a whole new world awaiting you. You've just gone from insufferable to barely sufferable. You can still step up to "nice to use", "fun to use", and "damn that was fast". Go find a good used 5.5/3000/cold and learn what it's like to do a good job FAST.