PressurePros

Jarrod, I think some reading your post got hung up on the wording. As was proposed, I do have real world information backing up claims that high pressure and hot water will initially cause visible damage to the wood. The proof is my eyesight. The damage is visually much more substantial than the microscopic or long term affects of using a proper detergent. My proof is following two other 'companies' in my area that use these techniques. When you walk on one of their decks it feels like you are walking on a raised grid. It's been proposed that this effect can be sanded away. Sure it can, at the expense of an inordinate amount of time, a substantial depth of the wood's surface and the homeowner's wallet. Techniques have to be balanced against effeciency and in our case, profitability. Can an entire deck be sanded as opposed to chemically stripped? Of course it can. I think Jarrod's point is, are you guys that do decks able to be profitable doing one deck per week? Do you have customers willing to pay $3000 to sand and seal a 24'x18' ?

My bad, I didn't think anyone would be wasting his time trying to find the right downstreamer to do roofs. Especially since the roof algae you guys have in FL needs to be hit with a pretty strong dilution of sodium hypochlorite. I assumed you meant for housewashing as it really is the only pertinent use for a downstreamer.

10) Buy a good quality 28'-30' extension with pin or flip locking shafts. or 10) Buy a good qaulity 28' aluminum ladder. Fiberglass is safer but heavier.

Coming soon to Risque Video....Roger Gothorp starring in "I Have a 12 inch Deck". Now we know how you make money during the winter. Cool tan lines.

Jeez, now I loook like a total scrooge. :lghohoho:

I remember now why I didn't go with the hyphenated. The manufacturer Pressure Pro is down in Florida and they use pressure-pro.com. I could add the 's' but I also don't want to be a jerk and cause them problems. What do you guys think?

You guys are assuming you have to sand. I rarely ever have to sand. Maybe knock down a few fuzzies on cedar rails but thats about it. On the contrary, I walked on a deck that one of my competitor's did with hot water. The grain was almost a 1/4" above the rest of the surface. It was very damaged. Hot water wipes out all the lignin between the grain. As far as using a surface cleaner. You can do it but on most hot days you need to shoot some water onto the rest of the deck and rails to keep the stripper/cleaner wet. A surface cleaner won't allow you to do it. The surface cleaner does not reach into corners or under rails. I can move just as fast using a 65 degree tip (18") as the guy in the video was moving and I have one less piece of gear to take off and put away. To each his own, I guess. Wesley, SealMaxx is not valid wood science. I have talked to at least 20 people that would like to take them to court for their lousy customer service and outlandish claims. Jon, the link is a movie, try right clicking on it and saving it. Brent, that was a true restoration. How long did it take you?

I get a gallon per minute uptake on my 5.5 gpm machine. (General downstreamer) so what's that, about 18%? I never have a problem removing mold and carbon buildup from siding. The keys are the right soaps, using fresh 12% s. hypochlorite, and dwell time. Has anyone ever tried using the "double gulp" injectors? They are pricey but worth the investment if they work.

Doing research yesterday on websites. It's actually a bigger company up here in PA that's been around for awhile. Mike I have never had occasion to use heated water as it raises the grain something fierce. The only scenario I could see using warmer water would be using WoodTux Wet to seal on a fall day when I maybe wanted to heat the wood up a bit. Even then I would be wary of making the wood swell.

Yes it is a caustic chemical. It is very important to wear PPE when handling it. Aqueous means made into a solution with water (aqua). Sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite are cousins and will mix together. Whenever I mix caustics I do it on the spot and only in the quantity I need as reactions continue and will generate heat and often change chemically over time. Mix some stripper into water and fel the side of the bucket.

I remember last year when I was thinking about domain names it came up to a company down south somewhere. But you are right, it is now available again.

What are ya tryin to say, Rod? I'm ugly? LOL That guy is actually named Toothless Tony. He was in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Something to do with crack (imagine that)

Two days of training with Reed for $300? Coupled with Russell's marketing skills, that's a bargain.

I don't think you can beat this deal. http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5190 Look up Don Phelps too, I think he sells machines

To meet the competition for city work I am thinking of redesigning my card. Let me know what "y'all" think.

Referrals = 100% Deck work (non-referral) = 60% Housewashes (non referral) = 90% (using multi-tiered pricing approach) Upsell % on all = 65%

With a flow actuated unloader and a larger orifice nozzle you won't get the kick out you are experiencing now. Those things make a mess and are really only good if the gutter has had most of the debris already removed.

Can you say 'efflorescence'?

Krud Kutter is a butyl based cleaner. It's not really made to get brick clean. It is very good on gutters or spot cleaning grease stains. I have found sodium metasilicate to be the best all around cleaner. If what you are cleaning doesn't come clean with a standard sodium hypo housewash mix you may have to move to an acid. Check out Prosoco, Eacochem and Aldon's websites for some good info on brick cleaning.

I agree with you that the X-Jets claims of 50 feet are fantasy (maybe with an 8+ gpm machine) You're right even at 30 feet the amount of soap you are getting to the surface is minimal (unless you call that mist at the end of the stream usable). I have done maybe 45 houses using strictly downstream and the first time I had the high flow General off the machine was when I did my winterization. Never had a problem. It could have been the kind of ds'er you were using. Wow, 55 gallons of Barlox would last a long time. You can get 6,000 housewashes out of that much. It would take me 20 years to use it all. If you could get 20 local guys to go in with you it might be worth it.

go get 'em Lance. What a smacker.

If you don't have to worry about vegetation, this is what I use: 1 part 12% chlorine 1 part 5% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide 3 parts water Applied direct.

Kem, the equipment has very little to do with it in my opinion. It's when someone sells solely on price. A lowballer will follow you on an estimate and tell the potential customer, "Oh you got a proposal from PressurePros? He's high, I know I will beat his price" The lowballer makes the customer think he is getting the same job, the same attention to detail, the same insured company with a good reputation when, in fact, the customer is getting a guy that cuts corners and makes the playing field unfair. If the guy does have a good work ethic and just likes to work harder instead of smarter, slowly but surely I will continue to make more money and spend more on advertising taking the lion's share of the market.. It's a LOSE/LOSE selling on price. I can only speak for myself but -yes, I had a business plan, no I never offered my services based upon price ( I leave that to guys that don't know how to sell) and I made sure I was properly capitalized when I started. There is nothing wrong at all with starting out with a 4 gpm cold water machine. It's all I would ever need on most jobs I do. If one starts undercapitalized, under equipped, with no skill at selling, and no business plan I'd say that person would end up as a statistic -----> 85% of start up companies fail within three years.

showin your age now, Jon.

Funny how God balances things out. I wish the new org all the best and if their agenda looks on course I'd be happy to join.