PressurePros

There is also pretreated mahogany with Sikkens on it out there.

Excellent point, Len. When you are the best, people don't expect you to be the lowest.

I do not use bleach on decks. When you see microscopically what happens to the lignin in the wood when bleach dwells on it, most people may think twice about using it. With that being said, bleach and sodium metasilicate would do exactly what it's advertised to do, and cheaply.

I'm switching over to Wood Tux this year. So many people have given me the "gotta have it all done for Memorial Day" speech I'm just about ready to give the Tux "Wet" a try. Has anyone used it yet? I saw a deck done with the Cabot's wet and honestly I don't think it looked all that wonderful.,kinda shiny, looks like next year someone will be back washing off the flakes. I tried to give Russell a call, but he must not be around so I decided to post here before I make the final commit.

Lady would like her 22'x14' deck treated (+5 steps, 3.5' tread). Floor, steps and top rail are untreated ipe. Spindles and top rail were painted last season. Sounds like an easy sodium percarb job. Email, call or pm me if interested. With ipe and painted rails you have a built in two tone that could look good in your portfolio.

The only real competition around here I have come acrossed is Mr Powerwash, the rest seem to be part timers or mom and pop operations. I'm getting ready to head out the door, but feel free to give me a call on my cell phone tonight. The prices I gave you in my post are materials included using Ready Seal or Wood Tux (which is a little bit more expensive per gallon) If you're already busy, you can adjust the prices up a bit.

Decks are tough. I love the gratification of the work but I find the people willing to pay the rate are not in abundance. There are too many guys out there that have no clue how to estimate or they cut so many corners in regards to chemicals and quality sealer, insurance etc that I quite often end up being double the price of the lowest bidder. You are about 80 miles west of me so I am not sure of your demographic.I find about $1.30 a sq ft for the floor and $6.00 a linear foot for the railing, plus the actual square footage of the steps if there are more than three of them, usually gets me in the ball park. I have compared this to measuring every square foot of wood (decking, railing, spindles, support posts, fascia, treads, risers, etc) and while the rate may be off a bit, it makes my bids more competetive.

Nice hit rate!

John Orr is a dryvit master. He can probably give you the best advice. I find that a strong mix of sodium hypochlorite and a surfactant take off about 99 % of what's usually on there. I follow with an acid baath to remove rust and streaks.

Just don't go during hurricane season!

Tony, I respectfully disagree. The pressure builds in the hose. Even without a nozzle a pressure actuated sytem will give a short burst when the trigger is pulled.

Hello Denis and welcome. After commercially fishing for all that time this should seem like a walk in the park to you. The X-Jet puts out a fairly narrow stream and under a decent amount of pressure. You simply were too close and you damaged the siding. I did it once when rinsing up high and as I came down I was closer to the wall then I thought I was and boom, swirl marks in the vinyl. It was minor and I was the only one that noticed it. I do not own an M5 but I believe it spreads the pattern of spray out a bit so this dmage would be less likely to happen. What I do now in that situation is soap up with my back up X-Jet that has the close range hardware installed then switch to my main X'er to soap the remainder. Anyone that owns an M5.. can I eliminate the need for the close range proportioner by using an M5?

I am not trying to sway anyone one way or the other just to share my experience with this setup. Everyone finds what they feel comfortable with and runs with it.

The problem you are experiencing is probably because of the type of unloader you have. I am guessing it is pressure actuated, which means regardless of your final pressure you are going to get that 3000 psi burst. I switched over to a a flow actuated unloader and haven't looked back. The difference is dramatic. No more spikes to gouge wood or loosen siding. The chart is confusing at first. you follow the gpm of your machine to the desired pressure you are looking for and it will tell you which nozzle to use. On your machine a number 8 will get you to the pressure you seek.

I'm still not understanding. How are you getting height? (other than using an extension wand) What about rinsing glass and vegetation while you are working..don't you have to run back to your rig and pull the downstreamer out or do you just change tips? On a 5 gpm machine what size nozzle would you need to use to get the chemicals flowing? I use my downstreamer to apply Sil-O-Wet with the X-Jet but I have to open the dual lance wand to get the flow going. What am I missing?

Very nice setup, CCPC. I can't see why anyone wouldn't choose your type of setup over carrying around a bucket. For me I prefer not lugging any type of liquid around and space was the bigest issue (as in, I have none inside the van) so the shurflo setup was the answer because I mounted the tank to the top of the van next to the bucket lift. Now I have to get a more permanent reel mounted up there and I'm set (til next week that is)

How do you downstream through an X-Jet? I thought you needed a flood tip or a dual lance gun to get a downstreamer to draw? What you describe as the perfect setup is just about achievable with the ShurFlo and the X-Jet used in unison. I tie wrap the chemical hose to my wand and have the shutoff valve right above the triger of the gun.

When I do an estimate, I have a level of difficulty coding system I put on the bottom of my sheet. This one would get a J.F.H for a true job from hell. Sounds like you know what you are doing though. This one is out of my league, I wouldn't even know where to begin on an estimate.

When I first got into residential stuff, I met up with Dale from Sparkling Detail to give me some pointers. He had a setup with a cart and a 50 gallon drum for his housewash. It works well if you have a ramp and the room for the drum and handcart. I guess both setups have their advantages and drawbacks. For me dragging 3/8" clear poly-braided house is much less hassle than unloading a drum and then trying to maneuver it through expensive landscaping. There are also times when I want a flow of chemicals to a certain area with containable spray (roof, back of a chimney, area where paint is very fragile, etc). This is when I have the option of just popping the wand onto the chemical line and spraying direct. Also as Henry mentioned, when doing high commerical work or even a house where you are using a lift, there is no way an X-Jet is going to draw chemical vertically through 50 ft of hose without a boost. As far as cleaning the pump and line, it gives me more options too. I can usually find an isolated portion of property with mulch or area where I am not worried about harming any vegetation, plug the input line of the chemical pump into my reserve tank and let it run self cleaning while I do other things.

One year old deck needs light clean/sealing. Outta my travel range. Anyone interested?

I posted just as Rod posted, maybe I am misunderstanding the question?

Yes it works. Be sure to install a shutoff valve in your chem line. Positives: You mix chemicals one time per day. No dragging a bucket around or having it spill onto grass. No priming problems when using 6 ft wand or longer extension wand. When you need to use it for a roof or deck, you just plug in a wand. Negatives: You have to refigure your final chemical ratio. I strongly recommend this type of setup for a one man show. I use a 25 gal tank that is predrilled to mount the ShurFlo 3 gpm pump (machine is 5.6 gpm), a 12 volt tractor battery that I paid 25 bucks for at Pep-Boys, and 200 feet of 3/8" hose on a portable hand carryreel. This is my first season using this setup and I love it.

Fairly easy cleaning..no height difficulty, major landscaping or inaccessible areas. I would say your pricing is right in there and if you aren't booked solid, shoot for the $1,100.

Guilty? No way. It's a testament to your skill. Never feel bad about making a few extra bucks because you have the right knowlege and equipment. It would have taken most guys two days with inferior talent and gear. As far as the estimates being done, I am not cheap. I book one job a day, and I'm not getting a ton of callbacks which is okay at this point. I am not out to win everyone, only the people whom are serious about property upkeep.

That solution would probably work fine. If you are mainly doing housewashing using an X-Jet, get the higher gpm machine. The lower the gpm, the less height you are going to get. I'm guessing with 3 gpm you'll be lucky to get effective height of 20 feet? You will regret that as you will need an extension wand on most two story houses. The pressure is almost irrelevant as anything over 2500 psi will do everything you need it to, and if you have more, you can nozzle down to the right pressure so you don't do damage.