PressurePros

QC = Quality Control

Where's that thread One Tough Pressure posted about little Billy? Sorry about hijacking the thread content Beth, delete this or move as you see fit.

Beth, are you guys having d-base or other issues? None of the graphics load for me in Satellite and Element.

For those of you that use analytics to monitor your website hits do you notice this phenomenon often? Someone will hit your sight from Google using a keyword or phrase and then they will click that link multiple times within minutes of one another. I see this everyday on RAD. Its like they read, close the page, go back to google and open the page again. I had someone do a search for "gutter cleaning contractors" do that back and forth thing eleven times over the course of ten minutes. Anyone know why this happens? I'm sure someone has written an article somewhere. PS: None of my graphics are loading on TGS.

Dan, you just developed Wood Tux 2

I don't handle any of the addressing or mailing lists other than physically reviewing the target blocks. The mailers all are addressed by labels and machine by the place that handles that stuff for me. I do have six "QC" addresses on every mailer to make sure things are going out when they are supposed to and arrive like they should.

All of my mailers are addressed to the homeowner.

GPolice is most forgiving as to what you can get away with and they allow animated ones so the coolest ones are over there.

Now thats an intro! Welcome to the board, Rich. Acid brick restoration is a lofty way to cut your teeth. I wish you all the best and success in your venture.

Start up businesses can show a loss for 4-5 years.

Extensive cleaning for food manufacturing company in Allentown. Sounds like a kitchen type operation. They want everything tore apart. This is not a KEC job but may be best handled by someone in that field. pressurepros@mail.com

Other business ventures, get a job, painting like Dan mentioned. PressurePros just about pays my salary in the winter, which ain't sayin' much. Make sure you save and invst your money as you make it. Don't be an equipment junky.

18% of my new customer count this past year came from the combination of two books I advertise in. This is down from last year but I also equate that to a rise in referrals. It doesn't work for everyone of course. The writing is on the wall and yes, I do think a larger majority is going to come from the internet and yes, direct mail does better. The Yellow Book in my area is weak.. too much distribution. Verizon splits the county right where I need it to. I do in-column ads. Nothing fancy. No big hooks. There are maybe ten ads for deck restoration and maybe 15 for pressure washing.

Danebob, I'll give you a glimmer of hope. The Yellow Pages does well for me. Talk to other contractors in your area and ask them how they do. With all due respect to everyone that has posted, if no one used the Yellow Pages guys wouldn't be spending thousands per month on full page ads.

Very successful may be pushing things a stretch. I do okay. PS: If you are an IRS agent or related to one, this is all rhetoric. A joke between friends.. ha ha

LOL ! You're hired. Here is the commercial storyboard I currently have ready for production. Que guy on his deck using one of the "other" cleaners. The sun is shining, the birds are singing.. perfect day for some DIY stuff. He attempts to start spraying his cheap deck cleaner onto his deck when the sprayer clogs.. In typical three stooges fashion, he looks at the end of the end of the wand and gets a faceful of mist. He runs from the deck screaming. ::FADE OUT:: ::FADE IN:: The sun is shining again, the birds are in their glory and the camera angle is still on the deck but pans to a cute little girl stainding at the sliding glass doors lloking for Daddy. Cue the daddy who now has on goggles, a breather mask, PVC gloves up to his elbows and wader boots. Now its the little girls who runs off screaming. ::Fade Out:; Fade In:: Scene 3 is a repeat only this time the father and daughter are using landscape friendly Restore-A-Deck. They are all smiles and verything is right in the world ;-)

Shane, thats what the copper pentahydrate is for. Dan is a mad scientist when it comes to home brews. Considering standards in the northeast call for like 5% VOC's though.. hey what the heck, you aren't selling it. Linseed oil actually makes a better sealer IMO. Dan, how will you answer when people ask you what you are putting on their deck?

All of my posts were left in tact, thank you for that. SealMaxx in 07!

1) You will get higher and have much less mist. Chemical concentration will be the same all the way through your stream. You change tips to increase pressure so you can rinse. Depending on your flow a #20 should do it for rinsing. An interesting alternative I have seen (and as was suggested by Roger G) is to use a barb threaded onto a QC. Another cool tip is to actually bend the tip of the barb just a bit to create some diffusion of the spray. I haven't tried these but they sound effective and could speed up rinsing. The only problem is, you will have to manually shut off your downstreamer. 2) I am fairly cerrtain a DS'er does not negatively affect flow unless you are using an undersized downstreamer. Bob from P-Tek would be a better source of info there. 3) I can't answer that one but I would tak an educated guess and say no. The DS'r will dilute a degreaser too much for commercial flatwork. Chemical is rinsed from the hose in under 30 seconds. At the end of a workday, one of our procedures is to run fresh water through the DS'er (We use a one gallon milk bottle filled with water and stick the DS hose in it) I'm sure we don't do it 100% of the time so that is why i use stainless DS'ers

Chris, 0 degree.

Guys, facts are facts. Jim this ain't rocket science. I am capable of exploring, reading, and applying knowlege in the field. All of these I do extensively. I love Baker's and think it has it applications. If I didn't I woudn't sell it. It is a product very similar to Ready Seal. But these products have their limitations. Ready Seal is Ready Seal. Its an oil with a little pigment in it. There is not any great science going on. Not that extensive science makes the perfect product of course. Jim, you complained all season about being behind because of inclement weather. A product that needs 12% mositure content, how viable here in the northeast? I give you kudos for being a Ready Seal expert but I stand my ground. Being a wood restoration expert does not neccessarily make one a good businessman. I will place my knowlege of wood sealers and the science behind them (of which there is some but again, we aren't talking about atom splitting here) against anyone. I also have hundreds of hours in the field sweating behind a sprayer, burning of skin with strippers and breathing in enough acid to probably have miner's lungs. How much more, Jim before I am considered on par with having a conversation of someone of your greatness? ;-) To finalize, because I see where this is going and I probably should just get out while the going is good.. Tell me what is in your favorite sealer that makes it such a superior product. When you are done, explain to me then how it to make it viable for use in real world conditions in a company that is looking to expand service not be a paid hobbyist.. for a company that cannot afford constant reschedules waiting for a moisture meter to test out? Ready Seal and Pierce may be awesome, cannot judge either of them but when I see snake oil being peddled as nectar it's a little hard to swallow. If I am missing the boat and the product has transformed into something of which I am not aware I will print in a separate post a retraction and apology. Edit: I have recommended Ready Seal to many retail customers, it is a good product for them to apply. This is not a vendetta against ready seal, its not an infommercial for Bakers (which I make exactly $2 per gallon on) This is an attack against misinformation. I mean no disrespect Rick and I know your love and passion for wood but this is a business. Per our conversation the other day, you know my stance on that. I'm in business to make money. Look, every sealer.. every single one of them has flaws. If there was a perfect one size-fits-all product, it would probably have been invented by now. You know my opinion, I know the opinion of the RS crowd and they differ. No foul.

One of the disadvantages of a non-drying oil is the slope of its failure curve. From the day you apply a non drying parafinic coating, oils are being leeched from the surface. The is why Ready Seal is not a sealer, its a penetrating oil. According to some people in the know with whom I have spoken, Ready Seal actually violates a law on product labeling but that is not relevant here. This immediate leeching (washing away) every time it rains is what Rick is describing. The oil is being repelled away 200 mils below the surface but the surface itself is being exposed and the coating is being sacrificed. It happens with all sealers, whats different is the rate at which it happens. The best of all worlds is to have a deep penetrating oil, coupled with drying oils and agents. Thats the premise behind Wood Rich. The quality of a sealer is a balancing act of drying time, resin solid content, amount and quality of both pigmentation and mildewcide. With all due respect to Ready Seal, it is an inexpensive product that is way over-hyped in my opinion.

Celeste, Does Flood have Kool-Aid or similar potion?

Chris, To answer your questions in no certain order.. 10% should be fine. I think what many guys are using is not actually 12% anyway as sodium hypochlorite degrades quickly and I have heard through the grapevine that what is sold as 12% is often watered down. On a 5.6 gpm machine I use a #30 tip to apply chemical (its big enough to create draw on a regular lance but I do use a dual lance anyway) I use a #20 to rinse. Both tips give me the height I need. On a 4 gpm machine you can use smaller orifice nozzles. I have thought about selling the housewash mix but there are good mixes out there already. Next week I am bringing in my housewash soap for 2007. If you wanna pay the shipping I can ship you a couple of pounds to try out. I have a couple of other guys I will be sending to as well.

Customer said solid stain. It looks like paint to me. I only have this picture to go by. Notice the sheen up by the door.