Henry Bockman

I should probably leave the phone off but then everyone would call my wife or kids to reach me..LOL

You can call me anytime during the day or early evening on my cell, I always have it on me.

Hey Mike, I'm on vacation right now but when I get back on the 16th I'll set you up with one of my crews or bring you out on one of my job sites so you can see what we do, and how we do it. Give me a call on my cell if you want.

I usually use powerhouse on gutters.

Don't use bleach on limestone, it can discolor it.

I'd suggest using Heavy Duty Restoration cleaner from Prosoco, it works a lot better.

Hey Charlie, contact your cell company, they should be able to give you all the numbers you called, and the ones that called you. Use this as an opportunity to close sales you thought you lost before. Follow up on every call on your bill for the last 2 months. If you need something let me know, I've got all kinds of extra stuff.

Or you could charge $500 bucks to trap it and set it lose 20 miles away where it will find a new home.

Hey Rick, Here in Maryland its different from other states I guess. I'm not sure about Beth but people ask about licensing and insurance a lot here. I also have a link on my site where people can check our license status and it get's clicked on a couple hundred times a month. The MHIC activily seeks out unlicensed contractors and contacts them, they also prosecute them too. Theres usually some kind of article, news thing or some other public issue on scam contractors here at least once a month. Like I said before, Maryland seems to be different from what most states do, maybe it's because were so close to the seat of politics, I'm not sure.

I wonder how many states require licensing for pressure washing?

Thanks for making that a bit clearer Beth. The funny thing is this topic has had over 185 views and only 22 votes. I know everyone out there should have enough of an opinion to vote on this. Just vote!

What happens if an illegal contractor is turned in for trashing someones property? In Maryland, you have to take a test, I think they have also added in classes also.

Don't forget to change the oil and flush it out before you try running it!

Hey Beth, give me a call late tomorrow afternoon if you can. I have an update.

I'd loan you one of mine but I'm in Maryland.. Give Sun Brite Supply a call, they may be able to get one to you quicker.

I'll start a new thread... Didn't realize the poll was closed.

I'm working on something that will help many of us that operate in Maryland but I need as many photos as I can get showing bad pressure washing jobs. If you have any, please email them to me today. Henry@henryshousework.com

Hey Beth, right now I'm just trying to arrange an audience with them. Once I can work something out I'm going to fill the place with MHIC Lis PW companies if I can. This has been a long process and I hope I'm making some headway on it. As soon as I know more details I promise, I'll get everyone involved that I can. Right now I'm trying not to rock the boat too much until I can get in the door.

The replacement parts for General Pumps are cheaper and easier to find. Also, in my experience, they just seem to run longer than CAT pumps. I know some guys prefer CAT over General pumps but most of the contractors I know also swear by General Pumps. Every time I talk with other contractors about their favorite equipment three names are always mentioned more than any other. Honda Engines, General Pumps and Becket Burners.

oww, that hurt James..lol Hey Beth, I'm working on putting together a presentation for the Maryland Home Improvement Commission to get them to create set, specific rules on licensing for pressure washing companies. Did you know that they changed the regulations recently? Now they say if your using chemicals when your cleaning, you need a home improvement license. By the way, according to them, soap isn't a chemical!! With the latest changes all they are doing is pushing people to rely on pressure for cleaning instead of the right cleaners to do the job. Which of course will cause even more damages! I'll let you know how it goes, if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know.

I've got an 11HP belt drive Honda engine if anyone wants it. I won't be needing it. I prefer General Pumps over Cat any day!

You can also send them before and after shots of their deck and house to remind them to clean them. Just send a letter or card to them and say, "How does your _____ look now? Is it time for us to come back out yet? Then offer them $25 off if they give the card to a neighbor and they use your services.

We probably run higher volume machines than you but an average residential home in my area is about 2,500 square foot and we can usually clean it, and the gutters in about 65 minutes. The going prices in this area are 300-450 for a house that size depending on where the house is and how many weekend warriors are out offering to do it for 199.00. I've been in business for twenty years now, maybe I should celebrate that and run a house washing special for $200.00? I wonder if they would mind?

If it was a realtime image I'd sign up for it for some of the services we offer. I agree with everyone though, decks would have to be done in person. We measure and photograph all of our clients properties though so we only have to go out once, unless they add on to their deck.

Were you washing the house or dishes?? If your washing a house try using a butyl degreaser like Power House it works really well on houses and it can be used to clean the outside of gutters too. Most distributors sell products that are designed to wash houses and they do a much better job than something designed to wash dishes and leave your hands feeling soft.