John T

Well said Russ. Thats the light at the end of the long tunnel and it a monstrous task...but it can be done.

Well said Russ. Thats the light at the end of the long tunnel and it a monstrous task...but it can be done.

Hey Chris for Long Island that is a decent deal since everything is expensive here. The only thing I don't care with in that set-up is the single axle trailer. I would always recommend a double axle trailer since it can hold so much more weight. As for the Products that Sunbrite sells Pete Marentey who owns that company sells good equipment and his customer service with Tracy is excellent. You can also try a local dealer by you www.indequipment.com who I use all the time for some chemicals and also have them fix some of my machines. He may be able to direct you to a decent deal and the service he offers is excellent and he is only at most 15-20 minutes from you.

What ever happened to Jarod?? With his funny guitar playing You Tube video's to his Roundtable and pumping iron pictures. This guy seemed full of life....Whatever happened to him?? I see he hasn't visited TGS in almost 2yrs. Anyone know what happened to this guy?? http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums/members/jarrod.html

We have used our Gutter chemical scrubbed on and then High heat to take it off. IF anything is left we would do the same process again. This has worked pretty good for us.

First the Turbo charger went on it..supposedly that was $3000 but it was covered under warranty. I did have to pay the automatic $100 that Ford charges here no matter if its waranteed or not. THis was around a year ago. Then last month The truck just stalled and I couldn't start it. An hour later I got it started and took it to Ford. They changed out a couple of Fuel Injectors and off I went. Two days latter I broke down on the main business strip on Long Island where I held up some serious traffic. This went on for at least 15 minutes. Luckely I got the truck started and then drove off and 5 minutes later it stalled again so I glided off the road. I tried to start it again but the batteries eventually lost the charge needed to turn the starter. So I had to get it flatbeded to Ford. This Flatbed cost me $250. Then Ford says I blew my starter and thats my fault so now where at another $500. In the end I contested all of that after the truck was fixed and Ford would only pay for the tow so I was stuck with the burnt out starter which I had to use to get my truck out of that massive traffic tieup it caused. They changed out at least 4 more injectors which they said were bad. So this cost me the starter and alot of headaches.Now Yesterday it breaks down again in traffic. The tow truck takes over an hour to get there but right before they did I get it started. I take it right to Ford which was 10 minutes from there. The engine ran OK at this point but the Turbo boost was registering ZERO on the tacomoter. So who knows now what the problem is there. I need both trucks Monday Morning for a large Condo pool area and all of the walkways around the Condo that have to be done. The kicker here is that my guys told me that my other Ford Truck the left wheel is starting to make metal to metal noise when they step on the brake. This is going to be costly because I cant get that truck in the shop at all now because of my 05 sitting in the Ford parking lot. I'm just heading there now to see if they can give me a loaner since its not my fault that my truck engine sucks.

I broke down again yesterday with my 6.0 liter ford and held up traffic.. this is the third time in about a month. The Ford Diesel mechanic said that these 6.0 ford diesels suck...and thats a Quote. Stay away from these engines any year they were produced. Nothing but bad news all the way around with them. For the ones who havent had problems there lucky but most likely problems for them are looming right around the corner this is how bad that engine is.

We use 12.5% Sodium Hypochorite mixed with a couple of surfacant soaps and we Xjet it where it comes out almost as strong as Bleach by itself. WE Rinse rinse rinse and then rinse again. The houses clean up fast but I have two guys doing this together all the time so nothing gets killed. When done our houses are blindingly cleaned but its a risk to clean like the way we do because you have to keep everything extremely wet and then wet again.

My 2005 F-350 just broke down again for the third time in a month. Out of nowhere I am getting serious problems with the 6.0 liter Turbo Diesel engine. This is not good. My two other fords are 7.3 liter diesels and the engines are phenominal. Never any problem yet with them and one truck is a 2001 F-250 with around 140,000 miles and the other is an 89 Ford F-350 Bucket truck with around 125,000 miles.

Locally here they couldn't come close to Keiths prices and more importantly they weren't as good as Keith was with dealing with Powerwashers and what they want since Keith had so many Powerwashers that used his services. But whats going on with him now is a damn shame because just about everyone I knew loved his work.

Keith emailed me in March to change something on my postcards but then he fell off the face of the earth. I needed him to print up another 5000 of them with our postage number and he never responded from that point on. His Voice mail is generally filled so you can't leave a message. I really needed Keith to do these cards but he did hook me up with the download for another company to do my cards. It appears he over booked and then he panicked where he burned alot of bridges with his past customers. Besides that I don't know anything more.

Definitely get employees and if you have to fire many to get to that good one then that what I would do and its what I have done. I almost always had a helper when I first started out 15 years ago. Then even at most jobs I would do them by myself. Including staining 3,000 sq' homes by brush. That would take me weeks but I didnt care because it was steady work. I would make then $300 a day doing that and I thought I was king. As time goes by you just get burnt out from it all. Yea you think your the best but you have to get past that Mentality and for most they just can't seem to do that. Its one of the hardest things to do in business where you need to go from the "One man Band" to delegating. You will eventually not be happy with the Money you make forever doing jobs by yourself and you will start to burn out and become lonely as heck doing jobs by yourself day in and day out. Today we have 4 employees. Not big by any means but we are profitable and many day I never leave the house and my business machine continues to make money because my guys go out and do the labor. I go to estimates and sell the jobs. My wife does all of the calls and record keeping amongst many things like doing multiple Mailings that are in the thousands. My two full time guys come by get there work orders for the day do the jobs and most times give the customer a reciept that the job is completed and they also collect the payment. Obviously they get all the tips and some days they do real well there. These guys are GOLDEN. but like I said I had to go thru many guys to get them. SO I would say look for employees. Just today(Sunday) my guys went out because we are so backed up that they cleaned a building and a sidewalk. My take was over $1000 after expenses and I hung with my family all day. That is where I'm at today but it did take me longer then expected to get here. You can start sooner by starting now. Good luck.....and yes as Jeff L. says LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Jeff---interesting post. Some of your questions I've been thinking about myself as what I may do in the future. My Powerwashing business is going strong and besides our strong residential base where landing some of those $25,000+ jobs in the commercial sector. With Kathy now handling all of the office work and with me running around doing estimates and my two fulltime guys and at times some part time guys added on plus working with other companies in completing larger jobs and also working with other companies on doing bids the business end is doing well. As for my other job they just keep sweetening my pot(No not the one you smoke.lol) and because of that I am committed to them until next June where I will be 50 and 27 years in the system. Retirement then is a great possibilty. I am the most senior guy here and I have turned down a chance to be a boss here because I make more money then they do because of my 10% forever night diff and the select OT that I take. My goal is to leave this pot of gold on the table and take my pension and then continously build my Powerwashing business. IF this happens then I do plan on getting involve once again with an org. I just got invited to a BOMA cocktail party and me and Kathy made some connections right there. Kathy was also invited to go to an all girl manhattan real estate org that networks there and gets jobs for people in the service business in the big apple. So there are many possibilities. But your asking a more specific question which is would I get involve with the PWNA again...the answer is yes that is a possibility. I always like to be right there with the leaders of anything. Whether it was sports when I was younger, THe military,Unions or even when I wrote President Nixon a letter when I was in second grade and he responded back(and can you believe I lost that picture booklet he sent me with a note and his signature). I like to be involved but working night and days for the last 15 years has taken a toll on me both physically and mentally so for now I need a break from it all kind of like you do. The last experience was way to draining and not productive in the end for me and even from me. So next year if I walk from here...somewhere someplace I do plan on getting involved again. I like to sit at a "Sparks Steakhouse" or a "Peter Lougers" (Famous steak places in NY) with some powerbrokers and just talk shop and talk dreams and maybe make some of those into realities. That to me is exciting,fun and just enjoyment of just soaking it all in and enjoying life....and maybe somewhere making a little difference for someone who can benefit from it to help them and there families......So Yes...maybe...to your question. How about you?? What do you see yourself doing with any orgs in the next few years??? I'm interested because I thought you very good with the past org. and I also think you learned some unbearable lessons there also that a few of us did that can only make you a better person for it...

If you look at the news you will see that people put religion way up there. They Live by it and they will die for it. 9-11 for example. Why do people have blind faith?? My Nephew who is very intelligent and somewhat religious attends Rutgers University. He went to an organize debate titled EVOLUTION v. CREATION. Evolution is more or less stating that we came from a cell and went from there. Creation is that God put us here(Adam and Eve) and we came from there. The debate in a nut shell went like this....All the facts that the Evolution side put on the table the Creation side tried to tear it apart but the Creation side really couldn't put up any facts for themselves since there side is built on faith and hearsay(Bible which is past down thru men/women) So I ask why do people put faith ahead of fact? Is it a character flaw that we as humans have?? Is it the guilt that is bread in us that if we don't believe in God we are terrible people and we will go staight to....... In the shortest words possible since most of us can write a book about this ---Why do you think Faith does thru-out the Planet beat Fact most of the time when it comes to Religion???

Happy B-day Tracy and many many more...R u going to skydive again?? Those were some cool shots.

What ever happened to this girl???

Rod that makes alot of sense. Your a smart dude that has a way of making a point that is somewhat Intellectual in stature. Basically it looks to me that guys like Tony and William Page who I know from people who know them are good spirited and nice guys but from reading what they believe in...yup we will have to agree to disagree. It looks like they would be happy if there was a lawless society where we each fend for ourselves and the Gov't and the cops etc. should be taken out of the picture so they can make all the decisions on there own without repercussions from an outside source such as the Gov't(Feds) or any type of law enforcement. Eliminate all licensing, Eliminate all taxes, Eliminate all the rules and just live life. Thats nice but if that was the case the criminal element would run amok and you would have no defense system to really defend yourselves and your families. The Mob and the Gangs would run your towns and there way of passing down judgment would not be pretty and you would have no way out because of there brutality. I think the USA system is the best in the land. We have the most rights and freedoms in organized countries. Our Kids are the safest here and our chance to make a good honest living is probably just about the best here then most other places on Earth. Its not a perfect system but at most times it works. You just can't please everyone all the time and in this case Tony and William would be the first two guys that I suspect in Powerwashing land who are the most unhappiest with this country and the way they do things. Regulation in the modern world is a necessity because it saves lives. The way we live for thousands of years as Tony says means very little today. The times are different and that is how we as a human race have advanced along the way. Hopefully with all the discord our race has though we just don't end it all with mass destruction. That is my biggest fear and since Earth will never be like a heaven where everyone is happy something is bound to give.....I just hope not in my lifetime or my kids, grandkids etc etc etc. Believe in what you may but take care of your kids and your family to the best of your ability and teach them what is right and what is wrong without debating every little issue. Buckle up......

The PWNA is really starting to grow again. Sweet!! Welcome fellow member.

Hey Tony I just took out a couple of your quotes to comment on them. If you do serious harm to your body in some cases such as self mutilation where your cutting yourself and The cops are notified you most likely will be put into the psych ward so you can be evaluated. If you attempt suicide and you succeed you therefore killed your body and that is a violation of your religious rights. According to Christian faith you do not have the right to commit suicide because its a sin. The seatbelt remark is two fold. It saves Lives first and foremost and it also limits the severity of a potential injury which will cost the tax payers if the injury is bad enough.... I never let my kids go in a car and not be seat belted and I would hope that you do the same. I've dealt with accidents and seen people die and its terrible when someone says after they see the ejected dead kid "If only they had there seatbelt on because the car doesn't even look that banged up". Motorcycles are different so different things have a set of different rules at times such as a seatbelt law. I think you put to much into what you believe in and you take some of the logic right out of it. Example is above. Logic states that Seatbelts save lives...so logically it would be wise to buckle up and its also the law because it saves lives. Also since you speak about your Christianity where does logic fall into that?? I would label that as Faith that defies logic.....(Ah oh that may be a fire storm that I just said:) )

Tony I have to say you are a good debater. You make alot of fair points and alot of them cannot be disputed. Yes I'm sure somewhere there are Doctors that practice without a license and they may better then most Doctors that have a License. My father who was in a very bad motorcycle when I was a kid out Dirt Biking with him when he fell and broke all his ribs, Collar bones and punctured his lungs....and all my father could do was lay there and try to laugh thru the pain cause he was in shock. Long story short My Dad was brought into Smithtown General Hospital and his Doctor gave him all the morphine he wanted. My father was doped up all thru-out until he was just about healed. He loved it and thought the world of his Doctor there....As it turns out a few months later that Guy was locked up for impersonating a Doctor who never went to school or anything. Many sued, my Father would not. Best Doctor he ever had so he would not sue because He was Happy(Real Happy when he was doped up..lol). That is a rare story. As for me I would be livid if I ever found out my Girls were operated on by a Doctor who had no license no matter the results. Also I would always rather have a Licensed Driver operate any of my vehicles then an Unlicensed one at all times. Unlicensed drivers do not belong on the road period. The risk is to great to allow that even if its a medical emergency and the kid is trying to save his mothers life. The risk is way to high that he could hurt others if he drives. Call it what you want but in alot of cases certain professions and certain rights I am a big believer in Licensing and there are many reasons for that. I am also a big believer that a child should go to college and earn there degree which is where I am going to send my girls when they graduate. Now if you want to talk the insane amount of money it cost for a kid these days to get there degree I would be all for that because I think that is unfair to them......but that is another story.

Tony some of your points are good ones but the one above is just crazy. For one thing a doctor can lose his license for some bad things that he has done so now he is unlicensed you would send your kid there?? Of it the guy was never licensed you would still send your kid there?? Thats crazy and even though your trying to make a point that statement is just way out there. Hey lets take that ones step further. Why make it where people don't need a license to drive. Now with that you can have 11 yr olds driving down the street cause they don't need a license. Make your points but keep out the ones that are way out there like that doctor one. If you want a doctor like that then go to a third world nation and let those doctors work on your kids if they need help....NOT!!!

My advise would be similiar. The time it would take us to strip that deck all the way down is way to time consuming and they will not pay you for all that time on most cases. I always tell people once there deck or house is a solid color you can always change that color but most likely you will forever have to stick with a solid color if "We are to do that job".. I gave up on stripping solid color stains years ago because the stripping and sanding and sanding and sanding just took way to much time and most times I never got it all out. Today I am no longer trying to be the Michael Angelo of staining. I want people to get a great job which they do when we do it but I also want to make top dollar and the days of being married to a job when in the end it hardly paid for what it was worth.....are gone for me and my business.

Hey How come I have Ron M. asking me when am I going to rejoin the PWNA again like some others when I never left?? I've been a member for around 10 yrs now. I think Ron finds that hard to believe:)

We strip and Brighten all Cedar Shake houses that we do. Some of the houses afterwords we have Brushed on a stain that is along the lines from Semi Transparent to Solid(I hate to stain there shakes solid but if they pay for it then we'll do it. One Coat Primer 2 coats stain. Our biggest paying Cedar jobs but still hate that anyway)/ When they want the Cedar shake house Sealed we always spray and use brushes to catch drips if thats needed. The Sealer of choice for us here is Cabots Natural which is an oil base sealer. We used to like the Benjamin Moore Sealer but they have since changed over hear to a water base sealer. Soon all sealers will probably go to water base sealers due to VOC's (Environmental Concerns) and I always like the oil bases better. So IMHO go with the strip and brighten method then a few dry days later come back and spray on the sealer..$$$$$$ then gone. These Customers a few years later will pay to have it done again.

Thats Great Paul..Ride the wave. Hey by the way Dan Galvin is a heck of a nice guy. I met him at this past ACR roundtable. I heard alot of nice things about him from Brian Penney way back when. Good to see the PWNA news on the net.