John T
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Posts posted by John T
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There is a company that is using other people's pictures on his website and even though he states on his site that this is how things could look if Pressure wash I still feel it is Unethical to use others pictures without there consent.
Here's a post I left on steve's board concerning this. Tell me if I'm out of line. I also e-mailed John Orr to let him know.
I don't like the idea of using others pictures on your site without there permission even if there not copywrited which probably 99% pictures aren't. There is a few pictures on that site that I recognized and its just not right. Extremely unethical and with False pretenses given to the fact that people hire you for your work and your showing before and after pictures of others. There could be some legal ramifications at play here.
The right thing to do would be to take those pictures out pronto and put your own in. Take them as you go. DO the honorable thing and you shall be rewarded but by being dishonest you are leaving a bad taste in some fellow powerwashers mouths especially those that find out your using there pictures.
Think about it.
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If you truly believe(This is not directed to anyone specifically) in Reclaiming as Allan and Jon do then I can respect that even thought I disagree with it. But I have a feeling that alot of people here are talking like they are big followers of reclaiming because its politically correct and yet they aren't compliant at all because they don't reclaim. I would be willing to bet that my above statement is 100% correct.
I on the other hand are telling the straight truth with no Sugar coatings to it what so ever. If you truly believe in the reclaiming then do it like Allan and Jon do but please don't say that it should be done to keep this world a cleaner place and yet you probably aren't doing it. This is directed to anyone who could fall into this catagory and no one specific.
Potically correct also never flies in my belief systems but Honesty is at the very top. I want "Nothing but the truth, The whole truth, so help you God" Sound Familiar???
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If I have to reclaim then I'll look into it. Untill then I am not going to worry about. I will not go out of my way to support it for the work I do because I don't believe in it. Its just another way to force restrictions down our throats so somebody can make a few bucks and it not the general contractor either.
As far as this point goes "We have 5 kids between my wife and I,the very least we can do is try to leave them a clean place to live after we are gone from this earth.
Here's an idea...Get out of this business alltogether so your conscience is completely clear because everytime you fire up your powerwasher you pulluting the very air that your kids breath.
To reclaim water that has no chemical in it what so ever is completely ludercrous. This is a sale job for someone to make $$$$. I can see it as do plenty of others. If you are using chemicals then that is another story and also cleaning gas stations but for the routine commercial flat work. I don't buy it.
I took this stand last year as I do this year. Go ahead and buy the Reclaiming systems but you will be smoked by guys that don't use it and are getting the same price as you are..maybe even more. How can you compete with that. You can't. Kendra couldn't!!
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Jon,
If I was in your shoes I would be probably doing the same thing you are or I never would be in this business.
I can't say for sure if I'll stay in this business here if they make us reclaim but I can tell you this I will not support Reclaiming here becuase its not benificial to do so. It will hurt to many powerwashers here and kill this business because just about no one here commercially will pay for it and that means death to this business.
If on the other hand there is big money to be made in reclaiming and everyone is doing it then I'll jump on the band wagon because to me it comes down to $$$$. Yes I love this business but for me Money is the bottom line as in most businesses or they will not survive.
Its probably and east coast vs. west coast way of thinking. Guys that reclaim should be commended for it but if they aint making the bucks for doing it then there business will be on a sinking ship.
Just look what happen to Kendra. You remember her. She did everything right over there like you guys and look what happen to her and she was like an icon in reclaiming.
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OK even though I pretty much knew this I wanted to see if any of you guys could prove any different.
It looks like I'm going to have to part with this Cold water Powerwasher I have in my garage since I already have two others for Residential use. Its a shame because this PW has a kick butt 18hp Honda engine on it and I can't think of anything I can do with it.
Look to see it soon for sale somewhere on the net.
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I am another person that doesn't like the thought of reclaiming and I won't do it untill forced to and at that point I may move on to a different business because it just won't be worth it to me to get into this setting up/taking down expensive reclaiming systems and not get any more money in doing so. THe commercial end is dog eat dog mentality and who can pay the least to get the job done. At least thats the way it is here and I won't waste my valuable time playing with reclaiming equipment and not making anymore $$$ in doing so.
Also if they make Reclaiming a forceable law then those that do reclaim are also in BIG trouble because we all know that its impossible to reclaim all the water and the little that gets away then some hyper EPA dude will burn one of these reclaiming companies and why you ask???Because he can and will!!! Also He will win because of that little bit of dirty water that got away from the expensive reclaiming system.
Its just not worth it in my eyes and I'm not in this business to be MR. Do Gooder but I'm in it for the Money and to also help others make a few $$$ themselves. I am not in it to support rules that in the end will hurt most Powerwashers. ITs for this reason only that I am SO GLAD I don't powerwash in California. I couldn't be bothered with that Liberal state of mind thinking over there. For my California buddies here don't take this as an attack on your character cause you guys are great. I just don't like LIBERAL laws. Never did.....and never will.
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I'm debating on setting up one of my rigs with a cold water power washer that pumps out around 6 gpm. This would be used for The surface cleaner and flat work only. For Gum the Hot water PW on my trailer would be used for that. This would be for a 2 man set-up. One for the flat work(Cold water) and the other one for Gum removal(Hot water).
Do you think the Cold water will clean as well as the hot water for commercial flat work when using the surface cleaner??
Thanks
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Riftz(Rob),
How about some pictures of your truck/van rig set-ups so we can get a better idea on how you operate. I have checked out your Powerwasher for sale and it still looks new. I think you said it only has about 40 hrs on it. So if you werent really using that what have you been using that has helped you do so well in this field.
You've seen alot of our set-ups so how bout showing us yours.
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Don't know much about those powerwashers since I own neither. I heard that they were both good.
As for enclosed trailers I have a 7'x12' with a Landa Powerwasher mounted inside. If I had to do it all over again I would have got a 16' because mine got small fast.
Other then that good luck on your purchases with the powerwashers.
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Paul B.,
I agree with everything your saying except for one thing. I(my opinion only) believe that your trucks and rigs should look good. I am a believer in wearing my comapny Polo shirts and caps when doing estimates so to radiate more of my business presence.
Also when I'm doing some residential work and always when doing commercial work I wear a company t-shirt. Anybody who works with me do the same since I have extra shirts.
Along with producing high quality of work I think my appearance should reflect that.
It might be my Military background that has me thinking like this but I feel that being completely squared away with work and appearance I give myself the utmost edge in this forever highball/lowball competition where in.
Also it makes me feel good that I am giving it my best. Sure there are some days that I stray from this but most of the times this is the way I operate my business.
ITs dog eat dog out there and this dog like to eat:p :p :p
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Right on Dave;)
I actually thought about selling my Dodge diesel just last month. I took it off the road and was getting ready to sell it when I got this call to clean this mall complex on a monthly bases which will consist of using 2 rigs.
All I needed was a reason not to sell my beloved Dodge...
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I also have the 24' Extenda wand with the 1/4 in hose. If I had to do it over I would by the 18' with the 1/4 hose because like the others say its tough to use at 24' and I hardly ever open it more then 18' because its much easier to handle. The reason why I would stick with the 1/4" hose is because I use my x-jet for adding chemicals to my cleaning which means I can get by with the 1/4".
If you want the 3/8" hose compared to the 1/4" hose is probably no more then a pound difference give or take a few ounces. As fof the 24' compared to the 18' your probably talking a few lbs. difference which means less strain on your back when using.
Also I'm sure there is a small savings in purchasing the 18' compared to the 24'
Good Luck
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Lou,
You can make a ton of money in this business as in most any other business. I do this business partime and I am starting to catch my salary that I make from my fulltime job which pays me 6 figures. So even doing this partime you can do well if you head alot of the above advice from others in this post.
I will admit that I'm lucky with my fulltime job that I pretty much can make my own schedule. Even with this set-up I still may walk away from my fulltime job(Retire) and go fullout in the Powerwashing field.
What it comes down to if you think you can most likely...you can. Only you know the true answer to this.
Good luck
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Riftz,
What kind of Van do you have and will it have enough power to tow everything?? I had a Van and sure as sh## I blew the tranny on it because I was carrying to much weight.
I think Van set-ups are great for Commercial Cleanings but for residential at least for me they were to cramped.
If I ever go back to Van set-ups I would look for a Diesel Van that can pull a ton and still be halfway decent in gas.
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And for my residential end I have my 1997 Dodge Dually Diesel and a 7'x12' enclosed trailer that has 2 cold water Powerwashers stored in it along with a mounted Landa Hot water Powerwasher. Also stored in there are tarps, Airless sprayer, Flojet and surflo pumps among many other Powerwashing related items.
As for that Van I since sold it with a blown Transmission because I used to carry to much equipment in it which is the reason I am not a Fan of the Van....except for maybe Commercial cleaning ONLY. My Bucket truck took the place of the Van.
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For my Commercial set-up I have a 1989 Ford Diesel F-350 Bucket Truck with a Hydrotek Rig. This truck now has 3 surface cleaners stored in the back of it and every compartment is full with Powerwashing items,tools and chemicals.
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Along with the 5 powerwashers that I own (3 cold and 2 Hot) I have 2 rigs and truck set ups. One is mainly for commercial and the other is residential. Of course they can be mix and matched either way.
I was going to sell my Dodge Dually but I decided to keep it since I just landed another commercial account(Mall complex) for flatwork cleaning.
I'll try to post a picture of my set-ups later.
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Ok your dead.:D You sound highly motivated which is extremely important in this or any other business.
Beth(Owner of this great bb) and Rod are a wife and husband team that does well.
As for myself I do most of the physical work with one or 2 partimers working with me and my wife takes most of my calls and sets up estimates etc. So in a sense my business is becoming a husband and wife business more and more each year.
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Beth,
I know you have plenty of experience from all ends of the spectrum in this field. I have never doubted that. The only thing that I was asking is have you used the x-jet for stripping wood.
I understand completely the dangers of using HD-80 via x-jet,Flojet or most anyother way to apply it.
The only thing I was questioning was the strength of HD-80 when mixed and used thru an x-jet. I hope you didn't take offense to anything that I was saying for that was not my intent. I know where still pals;)
I now understand that you can't make HD-80 any stronger then the 8 oz per gallon of H20 which is the reason why I started this thread so I can hear this for sure from you very qualified people here.
What are your thoughts about using the x-jet for stripping. Did you like the way it worked as far as keeping the wood soaked with the mixture?? This is the thing that I liked most about using the x-jet when doing this.
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I have to admit since I started using the x-jet about a month ago to strip fences/decks I have been getting better results then using my flojets/surflo pumps and also getting the job done much faster.
The reason is simple--------with the x-jet the surface getting stripped is flooded by the solution coming out of the x-jet compared to the solution coming out of the Flojet/surflo pumps where you have to keep going over with a mist of water to keep it activating which means lost time.
I recommend for anyone that strips wood to try it. I did and I can't believe the results.
The drawback to this is that BETH is saying that you can't increase the strength of the HD-80 to make it come out with max. strength threw the x-jet. This is where I would like to read MORGANS response to this not that I'm doubting BETH because I'm not. But with that being said I would be willing to bet that BETH has never x-jetted a deck to strip it. Like I said I haven't either Untill last month and I was SURPRISED at how good it worked.
One more point. When I mixed the HD-80 at 16oz/gal. of H20 I due it with a drill. There is hardly any residue at the bottom of my pail by doing it like this. But since BETH is telling me that it makes no difference when I add 16oz to 8oz of HD-80 to increase its strength even though I am disapointed in hearing this I except it as truth untill someone can prove otherwise.
BETH------is it possible to get the creator of HD-80 to respond to this post????
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This may have been asked before but I can't remember the answer to it so here it goes.
If 8oz of HD-80 to 1 gallon of water is the max. strength mix what happens if I put 16 oz of HD-80 per gallon of water in my x-jet bucket that shoots out 2-1. Does this mean my HD-80 will be hitting the object at full strength(8 oz/gal.) or is the 16oz of HD-80 going into my x-jet bucket makes no difference and Hence its hitting the object at Half strength(4oz) because of the 2-1 the x-jet is shooting out???
Another way of putting this if 8oz HD-80/gallon of water is the max strength then 16oz HD-80/gallon of water is no stronger and if this is true then my x-jet which is shooting out 2-1 is really only applying my mixture of HD-80 at half strength which is equal to 4oz of HD-80/gallon of water. Is that true??
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Price
in Awning Care
The only thing I'll add to this is that to make any real money in this or any other business is you have to have employees do the work.
I have between 1 and 2 partimers working with me at times. When I work by myself I can generate anywhere between $40-$150hr. If I had to guess I would say my average is somwhere around $80-$90/hr. Take into mind that I Live in NY where the cost of living is one of the highest in the nation so the Hourly rate will be higher here also then most states.
Now $80-$90hr seems nice but don't forget that the traveling between jobs and doing estimates I don't make any money so I am probably knocked down to about $60 or so and hour for an 8 hour day. Which isn't to bad but the draw back is I can't make much more then this on my own because I am about as fast and good as I'll ever be at Powerwashing/staining. This is why I have Commercial targets in my head so I can hire Employees so I can make more money then I can generate on my own.
What saves me now is that I have another job on top of Powerwashing so I can stay at the size I am now and always do all right.....but who wants to do "Just all right"????????
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How large of a water tank do you plan on getting into the Van?? I had a Van Set-up a couple of years ago but I blew up the tranny and sold off the Van as is.
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I wear the goggles and mask when applying strippers and brightners.
The one thing I have been doing alot of lately and with tremendous results is applying these chemicals with my x-jet. The reason I even tried this in the first place is because my Flojets have stopped working. They are always breaking down on me.
I have become quite accurate using the x-jet and its much faster and puts down alot more chemical/water to keep the wood pretty moist.
I am impressed with the results. I also giveMorgan from Paridise credit for giving me the idea to even try this. I am shocked on how much better the x-jet worked compared to the Flojets.
Company website using others pictures
in Business Topics & Tips
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That question was somewhat brought up on another bb and his response was the website designer gave him these pictures and he was allowed to use them because they weren't copyrighted.
I'm not questioning what he was told but that answer doesn't seem correct to me. Others on that other bb have brought this to his attention but seeing pictures on his site that belong to others.
I did e-mail John Orr to let him know and if he is fine with it thats ok. If it was me I would be pissed that someone was using my pictures for advertising on there web. without my permission.
I'm just reporting what I'm seeing and if everyone is fine with it then no harm done. I wish I could find this post on the other bb. Either way this is just my point of view.