Craig

Mike- Please expand... what soaps have you found and why do you feel they are better? Craig

I don't do wood restoration, but YES you should charge a minimum. We have minimums set for PW'ing and Concrete Coatings.

Awesome- good job everyone!

I charge a little more to make up the difference. We're not truckers and are I think as a whole we're pretty lucky that we can afford ourselves the luxury of having the option in how to absorb the gas hike. The estimates I'm trying to group into cities, getting to everyone within 2-3 days. It's more organized this way and now I use less gas than I did before in the "care free" mode.

I use R-109 and R-202 on a daily basis. You do not need to worry about plants. R-109 and 202 are with me ALL the time. You can mix them to whatever application you desire in many different strengths. I use them for truck washing, concrete cleaning (great for tire marks), house washing, interior restaurant floor cleaning and everything in between. I use 109 more than 202 for just about everything though, because 202 is such a strong degreaser. You'll need 202 for bad oil stains and dumpster pads but 109 for everything else.

I work out 4 times a week and have to say this post kind of makes me sick. No wonder 80%+ of Americans are lazy and overweight.

X-Jet. Easiest way to get enough chems.

Nice job!!!!

Very light pressure is key when doing asphalt. As the above post explained, your white (40 degree) is your best bet. Or if you have a surface cleaner make sure the nozzles are set not to cause damage (big oriface size, fan nozzle and steep angle into the substrate). Also, a light soap solution like Delco's R-109 mixed 6 ounces per gallon and x-jetted at 2:1 works great. Dave, Your turbo nozzle is an extreme machine. It can cause damage in an instant and the reason you see the blotchy patches is because the surface layer has been stripped off. I usually only use my turbo on hard concrete where my purpose it to strip paint or prep the concrete for a coating (exposing the aggregate). I would personally NEVER use the turbo on asphalt! Asphalt should take you less time to clean than concrete. Basically if you are just using the wand you'll want to apply clean water, soap (wait 10 minutes) and then rinse hard enough to lift dirt off but soft enough as not to cause damage.

Things are excellent. We even started up a coatings buisness this year and it's off and running too. Last month was one of the best ever and next month is already booked to be even better! Hey- after working my azz off for 30 years a little innovation is starting to pay off.

David- Don't forget to tip your waitress! ...what were you going to do with those eight singles you had left, anyway?

I can "drive for show" but my "puttin's for nothin!" LOL

Got back from vacation in Wisconsin last week. We played once and I shot an 82- and that's with 3 birdies. My short game was terrible and I three putted 11 greens! LOL Luckily my long game was there and I was 4 feet away from a hole-in-one on a 337 yard par 4. I was on the back fringe on another 322 yard par 4! But it really doesn't matter how long you can hit 'em if you can't hole them out!

They are both efficient. I prefer the look of the horizontal.

Here's my point of view- If you have so much time on your hands that you are worrying about "Low Ballers" then you are doing something wrong. Who honestly cares if someone else is charging more or less than you? I sure don't. My price is my price. It typically doesn't move and if someone doesn't have insurance, proper equipment, etc and they take a job that I may have gotten... God Bless them and good luck. As far as I'm concerned, we need lowballers to take away the customers that we wouldn't want to deal with in the FIRST PLACE. If a customer wants to base his decision based on price that's his business, not mine. Cheap is rarely the least expensive option. Instead of focusing your attention to customers you don't want in the first place, why not create some mailers or drive around the neighborhood and get some addresses. Take a yellow book out and make phone calls.

Walton Washer-

Mike- We're in this business to clean concrete, not create miracles. Your concrete looks fine. The discoloration could be due to mineral stains that you did not see before because the concrete was so dirty. When you wash, just be careful not to expose the aggregate of the concrete. Almost all concrete has a "cream" or "butter" on the top. Amatuers destroy the cream. Professionals leave the cream intact and clean to the best of their ability. When you apply chems make sure to mist the concrete first with water, apply your chem and wash before it dries.

that's always the case- hardest part of the business for us!

I like it, Henry.

1-800-477-3924

I pay them hourly. I pay one-way drive time (generally). I figure their hours based on production, so I control their pay- they do not control my payroll (to a certain degree). If they have been outstanding and working hard, I will include a bonus that pays them for some or all of their driving time. I also pay bonuses for good ideas that we implement ($25 each), and take away for showing up late, bad attitude, unpredictable job performance etc.

120 degrees last week. 35% humidity.. real feel temp of 141 degrees. We take many precautions but it is very possible to work in these conditions.

I've never seen anything like that!

I have an E-350 and pull an open 5x10 trailer. Works great because I can keep the chems cool and lock up things inside. The rest sits on the trailer (unit, h20 tank, hose reels, generator and recovery.)

#1. Normal #2. Normal #3. It's OK, but don't make a habit of it. It could potentially damage your machine and lock it up, but this type of thing happens to me a lot. Just make sure to keep the trigger pulled to pull the water through the system. Don't let it sit there and starve for H20.