Littlefield
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Posts posted by Littlefield
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Check out windowcleaningsupplies.com.
they have an adjustable standoff that goes from almost 6 feet wide, to standard 30 some inches, and from1 ft standoff, to 2.5 feet. Doesn't come on and off a ladder easy though, sheesh some guys want all the toys, huh?
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Cale, I think we're all just impressed with how together you seem to have it already.
The big thing it seems you're asking about is winter work, and I'm in GA, so.....
An enclosed trailer seems to be the norm for northern work, along with realistic expectations of working at or near the freezing point. With hot water units, it can be done, but perhaps someone with more info can help.
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Thanks for the welcome, more pics on the way
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Spray on the stain to saturation, brush stain into wood with brush. Fixes drips, puddling, sags, etc.
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Paul, is team building drinking beer with the crew?? ;)
Really, what do you have in mind when doing this??
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Paul, lots of good advice above. I have used both methods, prewetting/ taping.
In this situation, I would probably prewet, spray stripper, and while letting stripper dwell, soak down siding.
Had a good experience of how much the stripper can be diluted, just by having water on the siding ahead of time. Stripper didn't touch it, had to wait for it to dry. This is why stripping twice in a row doesnt do much. The second application is so diluted, you're just cleaning the second time around.
Just a thought, if you prewet with an acidic solution, it would neutralize as the stripper hit it.....
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Joel, I'm laughing so hard as I read this to my wife that I'm crying all over my laptop. Shame on you!!
Originally posted by Joel HawleySteve it funny that you bring this up, here is a good example of what you are talking about.
When my wife went to work on Monday her boss came into her office with a band-aid on the back of his hand. My wife asked what happened and the story went something like this.
Mr. Do It Yourself decided he was going to clean his house and deck, he went and rented a 3500 PSI machine. As best as I can tell it has so far cost him around $750 + the rental. He first proceeded to tear the hell out of his deck with around A 15 degree tip, he told my wife he has about 20 boards to replace. He tore 3 screens out of the windows of his house plus pulled the chain on the screen door out of the frame when he opened the door and tried to wash the back of it from about 3 feet. He blew the pin stripes off the his Land Rover and somehow broke the front windshield on it while he was washing it. and to top it all off when he figured that he had done enough damage for one day he decided to use this 3500 PSI machine to rinse off his hand. Cut a 1/4 inch gash about 3 inches long on the back of his left hand.
When my wife asked him why he didn't just call me and hire me to do it he said..................Drum Roll Please.................. and I quote "Those guys charge to much"
This guy makes around $175K to $250K a year and thinks he knows it all. I guess he found out something he doesn't know.
I promise you I am not making this up, I told my wife to ask him if I could come take some pictures to use in advertising, he was not amused.
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Keep in mind you can over "neutralize" too. You are neutralizing the first time, then you are just making the surface more and more acidic. You can have acid crystals form a white film, too.
Just a thought, be gentle with wood, its not like plastic, it reacts with each step....
Hope this helps
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Well, over time, it will lighten the stain. I recommend going over it next time with golden pine, if its not really faded, to avoid over darkening. Otherwise, you've got yourself a great repeat customer. By the way, this is not a characteristic of Wolmans, basically any stain will lighten up with constant bleaching action...
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Johny, you can only mix HD-80 so strong. I think my bucket says 8oz by weight to 1 gal of water. If you mix too strong, youj will get lots of surfectants, and not the right ratio of other ingredients. In other words, you made it a lot weaker by mixing too much powder in it.
Weird, I know. Try mixing the rate it says on the bucket, and let it dwell for 15 minutes for each layer. that would be 45 minutes to an hour of keeping it wet with stripper only, without using the PW at all. Then, try it....
Hope this helps,
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My wife answers the phone 90% of the time, filling out a "call sheet" as she goes. Info like directions, mailing address, email, etc. You'd be surprised at the info folks WILL give if you act like its a matter of fact, (and it is). If I notice something that we seem to be missing that wuld be helpful, I tell her, and she updates the new call sheets.
One thing I am interested in is "firewalling" ie making sure jobs don't enter the business that will not be right for us.
Usually that simply means discarding the wrong customers more than the wrong job, thats easier to spot.
More on this in another thread.....
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Tony, Gutter Zap???
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half...
and let the chems do the work....;)
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Just as an aside, you may not be able to run your pump in bypass mode. I wanted to do so, but the cheaper unloaders dont have a jumper hose, its all self contained.
I will be upgrading to flow actuated unloaders that will allow bypass into tank soon.
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www.windowcleaningsupplies.com
Racenstein is the best. They have always gotten my orders right, and on time.
go with a swivel handle on strip washer and squeegee. get a 12" and 18" squeegee to start. A 18" washer should be fine. Dawn dishsoap is fine to start, just a squirt in 3 gals of water. When you get to be a real WW geek, you can come back and discuss foaming characteristics, squeegee glide, etc...;)
check out also i think... www.window-cleaning-network.com
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obvious, i know, but the site above has kegs. They have a section under real deals, they sell 15 gal kegs for 15-20 bucks....
Now, I need to know how to configure them...Attach a air hose inlet to pressurize, or is that already there?
Then, is the aperture threaded for a valve I can get a Home Depot, or am I going to have to trek to tibet to find one???
My idea is to have my air compressor on the truck, plug it in, dial up to 100psi, and set the pressure guage at 70 or so. Will this push thru 200 feet of line???
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Rick, could you give me a call, if you find it convenient? If not, I understand.
Really though, thats sounds like what I'm trying to accomplish on my trailer, without getting into a shurflo.
Where would I get the used soda kegs? A bottling plant??
thanks,
Rich
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Ron P. and OTP, The other day I was talking to my local PW dealer about setting up a shurflo. He mentioned that one of his bigger customers set up several 20- 30- gals tanks that were airtight. He charges them all with one aircompressor. Is this what you are trying to accomplish. ONe of the advantages is that the pump never goes bad.
I will check with him about the hardware required, and report back when I get the chance.
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check out this link. I think this is the bees knees....
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Originally posted by Earl JohnsonI'm still working on my pricing structure and have alot to learn. Nice to have a place to ask questions. I appreicate everyones imput. Earl
Earl, As you already know, you may have went way low on this one. Oh well, you know you are learning a lot the first few anyway. I just wanted to commend you on your good attitude of accepting constructive criticism of your bidding. So many people get bent out of shape when others are trying to help them.
By the way, heres my short diatribe on pricing. The "going" rate, is set by people going out of business. The market can always bear more than you are brave enough to charge. Don't get too tied up on thinking price is what will get you in. I routinely outsell my competition at twice to three times what they charge, and occasionally am outsold at 30 to 50% above my price. (Hate when that happens, ;)
In short, its hard to run a service business if you don't double your labor and materials on each bid. I know that sounds crazy when you'll read books or estimating manuals that talk about a 10% profit, but its true.
If you double your L&M, you may make 10% company profit.....
So the big thing you need to know, is not going rates, price /SQFT etc.. but production rates. IE how many SQFT can you PW of this or that in an hour.... Then figure materials, and double.
By the way, in labor, don't forget to charge for insurance, workers comp, SS, FICA, FUTA, Medicare, employers match on employees, etc.
Hope this helps,
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Originally posted by RAJDI have an upcoming job to do a wood walkway and dock on a lake, The problem is the house water supply is 500' away.
I have 150' of high pressure hose. So that would still leave me about 400' short
Can I run 5/8 hose this far without hurting the pump?
The machine is a belt driven 4 gpm 3500 psi belt driven unit.
Can I draw from the lake?
If so how far can that machine draw and to what height?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
To answer one or two of your questions, its always better to run more high-pressure hose, than extend your supply line. You'll lose about a 100psi for every 100 feet of high pressure hose you run.
For practicality, when I started, I didn't have a tank, and I ran 500' to 600' of supply hose after passing water through a filtration system, and that pump lasted two years after I stoped doing that to it. I did that for about 6 months, 10 hrs a day....
This was on car lots in LA, flat surface, blazing hot.
If you draw from the lake, make sure to filter the water, even if it looks clean, theres a lot of junk floating in lakes.....
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My builder was a little miffed this morning that there was red clay mud tracked on newly ( 2 days ago) poured concrete.
He is sure it will not come out. I told him I thought otherwise, and would see what I could do for him. I'm trying to convince him that I can servic e all his new homes, instead of his hourly cleaning girl with the little P/wer he bought her.
She already tore up a deck using way too much pressure, although she trys hard.
Any suggestions on cleaning and later, sealing for him???
Thanks in advance...
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Beth, let me know when you are shipping, I'll buy a bucket to try.
I'm assuming Wood Tux is "for the best dressed wood in town." ??
A lot of my customers would love a slight sheen on nicely buffed logs, can't give it to them with Wolmans, etc.
HD-80 Question??????
in Chemicals & Safety
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In response to whether or not HD-80 CAN be mixed stronger than 8 oz to the gallon, I believe it can. Russell posted the instructions a while back on another board, and I believe took it back down because of liability issues, but in general Morgans post is the way he said to do it. Put powder in closed 5, insert wand, and use hot water, and the extra heat and agitation would allow th HD-80 to remain stable for a couple of hours, after which I got the idea that it would begin to "fall out" of the solution.