Adrian

Busy Busy Busy...... Steve , call me.... AC

So Have I been doing it all wrong using my zero degree tip at 3500 psi.? It only takes me about 7.5 hours to do a 150 sq. ft. deck and my time is improving. I usually just dump out a 5 gal bucket with 12% straight and follow it all up with muratic brightener and rinse with my dual turbo nozzle at 3500 psi. The plants below seem to just love the mix and you can't beat the grooves left behind in the finish of the boards afterwards, because the water just seems to fill the grooves and run off the deck. But the best feeling of the job is that wonderful haze left behind when it all dries and you have a grateful customer. I'm sorry, just been one of those days, please don't kick me off of the forum. I'm trying to laugh it off. ..... other uses for Pw hose = noose!!!!

Got that right about Philip. The first time I met him, he was very happy to help me out of a PW pinch with a quick physics 101 on expanding hose ends. He explained what happened to my unit. I said "uh-huh alot , like I knew exactly what he was talking about and boom..... 2 seconds later I was up and running again. I'm still waiting for my copy of "How to pressure Wash" book and guidelines. I can't hardly wait. He knows his stuff. When I chat with him on the phone I usually walk away with a new set of information. I don't know how many notebooks I have filled up chatting with him. He's like a Stephan Hawking of PW biz.

Best wishes in the war zone Joe. Bet you are glad to be back online!!!!! Good luck on all the upcoming work and you are at the right place for Q&A. These people are great full of information. The search engine is pretty good on this site so be sure to check there as well or somone will refer you to a thread concerning your questions. Either way you are at the right place. You literally have a virtual playground to cleanup and make some good earnings over there. Good luck!

There should not be an indention after the removal. 35 degree tip held at a slight angle should lift it right up( as if it were a putty knife). Hot water is better, but not required. There are some chems out there that claim gum removal. But you already have the main tool for removal. Two hands and a wand, and a careful touch. You may have a haze or shadow of the gum left behind but should not have an indention.

x-jet

Go full blown brother. It's the season opening up right now. Live the business. Be the business. It is your baby and your time. Those fears are normal for all of us. When it's sink or swim, you should swim real hard. You might just be surprised at the response you get from your fliers. Never give up bro. Fight the good fight. All of us have been there and are there each season. Listen to these people, they know what they are talking about, they have been where you are right now. Look at this as a chance to prove things to yourself that you can do it. You will survive and see that this will be the best experience you have ever known. Plus your wife will be so proud of you in the end for taking charge of the situation as you should. Feel free to call for any pointers at anytime. I am sure the same applies from anyone else on this board. Scared is GOOD, fear is the greatest motivator.You are in the firey furnace and you will not get burned!!!! It will make you act RIGHT NOW. Go kill some grime!!!!!! Rest assured that this is in the cards. You will make the right decision, brother. Let those customers know how important they are to you.

words to grow by. ..... as a matter of fact , it's all dark!

If I get that way anytime soon Larry we will have to have a cup of joe.

Hi all, Last year, being my first year in business and showing a small profit I paid my taxes at the end of the year. This year I show a pretty sizeable growth in income generated. Last year was pretty easy to pay. This year will be a bit harder to sign the check. My question: In your opinion what is the best way to handle payments to IRS annually or quarterly? My CPA says I should pay quarterly, and I am sure I will start doing it that way. In my opinion it will be easier to pay small quarterly checks than one large check in April. I would however like some feedback on how you do it. I am not trying to be nosey when it comes to your money, just looking for pro's and con's. I am still a very small firm and do not want employees (yet). So maybe some of the larger firms can reflect back on when they were small and first started out and how you handled it. Thanks in advance.:lgtear: Adrian

also Northern has a 12 foot insulated lance for around 30.00 bucks is what I think I paid for mine. It's worth it's weight in gold.

I always unroll all the hose and set it up in lengths ( s shaped like Rod said) or semi circles. Plus that way when you re - roll hose you dump out any remaining H2o which makes it a little lighter when you unroll for next use.

I don't believe that I mentioned that I love the new Gilmour cd as much as I love my x-jet setup. They both simply ruuuuuuule!!!!! This has turned out to be a great thread. Thanks for all the feedback. Curious if Beth & Rod are or have ever been Floyd or Gilmour fans. Just being nosey. Where ya at Shane, you never told if you watched the "Live 8 " link I posted.

Thx Mike , you have definately sparked some new interest' in this category. The thought of giving myself a salary sounds very good. I always (at this point anyway) end up scimping on groceries and paying minimums on credit cards just so I make sure I have enough for larger company purchases if needed. It is impossible to do this work without paying and planning on supplies and mechanical issues that "pop" up. I would actually like to open a seperate account for company only and have revenue set aside for just such instances. Great points to think and act on Mike . Once again Thanks a million. I will be looking into incorporating my company to free my personal name up. Great food for thought. Adrian

Hey thanks Mike, Although I value your advice for the tax software. Paying one lump sum is going to be painful to write the larger check this year and could prove disasterous to my checking account. My CPA thinks it would be easier on me to pay quarterly. I honestly respect your past experience as acct. but agree with CPA as the one lump sum can set me back and potentially keep me from purchasing much needed equipment etc. I did increase my profits this past year but not to the point where I don't have to worry about general living expenses and the like as well keeping my one man op afloat. You said I am only required to pay annually as a sole operator, but does that mean I can't pay quaterly? My Cpa seems to think that is the best course of action to help keep things in check, but. never mention that is not ok to do so. Again, not shooting down your comments at all as I really do respect them. I just want to be able to at the very least spread myself thin instead of knocking out the whole acct. with one large payment. Thanks again to all.

OMG that avatar of Pressure Packed is just not right!!!!

Gotta rattlesnake skin for a necktie......... Jorge rules man, saw him in Austin years ago and that show still stands out as one of the best slide guitarist to date. Eric Sardinas is real great slider as well. Steve Vai dicovered him and sign him to his Favored Nations label.... the rest is history. Man I am glad that there are other guitar enthusiasts on this board. Kind of always been leary of bringing it up as they are so stereo typed as druggies and bad boys and *** fiends. lol.

I feel your pain Stephan. I had total reconstruction of right shoulder. Detached biceps muscle, bone fragments, 4 set screws, 2 bolts and a band of material to re attach the muscle through the collar bone (re-routed). Took over a year for rehab and bill that exceeded 40 grand. That was three years ago and still feel the pain from time to time . Esp. after a good hard day of waving the wand. My physical terrorist got alot of overtime pay with me. I still get alot of pops and pings and always worry about the surgical work coming undone. To this day I have never had any pain to compare to that incident that caused the seperation. It's still a little hard for me to go into crowded public places where you get bumped into alot. Plus I always set off alarms at the airport. But eventually it heals. You just never forget about that pain!!!!

Chet has spawned several great great guitarist like Eric Johnson, John Petrucci of Dream Theater, Andy Timmons,and james Burton, Brian Setzer, Larry Carlton and Mike Stern . Not to mention the signature Tennesean Gibson (Sp?) guitar that is still one the top sellers in the Gibson line. He offered many different styles of playing. I saw him when I was very young and to this day is the only guitarist that I have seen play 2 different songs simultainiously on one ax. It blew me away then and to think of it now still blows me away. His jazz instructional video is one of the rarities of the times. He was one of the headliners at Les Paul's 80th birthday party and he stole the show. Ever hear of a little town called O'Fallon, Mo.? I have some family there.

Blown away as usual Jeff. You have a way with words. You do pretty good with words and no sleep. Stephan Andrews...... Hang in there brother, don't forget that you can always carry a song in your heart if that ipod isn't handy. Always seems darkest before the dawn!!!

Footwear= Dr. Martens " Bobbies" with slip proof soles Clothing= Dickies pants and shirts ( long sleeves ) Eyewear? just regular sunglasses and a hat .... and don't forget sunscreen!!!

I think per my cpa's advice then that is what I am going to do then. Thanks for the input everyone. Still trying to grasp the tax ropes. If it were only as simple as just doing the pw work, I wouldn't worry so much. If felt really great to show such an increase in profits, but when she told me the totals and see it on paper aaaahhhhhgggg. I have a used kidney for sale if anyone is interested, slightly bruised and ulcerated, but it would make a great paperweight for all the tax ppwk. I will even throw in the stones it produces. thanks for all the input.... this year will be different for sure. Happy St. Patrick's Day and have a great weekend to all. Adrian

Hats off to you bro. I would never get on that thing. You got guts.

Hey Jeff, in the second pic (just curious) is the bucket you are in mounted to the side of that building, because I don't see a boom on it if you are using a lift, maybe just a bad angle on the pic. If so, was it a pc. of rental equipment or do you own it? Seems like it could be handy. Just curious! Adrian

I was reluctant to chime in Howard as I have never been in such a situation. If I understand what you are saying though by using high pressure to smooth off the edges of freshly poured concrete. personally I would decline because the risk of damage seems so high. Others may disagree though, I just know what kind of damage can be done using a wand for that type of application. My main concern is damage and insurance clain against my company. If your customer's main business is this type of work then he seems to have already found a way to get the job done and is hoping by trial and error on your part that this will save him time and money. I would not be a guinea pig in this case, but that is just me. Just my .02, maybe someone will chime in with a better way now. Good luck