Adrian

Is the fence all the way around the house? Is there a gate entry anywhere? You might be able to take a small step ladder and hop to the other side and then pull the ladder over to that side to get back out. If it is only 6' high it should be pretty easy to scale. Are you using a hydra scrubber on the concrete or just the wand. Either way you should be able to carry the equipment over the fence and still lay it on the other side of the fence w/o dropping the gear to avoid any damage. Those little giants are very pricey for just a 6' fence. There must be a rental company in that beautiful city you live in that can rent you a 10' or 12' aframe ladder for a song. Then you can scale either side with no probs. I have a helicopter account that the owner would be glad to lower you down to the back side for 1000.00 an hour. just kidding, hope that helps. Let us know how it works out for you.

Hello All, Just wanted to say thx to Beth & Rod for all of their input on recent post's and a very helpful and cool site. Plus, thanks to everyone else for their input as well. And a big thanks to Mr. Doolittle, the owner of Power House. I have stepped up to a very nice X-jet system, better chems ( finally went to Sun Brite, great bunch of guys), and have practiced alot of the sales techniques from this forum. Business is picking up a bit. Im not falling off ladders or hanging like a monkey to reach anymore. 4 and 5 hour resi's are taking 2 hours ( customer yakking all inclusive). Becoming a better and more consciencious business owner. Thanks for raising the bar for me. I am starting new add for $100.00 resi cleans in a very populated area. Wish me luck! But a big Hats off to Mr. Doolittle of Power House for passing some of his overflow in my direction. Two residentials (his customers) accepted my bids and I was even able to upsell deckwashes as well. I will be doing the drives in a week or so, as well. Mr. Doolittle came to visit me on one of my other jobsites and was just as happy to give help and info (as well as check out my work) from the moment he introduced himself. I just wanted to share this with the forum, how cool I thought that was. Hopefully, I will get to a point where I can pass it back his way. But a nice cold cerveza is definately in order. Hope I did not post this in the wrong forum area. Thanks again all.

The door is never closed, Celeste.

For what it's worth, if I am sub contracting, my min. is 100.00 and for individuals 50.00. Not that i'm booming right now, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

Are you sure it is not artillery mold or sometimes called shotgun mold? That stuff is next to impossible to remove.

Hi First Impressions, I have a 24ft telescopic extension wand that I am thinking of parting with. I am kind of a little guy and this thing is way too much for me to handle at any length of time. I would let you have it for a song if interested. It helps out in hard to reach areas and can handle 4000 psi. I plan on getting a bit shorter wand since I have X-jet setup now. Email me if interested. I would let this go far below market value. Good luck with new business. Keep pluggin. Adrian

I started my PW business at age 42 and have weighed 185 since my 20's. I don't drink alcohol, do drugs, or live for Fri day night. I feel that some of the PW jobs are workout enough for me. But I do agree with drinking alot of water, gatorade, and not eating heavy. I don't look as buffed as Craig does, but, I feel pretty good for my age. Having a girlfriend in her 20's helps alot too. I noticed that no one has mentioned skin protection. No less than 45 spf for me. I would hate to find out that some of my buds on this site wind up with the "C" word 10 years down the road. Pw is a great way to stay in shape though, for me anyways. Plus worrying about landing jobs burns alot of calories too! Hope everyone is doing fine and staying busy. Send some my way!!! Take care

Good Day all. Thank you in advance for any responses. I am curious. I have tried house cleaners and concrete cleaners primarily from Northern and found that they are useful with the proper mix ratio, but can be pretty pricey per gallon. On the same note, through the advice of some veterans out there I have asked, some tell me the only cleaning agent they ever use is standard store bought bleach. I actually have had better results with the bleach. I mix it 1 gal bleach to 2 gal water. I keep a supply of both in case one or the other doesn't work. I am new to the industry and am still learning chemical processes. Each job is different in most cases, but since I am a newbie business owner, finances are pretty much my main concern. Plus bleach is so much cheaper. Any advice on what the best surefire cleaning agent is for any residential and concrete job would be appreciated. I can say that the cost of 12 gal. of bleach (2 cases) is about the same as 1 gal. of house cleaner. Cost right now, is everything to me. Thanks AC

Delco's website has alot of free (printable) how to guides in several categories, i.e. house washing, driveways, auto and fleet washing. Since he does not have a computer, maybe you could print some of these how to's up for him and have him do some studying. Also, explain to him that the service is alot more than just pointing the wand. This site (TGS) has alot of printable advice as well. Put one of those telescopic 24ft wands in his hands and see how he feels about the work after balancing that beast for a while. Best advice is to not discourage his desire to succeed on his own, whatever business he chooses. It is a big step to be self employed. It takes some bravery to jump out of the "system" and do it yourself. Having the insurance is a good start, but if you start having claims within your first year, the current provider will without question drop his firm. Plus alot of firms will not insure a company such as this, that is less than 3 years old. Research, research , research before you pull the trigger on that wand.You know that there is alot more to running a business than just showing up on the jobsite, so , share that info with him. Go with him when he gets his equipment. Don't let him get talked into a wimpy system. Spend the money on the best gear he can afford. But, make sure he understands he will most likely be operating in the "Red" for quit a while before he starts seeing the "Black" and the rent or mortgage will still keep coming, regardless.

OK, You big boys don't laugh at me. This drive has not been cleaned since the house was built in the 60's. I cleaned the house last month and locked onto the driveway this afternoon. 30 min soak time with sodium hypochlorite (2 gal). 1 1/2 hours to hydra scrub and fan evenly. It took longer than I wanted but '' hey, I got a job".

you might be able to find one from a rental company that is selling slightly more than used. I found a Simpson 18" with 15 degree tips for 75.00. I took it to a company that repairs PW equipment he sold me a hose for it (had a very small leak ) for 23.00 dollars. I did the repair myself, it was easy, and I learned alittle more. I use it with a 3200 psi cold unit and have had very good luck with it. Cleaned 20,000 q. ft. with it at a strip mall. Some of the machines a very pricey for newcomers like myself and this has paid off. I did find out that Simpson has gone out of business but a good internet search should help you find an after market supplier for parts. it was all about budget for me (Cuz im cheap).

Wow.... you guys are great! That's all there is to it! Thanks for the help. I am new to the business (11 months now), with mid grade commercial equip. compared to you Big Company guys, Freak Out during job gaps, just paid taxes for 1st time ever, finally got a small job today to satisfy one of those gaps, didn't think I was going to make it overall when I look down the road, thought I was alone and going to cave in kinda, so I come across 1 really really nice (doing really well) PW guy, he gives some free advice on several topics, 1 of those topics was to register at this site, and boom I find a mess of other great PW guys, and it must be the stars, but my phone has rang more today than all week, and I just found out that Darth is Lukes Father, and that I have been using way too many commas for this reply, but just had to say that you guys are great.

Hey Sparklingclean, thx for the help. I will have to do more research on the use of chlorine. The price is right for sure, but I heard that it is not legal to use straight chlorine in Atlanta, so I have never given it anymore thought. I am always up for inexpensive chems. Alot of the time I am just getting away with just straight pressure and no chems at all. I always try a sample area first to see if that will work before I inject chems (that's because I am so cheap). Plus I only have a cold water unit which makes some jobs necessary to use chems. Thank you.

I am new member to this site as of today (04-13-05). The person who referred me to this site said that through service magic he has not advertised in three years and the fee is worth it. I started my business 11 months ago green as can be ( although i'm getting better) and am starting to feel the effects of not enough business to make the rent. Some months have been better than others so far. I have been advertisng in the local yellow pages and the american classifieds$$$$$. I have seriously considered using service magic because from what I understand it is a 1 time fee ($99.00)and they send the leads to you for however many counties you desire. So , feeling like I am on my last breath and dollar I am considering using them . After becomeing a member of this forum today (the 13th of all days) I feel an extra supply of oxygen for my bones and maybe a little less worrying. I hope this helps a bit. and good luck with your business