Adrian
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Posts posted by Adrian
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I would like to put a ball valve on the end of my hose for quick change from wand to hydra scrubber. I know that a ball valve has a psi rating. I need to get a b.v. that is compatible with my pw unit. Here's some simple specs on pw unit. 9hp honda 3200 psi 3gpm. I have seen only b.v's as high as 600 psi. I'm thinking that will be sufficient for my "big rig". Tell me if i'm wrong, please. But I am pretty sure I don't need a b.v. that has equal psi rating as my pw unit. I am not a mathematician either so a simple yes or no or suggestion works for me, as I could easily become confused with all of the comparative formulas some of you "Wizards of Old" may throw my way. I have not seen a psi rating over 600 for any ball valves used in this type of application.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Adrian
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The one thing I was trying to say is that I have just stepped up to an xjet from the tips that came with my pw unit. "Step building". I am sure there are even better more convienient methods to getting the top of the house clean. Right now I am not as busy as alot of you guys are and I don't mind toteing the bucket. Just thankful to get the jobs period. I don't do any less of a professional job than most out there and have only had satisfied customers so far. Point I was trying to make is that the guy was just asking the benefits of an xjet verses "The hard way" and I think an x jet is the next step to easier resi cleaning. And $112.00 I thought I would pass it on.
I mean, like I initially said it has enabled me to do a 2 story in 2 hours or so verses the 4 hours previously before the xjet. Or at least til I get a helicopter with a fire bucket,
3 minute resi cleans.........lol. Didn't mean to start anything......I know at least it is working GREAT for me and my customers......
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Funny, I was killing myself with the Xjet, until I found a good downstream system!I am step building my biz as I see certain needs and am not as eleborate as some of the firms out there yet. But switching to the xjet has kept me on the ground for the most part. I do not have a 6 plunger pump on my unit so I have alot of recoil when I squeeze the trigger and that has proven to be very dangerous high up the ladder.
I am still learning the in's and out's of this biz after my first year, and will build a better system as $ and time allows. But so far I swear by the xjet.
Adrian
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Hi FullBlast,
I was killing myself on residentials until I got an xjet system. Call Pete at Sunbrite Supply. He will sell you an xjet systems for 112.00 plus shipping. It's the way to go.
Get a 5 gal bucket with a lid that you can poke a 3/8 size hole in. Get some 12% S.H.
cut 2:1 and you will be able to clean 2 story resi's from the ground in about 2 1/2 hours. (Some of these guys on this site are doing them in about an hour). At any rate,
the xjet comes with about 20 feet of 3/8 in. hose with the cut-off valve included as well as proportioner tips and a low pressure screw on tip. Until you get familiar with the system, that's pretty much all you will need to get started. Later on you can get hand carts to pull around larger barrels or buckets. But with the ability to reach heights of 35 feet or so from the ground you will be very pleased with an xjet system.
Best thing to do is just get the system and modify as you need. There is also an xjet system that is called an M5 (I think) and has a shorter range by about 5 ft, but you only need to twist the end to get the lo flo app going. I stuck with the original by the advice of others on this site and am very pleased with the results. It used to take me around 4 hours for a 2 story using ladders and giraffes and all kinds of aerial lift devices. The xjet is alot cheaper than renting a scissor lift for 190.00 a day.
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Adrian
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I know that in my area they are getting around 3 bucks a cart. and there have been links posted on this site as well for cart cleaning pods that you stick the cart inside and it is an eclosed washing.
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Look no further Phillip, I'm your man. I will call you asap about the apt. job.
Plus I will keep my eyes and ears peeled for an employee for you.
Adrian
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I agree with rinsing the neighbor's house regardless. Can't you even go one step further and tell them since there will be overspray that you are glad to rinse, but, since I am here, could I go ahead and wash your house as well? That's what I would do. Because the chems that get on the other house will have to be rinsed anyways and may be speckled after the rinse, because of the areas the chems didn't reach. I see an extra sale there for you.Plus, I'm really really really money hungry and business hungry right now. Maybe even offer a discount since you are all ready set up and would probably just have to switch faucet's. Unless you transport H2O. That's just my humble opinion and it could go either way.
Have a great day!
Adrian
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It is sad that you have put so much time already into this bid. Not to mention your family's time in the rain. It is not worth them catching a cold due to bad etiquette on the customers part. That would have sent me running. I am hell bent on southern hospitality and proper manners. When you are treated like that it is hard to be humble.
I would not be too proud to give her the highest feesable quote possible. You have to recover the cost of your time already involved. At least you would not have to bawk anymore when she declines the bid. Or I would run like Bruce Jenner and move onto the next bid. You are the solution to her problem not a pin cushion because of her problem. No need to take guff from her if she does not recognize your professionalism.
My 2 cents......
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My problem is that they recently raised the acceptance fee to $11 (from $5). I used to accept every lead, but no longer.
Thx, Mr. Orr, that will help with the decision. Maybe I will hold off for a while and continue to hit the bricks. Money is everything right now. But it does sound like they can help keep the ad costs down a little with their process.
thx again
Adrian
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I still owe you a cold one bro!
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http://www.servicemagic.com !!!!
Has anyone ever used this site to get leads sent to them?
I am considering paying their fee and target spending prices.
I meet all of their criteria i.e. license # E.I.N.# and insurance requirements.
Sounds promising and I have gone as far as to set my firm up with sample leads before I actually pay for the service. they offer10 day trial for free.
I would like to know if this has benefitted your firm and decreased advertising headaches and expenses. I don't want to toss another 100.00 bucks out on something that may not bring work. I would rather put that dough on equipment or chems.
I tagged 100 houses yesterday with flyers and am trying to exercise all options, including more ( local, regional, newspapers).
Still plugging my new start up business, still afloat, trying various forms of advertising. My business is officially 1 year old this week. Really starting to feel it though.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
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I bought a combo package from Northern tool with 5 replacement tips and a turbo nozzle (ceremic) for 70.00 bucks. It is great for gum removal and curbs especially.
I liked the results so much that I did some research and found a dual turbo nozzle that I use pretty much everytime a curb is involved ( it covers the whole surface from top to bottom, about a 10" spread) without a noticable loss in pressure. I paid 120.00 for that little lifesaver. Plus shipping. I believe it is a Suttner?????? Got it from Northern as well. Used it on the tough spots of a 10,000 s.f. side walk along with hydra scrubber at a shopping center. Plus this place had not been clean in a decade and there was plenty of petrified gum. It will pretty much shoot the gum about 25 feet across the lot. Target practice,.....lol.....not really.
hope this helps.
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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.
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The door is never closed, Celeste.
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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.
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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.
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Are you sure it is not artillery mold or sometimes called shotgun mold? That stuff is next to impossible to remove.
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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
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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
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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.
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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".
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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).
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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.
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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.
Need Ball Valve advice, please.
in Tools, Equipment & Basic Maintenance
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I thought that I was on the right track. I simply thought that having a ball valve on the end of my hose and before the wand would allow me to cut off the flow of h2o so I could switch to hydra scrubber w/o walking back to pw unit and turning it off.
Or maybe I have the wrong idea of what a ball valve does. I have not heard of the rinse process with the b.v. some have spoke of in this thread I started. I was just trying to save a few steps and time by adding ball valve.
Although I should re emphasize the original ???. Does the b.v. psi rating have to match the p.w. psi rating which is 3200 psi?
What would be adequate b.v. setup be for my unit as far as psi?
I do thank you all for your input, and I especially enjoy reading about everyone's processes. I also like the thread war I started....... just kidding!!!!!
I actually may just stick with the way things are without adding b.v.
My unit is portable and I have a tank trailer which I use only to transport h2o when needed. I don't mind creeping around the house with my unit as my volume of work is not that high right now. Plus I only use 50' of pw hose and usu. 100' of h20 hose to pw unit. That usu. gets me around the whole resi. So the walk really isn't that much of a hassle.
Now if I had 3 or 4 resi's to do in a day it would really make a difference in time consumption. Really the best time saver I have aquired lately is the portable hose reel ( a reel time saver...lol). I roll all of my hoses in it and just load it in the back of my big rig ranger ( in which I use the air conditioner all the time).
Thx again one and all.