Pete Marentay

Dave, school is half of what you need to get going right and experience is the other half. As one of the Instructors for the class, I strongly recommend that you consider both. I can tell you that we spend close to two days teaching the science behind the products and techniques that you will use. The focus of the class is profitability - how to get the job done right in the least amount of time. Many of the most successful wood contractors started out with the PWNA Wood class years ago, and it has been revised and updated several times over the years.

It is true that any size battery would certainly work. The drawback to using a "full-size" battery is the weight and balance of the entire sprayer. We began the design of the machine with a large battery (about six years ago) and found the sprayer to be much more difficult to maneuver (particularly up and down steps). We tried using lighter-weight full-size batteries, and found their useful charge to be too short. The move to the smaller battery size made a world of difference, so we concentrated on finding the best small battery. While the cost of the smaller battery is as much or more than the cost of a large-size battery, the reduced weight and improved balance offset the cost difference in our judgement. I believe that once you try a larger battery, you may be disappointed. The switchover is quite simple, however, as battery boxes in the larger size are commonly sold at boat supplies and some auto supply stores. If you need any help, just call. We have years of design work invested in this sprayer, and we want you to be happy with yours.

Flood makes a Composite Wood cleaner that is made for these products. It contains some interesting surfactants along with the cleaning chemicals. It seems to require less scrubbing than a bleach mix.

Thanks for being a customer, and thanks for your faith in this product. PowerHouse is a caustic butyl-based cleaner designed for high sudsing. That's what makes it so useful as a housewash (so even the nosy lady accross the street can see the suds on the house). On wood, this high-sudsing means a whole lot of extra rinsing however. That translates into taking longer to get the job done properly. If you don't get all of the cleaner out of the wood, you could affect the performance and durability of any sealer you apply. The butyl in PowerHouse will melt oil stains like a deck sealer, which is why you are getting the action you like. The extra SH you added 'breaks' the oil. You are actually getting a double effect. Your protection in the event of a problem with a cleaner (product liability insurance coverage) may be inn question when you change the formula or use it in ways not recommended by the manufacturer, however. Contractors are always looking for better ways to do things, so I am not surprised to see that you tried this. Keep us all informed if you have continued success or if you see that rinsing the wood becomes a problem.

I recommend that you wait long enough for the new wood to dry to about 12% moisture if you are going to use Ready Seal. That can take as little as 6-8 weeks, but I would plan on it taking 10 weeks or so. If you are going to use WTW, you should be able to do the sealing right away.

There is a "redwood" formula for Ready Seal that works fine for redwood. Using an oil over a waterway where the oil could drip or be spilled is not a good idea, however. I suggest using a water-borne product, such as an acryllic. If anything is spilled in the water, it will simply dissipate. If you want to talk about the challenges here, please call us.

It is hard to equate "lift" with the diameter of the surface cleaner. Instead, think of "lift" for moving a volume of water a distance off the ground. CFM relates more closely to the area that the vacuum is pulling through (diameter of the surface cleaner). As long as you have at least 100 CFM and <b>12" Hg</b> (or about 160" of lift) - and assuming that you are not trying to pull the water up more than, say, 4' or 5' off the ground - you should be fine for a surface cleaner up to about 21". With as much lift and CFM as you are describing here, you will be fine with ANY surface cleaner. Sorry I don't post more often on here. I guess I think these boards are really for contractors to talk to each other, but I will be happy to answer any specific question about capture and reclaim for anyone who is interested. If you want to read up on vacuums and see our collection of vacuums, you can check us out at http://store.yahoo.com/sunbrite/enviroreclaim.html

I have come to the realization over the last couple of months that some of the efforts that I have put so much energy into over the years have subtly distracted me from what is truly important in my life. I have come to the inevitable conclusion that my top priorities must be my family, my friends, and my business. All other facets of my life can only be viewed as secondary interests. With this in mind, I am sad to announce that I am unable to continue in a leadership role within PWNA at this time. My association with PWNA goes back a number of years, so this has been a difficult step for me. I think that this conclusion was a long time in coming because I have been adicted to the wonderful sense of fulfilling the promise of PWNA without regard to the amount of time and energy I was investing in the process. I apologize to the Directors and members for stepping away as we prepare for the Convention. It was not my intention to complicate your world in any way. Those of you who know me personally will appreciate the difficulty of my decision. You are my friends and associates, and I will always treasure working with you as we promoted the industry. My intention was always to leave the organization better than I found it. I trust I will be judged as a Giver and not a Taker when the members look back on my tenure with PWNA. I wish all of you a happy Christmas season and prosperity in the years to come. See ya'll in Memphis! Pete Marentay Sun Brite Supply

Thanks for all these kind words.

The key to leasing for most equipment is 1) Value of the equipment (Name brands have value and home-made units have no value); 2) Personal credit-worthiness and business credit-worthiness (in business for more than a few months is mandatory); and 3) The dealer you buy from (dealers must be approved by the leasing company before they will consider your purchase). Ultimately, there are some minor differences between leasing companies. Some will only consider packages up to $20K, while others won't consider anything smaller than $50K, for example. The $1 buy-out clause does not hold up well with the IRS. They have concluded that this is simply a finance plan and won't let you deduct the full monthly cost of the lease. Better for most is a 10% residual lease, or a "fair market value" buyout at the end of the lease. My favorite is a fair-market-value buyout guaranteed not to exceed 10% of the purchase price. That leaves you some negotiating room at the end of the lease. If you have any leasing question, feel free to call and talk. No pressure. BTW, we are offering a December 'tax deal' equipment price break of 5% for purchases over $4000.

Most graffiti removers are designed to melt paint. The problem here is the concrete substrate. Let me guess: the paint thinner melted some of the paint and then the scrub brush or rag the homeowner used made a big smeary spot. There is little you can do when the substrate is as porous as concrete. I would use a good graffiti remover and some high pressure techniques to remove as much of the offending stain (and some concrete along with it). The EacoChem folks are excellent at problem-solving, and might be worth a call. Their number is 800 313-8505.

Here is a link that discusses ratios. It concerns using an X-Jet, but the math steps are applicable. http://store.yahoo.com/sunbrite/howawix.html

Those WAW casters are greaseable, too. We sell replacements, but fewer than a dozen broken casters a season is all we see. Don't worry.

That is an old-timers secret for aging the look of replacement boards. You will still see the difference, but it helps. When we did carpentry on decks, we charged 3 times the cost of lumber and a base fee of $100 for the trouble. When you think about pricing stuff like this, remember what the customer's alternatives are. In Atlanta, you can't find a carpenter who will conme to your house and fix anything for less than a $500 job. Customers wqere happy to pay us a couple of hundred to fix their deck boards.

PWNA works to promote its member companies at every possible turn. Recently, a number of large operations have looked to our association as a good source of professional contractors. The latest example of this is the Kohl’s Department Store chain. The headquarters of this company has been in communication with PWNA to have its members provide regular power-wash services for 99 locations around the country. Paul Horsley, President of PWNA, was delighted to announce this new development to the Directors this week. Board member Henry Bockman has been acting as liaison with Kohl’s, and worked with the company to ensure that PWNA members would be the preferred vendors to the chain. Every location on the list is to be cleaned twice each year. Jobs vary in size, but are not large ones and do not require extra equipment. Bids are expected very quickly. If you are interested in bidding on this work, the details of what work is to be performed and which stores are included in the package are available to members. Call PWNA Headquarters at 1-800-393-PWNA to have the information sent to you by email or fax.

I started with an "open" trailer but changed over to vans after a few months. The trailer worked fine, and it was cheap to buy. It created a "low investment" image and little visibilty, which is where a closed trailer or van really shines. A van is a rolling billboard that will get you more jobs.

I would be skeptical that you could get 6 months shelf life with a bleach mix. Bleach has a short potency life, and the container must be lightproof and kept in a reasonably cool area. Sounds like you might be investing in months' worth of cleaner, and the potency (if it includes bleach) will drop off a little every day. What Beth and Rod are saying is important. Another issue often mentioned in these discussions is the aspect of liability. If you create the recipe (along with the chem supplier) you accept liability foir the performance of the product. In this country, where people sue over coffee that is hot, we carry $1M in liabilty insurance and our suppliers carry $2M each to protect you if the product is not made properly. I would add that buying a few weeks' worth of cleaner at a time might not be significantly more expensive if you recognize that you can't over-buy that way. You will have less waste, good costs, better cash flow, and the support of a grateful distributor who will work to help you be more profitable. Not as easy a decision when you look at all the factors. I am prejudiced, though, because I am one of those grateful distributors!

Sun Brite Supply has reels starting at $42 and go up to $250, and our most popular is a 150' reel that goes for $97. We would like to help you outfit your rig. Give David or Jimmy a call at 1-877-5-SUPPLY.

Canvas stays put. I just don't run with much plastic on the trucks.

I found that covering the deck with a tarp for about 20 minutes will lower the temperature enough to seal with oil. If you do that before you offload all of your stull and get set up, the deck will be ready when you are.

Thanks, Beth. Much appreciated.

You can go back and brighten, even after a couple of days, and benefit from the results. You cannot let the brightener dry in place, though, without getting a lot of white marks showing up later - so plan on rinsing after about 20 minutes.

Thanks, Bill. Its always a treat to read something like this. I will make Jimmy's efforts on your behalf worth his while (in his paycheck) because this is exactly what I want my team to do!

Power House costs about $6 per house on average to use. A 5-gallon jug costs $33 and is applied at 15:1 or higher, so one 5-gallon jug covers more than 11,000 sq ft. in it's strongest form. Some guys can stretch this to 15,000 by mixing it a little lighter (when the job is less demanding). That's economical!