Henry B.

I didn't even know Beth was selling surface cleaners... by all means then, check them out here also. I know she told me she would get me an m5 when I talked with her on the phone a couple days ago but I haven't looked at her store since she was going to start carrying hot water units. I just by parts now, I pretty much have all the equipment I need unless something breaks. However, I just checked out the store... Question, Is it possible to get one of these Steel Eagle Surface Spinner 24", Non-Adjusting, 4 spray nozzles with a two handed handle and adjustable?

For a rig that size any surface cleaner would work as long as it's got the right tips on it. You just have to make sure the surface cleaner can handle the heat that your going to use. Some of the plastic ones should only be used up to 180 degrees or so. The most important thing about surface cleaners in my opinion is how good is the swivel in it? Also, how are the arms attached and will they get banged up easily or get knocked out of alighnment. I would look for one that you can adjust the height on, and has the arms welded in place instead of screwed in. Check envirospec, they usually have some great sales on equipment if you want to buy one new. Or, look on ebay and the boards. Lot's of people seem to be going out of business this year.

We do, that way if we leave the machine running when we stop for a break it won't overheat the unit and it's easier on the machine since it's not constantly cutting the pressure on and off. I didn't set mine up but basically it's just a hose running from one of the empty ports on the unloader to the top of my tank.

I avoid it like the plague..LOL I know it's a good source of additional income but I started out doing window cleaning and gutter cleaning. As my company grew and we got more clients I wasn't able to keep up with the appointments. We also started getting a lot of low ballers doing them for almost half my price! So I slowly fazed it out over a couple of years by charging more for window cleaning, then I just gave that part of the company away... We still provide gutter cleaning, power washing and our other services for those clients but we don't have to follow such a rigid schedule, and it freed us up to do other things that we make more money at with less work. If you want to know more about cleaning windows or some tips, give me a call and let me know.

We work all year round full time. During the winter we do gutter cleaning, and ice damn removal. We do get slower during the winter, but we still run at least two crews at all times. We also add on a handyman service and other things when needed. I created an email based newsletter on my website and I'm slowly getting the email addresses for all my clients. That way, if I get slow for a week or so I can always send out an email running a one week only special on something that will quickly book us up with no additional paid advertising. I'm looking forward to getting all my clients on it. Right now I've only got 500 which is kinda dissapointing but it's better than nothing and it will come in real handy if we hit a slow period or get a heavy snow that causes ice dams...

If it was me, I'd do it. I wouldn't put off any other paying jobs to do it though. The season is ending here so I'm not into doing a whole lot of freebies. Actually, that's not true, I'm doing two houses this coming week for free..lol I just remembered. I don't see anything wrong with helping someone out if you can afford the loss in wages and the time it will take. Realistically, your only talking maybe $50 in chemicals right? Compared to how much she's going to rave about you at work and to the neighbors. I would ask that she not tell people you did it for free though. They may take it as you willing to barter your prices all the time.

LOL Ryan, That looks like hands from a skeleton.. Your pretty good though at creating it.

Two hours to rinse? Holy Christmas.. did you bring a boat with you to get home in? I'd rinse it for maybe 20 minutes.. I'm using an 8gpm rig though and if it's a real big deck... Hook up a lawn sprinkler on the deck while you rinse the rails and the surounding area. I could seal that deck with ready seal in about 40 minutes with a back pack sprayer. Low pressure high volume sprayer. I won't quote a price on it but I'm probably in the middle as far as that goes. I will say that I HATE stripping stain. Removing an old worn out stain or clear sealer, no problem. We just stripped a cedar deck with bright red behr stain last week that was on the second story of a townhouse and charged $900.00 I normally wouldn't charge that much but it was a rush job for a late fall wedding and I was teaching a company from another area on how to do it.

My family is planning on going to a baton twirling compitition called Twirl mania in Disney world. I'd like to find out if anyone knows about some places to stay in the area. Or if anyone has any connections to Disney world. Some of you guys online have asked me for suggestions and ideas, now it's my turn! Free consultation for disney trip..LOL

Were going to be down there February 17 through the 22nd I believe for a baton twirling competition my daughter is in. She's also going to march in one of the Disney parades. Rod, I'm going to book another cruise.. That's my preferred way to avoid the cold weather. If we get another heavy snowfall, I'm going to book two of them when were done cleaning up!..

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I'm checking into them all to see what I can work out.

I think your sprinter van is pretty cool but for the price of it and the height problems (ladders) I'd rather buy two vans. If your going to mount a system inside a van then yes, it would be the best choice. I prefer trailers though. You guys have another rig mounted in a truck which I personally like better than the sprinter. My concern with rigs inside a vehicle is what happens if the vehicle breaks down or has to go in for extended maintenance or worse, a car accident. You could be out of work for weeks unless you have a back up rig.

I would have to vote for a Chevy Van. I've got 2 ford vans now but just picked up my chevy about 4 months ago and I'd say it's probably my favorite out of all the vehicles I've used in the past. Including a ford pickup I used to have. (gas hog)

Gutter cleaning season has arrived...After one day of miserable rains we had 30mph gusty winds today and 80% of the leaves have fallen off the trees. If your not afraid of heights hop on the roof and get busy guys, the money train has finally arrived. Our call volume jumped from 40 calls a day to over 100 within 24 hours. Using past history as an example, We will be working 7 days a week for the next few months. Man I love gutter season!! This message will be posted on all the boards I visit, just to get the word out!

Okay now that makes more sense.. If the leaves pile up in the valleys that could cause what you were talking about. It's rare but it does happen. Expecially when the flashing isn't as wide as it should be or the roof has a fairly flat pitch. It can also cause some serious ice dams in the winter! That's another fun winter project you can do to make some money. Ice damn removals. Very cold and tiring work but it can pay well if you know what your doing.

Hey Ryan, That happened from backed up gutters? Unless it's right on the edge of the house or somehow below a gutter that doesn't sound right. Water won't travel up the pitch of a normal roof unless an ice damn is involved or heavy winds.. Have you checked the roofing, vent pipes, ridgevents and flashings for any problems?

Hey Charlie, I'm sorry, I didn't realize what you were talking about in your last post.. Me and Beth were talking about something else.. In my original comment I was just kidding about it. I honestly don't care where anyone gets stuff or posts it too. It just struck me as funny at the time thats all. No harm or foul intended

Hey Charlie, pasted what? I don't see anything LOL

I went to Kingsview also and your right, they should have had signs up stating that this line was for f-m or whatever.. We stood in that long line for a bit until someone came out and said what the line was for. They did a pretty good job of getting everyone in to vote that wanted to vote but the lady looking up cards in my line was a bit slow.

I usually have a new guy train with me for the first week then I pass them on to my lead technician who's been with us for about 4 years now. They work with him for at least two months and then we test them by letting the new guy do the work and Ray will just watch them to see how they do for a day.. If he has to correct anything they do after two months on the job then they ride with Ray for another month. After that, they are up to speed or looking for another job. How long does it take me to feel comfortable sending a guy out with a rig and one of my trucks? I'd say about 4 years..LOL

My wife and I went in at 10:30 and only had a couple people in front of us... It's that magical time between the people who got to work late so they could vote in the morning and before the people left for lunch early so they could vote.

I've never heard of the mildew solution by olympic... I do know there are chemicals you can apply to prevent mildew. They also have metal stripping you can install on roofs to prevent mildew. I just wish I could remember what it's called. I've used it on a few roofs and it works great. Aluminum oxide seems to jump in my head but I'm not sure if that's correct or not.. Does anyone else know?

I agree with Tim, The first few years every dime went right back into the company except for just enough money to cover my personal bills. As a matter of fact, I still do just about the same thing.. When we have a lot of money laying in the account that I know will nail me on taxes I go buy something for the company.... or, I give all my guys the day off and take them deep sea fishing as a company party or outing.

Out of all the counties in Maryland I think were the largest and also the most expensive to live in..LOL The only problem is, they are still building!! The worst part is that almost everything the are building is townhouses and condos so they can cram more of us in together.. That explains the traffic!!! For those of you that don't know, it can take 45 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic just to get to Rockville which is maybe 15 miles during rush hour! Now this should help people understand how we can both be so busy and still live so close together. I think there are at least 6 other companies within 10 minutes of our homes but none of them want to go to the roundtables our check out the PWNA. I chat with them on occasion but I haven't managed to get any of them to join the pwna except one from Frederick county.

Thanks for the stats Beth, People have asked me quite a few times how many homes were in Montgomery county... It's much bigger than most people realize. I prefer limiting myself to montgomery county just to save on gas and travel time.