Henry B.

So, have you decided to quit smoking, having barbecues next to the fence or what? How did the fire start?

You said it Tony,,,, I also feel the same way, I hate stripping decks. If it's almost worn itself off I might deal with it but that's no guarrantee. There are too many things in this area to wash to deal with breathing fumes and fighting a PITA stain. If there's anyone around here that want's these jobs let me know. I just got a call from a client with Valspar on his deck and I just don't feel like taking the time to mess with it.

Were all going to have to deal with low ballers and hacks in the industry but it does make it a lot harder on the new guys that are starting up and doing this the right way. The only way to beat out the low ballers and not beat their prices is to have a name in the area. To get known your going to have to do some jobs or get some media attention to get your name out there. Try doing a couple charity jobs, that may help out a bit. Just hang in there and always do your best for a fair price. Keep your overhead and your expenses on each job down and take things slow. Learn how to do things faster and that may help you cut your costs down and then you might want to think about lowering your prices until you can "command" higher prices for your company name and experience. Don't hire the competition to see their sales pitch or the quality of their work! Call someone successful in the business and hang out with them for the day. I'd be happy to help anyone out, just give me a call.

I think the sun has moved to CALI, I'm going on a little over two weeks without being able to stain so were waiting to finish about 30 decks... man this sucks.

I can understand wanting to test out different products like this but personally, I would never do it on a clients property. What if? (fill in the blanks)

Hey Wesley, My advertising is usually around 1,400 a month. The monthly gross thing might be broken down a bit better if you run it per day. Most guys can make about 500-750 per day per vehicle after all expenses if you have experience and your a quick mover. Some days are better than others of course, I just got finished doing a 2,500 house ect. wash! Total on job expenses $165 including labor. I don't run accross jobs like that every day but I did just bid on some buildings that we should be able to knock out in three days with a lift.. That one's going to pay really nicely. Man, I love powerwashing! I don't miss being out in the field though, I'm beat. If there's anyone in maryland that does awning cleaning, please let me know I have a complex that wants them done and i'm not touching it.

I've never had it flatten a bucket before but I have had it suck in the sides pretty good..lol I'm planning on going with a 4 wheel setup and 50' of hose wrapped around the handle, when I have time to build it I'll post pictures..

It's a lot of things, meta tags, keywords, links and what you have on your website. Of course you can pay for top listings but I wouldn't do it.

Hey Scott, I'm sorry to hear about your loss I've been there myself and it sucks but as you said in your post, she's not suffering anymore and she's moved on to a better place. Henry

I'm planning on building something almost exactly like ccpc but I'm thinking about building it with a square tank on a 4 wheeled cart so I don't have to worry about the thing getting knocked over or balancing it. I can either mount a cheap hose reel on top of the square tank or just wrap it around it. I like the design you have though plus it's compact since the size is in height, not width.

I run cool water through my system after shutting off the burner. I do it to cool off the burner and my connectors, it also gives my the alternator time to recharge the battery a bit more and I hate handling hot hoses.. I also release the pressure from my lines when I shut down the rig too so they system isn't under pressure the whole time.. If I don't run cold water through the system to cool down the burner the water left inside will heat up and repressureize the system even after I release it. With me it's just a preference, I don't have any proof either way, it just makes sense to me not to put the rig under anymore stress than I have too after all, they aren't cheap to replace!

I've used the two chemical injector thing myself and it does work quite well. I prefer x jets though for the distance I can get.

That figure is based on one guy working on an 8gpm rig.. It's set up for two guys but I usually only send out one guy with it.. One guy can usually do 3 decent sized decks a day or 5 houses if there isn't a lot of travel time involved. That rig usually does around 1,000 a day gross and I also have at least two other guys out doing gutter cleaning, power washing or other stuff... Some weeks and days are slower than others and some are much better but that 15,000 gross figure a month really isn't that much when you consider overhead costs like fuel, labor, taxes and advertising but it all depends on your overhead and how much you want to work!

Hey CCPC, I have to agree, your house cart is easier and I've been thinking about building one of them myself actually.. Can you email me a picture of yours so I can see how it's set up? My email address is henryshousework@aol.com The setup I mentioned is something I do when I'm working high up on a lift and I'm pumping chemicals from a couple of 45 gallon tanks I have mounted on my rig... When your trying to draw soap up 50' in the air you need the extra push from a shurflow to get it up there to you!

I think most 4gpm machines work best with a 20" surface cleaner or less. They will work with a larger one but you will have to move a bit slower

No Ken, you've got it right. A couple people run a tank of chems from their rig and use the shurflow pump to pump it through 200' of hose to thier xjet.. You do want a shut off valve though so you can put the shurflow into bypass and not keep pumping chems when you don't want them.

Average gross per month?? Over 15k.

No, I'm not going to say that, the PWNA is about promoting the industry as a whole but would HQ recommend a non member over a member? I doubt it but I've never checked..

Yes John that's correct, the PWNA requires insurance and a business license if required in the applicants state..

Hey Scott, I've always been a big promoter of licensing and insurance, that's why I was so please to hear that the PWNA was going to make it a requirement. I always tell people to check a companies status to make sure they are protected and I'm sure the PWNA and anyone else that refers out work does the same thing. That wasn't my point though.. My point is why would the PWNA give away a member benefit to someone that's not a member? Celeste, I'm nice to everyone or at least I try to be but as we all know, online typing doesn't always show it that way.... I still think me and Scott arguing our different opinions is a waste of both of our time though, I wasn't just referring to me. Do I think I've changed Scott's mind about joining the PWNA? No, and I'm not trying to, I've just giving my own personal opinion just like he is and we both know each others positions, that's why I think this ongoing debate is a waste of our time. I'm not throwing PWNA titles around I'm stating my personal opinion and it would be the same whether I was a BOD member or a Member or non member of PWNA... I would still feel the same way and I wouldn't get upset if the PWNA didn't refer work to me if I wasn't a member either.. Why should they?

Okay Scott, even though this seems to be a waste of time that we could use for other things.. let me put this another way. Someone said.... I'm not saying the PWNA must promote non-member companies above member companies.If a homeowner/businessowner contacts the PWNA and is seeking a contractor in his/her area and there is no PWNA member within reasonable distance to that potentail customer,wouldn't it then be prudent for the PWNA to recommend to that potential customer a way to find a non-member company that is qualified to handle the job(i.e. insurance,license,etc.). Why would the PWNA do that for someone that doesn't even want to support the organization? The PWNA is about helping the industry but at the same time why should it allow non members to benefit from some of it's advertising, programs and other expenses when it's considered a member benefit? If you paid to be a member and support the org, how would you feel about giving work to someone that didn't? Besides that point, there's another one that no one wants to answer. If you see that there are no other PWNA members near you, don't you think joining would give you the benefit of being the only PWNA member in the area and that would in turn make you stand out against the competition in the customers mind. Honestly, I'm tired of the debate, no one is against non members of PWNA. If you want to gain the benefits of PWNA membership and use it to make you a more successful company like others have done, join. If not, make your decision and stop debating a dead topic. If you or anyone else has questions call the PWNA or someone on the Board of Directors. It would save us all some time we could use for other things. I'm buried under work right now so the last thing I want to do is debate how much the PWNA has helped me and many other members. Join or not, it's up to you but the time we have all spent on this thread could be used for so many better purposes. If anyone has questions, give me a call.

Scott makes an excellent point. Being a member of PWNA is not for all, but may very well help if you join. Being a member has no bearing on if a contractor is licensed, professional, carrying insurance. This statement is now outdated, all members of PWNA are required to show proof of insurance and a state business license if required by the state. The existing members will be required to provide this information when they renew their membership. However, if you feel companies are positioning themselves this way, you are probably right. In fact, being licensed is not an indication of quality either, as it has to do with businesses being legal but doesn't have to do with what you do or how you do it. (job site wise) Your correct, having a license or insurance does not mean you know how to do it, it does show that your a legal and legitament company though and in may cases that alone will get you the job. I'm not saying the PWNA must promote non-member companies above member companies.If a homeowner/businessowner contacts the PWNA and is seeking a contractor in his/her area and there is no PWNA member within reasonable distance to that potentail customer,wouldn't it then be prudent for the PWNA to recommend to that potential customer a way to find a non-member company that is qualified to handle the job(i.e. insurance,license,etc.). Why would the PWNA do that? to open itself up to liability for someone that doesn't even want to support the organization? My perception that I see on different BBS post is that when the PWNA references non-insured, unprofessional companies is that all non-member companies think it is directed at them. All to often this has been the case in the past.It's been used as an underhanded way of slapping non-members in the face so to speak. I'm sorry that people feel that way but I don't think it's being done on purpose, I think it's just the way people are seeing it. I think people are proud of their PWNA membership and if they want to talk about it and what it's done for them it's completly up to them. If you don't want to join for whatever reason thats completly up to you but it seems to me that it's the companies that aren't members that are playing up the us against them thing the most. Why is this us against PWNA members always coming up? It's those companies that choose not to be PWNA members that are making these kind of comments, if you don't want to join that's fine but, IT'S YOUR CHOICE! so in fact it's you that have chosen not to be a member. If that's your choice why complain that the PWNA is making you feel like a non member or less than? You have the power to change that by joining. If you don't want to join then what are you complaining about? That you chose not to join? I don't think of a non member as being less of a professional than a member, if you feel that way then it's your perception that's causing this. I chat with companies all over the country EVERY DAY and give them advice or refer them to someone that can help them if I can't. I don't care if they are members or not, If you do, then either join or just go on doing what you do now but why complain about something when you have the choice to join or not to join, that just doesn't make sense and it's a waste of your time.

Hey Lou, Have you started power washing yet? I heard you found yourself a rig and I'm looking forward to hearing about your progress!

By education, information and by helping teach people the proper techniques for power washing different surfaces. Also by helping to educate our clients so they know there's more to power washing than just spraying high PSI water around. Sometimes it's better to get information from another source than the guy that's trying to sell you a job for 50% more than the estimate you got yesterday from a guy with no insurance or experience.

I don't think anyone has ever said that non members are less professional than members. I don't get your cookie cutter comment, every post I make is exactly how I feel about a topic. If you don't like what I have to say, sorry... I just know how much the Maryland chapter is going to raise the bar in this area!