Pams Pressure & Clean

Jon, That is great letter. Thanks for sharing. Cujo

Carlos, Yeah, for some reason the high dollar sprayers that are supposed to take just about any man made substance just crap out after about 5 minutes.. The El-Cheepo has been sitting for as many as 3 weeks with concrete cleaning acid in it and worked like a champ.. I dunno..>>shrug<< Henry, You might not want a Deckster... Once you figure out how much time you could have saved over the years.. your going to want to fire the boss.. :):):) We figure our deck efficiency has jumped no less than 40% since we got the unit. Fences?? Efficiency ratings absolutley off the scale.. I have done both sides of a 6' tall and 250' long pressure treated privacy fence with 2 coats of Ready Seal in a little under 3 hours. Cujo

Go look in the back garden section of KMart.. You will find the El Cheepo type of 2 1/2 gallon sprayer.. I try to wait till they are on sale and go get a few of them.. Understand that this is exactly what the price implies.. an el-cheepo sprayer. The hose is a bit short, the tank is small, the wand is plastic and all the other stuff you don't get with a $50.00 sprayer.. but it's virtually disposable. I have no less than a half dozen sprayers in the back of the shop that I paid upwards of $30.00 to $50.00 each for. ALL of them are now junk.. Busted seals, broken pumps, bad triggers..all that type of stuff.. And replacement parts are so hard to find that it's hardly worth the effort..I just have to find it within me to put them in the trash.. So, for my money.. it's the El Cheepo brand.. use 'em till they puke and chuck 'em. The odd part is that they seem to last longer than the high dollar ones.. :rolleyes: go figure!! Shane, I use pump ups mostly for chems..for up close and careful application.. otherwise it's the X-Jet or the Deckster. Very rarely use a pump up for stain.. Again it's the Deckster for that and hand brush or pad when the necessary.

We did a house a month or so ago that had the worst water supply you can imagine. Less than 2 GPM wide open at the hose bib. We have a tank and showed up with about 100 or so gallons to start the house but had to stop half way through becasue the well pump wasn't keeping the tank full. We waited about an hour to get enough water to finish the house. In talking with the homeowner he tells of the well being nearly 500' deep. He said when they hit water it shot a stream that was just unbelievable, but after the capped and installed the pump is when he had trouble. We suggested a new pump.. I can't imagine how the guy got a shower every day..

Yup.. Pump-ups seem to fail faster than just about everything except regular disposable type items like pads I found that for the most part, spending big bucks on the newest fanciest sprayer does not guarantee anything.. As a matter of fact, the best ones we get seem to be the $9.00 ones from Kmart. We do take them apart pretty regular tho to clean and lubricate the rubber packings in the pump body and that seems to help for long life..

A Part Timer is just that.. part time pressure washer, full time something else. It simply means that you have not yet closed the deal for yourself for whatever reasons which suit you. There is also the argument that Part-timers are just that in order to make ends meet. Similar to taking a job at Wally World or Burger King in the evenings to pay for whatever lifestyle you have chosen, having a part time gig pressure washing seems little different. Like many others, we were (quasi) part time in the beginning. That is to say that Pam was promoting the business and growing it on a full time basis. I had a full time job. As might be expected, her work was slow at first, but continued, through her hard work and perserverence, to grow in volume. She had jobs fairly frequently, and as it goes so many times, business flourished and she started needing helpers. Once upon a day, the work had grown to a point where Pam "hired" me away from my full time job to help her on a full time basis and well... here we are.. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but like Scott, when other avenues of closing the sale have failed, I will beat my competition like a drum, mercilessly and thouroughly with that tidbit. I also share his views about lowballers whether they be full or part time. I think part timers may draw a bad name or a less than favorable image becasue of the huge number of splash & dash guys, those who carry no insurance, no license, no "for real" business ethics or operations or any combination of the above.. Further, some full timers may feel like part timers are scavengers.. Swooping in for a tidbit or morsel now and then without making the level of commitment that the full-timer has. After all if things crap out, the part timer has nothing to lose, the full timer has to suck it up and take the hard times.. Alternatively, there are part timers who work very hard to run legit (as much as can be in this case) operation. Appearing as much like a full timer as possible to make the deal work. We have all done it. Celeste clearly communicates how many of us have closed the deal in the past or in the 'beginning'. The real question is not necessarily "what is a part timer?", but more like "who is legit?" Who has pressure washing as a "Real" second job, and who has a pressure washer for beer money on game day? (PS to Tropical Wave .. God Bless you and keep you safe. May the power and the grace of the Lord above bring you both home every day from your patrol. You are among the bravest Americans alive today. Thank you for what you do. You are indeed great Americans)

Georgia also has an Ad Valorem (value) tax. It is based on vehicle value AND on which county you live in. For example; if you have a new shiny new, top end, Mercedes and live in the white flight north Fulton County district, you could easily expect to pay three to four thousand dollars per year for your tag. If you have a beat up 69 Chevy pickup and live in oh, say...Plains Georgia where they have many peanuts, much cotton, a lot of dirt roads, and not much else you could expect to pay about twelve dollars per year (state minimum). My brother lives in upstate NY and they charge a penny per pound of vehicle weight for the tags..

Andy, Two stepping a house seems a bit of extra work..at least for us. Similar I'm sure to many others, we apply a house wash mix with good surfactants (Rowlett sells a very good one called Citraclean) and a bit of sodium hypochlorite. Apply, dwell, rinse.. gets all the yuck off and leaves everything nice and shiny. No streaking at all as long as you mix at realistic levels of product. Granted we do not have near the amount of aluminum siding here as is found up north..mostly vinyl, brick, or wood for us. As for a fear of sodium hypochlorite, I would argue that compared to some of the other products you are using, it is either unfounded, or at least in the same realm. Certainly no worse. I'm not saying you are doing it wrong..just differently from the way we do it.. You gotta go with what works for you... You should drive down to one of the two roundtables in Ga. Scott is hosting one in Albany Ga. on Feb 5th and I am hosting one in Atlanta on Jan 29th. You would be welcome at either.

Georgia is an "At Will" State. I like it that way. Better for employers, perhaps better for employees. Either way, less red tape. While the terms are directly related to Union work and job definitions, the media, schools, and general public ignorance have elevated at least part of the term to much more than that. To answer that part would require a lengthy and drawn out political response. Suffice to say that in my view of the world nobody has a right to a job. Cujo

Ditto Scott's idea on the Georgia Boot.. Best leather boots made. For rubber boots try Muck boots..I have never been a fan of rubber boots becasue they are just too dang uncomfortable. Kill my feet by the end of the day and just hated 'em.. Paid $60.00 for a pair of Muck Boots at Tractor Supply and am awfully glad I did. Just warm enough for winter work if you wear a good pair of insulated socks (I like Carhart brand, but man they are $8 bucks a pair!) cool enough for summer work becaue the tops are neoprene and you can roll 'em down if you want to. Cujo

Lou, Here's some help for a squeaky tight budget.. Take it for what it's worth, and if it's worth nothing..no harm, no foul.. >>Prices are assuming a 7% sales tax rate and are roughed into the price listed.<< New Tuff Cold Water 4.5 GPM portable machine 1500.00 New Tuff Hot Box 1400.00 Extra 150' of pressure hose 150.00 X-Jet 130.00 First round of basic chems 125.00 (enough to do several houses, but not 55 gallon drums) Garden Hose 75.00 El-Cheepo used trailer 400.00 Spray paint for El-Cheepo trailer 40.00 El-Cheepo portable generator from the pawn shop $300.00 Down payment on proper insurance 1000.00 So far you are right at $5000.00 (give or take a few bucks) Granted, this could be considered getting done on the super cheap, and I left plenty of stuff out, but hey..it fits the budget, and it's hot water... You'll want other stuff as you go along, but it's a solution... Cujo

If Rod is unable to find anything, the folks at Steel Eagle have a very good customer support system. Give them a call & they can help answer any question you have.. Nice people..

You need to have the contract re-written :) >>EDIT<< I dunno if there is specific language for OSHA concerning your exact question, but it seems to me that there is a commandment somewhere that reads something along the lines of : "Thou Shalt Not Knowingly nor Willfully Create a Hazardous Condition" Could be wrong tho..

Reed, I ballparked it in the spreadsheet that I modified from yours and came in around $4000. could go either way about $300 based on my PFA numbers. BTW, I sent you an updated copy with s.f. fixed costs..I hope you got it..if not lemme know and I'll ship it over pronto. I sent a copy to Celeste too, so unless she changed it, it should be the same one as you have. Cujo

Ryan, I have started Atlas Shrugged a few times, but always seem to get sidetracked.. I understand it is a great book and someday I WILL get it read.. Quite prophetic I understand.. BTW, are you coming to the roundtable on the 29th?? I thnik we'd get along pretty well.. Like to have you join us.. Beth, Was it too obvious..??? Dang. I tried to keep it sorta mellow :):)..my bad ;)

Motivations..hmmm, several come to mind.... Some are good, some are just my motivations.. Living indoors and eating with some regularity... Feeding and clothing my kids, buying Pam the trinkets & baubles that she deems worthy of her attention, and putting a healthy check into the collection plate. Watching my personal retirement account grow like a tumor. (Social Security is dead, so no good to look at that massive crime against freedom) Proving to left-wing, booger-eating, bed-wetting liberals that America is great in spite of government. Proving that mediocrity is a state of mind that I refuse to subscribe to. Proving that political correctness is for limp-wristed and weak-minded individuals who are satisfied with their own mediocrity and failures in life, and that they demand some type of allegiance to their sick little world by tearing down all that succeed in spite of them. Having the cash to take a month off and not sweat it. Seeing the instant and immensely gratifying results of a job well done.. Then cashing a big fat check :eek: Telling my former boss to kiss my ass. Grinning the whole time during item number 9. To prove that whiners finish last...... Becasue they deserve it.

Ryan, My neighbor installed H/P on his house about a year ago and so far it has not been maintained at all. Not even painted.. Aside from the fact that he needs the dirt washed off (he's too cheap to pay me, but still a helluva nice guy) that got on it during the installation phase, there is nothing to note. No growth of any kind, no leaks, no loose siding, or any problems normally associated with vinyl or masonite. Aside from needing paint every once in awhile, I am of the opinion that H/P is a good choice for siding. Our proximity (Covington & Hampton) tells me that you would experience similar happy results. Cujo

We have a fuel oil (diesel/kerosene) fired unit. It works quite well, and fuel is readily available. Agreed, propane is mostly available, but having spare room for extra tanks and finding it after hours or on weekends seems to be more hassle than it would be worth. Propane and diesel are about the same price here per gallon, but from what I have read it takes more fuel to get the same heat rise from propane, all else being equal.(I might be wrong, but it is what I have seen) We use a portable generator to supply 110v and have spare receptacles to power other items (lights, power tools, etc) as needed.

I wonder too, like Beth, how much ends up in the flower beds as runoff... Talk about environmental contamination !! :eek: Nothing like dumping a few gallons of raw water based stain into the dirt...

Scott, I still do a ton of custom work & tuning on bows (I own a small shop) and build all custom strings & harnesses.. Lemme know If I can help..

Target archery.. Several different versions within the sport (no, I don't shoot the olympic kind..I shoot with a compound bow) and I participate in several. Pretty good at it too :cool: I have several robin hooded arrows, but I try not to do that too much because, although it is very cool, it gets very expensive. A bunch of pretty cool trophies and bunches of stories from the road with my family as we have travelled around quite a bit over the years as an archery family. Man I could go on for hours about it.. It's more like a passion than a hobby... Aside from that..just chillin' w/ Pam & the boys (we have 3) doing honey-do jobs in the yard, bustin' caps at the range, killing bait (my boys call it fishing), camping, or napping on the sofa...

Oh Boy... Sounds like you are talking about my former employer.. I could insert his name/company name in a majority of that post...I'm the black sheep mentioned there :):)

Thanks Matt...Sign me up..:cheers: :cheers: :cool: :cool:

We have a very extensive diversity program here...Although it may be considered a bit oversimplistic. We treat everyone we might hire with the EXACT same set of rules..Essentially they are these... Show up when you are told to Do what you are told, when you are told to do it If you screw up, it's better you tell us than try to hide it Telling lies, stealing, violence towards anyone or anything is a one way ride to the unemployment line, the police station, or both as applicable. We expect perfection, but tolerate excellence Pretty simple really and the plus side is that it eliminates all the feel good, mushy, political correctness, bullcrap and saves me a bunch of paperwork. :soapbox: :cool: :cool:

Opps,.... sorry.. forgot to put on my thinking hat before I hit the go button...