Tracy Handl

the dealer that has the Rowlett formulation.

As more folks are getting into PW due to the times, and as this post has been trying to help startups get off on the right foot, SBS wants to help also. We have a manual - "Starting Up a New Pressure Washing Business - Lots of Stuff You Need to Know" which usually goes for $29.95, which we will offer for FREE to anyone who provides their contact info. Please e-mail me your Name, address, Phone number and e-mail address to tracy@sunbritesupply.com and I will get you the manual for FREE! We know how hard it is to make choices about equipment, chems., etc. when just getting started. Budgets get streched before the money starts coming in, and bad investments get costly. Let us help! No one was there to show us how to get started and looking back, things could have been done differently to be more profitable early on. Let us give a little back by offering this info so you as the new contractor can get of on the right track and make it great start to your new venture!

Hope it all works out Jeff. It's rough when the Ex gets nasty. Best wishes for everything to go a smooth as possible.

As I don't get to check these boards all the time, never hesitate to call me with any questions (or e-mail me direct - tracy@sunbritesupply.com) I'm happy to help as best I can. Hope that works as well for you as I expect it will. This board is great for help, but those kind of tech questions are not a problem to be asked. No question is dumb, and although I can get busy at times, they are never a bother either. Your distributors are your teammates. Don't be afraid to"put them in" coach! Happy pressure washing!:lgjump:

Inquiring minds want to know.........

Great looking work there Doug! Hope you got before and after pictues! They should really have high contrast.

You probably do, but I wanted to make sure. Are you using bleach alone, or is there soap added to you solution? Bleach by itself is NOT a cleaner. It's an action chem ( the release of the oxegen is what really does the work) but there needs to be a surfactant to help the water work better. The "soap" will allow the water to lift the stain out by creating affinity with the stain material and the water molecules. As was stated by the speaker at the Myrtle Beach roundtable, more (stronger) bleach doesn't necessarily make things better. Because the oxegen release happens faster when it's stronger, in some situations, more damage may occure, but not neccessarily more cleaning. Using bleach is fine, but used much above 3% should be cause for great concern for the substrate. Just food for thought.

Stain won't get downstreamed. You'll need to put stains on vai another method like Adrain mentioned. Chems can be applied via machine, but a lot of guys just want to mix the chems at the desired strength and then apply. They feel there is no room for error then. Many methods exist. Pick what works best for you. Let me know if I can be of any assistance. Sincerely,

Doug made some good points but I think in your situation, this is a great time for you to start. 1) You have a job for income so the slow times won't hurt you. (Don't take on more than you can chew for now) 2) If you first start in spring when its go-go-go time, you will be working out the kinks when they should already be worked out. 3) you mention you need experience - I'll bet there are things around your house that needs washing. What better place to start. (depending on where you are, make sure there are not water restrictions that only allow licensed contractors to wash) Also, a little free work for the neighbors strengthens relations, and gets you experience. 4) It's true, the economy is tough right now, but now is the time to develop your marketing strategy. Do a little testing of it. Tweak it. Then you will be ready for the fast and furious time. 5) Start with a cold water unit. About $1500 will get you a great one. You can always add hot water for under $2000.00 With todays technology, soaps allow you to do more with cold water than ever before. I say go for it. Follow your dream, but use common sense. Start slow and use your distibutors, fellow contractors, and own experiences to build the best business you possibly can! Good luck and let me know if I can assist in any way.

two worst topics to discuss......LOL Have a great Labor Day everyone!:usa:

Woman or not, I don't think he'll win.

Nice place. What do you have on that wood? It looks good.

What a wonderful post. May you and your bride have many more. Your heartfelt words are inspirational. Glad to know you have found another that makes you complete. True love is nothing to take lightly and you sound as if you do not. Good for you. May the honeymoon last forever!

If the "mud" seems like red clay, an acid will do the best. Acids take up red clay the best. It has to have a surfactant with it and it won't need to be too strong. Products used for concrete cleaning that are as weak as will effectivly remove the mud, may get those are up well. Then wash with a normal wood cleaning product to even everything up if needed, neutralize, and then seal. My 2 cents. Hope it helped.

You can get free freight on 6 pails or more, and you do get a price break at 15 pails, and at 30 pails.

You do seem to have your facts rather correct. Let me shed a little more light for you. Muriatic acid is used in our industry for some very specific reasons. How it is used, and the frequency is the main concern. By itself, it is not the greatest cleaner. It is used to etch a surface when preping for another procces (like resurfacing or painting) mostly of concrete. When a good bond is expected, this works very well. Here in the south there is a lot of red clay. A muriatic acid wash that has a surfactant with it (soap) will lift red clay out of concrete rather well. Better than the acid alone! Also works well on rust stains. It is also use in new construction clean-up when mortar splash is being cleaned up. When uses repetedly on a concrete surface it can take it from smooth to grainy in just a few application. (and sometimes as little as once). That being said, if I had to impress, say the manager of a chain of restraunts, I may acid wash the drive through so I know I'm being aggressive in my cleaning and getting the best results so I can get more work. One time wouldn't really be a concern when jobs are on the line. Hope this helped a little. Ley me know if I could be of any other assistance.

I'm pretty sure you're not a quiter!!!

The solid stain may be a water based product. In that case, a sodium hydroxide based product usually won't remove that. It isn't designed for that. Shear strength may take off water based products, but that's not really what a SH based cleaner is for. Lightly sand your problem areas with 80 grit sand paper and those areas should be fine. Do that prior to sealing. If using an oil based sealer, if it's a good penetrator, you may actually be able to sand if off after sealing as the sealer will travel under the solid stain in the fibers and loosen the old sealer. I've seen this happen many times with the sealer we carry. I would not seal over those spots without doing something to eliminate them if sealing with a semi-transparent. They will stand out.

If you really need to clean the dock and don't know what will get you in trouble, the safe bet is always water in - water out. Remember that years ago, not that many actually used soaps when cleaning. Soaps allow the user to be faster, more efficient, and helps the water do it's thing better. Cleaning can be done with just water. It just take a bit more effort to accomplish. Just a thought.

Days like today is why they call it Hotlanta! Mid 90's here! Humid too.:island:

From all of us at Sun Brite Supply, we hope those of you not working this weekend have a safe, and enjoyable holiday with your family and friends. For those that are working, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday as well, and hope you can work in that special family/friend time as well. Thanks to all of our veterans for providing, and maintianing our freedoms! May God bless you all. :USA:

Rip-It is just about the same stength as HD-80.

Al, that tool helps me all the time. Takes the guess work out. Get signed up soon for the roundtable as we will be capping the attendance. We sure do want to see you there. We already have a few signed up and paid. I have confirmed that a rep from the Gwinnett Dept. of Sewer and Water will be on hand with a short presentation and to answer questions. This will be the best roundtable event we've had in the area ever! And with Prime Rib, chicken, and lasagna buffet, this willl be one not to miss!!!!

Will do.