John Orr

I've known Steve and his products for years now. While I will miss TCN, I know Steve is happy in his current pursuit. I wish him the best. As for his products, there are several that I use on a regular basis, so it is nice to know they will still be available. Thanks again Steve for all of your efforts to educate pw's around the country. Many of us learned this trade through you and the many roundtables that you supported - you always gave more than you got. In addition, you gave us married folks a reason to go to Hooters without having to explain to our wives. lol

My favorite low-pressure nozzle is sometimes referred to a "shooter tip". I make mine from a 1/4" QC with female threads and a 1/4" male thread air chuck. 2 and 3 stories with a nice, straight pattern.

I use them till they burst. By using a flow-type unloader, they don't go "crazy" when it happens. In addition to factors mentioned above, downstreaming 12.5% probably affects the inner coating that Ron mentioned, which would eat at the wire. I downstream hot, 12.5%, so my hoses tend to last about a year. Sometimes the cheap hoses last and last, sometimes the expensive ones don't. I buy on price.

I am not familiar with the viscosity of the stains you will be using (I prefer Olympic Max), but I have used a Solo 4 gallon backpack sprayer for years now. They usually last a year or two. Very little overspray, very even coverage.

Happy New Year to all, though I wish I would rather be washing a house today. 64 degrees outside, but supposed to get cold for the next few days.

Same hoses, same guns. Bigger surface cleaners :lgsideway and larger tips on everything.

Unless you increase your pressure, why would you need 2 wire hose? If the pressure is 3000 or less, 1 wire should be fine. (I use 1 wire with 8/3000.) If you like flexible, I would highly recommend a flow-type unloader - it will allow the hose to relax when you're not spraying.

I do mostly residential and used a 4 gpm/3500 Home Depot machine for a few years. It can and will work just fine for residential. When the pump finally went (1500 - roughly - hours of use, so I wouldn't let the direct drive vs. belt drive argument influence my decision) I replaced it with a 5.5 gpm gear drive pump. Though rated at 3000 psi, with a 13 hp engine, I get about 2600 psi. Even with lower pressure, the 5.5 cleans faster (I downstream mostly) and runs a surface cleaner much better than before. Having said all that, the 5.5 is now the back-up to my 8 gpm/3000psi rig. Now we're talking! lol My recommendation? Get the most gpm's you can. I recall there was a dealer somewhere planning on offering something like my back-up. As far as water, most hose-bibs will put out at least 5 gpms. I usually only carry 50 or so gallons to a job, filling as I go, and usually - even at 8 gpm - have no problem keeping-up and even exceeding usage.

The silicone in the tire shine lasts for many years. I had marks in my own drive for years before they faded. These "stains" are actually clean/dry concrete that has been sealed. When the surrounding concrete (now cleaned) dries, it all blends together. P.S. I hope it won't be another year before we hear from you again! lol

Festivus is a favorite holiday of mine. (If only I could convince my family!) Seriously though, may your antifreeze protect and your stain cure. Have a great Holiday season.

No matter what anyone tells you, you CAN put a flow-type unloader on a 2 gun machine.

One problem with using acid is that it tends to brighten concrete, so if used on spots, you'll have bright spots. No problem on newer concrete, but could become an issue on anything else. (Unless, of course, you spray the whole drive.) I have always had great results with downstreaming 12.5%. Give it a few minutes, re-apply if needed, touch-up with stronger if needed.

I would go with 12.5% chlorine, applied directly to the stained area. (Be sure to rinse any over-spray.) Give it some dwell time, then pw. Hot water is not needed.

I still have tire dressing on my drive from almost 10 years ago! I sometimes think about spraying the whole drive. It seems to be an awesome sealer.

Pick some up at the Roundtable!

It looks to be a really bad case of oxidized aluminum. If you run your hand over the spots, are they raised? If so, then that's what it is. They were there before you cleaned, but may have been hidden under dirt. I have noticed this issue on older aluminum siding as well as newer trim - usually in protected area (under eaves, porches, etc.).

In my area, $550/$275 would actually be on the high side.

I will be there. Hoping to meet another Flood rep.

If a house is dirty, it will eventually get cleaned - either by the seller or the buyer. If sellers are not motivated (or able) to get the work done, I guarantee that the eventual buyer will. It was the same at the height of the market - sellers didn't need to clean in order to sell, so the buyers got the work done. This is true with ANY needed cleaning/repairs/improvements. Getting on a realtor's "A" list of vendors will go a long way toward reaching the buyers, and the occasional seller.

Hey, how 'bout everybody bringing there Restora samples to PA next month? I think I have one or two.

I have a stain just like that on my garage floor from muriatic. I have used Prosoco's Ferrous Stain Remover to remove acid burns on several occasions. (For customers, of course, not my own! lol)

I might be thinking about flipping boards and starting over. It would make a nice winter project.

By announcing that you will be there, you will put the "burden of awkwardness" on the other person. If they have a problem with you being there, then they can decide to not attend. I would not let my fear of the "what if" dictate my actions. P.S. It would be one thing if there were only going to be 5 or 6 people attending, but with the numbers this event usually draws, I would say it should be easy to get lost in the crowd.

Northern used to have their skids made by HydroTek. Not any more. As I recall, this skid was not designed by anyone who has ever pressure washed, so it suffers from some (not fatal) design flaws. (I saw one at my local pw shop recently.) As far as the direct drive goes, I have had both, and until there is a problem, you really won't be able to tell the difference. Direct drive doesn't draw well from a tank, so your supply must be at least slightly above your pump. Direct drive pumps cost about the same to maintain and rebuild as belt drives, but tend to be less expensive to replace. In my personal experience, I have gotten about 1500 or so hours between rebuilds.

So I'm setting up for a dock cleaning. I've made 3 trips from the rig to the dock, extra supply hoses (400' from the house to the dock), portable pw (too far to use the trailer mounted unit) and am finally ready to wash. I pull on the cord...and it, and the entire recoil and cover, come off in my hand. Since I'm pulling hard, they fly over my head...and out of my hand. Of course, since I am on the banks of an inlet, they land in the water - about 20' out. Argh! I'm sure it would have ranked high on YouTube. ($80, in case anyone is wondering.)