John Orr

LOL I was under the impression that this is a new product - maybe not. It would appear that just using their pads to spread the stain after spraying may be the answer. In spite of your experience, I will try it - on my own deck - so that only my wife will get upset with me.

While I recover, I'm planning to have my assistant strip my Oly Max Toner and apply some AC with a Deckmate. If it lasts more than a few boards per pad, I may fall in love! Just wish it had a bigger tank...sometimes size does matter! :winkanim:

Like it or not, my leg will be moved - either by me or a machine that will move it constantly, 4 hours on/2 hours off.

Thanks all for your concern for my health - or lack thereof! As for the PT (I assume you all mean Physical Therapy. On first reading, I was thinking Pressure Treated - but then realized they now use titanium and plastic.) I will be going from the hospital to a rehab facility. My wife is an RN and already has to deal with invalids 40+ hours/week. My goal is to be working by the end of Feb.

I finally had a little time to spend making some sample deck boards of AC using the samples I was sent a while back. Wow! I have been a dedicated Olympic Max Toner user for years and have not been looking forward to changing - until now. The ____tone colors are almost exactly like the Oly Max toners; apply easy, thin, quick drying - should flow nicely through a pump-up. I was impressed with how nicely ALL samples flowed, with virtually all of it penetrating into the wood...even with the semi-solids! I made samples with both fresh PT 5/4 as well as stripped and neutered 5/4 PT. Very different looks, but both look great. As I understand it, all but the clear can be mixed and matched, so it should be possible to "blend" new PT boards. As soon as I recover from my knee replacement (this Wed am) I will be applying AC to my wrap-around porch.

Would he have to share the dollar bills with the stripper?

Ouch! Have you tried getting the rep for the stain involved? - he may be able to assure them that you have applied properly and stain is exactly as it should be. Since the rep would likely be a witness in small claims court, his opinion at this point may push them toward paying.

The first election I actually cared about was in 1976. People were fed-up with Nixonian politics and voted for change - at any cost. I pray that the change we get this time will not take too many years to recover from. Backlash voting can be dangerous - in either direction.

I had a house wash the other day, solid stain on T-111, which looked pretty good. Decks around 2/3 of the house that were recently rebuilt and coated with Behr Semi w/silicone. (1 yr old, most of the decks look REALLY bad.) There is a second floor balcony that was abused instead of stained, with a large amount of overspray on the T-111 as well as about a gallon spilled on a plastic shed below. I applied a hot sodium hydroxide in one area of the shed and sprayed some Taginator on another area. The SH didn't touch it, but the Taginator removed almost all with the first application. Questions: Could i try this on the T-111? Is Potassium Hydroxide (Taginator) a better silicon stripper? Any special precautions when using PH? If PH is the best choice, where to buy in larger quantities?

My guess is that the ball (steel) has corroded - not unusual. The solution is to replace the steel ball with a ceramic ball. There are several sizes, so make sure you get the right one. The spring will also corrode and eventually break, so get some of them too. Are you saying that the new injector is also not working? Did it ever work? If not, make sure that the arrow on the injector points in the direction of the flow.

Absolutely a must - both the break-a-way and the inspection. It just takes a few minutes. If you think about it, how many of us have dented the bumper and/or tailgate because we didn't secure the trailer until we came to the first stop light/sign and the tongue "licked" us?

Its also why I won't pull a trailer w/o brakes!

Landa has a rep as the Caddilac of pressure washers. Many swear by them - some at them. I'm not familiar with Pressure Pro's, though I have heard good things about them. Personally, I run a Hydro-Tek 8 gpm rig and love it. 25 hp Kohler, almost 3 years old, no problems with regular maint. What problems have you been having with your Landa?

I started my company 8 years ago with a 2.5 gpm/2500 psi machine. I only used it for foundations as I could/can wash most houses without a machine. The secret to washing a house is not pressure, its in your recipe. As I recall, your machine would work just fine with an X-Jet for. By the way, I quickly realized that 4 gpm is a minimum for serious washing (drives/decks) and downstreaming chems. I now use 8 gpm/3000 psi. Finding a local "mentor" would be ideal, though you may have better luck with someone out of you area.

I carry the largest first aid kit I can find as well as an eye flushing cup and a bottle of water. I've had first aid as well as CPR. (Scored a passing grade on the "sample" test!) Hope I never need either!

$2.89 today.

So far, I really haven't seen a decrease. I do almost exclusively residential. Lots of repeats, referrals and new customers form the Yellow Pages. Business normally slows in early August - it did - and picks back up at the end of Aug, beginning of September - it did. Usually steady till X-Mas. We'll see.

$2.99 in a few places here.

On a recent visit to my local Northern Tool, I discovered that they now carry Gutter Zap ($17/gal?). I've never used it myself as I prefer Simple Green - which is what GZ sure smells like! lol They also carry Brixx - similar to SureKleen and an awful lot like Safe Restore...and it only costs about $8/gal!!!

I am not endorsing any other chem at Northern, I too have tried most of them and have been disappointed. I used to use their Roof Wash (sodium hydroxide) as a deck stripper - until they diluted it 90%...at the same price. I personally use Simple Green for washing gutters, but some people swear by Gutter Zap. If someone wanted to try it, buying at Northern would save the shipping $$. BRIXX, on the other hand, actually works - though I haven't actually used it for washing mortar tags. lol

Sometimes, it seems as though I live IN a Northern Tool store! lol Actually, there are 2 in my area, plus the catalog and online.

I can do both...at the same time by adjusting the unloader (which I do sometimes to use a lower psi/gpm turbo nozzle) or just the gpm by using a smaller (less than 9.0) tip. I can, and sometimes do, run 2 guns at the same time - or 1 gun and a surface cleaner. Most of the time, If I need a second gun, I roll out the portable that I keep in my van - I hate giving up the gpm's on the surface cleaner. For example, I have a 9 hour driveway cleaning coming up next week and I'll run the 8 gpm with a Big Guy with 4.5 tips and the 5 gpm with a Big Guy with 2.5 tips. If I wanted, I could run both BG's with 2.5's, but the distances involved would require way too much hose (long winding drive to get to the house/parking area.

I have a Hydro-Tek 8gpm/3000 psi trailer and have been using a flow-type unloader for over 2 years. Initially, I was told that it couldn't be done with a 2 gun set-up - it can. There was also a thought that the unloader needed some "tinkering" - it doesn't. I use my rig one gun at a time (one for the surface cleaner, one to wash) with no special plumbing. The unloader has one high-pressure hose going in, one going out to the coil and a low-pressure hose to bypass. The pressure line splits after the coil and I have a chem injector on one side (though I could put one on both sides) and I downstream my housewash mix. With 8gpm, it will shoot quite high!

Which picture is the before and which is the after? Seriously, 6 rough months + 2 1/2 years in ANY environment I would expect much more fade. Are we really seeing before and after pics?

Is there any way to check on our anniversary date? P.S. Wasn't it $25? (The link says $20/yr.)