Aqua Pro

Thanks for the advice everyone. James, thankfully I am actually in pretty good Shape. I work out often. Also I'm very seriously considering taking a certification course with elite create. So far I very impressed with their training program and ongoing support. John, I will be calling Everett... of nothing else just to reacquaint. Rsuds... I'll check out the book!

Hi John, believe it or not I believe I remember you. Did you speak at all at the award ceremony? Mid 40's, dark hair? Lol not that it's important. .. just trying to put a face to the name. I also took part in the lincoln memorial clean across America stint. We're you there? Anyway, no need to apologize for your candor. I appreciate straight shooters! Judged by your reply though it would appear that maybe I didn't make my request clear. Basically what I was asking is for someone with real world experience that already does epoxy floors to train me. More/less take the learning curve out of it. Wh3n I started aqua pro I had no idea what the difference was between a white tip or a red tip much less fullon wood restoration. It was only after reading everything I could get my hands on, taking the wood restoration class, picking the brain of the experts and trial and error that I got to the point where I felt comfortable stripping and staining a strangers deck. I want to offer this new service but before I start promoting and selling such a service I want to be well versed in the 'lingo". I want to have that knowledge and real world experience already in place. I can read books or blogs and watch videos etc but nothing beats hands on. There are many established contractors across this nation that are already doing this type of work day in/day out that I could learn from. Paul horsley years ago offered to teach me the ins and outs of fleet washing if I came to see him and of the "gurus" at Delco did the same. I already mentioned those in wood restoration that showed me the ropes and now I'm looking for someone in this field for the same. To me its like learning a martial art. One can read about energy drills such as chi sao or filipino hu bud but until you actually lock up with an expert it's impossible to appreciate that energy. I don't want to work for anyone else. I just realize I need to get more focused on building on what I already have. That's a many faceted diamond. ...training/learning a new service is just a part of that gem. Ps. I think I was off by a year on the Memphis convention. I believe it was actually 2006. It was 2007 that the PWNA gave me contractor of the year in cleaner times mag. Those were exciting times for me. I invested a lot of time in product knowledge and really building my business. The market crash of 08 hurt me and I sort of just been drifting along since without any real dedication or discipline. I want to change that in 2014. That change includes revisiting my ad campaign, getting reacquainted with old contacts, reminding the 500+ customers I've already done work for in the past that I'm still here and offering at least one new service. My OP is just one Avenue I'm taking to fulfill that last mentioned phase. Either way. ...I will succeed! :-)

(Forgive me for the lengthy preliminary) I recently completed a project for a personal friend of mine. I restored his deck from start to finish, washed his house, cleaned his concrete and removed mold from his roof. For me it was just another “day at the office.” For my friend however (who owns a car dealership and watched me like a hawk the entire time I was working) it was a revelation into how much really goes into what I do. Like a lot of people, he just thought it was a matter of renting or buying a small machine and “firing away” at whatever was dirty. He was astonished at all the little tricks of the trade, techniques in cleaning, chemical usage, type and application and variations in pressure based on what I was cleaning that went into the job. He was also quite impressed with the efficiency in completing all that I cleaned as well as stained. No lap marks, drips, runs or stain on anything but the deck for example not to mention all the different wands, tips, attachments and ways to wash. My friend up until that point had always underestimated the power washing PROFESSION and all that it entails. His insight relating to the intricacies of what I know and what I do reminded me of two things. A) How much I REALLY do know and now take for granted and B) What it took to get this far. Working for yourself has a lot of advantages which I’m sure most of you are already aware of. There are also some disadvantages that go along with being the boss though! One of those disadvantages is not having a “go to guy” in time of trouble. When I worked for the cable company, I just called my sup or DM when I got stuck. When you’re the boss though, you ARE the go to guy. Which leads me to the crux of this letter and that is this………. Thank you! Thank you to all of you that picked up the phone, took the time to listen to my questions or problems and gave me the help and advice that I needed when I needed it most. Thank you for being my GOTO guy(s) when I was stuck on a job, when I was putting together a bid for something I had never cleaned before, when I wasn’t sure which chem. or nozzle to use, when I wasn’t quite sure on the right way to do it, when I had a question on how something worked or went together or came off, When I didn't know how much to charge, when I didn't know about limiting my pressure or what "fuzzies" were, when I needed advice on advertising or hiring or insurance or……???????? The list goes on and on and on. I really got to thinking about how everything that I now know came from a source from someone that had already been there, done that. Oh sure, I paid my due diligence and read just about every book I could get my hands on, watched videos, etc. but so much of what I am today is a direct result of those that took the time to help me along my way. Although I could never list every single name of every single person that has every answered a question, called me up, PM’ed me on a board, sent an email or just replied to a post, I would like to say thank you to those of you that come to mind as being instrumental in making me the power washer and exterior restoration business owner that I am today. Thank you, Rod and Beth Ron Musgrave James and Don Flory Bill from RG Hanson The team at Chemex Lynn from EchoChem The entire Delco family Jack Kramer Matt Johnson Pierce Fitchet Rick McGowan Mark from X-tream Power washing and All of you that have ever called me, replied to or PM’ed me from a post. And a special thank you to those of you that I would consider my A-Team. Those of you that allowed me to adopt you as my mentor and got me through some very rough growing pains and to whom I will always be grateful to for your helpfulness, courtesy, patience, experience, knowledge and professionalism….. Thank you, Henry Bockman Everett Abrams Tony Szabo Pete Marentay Tom and Barb Vogel Jay and Jeanine Tarintino Traci Handi You guys have spent hours on the phone with me over the years answering my questions, walking me through problems on the job and encouraging me to hang in there and I thought it was about time I let you know that it was and is greatly appreciated! (PS- you’re still in my speed dial and I still don’t have all the answers to be prepared!) Sincerely, Tom McMillan Aqua Pro Cleaning Solutions

Hi all, long time no see.... A friend of mine owns a car dealership and was wanting to purchase a Carpet/upholstery extractor. It's capable of putting out 200F while cleaning. I wish I had the make/model handy but don't. All I remember is that it was about $2,500. He's trying to find it cheaper. Any tips/advice? Thanks! -Tom

Seasons Greetings everyone..been a while since I posted. Hope all is well with Everyone! Some time ago I remember a conversation here or possibly at a round table about a deicer that was better than rock salt. All I remember about it was that A) It was a liquid and B) It was blue.... Apparently I told a customer about this product back in 2008 because she called me today wanting to know more about it haha..I DONT REMEMBER! Anyone? Thanks.....

55 views and noone knows! ;-) hmmm, I was afraid of that. Thanks Paul, I seen that Calcium Chloride was good down to about -20 but is extremely corrosive as you have already mentioned. I wish I could remember the name of the stuff that was being discussed. I think it was an alternative product of some sort that did a good job without causing any damage to concrete. Maybe it was Henry B talking about it....I'll give em a call.

Hi all, Gearing up for another year of restoration services. Phone has been ringing which is GREAT! I am putting together a bid for a 7,000 Sq. Ft. warehouse that was being used by a trucking firm and they have really abused the floor. The floor is saturated with oil/grease. The company employees made a go at cleaning but ended up leaving zebra stripes and chicken tracks all over the place. The customer is debating on whether he wants me to reclean it or etch it and put down a coating (in which case I need to clean it anyway) I understand that there will be severe shadows left even after cleaning due to the amount of soil and the years of neglect. My question is about recrete. Has anyone used it? What were your results? Should I recrete and then clean or vise verse? The landlord from what I understand is extremely picky and wants the floor to "look like new"...yeah right! Your thoughts?

I added a small You Tube video to my site. One person reported that it is not showing up...can someone plz check it to see if it shows up on the main page (should be right below "news flash") THANKS! Deck Cleaning and Power Washing for Naperville, Joliet, Plainfield, Homer Glen, Shorewood, Lockport,Will and Dupage Counties

Maybe this is the wrong forum but it gets a lot of hits. I got a call at 3:30 am this morning from a frantic customer. (my wife said she kept calling and calling until she answered the phone). When I got on the line she started quizzing me on the chems that we used to clean her deck. She said she was on route to the Vet ER, said her dog(s) were having some sort of allergic reaction and she thinks it was something we did. I can just smell a lawsuit brewing here. 1) 5 years in bus and have never had this type of complaint. 2) Sodium Hydroxide on the spindles/rails (floor was just dirty), a little power house on floor (mild alkaline to emulsify dirt) and then neutralized with Oxilic and a rinse. The same I do with almost every deck restor job..only this time we used very little Soh. I'm more than just a little worried over here. Anyone else ever face this? I don't feel like I did any thing negligent, just my job.

*WHEW* - This lady finally called me back today...after repeated attempts at contacting her..she called me with a ;-0 Yawn in her voice. She was sleeping all day. Meanwhile I'm having coniption fits. I happened to be on the phone with my insurance agent at the time. The verdict, she said that the vet said that the reaction was to a recent vaccination that the dog had. She laughed when I told her I had been concerned all day about the dog's welfare and lazily apppologizedd for not getting back to me sooner (after calling me at 3:30 am frantic you would think a courtesy call to say all is ok would have been in order.) PS- Insurance man said A) It would have been covered B) Would not have raised my rates and C) (in respect to the suggestion that I get a disclaimer waiver for pets) "What are you going to do? Get a waiver for every possible thing that could go wrong? You will end up making the customer so scared they will never hire you. There are two things to consider, the probable and the possible. Cover your self on the probable in writing and quit worrying about the possible..the list is too long" Makes sense, and ps- I have a fairly consistent list of do's/dont's, customer responsible for, I'm responsible etc etc on the back of every workorder and ALWAYS put in writing things that look peculiar or out of place to set the expectaion..IE Rust pitting on 25 year old aluminum siding will not come off with a power wash/clean. Allergic reactions with dogs on a neutralized rinsed deck has never been brought up in any clase, round table or discussion that I have ever been a part of and in hindsight was apparently not an issue this time around either. Anyway, I hate it when people don't follow up with posts they started and really just wanted to fill everyone in on the end result. -Tom

Its so nice to have a "goto" guy in this industry. I love the Grime Scene Forum...my "goto" NETWORK! ;-) My cold water rig is mounted in an inclosed trailer and has a 15 gallon float tank attatched to it. It is a 13hp, 4gm, 4,000 psi Blackknight belt drive unit. Originally, I had the float tank on the floor next to the machine and everything worked great. No issues with pressure or draw. Last year, the machine started cavatating and my pressure greatly dropped. At first I thought it was an unloader issue and that is the first thing I looked at. I made sure there was no debris inside of it and then eventually changed it completely. That did not fix the problem so then I took a look at the pump itself. I took off all the valve covers and visually inspected it. Then took it one step further and just replaced the valves themselves "just in case". That too did not fix the problem. The only way I could back to full pressure is by running the water directly into the pump thereby forcing water into it. That gave me full pressure back. I ran it like that for the remainder of the year and just allowed my float tank to overflow via the bypass and flooded my trailer everytime because A) I was fed up with messing with it and B) Was busy. Anyway, I thought the beginning of my new season would be a good time to fix this issue. Since I have already looked at the unloader and valves and CAN correct the problem by forcing water into the pump I next concluded that it must be the fact that the float tank outlet is lower than the pump inlet so I raised my float tank to be above the inlet and hooked it up back the right way. Guess the news....I have lost my pressure again ;-( Remember, it used to work great when first rigged up..now the only way I can get full pressure is when attatched directly to the pump inlet. It seems like the pump is not drawing water from the tank like it should. It seems like it is just taking whatever "flows into it". PS- When I remove the hose from the float tank off the input side of the pump, the water flows very good at "free fall." so nothing is blocking the hose. What gives? Anyone have an idea?

Thanks for the replies and for the phone call (you know who you are ;) I changed the hose from the tank to the pump, reapplied teflon, checked for air leaks as best I could.....same problem. Extremely low pressure and cavatating... run garden hose directly in and wah-la awesome pressure again. Mind you this is only a 12-14 inch section of reinforced heater hose and is higher than the inlet...if I disconnect the hose from the inlet and let gravity take over it would appear that it runs very smooth. The only thing I have not tried is removing the tank lid, however two points about that 1) It worked before with the lid on and 2) the tank has a vent hole on top. It's still worth a shot but im almost positive that I have run the machine with the lid off already with no improvements. Around 34oo psi with direct water and 500-600 using float tank. ..hose is not collapsing either. VERY frustrating!! grrr!

no, no pics..I stopped by "out of the blue" and wasnt prepared to take pics. It Is a worst case scenario. There are multiple areas that are pure black. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be shadowing. Thats par for the course. My question is on recrete specifically. How good of a job does it do? And should I wash fiirst then recrete or vise verse? PS- what is "ox?" is that a brand name or are you talking about oxygenated bleach?

I received my renewal notice in the mail a few days ago and to my dismay seen that the FCC has implemented a "music royalty fee" that now equates to about $30 extra dollars a year for a two radio subscription. The first radio on my account is $145, the second is $98 and then tack on the MRF of $30. I found a promo online (promo code XMSCION03) and just got off the phone with XM. My new contract is set for $77 a year per radio and the MRF fees have been waived. The rep also set it up to autorenew in 2011 at the same exact price, also waiving the MRF fees. I wanted to pass this information along. Hope someone else can take advantage of it! Old yearly fee for two radios=$273.82 New yearly fee with promo=$154.00

I really need some answers..plz indulge me in the set up..... Ok hear goes, I personally believe that man made global warming is nothing but hype. That being said, it would appear that the state I live in does not share that sentiment and has nonetheless went green to the point where my fav product is no longer available in an oil base. (Nothing sold in my area is oil anymore) Maybe its taboo to ask for specific brands to be named in your answers but I'M GOING TO ASK ANYWAY! ;-) Here's the scoop..The vast majority of what I see in my "neck of the woods" are decks that have been previously stained with Linseed oil based stains. A lot of those with products that are a Behr to get off, if you know what I mean.....so Ready Seal is out of the question unless I want to spend half my time sanding to prep. The product I was using was a topical (film former) linseed oil based stain BUT held up extremely well over a two year period, only cost me $18 a gallon, had many colors to choose from AND stripped like butter with minimal SHydroxide. I'm now left with all of these "hybrid" stains that act like an oil...or so they say but what I have found in the real world is that A) Their sticky/tacky and a pain to clean up B) Clog up my decker/deckster and C) are a pain in the you know what to strip off. I know there are a few other choices of product that I could probably order from out of state but as you all know, that presents its own set of problems..Namely inventory issues. So now for the $1,000,000.00 question..... Name me a good (or some) "over the counter" stains that I can use this spring that are A) cost effective B) easy to apply and most importantly C) Strip back off come time to redo!! From what I know (plz correct me if I am wrong) - Latex stains/paints are by far the most problematic when it comes time to strip/reapply. The only time I ever use them is when/if a customer already has a latex deck. Aren’t acrylics supposed to strip relatively easy? Some of these products are putting either silicone or carnauba wax in them. Stripping them is like pulling teeth from a bull with a pair of tweezers. I need something that will go on easy yet come off the same. I've tried stripping water based semi-trans stains like Cabots with equal frustration. Especially on a cedar deck. There is a fine line between using enough stripper to break down the stain on a molecular level and using so much that it just starts disintegrating the lignin. I really feel like my states "ban" is going to hurt deck restoration in my area. True that I could order say an Armstrong Clark from out of state but I really want to find a local alternative if possible. One major problem I'm going to have is the fact that more and more people are going to be using these hard to strip hybrids...so maybe a good follow up question would be "What is the latest and greatest in stripper technology?" Short of testing everything on the shelf I am really at a loss of what to do here. It would appear to me that the technology of strippers has NOT kept up with the chemistry of the stains themselves but maybe something has come along that I am unaware of. I don't want answers that include "I’ve heard this is good" I want answers that include "Dude, I've used this (name here) and it ROCKS!" I know that I have a personal responsibility to come up with a solution but past experience has taught me that fellow deck restoration companies that frequent this board are truly (no sarcasm here) some of the most informed and knowledgeable pros in the industry. That's why I am starting my search for an answer here. I thank you in advance for any and all advice you may have!!! PS-Tony, I still remember your suggestion about Lowes product but have yet to test it out.... THANKS ALL!! -Tom

I took a beating last year ('09) and got VERY used to running down to the PPG store only when I needed stain. Even though Menards sold its own version of PPG, I used a different version. They were literally 1.5 minutes from my front door and I never had to worry about extra stain sitting in my garage until next needed accept for the half gallon or whatever that was left from said job. For me, that was a blessing over the alternative option of buying $1,000 of product at a time in various colors and having it sit there hoping someone would pick it. I'll concede and say for the record that a lot of my objections to buying bulk from a dist. could very well just be misinformed perceptions on my part. As far as RS, I do use it when I can. I would say the vast majority of my deck customers are those that have already had multiple coats of a film former of some sort previously applied and are not good RS canidates due to the residual products left behind after stripping. I do have my fair share of RS customers though. I've got an idea on the direction that I will be taking based on the replies in this thread, so for that...I thank all of you for your input and/or calls.

Never heard of Omax and I think A/Clark would be a very good alternative if there was a local supplier. That is where the "bite the bullet" comes into play. I am really hoping to come up with a solution that will allow me to buy product on an as needed basis from someone local vs having to buy in bulk, wait for orders if I run low or worse yet run out on a job that I bid wrong. It took me 4ever to finally decide on the last product but once I weeded through all my choices was extremely happy with it...thats no longer an option now as they are only offering hybrid alternatives, hense this thread. Anyone try out the new line of Thompson's? Their new penetrating oil "formula" brand....if so, how did you like it? Pros, cons? PS- To the party that called me today, thanks for the landline follow up..ill be talking to you again as spring approaches PS-PS...T.S shoot me an email @ info@aquaprocs.com with that product you told me about over the summer when/if you get a chance. THANKS!

That's what I was afraid of. That whole "bite the bullet" thing. hehe A very prominent, everybody would know his name if I mentioned it deck restoration pro is the one that told me that most acrylics should strip relatively easy. I'm looking for that product! I'm just hoping someone may have some insight or experience on which ones seem to apply/strip the easist or best. I can say from experience that Behr with silicone is a definite NO-NO for decks. I can't believe they are even allowed to sell that garbage. Speaking of additives, I have used the 633 additive from ACR in the past with pretty good results but that still doesn't solve my "what to put on" dilemmna I had one customer last summer with a brand new, once only stained Cedar deck. He used a natural cedar tone semi transparent WATERBORNE stain on it. It was a beautiful stain and showed the grain nicely but NOTHING short of maybe a thick gel strip would budge this stuff. I used Rip-it and F-18 straight on this deck and it just laughed at me. That is NOT the product I want to use as my replacement. There might be a product out there with an acrylic resin though that one of this forums readers may have used that strips off fairly easy. Again, I can't get any more oil based stains in my area (that I know of anyway) so am HOPING/PRAYING somebody has a suggestion. Anyone else here from a "green state"? What are you using? I guess one solution would be to just sell everyone on a painted latex deck and then just repaint every year or two but that is nothing short of a cop out and would obviously not best serve my customers. So far, SW, BMoore and a few other "big dogs" in this area have removed oil stains from the shelves and replaced them with this hybrid goo that will not be going on any of my customers decks/fences. GRRRR!! I had a great product, but the poly-ticktions messed that up for me

goilawn. I received an email from them. Below is the link to a video demo. I think it would be a pretty good tool to measure flatwork and houses for washing. The unanswered question I have is how detailed/close can one zoom? Obviously, a deck estimate would still require a splash test as well as close inspection to be really accurate but I think properly employed I can see where it might be an asset? Then again, I havent really put too much thought into the limitations/drawbacks aside from some very obvious ones. Is anyone using it now? Thoughts? For some reason, the link takes you to the short video...just below the flash box is a link to a more detailed vid Go iLawn - Demo#

I tend to agree with those in opposition to it based on the fact that one cannot inspect the deck up close. However, I get calls that are "outside" my coverage area that I turn down instantly namely because they are just too far to drive to "lose" a bid. I was thinking this wood be a good tool to save some of those normally off limit jobs. I could give the customer a very loose estimate based on what I'm seeing from above. Those that seem genuinely interested could get a more thorough estimate thus weeding out some possible lost travel time. Other than that, I can see where it may come in handy for residential flatwork or even for gutter cleaning/ guard installation. I could get a very close linear footage for gutters as well as examine the pitch of the roof and landscape obstacles. It may even come in handy while bidding specialty jobs. We did a lot of work last year for the railroad and there were some unanswered questions in respect to wash locations/water supplies etc. I could essentially look at the area without being there. I'm just "thinking out loud" so to speak. Trying to figure out how best to apply emerging technology. Real time satellite feeds would be boss! I could potentially look at graffiti damage etc. If it was real time and one could zoom right into a deck up close and personal...then I would say it would be a go for sure. I doubt they will have real time remote viewing up close any time soon though for obvious reasons. Ah well, still an interesting concept.... cheers!

Substrate= Split face block Problem= Runs/stains down face of block that appear to be leeching from behind the gutter system. Upon closer inspection, it looks like roof tar. Originally thought it was rust from lag bolts or some other ferrous stain or the other direction...that being some sort of carbon/pollution. Tried HD-Brightnol and saferestore test sections as well as V-scrub (caustic) Nothing touched it. That's when I got the ladder out and pried the gutter system up to exxpose the roof line and seen thick black roofing tar. Acetone? What do you all think?

Gonna give the K1 a try...will use a small pump up sprayer to apply. Will post results. PS- No need to apologize Tony on the hijack. I lost my grandmother just over one year ago. She was one of my best friends and I was the oldeest grandson. We were very close and burying her was one of the hardest things I have ever had to face. They say time heals all wounds but will never erase the love or memories. Hang in there man and remember (speaking of Jesus) that he is a very present help in time of trouble! -Tom

I probably should have posted a pic or two with the original thread but didn't have them uploaded yet. Maybe this will assist the advisers! ;-) (link at bottom) The roof has been patched extensively in the past. I pried the gutter up to have a look underneath/behind it and that is when I seen the heavy tar deposits at the roof line. My assumption is that the roof had been leaking (maybe even still is) and the tar has been leeching down onto the wall over an extended period of time. Take a look at the photos and ...YOU be the judge. Does anyone think I can further improve on this project? Or do you think it "is what it is"? Thanks again. PS- sup Tony! Hope your having a good year. I know things were a bit rough last year family wise. Said a prayer or two for you. Give me a shout sometime. Before/after

Sorry Beth, I know this should be in the advertising section but there are no theads there and I really didn't want this to get overlooked. I have a question that I can't seem to get answered by Google and it's driving me nuts...maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong. I have an "Adwords" account set up with a campain through Google. When I go to google.com and type in a known keyword..like "deck cleaning joliet", I would expect to see something that has to do with my ad....NOTHING! How do I get my company info to show up in the map listings you see when you google a business in your area? I see all of my competitor's in an A-J type listing with little red balloon markers on the map showing where they are located. Some of them even have pictures. I went ten pages deep and couldn't find one single ad for my company. I run all the diagnostic tools set up through Google and everything checks out....so what gives? Please, I hope someone can tell me in layman terms how to get this going. Thank you so much! -Tom

Site has been active for three years, It seems that at one time a search for "deck cleaning in joliet) DID yield results but NEVER as part of the Google maps section...ONLY with a generic link somewhere in a page or two. Yes, I did the site myself. Thanks for the help.. and ps to Kory.. I have ran my adwords through google's optimizer and took all there suggestions to heart. I have like a 100 keywords already. Sounds like 4000 psi may have provided the answer I need..I'll check into it and let the forum know if it worked...meanwhile, if anyone else can add to this thread...THANK YOU!