john@AEC

G'day All I just received a letter from a local pressure washing business, they are wanting to sell. It's a one person operation, working part time (20 hrs/wk) doing commercial & industrial concrete cleaning (long term repeat jobs). I've been wondering how to get more (regular) comm/ind work, so this appeals to me. But of course, the big question is "what is a business worth?" Equipment - sale price - as is, where is. Pre-paid advertising - proportion of paid amount remaining. Good will/booked jobs/expected jobs - a % of last years turn over. But what percentage? Consistent repeat jobs (obviously ?) make it worth more - but what guarantee is there that they will continue with me? ..... If you were to sell, what would you want? The owner has no idea (that he will say) and is waiting for offers to consider - obviously hoping (gambling?) for the maximum. But of course I don't want to offer more than needed, or so little as to make him laugh/cry. I realise that it's like valuing art or real estate - it's only worth what some-one will pay for it. What % am I thinking?... still thinking

G'day I've been concerned, as many of you have, about how well surfactants mix with sodium hypochlorite, so, after putting my clever cap on, I searched for "surfactant" & "hypochlorite". In amongst everything else where products from * Dow Chemicals * Mason Surfactants and a few others. Does anyone have experience using these specific surfactants? Does anyone know of off the shelf products that contain this type of surfactant? Thanks John

If you've got that much work in only a few months then "Well done" & give yourself a pat on the back. As Mike said, it takes time to get a reputation, personal referrals & repeats. With time you will get to know customer concerns & be able to address them calmly.

My only "guarantee" is to turn up & do my best (results as explained)

G'day Rod, no I haven't seen that type of brush, thanks I'll have a look if I can find one. I use this one https://www.busybee.com.au/product/wash-brush-quad-4-side/ (the 13 inch quad) as it's super soft, plus dense and has good edges for getting into corners.

Sometimes "Softwashing" just isn't enough, so it's out with the brush. https://youtu.be/wWYIyxbKAcE And sometimes you just feel like showing off

I'm a '64 model (if you want to know how old that is you can work it out yourself - I don't want to know) and this is definitely a young persons game, especially in summer. I've had a few injuries over the years and am not 100%, so only a couple of years left for me - but I do love working for myself, being outdoors & doing stuff for people.

Oops, I've forgotten how to insert the video, rather than just the link.... I'll get onto it right now

G'day All, I'm setting up another downstreamer and see that the "operating pressure" is, in this case, 5500psi (pressure in system upstream of injector created by the small orifice inside the injector). So, as my pump is only rated at 3600psi, this particular injector is not suitable. An "operating pressure" of 3600psi or less is needed. I have got this correct, haven't I? I've been looking at specs and comments too long & my head hurts. Will more beer help? http://www.generalpump.com/PDFs/100874-Injector.pdf

This is what one of the local manufacturers told me

The final rinse is what really makes it, often requires a couple of go's as the silt on the surface, fine sand used for grip & oxidised paint will build up against the hose and only be visible when dry Excellent job Rob Drainage and the size of the out of play area can take or add quite a bit of time... as can the amount of mould & dirt. I allow about 4 hours and 5 drums of SH for an average court, but my machine is only 7gpm. A lot of "cleaners" around here, and this is probably why you lost the job, can be cheap because they just use high pressure with no cleaning/mould killing products. As for my price.... my market is not yours, and my $ is not your $ either (I'm in Australia) so you'll have to work off your hourly rate + consumables etc Cheers

Hi Rob Bleach is your friend as most of the problem is mould - If very dirty I'll use a strong mix (about 6%), if not I'll start at about 3%. Your s/cleaner needs to be between 1000 & max of 1500psi - don't be afraid of the overlap. Then rinse a lot, sometimes twice to get rid of all the dirt & paint (I use a 2540 at 7gpm) https://youtu.be/Dn73yq9V0-c sorry about the link, I can't remember how to embed - i really need to get back here more often

Some email correspondence Hi John Thank you for getting back to me so quickly with your quote for this work. I forwarded it to the Committee who have asked me to follow up with you a couple of questions: · Does this quote include the back fence and if it doesn’t, how much extra would that be? · What is your hourly rate? Thanks for your help with these. My reply Sorry, I thought (from memory) the back fence was timber so didn’t include it, but I’ll do it for nothing. I don’t usually discuss my hourly rate as comparing rates between contractors is very difficult. The charge out rate is dependent upon many things including the quality and efficiency of the equipment and techniques used. I never discuss my hourly charge out rate as (particularly) domestic clients want to compare it to their own pay rate, I'm even cautious with other building and home service contractors as this business requires on-site "free" quotes and my average job would be only 3 hours, while most others are the opposite. PS. I didn't get the job. Can't will then all, especially with committees.

While my business pays me a salary, I always compare the hourly rate I get paid to the hourly rate I would need to pay some other employee, and the hourly rate I could be getting elsewhere. But charge-out rate is something completely different, and not something an "employee" would easily understand. My business model works on me being paid by the business for 52 weeks a year for 40 hours a week (2200 hours a year), but I can only charge out about 1200 hours a year (my business is just me, so I need to include running the business and maintaining the equipment etc, as well as doing the work) so, my charge-out rate for a 2 hour house wash (which has a free on-site quote and travel time to cover) looks obscene to the person packing shelves at the supermarket, or selling white goods in a warehouse. But so would their own charge-out rate. While most other home service trades (painters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, interior cleaners) in my area do give an hourly rate, or piece rate, a competitive and open market ensures that there is very little difference between charge out rates. Of course, this says nothing about their quality or efficiency. :onthego: John

Brilliant work. That F9 looks awesome. All I can get over here is ol' faithful - oxalic and hope. John

G'day AP Do you have "confined space" regulations in you state/county? as these may dictate the type of access required - possibly a tripod to hang a rope and harness from. The concrete can be sealed with a concrete densifier such as this http://www.con-treat.com.au/densi-crete.html, it's a "colloidal silicate" that penetrates the concrete and reacts with the minerals to form a gel that fills in the air gaps. This type of product is much easier to apply than topical coatings. Always great to see the interesting jobs! John