john@AEC

G'day Nick, When you say "Dihyrogen Monoxide" - some thing I've never heard of - do you mean this stuff Facts About Dihydrogen Monoxide ? John

G'day I've been watching the progress of waste water capture & filtration systems for a while, plus experimenting with a few things, so, as it's raining today and I've had to postpone todays work, I thought I'd go through my designs & plans and maybe save some-one some hassle and angst. What I wanted from a system was - - Simple to operate for one person - Able to handle very large amounts of sediment without stopping frequently - No consumables (eg cartridge filters) that needed to be carried - Waste water cleaned to "trade waste" or "re-use" quality While I don't claim to have met these criteria... I'll share what I have found out Stage 1. The pre-filter. Conical base with tangent inlet to spin out the heavy sediment. The outlet is in the centre of the vortex and about 100mm below the inlet height. The waste outlet is a 50mm pipe fitting and ball valve at the base - this is too small as it it clogs with the huge amount of sediment that is collected, I would like to try a 75mm and a 100mm. I would also consider including a second pre-filter to catch as much sediment as possible before the vacuum. On one large job (10 hours) I collected over 20 litres of solids just from this basic pre-filter (stopping every hour or so), I then collected about 10 litres of solids in the base of the vacuum drum. In the fine print of one system I read where it recommended stopping and cleaning the filters every 10 minutes under these conditions. This would drive me crazy! Vacuum drum. I have changed to a horizontal inlet with a 90 degree bend inside to give a spinning action for more filtration. This drum currently has a flat bottom which 1. clogs the pump-out & 2. requires the top to be removed and the sediment to be manually scooped out. I would like to rebuild this with a small conical base to allow easier removal of sediment (after just 1 day I have found 50+mm of fine sediment in the base). The vacuum is a basic 3 x 1100w @240v wet vac which is barely adequate. Lamb make some much larger & more powerful motors which can give up to 170cfm from 8 amps (at 240v) and my generator can easily run three of these. Stage 3. Further conical filtration & cooling. The pump-out in the vac drum sends the still hot water full of oil and fine sediment to another conical based drum. It enters on the side (top right) with a 90 degree bend to make it spin around the outside with sediment collecting in the conical base. The out-let is in the centre and is up-turned so the water and lighter sediment & oil falls into it and then down the outside. The lower outlet with the white tap is for draining the drum of water after the waste has settled. This drum is also to allow the water/oil to cool, thus allowing the oil to coalesce. From here the water falls into a collection drum. Collection drum with inlet at top right and pump-out. Stage 4. More sediment filtration. This thing is a cyclone separator (http://www.heattransfer.com.au/pdf/separator brochure.pdf), the water enters on a tangent (top left) and spins down with sediment collecting at the bottom and clean water exiting at the top centre. These are used in many places for water treatment & filtration and are a simple, low maintenance method of removing very fine sediment. This combination of separator and drum has two problems, 1. sealing around the lid, as it must be air-tight to stop pressure loss. Some type of flat face that mates with the lid would be better, and 2. a flat bottom on the collection drum which requires dis-assembly and scooping sediment out. A conical base with drain would make this simpler and more efficient. I would also suggest using the s/steel version. Stage 5. Oil water separation. http://www.everythingwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Domino-VGS-NG-New-Generation-Separator.pdf Waste water needs to be collected in a 1000 litre IBC for more settling before being pumped into the Vertical Gravity Separator by a double diaphragm pump (creates less turbulence than a pump with an impeller). These separators have approval for use in trade waste systems and are used by mobile fleet washing contractors. Water is collected in another 1000 litre IBC. Stage 6. More fine sediment filtration. 20 micron bag filtration and maybe even finer cartridge filters. This probably isn't needed for "trade waste" disposal, but certainly is for "re-use". Other observations - I can't find a practical (ie. quick and simple) method for removing cleaning chemicals. Some are called "quick break" and may separate in the settling tanks or VGS, so "re-use" is hot water only. I have seen mouldy concrete car-parks, driveways and footpaths cleaned with a "re-use" system where the result was "stripes" because no chlorine was used - this would drive me crazy - a more expensive way of giving the customer an inferior (but EPA compliant) result. Well, I've run out of money and there isn't a lot of work around, so I've stopped at Stage 4. As much as I've enjoyed the technical exercise of researching and designing it's time to sell off my commercial grade equipment and stick with simple, low capital, closer to home, domestic work. Cheers John

G'day I've finally been trying to get my vacuum/filtration system going but keep having problems with the pump-out pump. The problem is that the pump-out will not always pump out when the vacuum is on, particularly when first started. I'm thinking that this may be caused by 1; air bubbles in the pump and/or 2; the pump not being powerful enough to overcome the vacuum (but other times it works fine). Has any-one had this problem before? and found a solution? Cheers

Hi Nigel I had my local welder who has done a lot of work for me (from rebuilding trailers to a bash late/sump guard for the KLR) make the drum - it's great! It catches heaps of solids and is relatively easy to empty. As for cleanliness without degreaser... I still used Sodium Hydroxide and hot water at 5000psi with the vacuum connected directly to the surface cleaner, so the results are still good. The worst job was a truck maintenance workshop with a layer of slime on the floor - it was slippery to walk on! and it turned out great. John

Well, where did all those months go??????? After experimenting with a better pump I "think" the problem is FOAMING from the degreasers caused by having the vacuum air inlet pointing downwards in to the drum, plus air locks in the rolled up discharge hose. Original inlet on top of drum (on right) in front of vacuum I reduced the amount of degreaser and increased the amount of straight Sodium Hydroxide, eventually using only SH. This stopped most of the overflowing/not pumping out. The next change was to make a horizontal inlet (with 90 degree bend inside for circular motion/filtration), but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Cheers John

Thanks Russ, Freight generally isn't too bad for small items, and from the local support Jerry has I'd love to be able to purchase from him, but in this case (electric pump-out) we use 240v which makes supply from your end difficult. Thanks Jerry, while I haven't spent much time here recently, I, like every-one else, appreciates your honesty and willingness to give of your time simply because you're that type of decent person. I'll try and get some time this week to collect & test the higher quality pump-out. Cheers John

Thanks Chris & NJ, Jerry certainly has THE gear. I'm just feel awkward taking up a suppliers time when I can't actually purchase from there. I've just bought a higher quality pump "vortex" and will test that next week. Cheers John

G'day I've tried a couple of places but have found great prices, postage and service from Dultmeier.com | Car Wash Supplies, Ag Sprayer Parts, Equipment, Pumps they have EVERYTHING!

I can't get my head around the "can't use our water" idea - it's not as if it will reduce the water use and the actual cost of "town water" is quite insignificant compared to the total cost of the job. Do the unit blocks have water meters? I have had to read the meter and advise the manager so that the HOA can pay for the water. How are the communal gardens watered? is there a swimming pool? it's rare for there to be no communal water source (at least in my part of the world). Good luck with it. J

And my next question is "Why did they pay before the job was complete?"

G'day B A "good" business name should; - describe what you do - tell potential customers where you work - start with "A", to be listed at the start of any alphabetical listing Don't use terms such as - budget - affordable as they may give the wrong impression about your business. Keep the name short and to the point as you will be saying it every time you answer the phone, and your customers will be typing it to find your web site and email you. Only include your name if it adds something to the business name, eg Aaron... - to get you at the start of the listings or Clarry's External Cleaning - because is catchy. Cheers J

Try a few different nozzles, they're cheap. I often rinse with (at 5.5 gpm) a 1515 or 2520, or for very high gutters the 0040. If the surface can take the pressure I might use a 4010. Insect screens usually get the 2540. Cheers J

:) I love checking out every-ones job/quotes, so have taken some pics of an "interesting" house... The owner wants the roof & walls etc cleaned. The roof is too high & steep for me (so am getting some-one with younger knees and their own safety gear to quote that). What would you charge for cleaning gutter to ground? These pics show the western end and north facing walls.

from G/E Google Maps sorry, I couldn't get it to embed or attach. The perimeter is approx 145 m or 470 feet. The area is approx 500 m2 or 5,400 ft2 G'day Scott - that's right, cost is not comparable, but I'd be interested to know how long people think it might take. G'day Mountain View - I put this one up as it's difficult to apply a formula to, but I'd be interested to know how yours works out. I priced this one using "GGF" - General Gut Feeling, by dividing it into sections and estimating how long each section would take and adding extra for removing the insect screens and dragging hoses though the trees and around all the paths etc. John

first verandah pic taken from second verandah all the windows are wooden frames with wooden framed insect screens the walls are all painted timber - all in very good condition last pic is extension of second verandah around the back of the house Every market is different, but I'd still be interested to know what you would do and how long it might take.

pics continue in anti-clockwise direction

#1 is Me/Philip DooLittle, #2 is Dan/John :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: "... hundreds of sites..." Ken, you really need to get out more...

G'day Fellas Just can't let this one go by.... In a previous life I was a Mathematics teacher.... and have taught this topic and studied the misconceptions many, many times. RATIOS ARE NOT FRACTIONS :banghead: repeat after me "RATIOS ARE NOT FRACTIONS, RATIOS ARE NOT FRACTIONS...." Ratios compare quantities. Fractions describe an amount in terms of "parts of the whole". 1:4 reads "one part is compared to four parts" - there are 5 parts in total (1 + 4 = 5). The units (gallons, pounds, miles) must be the same on both sides. 1/4 reads "one part out of a total of four parts" - there are four parts in total and I have one part. 4/4 reads "four parts out of four parts", being the whole thing, or 100%. So, 1:4 is not the same as 1/4. One gallon of chlorine added to four gallons of water, is not the same as one quarter of the solution is chlorine. And today's gold star... goes to Daniel.

Thanks Ken, a great read To answer your question YES! amongst other things. The reasons are complicated... too complicated for me...:2eyes: and it is struggle to accept that sometimes "near enough is good enough", that there are "horses for courses" and it's "good enough for a sheep station".... I cope by looking for what the customer wants, as opposed to the best that could possibly be done given unlimited resources and time, and looking ahead to all the other things that need to be done that day. There are times when I have to force myself to walk away, still thinking "just another 5 minutes....", knowing that it would really be "just another hour"... And now to watch TOY STORY on tv with the kids... John

G'day I'll disagree and advise you to set it all up for when you are busy - while you have time is the time to invest the time in an efficient set up. There's no fun in trying to find time to build the efficient set up when you are too busy to have any spare time. You don't have to fill the tank. Keep the hoses as short as possible. Put a filter between the water tank and the pump for "just in case" as well as the filter before the tank. Don't have the water inlet/return to the tank directly above the outlet to the pump - when the level is low the incoming water can create turbulence and allow bubbles to be sucked into the pump. ... slow now... it's a fact of business that the first year or so is slow and this is why many businesses close. Your offer of labour for learning is a wise move - better to learn from some-one else's mistakes than have to make them all yourself (like I have). The second year is when it will take off if you can get most of your first year jobs as repeats - make sure they can find you (advertising, business cards, fridge magnets etc) or better still send them a postcard with a personalised reminder "hey... it's been a year since I washed your house, has the mould grown back yet?" then offer to do the job for the same price as last year - not having to visit for a quote save time and time = money. And finally... there's very little good luck, just lots of hard/smart work, so keep your eyes and ears open. Cheers John

Way to go Richard... doing more for each customer means less customers needed and you can focus your marketing on a smaller area - same spend but seen in more places and then less travelling which means more chargeable hours per week... especially good if you can work where you live. Just make sure there is a return on your investment - all that equipment and the vehicle to carry it around in costs. Cheers

G'day Michael The questions you are asking - of yourself and the wider community - are all important questions that we should be asking frequently. Remember, we are not just "house washers", we are entrepreneurs first! Last week I was asked by a caller "Are you an owner/operator?" because this person only employed "owner/operators". In my part of the world this is a common sentiment, as many people want the commitment and care that only an owner operator can bring - and, fortunately, they understand that this costs. (not trying to put down the crews of the people who are here, but you all know the time and effort in selecting, training and supervising employees) Michael, don't worry about the "splash and dash" crowd, they serve their market and you serve yours. You have the time and are willing to use it to clean the awkward parts, re-do the very dirty, rinse thoroughly and most importantly - make the customer "feel good" about you and the quality of your work. John

G'day Ken Top job - love to see a job done properly!

G'day Mike Always include everything from gutter to ground in a house wash - it's going to get wet anyway, so do it properly. The people in my area don't like surprises - "Oh no, the gutters are extra... sorry, the insect screens are extra... no, sorry the awning will be another $50..." so I am upfront about doing everything. As Ken explained - you can have different ways of doing things for different results which take extra time so therefore cost extra - typical example is windows & screens; do you remove the screens? do you brush/mop the windows? and then rinse with 'pure/demin' water? or squeegee/towel dry? When you are deciding what technique to use to wash the house you must always think of the result/quality of work and your standards. You don't want to lower your standards lest you get known for those standards. There are times when I explain to the owner that it needs to be done a certain way - usually brushing oxidised or heavily soiled painted boards - to get a decent result. You don't want the owner to not be happy and call you back or tell their friends about the poor job you did. Cheers

Hi My s/c is a 20" ss, originally with grease-able bearing by BE. If you get a grease-able bearing (it will have a grease nipple on the top) give it lots of grease regularly - or better still attach a self greaser (spring loaded canister full of grease). I greased mine "regularly" but still have worn out two bearing in three years, one was so badly worn that the entire assembly had to be replaced (very expensive!). My final solution was to replace it with a sealed Mosmatic swivel which has lasted three big years and is only now starting to wobble and leak.