One Tough Pressure

Kelli, Before you get set on a name or do any registration of one, it would be a good idea to check around on the internet to see if that name is already in use. All American, a very large equipment manufacture uses "The Best Under Pressure" as their slogan and it is trademarked. They may not be so excited that your name is very close to theirs and your in the same industry. http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=ca99n6.2.2

I will forward this to Ron, in case he isn't around for awhile.

Prosoco and this company will be your best bet. http://www.diedrichtechnologies.com/ Paul B. is an excellent source for brick cleaning. He may also know another company or two. Paul is well versed in Prosoco chems as well.

A baseball in some hands may not be a good idea. Make sure there are no windows on the other side that can be hit, and for the good throwers, make sure you do not hit anyone or thing on the other side.

On second thought, build a dam and dry dock it.

I wear leather boots that are treated with mink oil. They are not to bad, and my feet stay dry. Ryan, I understand that you take care, but all it takes is once and you could be sitting on the couch for a long time. I have seen people wear sandals, and never could understand what they were thinking. It is just not worth the risk of of of what could happen. If you have employees, or plan to they will probably want to wear them as well, and they might not be as careful as you are. Let them get disgruntled for a day and use that for a payback on you. Quoting Paul B. "Safety first and Make it last"

Since it is not to large over the water, how about taking a swim and pulling some tarps under the structure? Then use a vacuum or sump pump to remove the collected water.

http://www.hotsy.com/docs/Pdf_files/1200Series_SPEC_1102.pdf I have not used one, but looked at the series you speak of. The 11 gallon fuel tanks are better than many other machines that use smaller ones. Do you need it to be portable? I would go for 5 gpm plus rather than the 4.5 @ 4000psi. Since they say it is a Hotsy pump, I would guess that it is exclusive as is the Landa and parts may not be readily available when needed. I would also go with the Honda 20 over the Briggs 21. They offer free demos, call them up and have them come out to you. Take a look at the 1290SS rated for 3000@5.6gpm. Since you are in Canada, you may want to take a look at www.eppsproducts.com

They always mention the reproduced part, but if they sent it in Email then how are they to know? The only limit is one coupon per account. I prefer to use www.netflix.com For $20.00 a month you can rent as many DVD's as you can watch and send back.

I came across this article and wanted to share it. In the course of cleaning, and the places that we go to clean, it is very possible to come across items like this. Common sense says that if you find something that looks like a bomb or other explosive device, that you do not move it or attempt to disarm it. I have lost friends in the military who just had to take a closer look, or figured that their Leatherman pocket tool was the ultimate landmine disarming tool. This article just goes to show that people do not think before they act. If you come across something like this, just call the Police and let them deal with it. This guy is lucky he was not killed. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A school custodian lost parts of two fingers on Wednesday after a gunpower-filled pipe bomb found on a California middle school campus exploded in his hands, police said. The device was one of two pipe bombs discovered earlier in the day by a maintenance worker at Oak Grove Middle School in Jamul, about 15 miles southeast of San Diego. The school was closed this week for spring break. After discovering a compressed air cartridge with a fuse in the school parking lot and a sealed plastic pipe near the school office, the worker brought both devices to his supervisor Terry Garrison, San Diego County Sheriff's spokesman Chris Saunders said. Garrison, 52, was handling the compressed air cartridge when it exploded at about 9 a.m., tearing off the tips of his index finger and thumb, Saunders said. He was airlifted to a local hospital and was expected to make a full recovery. Police found evidence that at least two pipe bombs had been detonated recently in the school parking lot, Saunders said. No suspects have been identified yet but police have not ruled out the bomb being the work of a student, Saunders said. "This is one of the types that (students) commonly build," he said. "And these can be lethal."

Are you looking for the a good brand of pump, or a company that sells pumps? I have yet to need a new one, but am happy with my General Pump. If you know what you want, then ask Beth if she can get you one. May already be in her store.

Congratulations to you , Remy, and the lucky parents.

Power washer manufacturing plant destroyed in fire SILOAM SPRINGS, AR – Arkansas' NBC 24/51 reported that the Whitco Incorporated manufacturing plant was destroyed in an early Thursday morning fire, putting nearly 55 employees out of work. The fire engulfed the entire plant, and took almost 40 firefighters about two hours to get the blaze under control, the article said; investigators plan to begin work soon to determine the cause of the blaze, which caused no injuries. The company manufactured pressure cleaning equipment, like power washers and steam cleaners for commercial use, the article said.

Middleboro fire destroys building and three vehicles By Maureen Call, Enterprise staff writer MIDDLEBORO — Water from a nearby bog was used to battle a three-alarm fire that destroyed a cleaning equipment business at Tispaquin and Thomas streets early this morning. "It was a bad fire," Fire Chief Robert Silva said. "These people totally lost their business and the people working for them lost their jobs. It's not a good situation." When firefighters arrived just after 1 a.m., flames were shooting from the Cape Cod Cleaning System at 119 Tispaquin St. There were no hydrants in the area so firefighters had to use water from a nearby bog to put out the blaze. "When we arrived at the scene, there was fire in the rear of the building and flames coming from the front window on the second floor," Silva said. "The fire just had too much of a head start for us to get it under control before the building was destroyed." No one was in the building at the time and no firefighters were injured, Silva said. Also destroyed were a box truck, van and pick-up truck. A family member who lives in a nearby house reported the blaze. On-call firefighter Lionel Healey, the first firefighter to arrive at the scene, said the building was fully engulfed in flames when he got there. "The whole thing was cranking," he said. "The fire was blowing out both ends." The state fire marshal's office and the town's fire investigator were at the scene this morning. Silva said the fire began in the rear of the building, but he did not know the cause. He said nothing seemed suspicious. Silva described the building as a two-story structure similar to a space metal building. The 40-by-80-foot building is located behind some residential buildings, which were not damaged by the fire. "The metal roof held the heat inside," Silva said. "That made it hard for us to get it under control." An excavator borrowed from a neighbor was used to move the metal pieces of the building after the fire was put out. Silva said firefighters battled the blaze for more than two hours and the fire department remained at the scene this morning. Firefighters from Carver, Bridgewater, Lakeville, Raynham and Wareham were called in to assist. The business, which Silva said had been in town for more than 50 years, is in a mostly residential area of the town about two miles from downtown. According to town records, the business is owned by Michael Wehde of 11 Tispaquin St. The assessor's office listed the value of the 5.2-acre site and building at $348,500. Wehde said this morning the business, which sells pressure power-washing equipment, had been in his family since 1947. Wehde said the business was insured and said "things will be taken care of." "Right now I've been up all night and things are in a blur," he said. Healey said limited personnel and limited water slowed fire-fighting efforts. A water tanker from a nearby town was called to the scene to provide water. A company employee, Robert Nordahl of Middleboro, described the building as an antique post-and-beam barn that was about 200 years old. He said a metal roof was covered with wooden shingles. Nordahl was called to the scene to move a box truck and said the back of the truck was visibly covered by smoke.

The M-5 has an adjustable nozzle attached so it saves time in attaching and removing the close range nozzle.

Just figures!!

Alot of people like it because it will put on such a strong solution at 1 part chem to 2 parts water, which is more often read 2-1. I like it for the more precise dilution ratios, as I use the proportioners that came with it. Some do not like them, as they use multiple cleaners and would have to switch them all the time, but they work well for me. The distance that it shoots is also a plus, as it can eliminate ladders and keep your feet on the ground in many situations. I have read that some prefer their downstreamer and use a drilled out 0° for the distance. Never tried that, as I wanted the use of the proportioners.

http://www.zr3200.com/zr2800.asp Mark, Easy now, no reason to get upset. That unit will do you fine for small jobs around the house, and on your clients stuff as well. Not the ideal unit if you plan to do any large areas, or use the machine often. The most popular cold water portable is the belt drive 4gpm machine rated between 3000 and 3500 psi. If you plan to use this unit to clean up muddy sidewalks after jobs then you will want to eventually get a higher gpm unit as it helps to push the mud and speed up your time.

I found this to be very interesting. While the article is written in regards to carpet cleaning, change the word from carpet to concrete and see what you can learn. Carpet cleaning is often based on price, so the low baller theory applies there also. See how they give a new twist to the term low baller. It is a long one, but well worth it in my opinion. What’s the difference between success and failure? Customer types Knowledge and insight are key to cashing in on carpet cleaning’s golden opportunities. By **** Ragan I read a story once about a fellow who spent 40 years in the mountains of California searching for gold and died a pauper. Later, a very rich vein of gold was discovered within 50 yards of his shed. Gold was right under his nose all the time, but he never saw it. There are also tales of inexperienced miners confusing iron pyrite with gold, which is the reason iron pyrite became known as “fool’s gold.” I don’t think I could find an analogy more applicable to the carpet cleaning industry. There is an abundance of “gold” to be earned out there. But this industry is loaded with cleaners who will die paupers because they’re forever pursuing “fool’s gold” customers who have no meaningful profit or business building value. And why do they do it? Because of their lack of knowledge and insight and because of their “I’d rather make some money than no money” attitudes. Of course that’s their prerogative, but it’s one they’ll suffer from later. Don’t let it happen to you. Information is overrated There are two problems with information: 1. You can’t know it’s readily available until you investigate to find it 2. You can’t know how important it is to your success until you absorb and incorporate it into your thinking For lack of investigative thinking and knowledge assimilation, ours is an industry loaded with professionals who don’t understand the marketplace and are far more interested in learning how to dig for gold (how to clean carpet) than in how to differentiate between “gold” and “fool’s gold” customers. They waste time pursuing the worthless, while they miss golden opportunities. Gold standard Let me give you an example drawn from my personal experiences. In spite of the fact that I had no intentions of ever selling or installing carpeting, I set out to learn about both when I first opened my business. I understood that the first “item” I had to sell was myself, which meant that I had to eliminate the handyman image that plagues all cleaners. To gain people’s confidence, I wanted to be recognized as a reliable authority. To accomplish this task, I had to have extensive knowledge of all aspects of carpeting at least in regard to those aspects that impacted the customer. During my fourth year in business, I received a call for a quotation to clean a funeral home. As I went from room to room measuring and examining the carpet to be cleaned, I noticed that all of it was glued-down, level loop and that there were air pockets in some places in every room. I also noticed that new, glued-down carpet was in the process of being installed in the visitation area. When I went in to discuss cleaning with the property owner, I explained that my charges were higher than average and why. “My cleaning objective is to restore your carpeting, not just remove the surface soil,” I said. “I don’t put my name on shoddy work. “And speaking of shoddy work, as I examined your carpeting, I noticed that there are air pockets beneath the carpet in every room. I also noticed that you’re having some new carpet installed. In a few months, you’re going to have air pockets beneath this carpet, as well.” He looked at me, curiously. “And how do you know this,” he asked. “Because your carpet layer is spreading glue with a vinyl trawl to hold down his glue expense,” I said. “The result is that there will be insufficient glue in certain spots to keep the carpeting stuck to the slab. That’s the reason you have bubbles beneath carpet in the other rooms, as well. “In short, you have been and are being ripped off.” “I wondered why this was happening and that explains it. I appreciate your telling me,” he said. “Needless to say, the carpet retailer won’t get his money until the carpet is reinstalled properly.” Their business is my business It may be that you think that I was sticking my nose in other people’s business. If so, I’ll tell you that my customer’s welfare is my business. I have no tolerance for thieves and liars, and I will expose every one I catch. My customer gets my loyalty and the advantage of my knowledge. Everything I do will be in his or her best interest, whether it puts money in my pocket or not. How else could one justifiably expect loyalty in return? To get loyalty, you have to give it. And if you give it, but doesn’t get it, that’s a customer not worth having. Nevertheless, I got the cleaning jobs. And after service, the property owner explained that he also owned seven other funeral homes. “I want you to maintain all of them. Your work is the best we’ve ever had.” After a few years, he sold his eight properties to a conglomerate and became the president of the Texas branch of the corporation, which added 26 funeral homes to my contract tally –– all being maintained at a higher-than-average charge. I also became their carpet selection, purchasing, and installation advisor, which served to weld a relationship that endured for 25 years. Why did it happen? Because, at the beginning of my career, I was interested in learning far more than simply how to clean rugs. Through the whole of my career, I never sold, repaired or installed a single yard of carpeting. But my carpet knowledge ultimately paid very handsome dividends. And I did nothing that you can’t do. Now, let’s get back to the “gold rush.” Every client I had during my three decades in business had previously used cleaners who charged far less than I. In other words, I came behind them and gathered the gold they had totally overlooked. In many instances, I kept on mining the gold from these sources for years to come. The question is why was I able to succeed where others had failed? For a customer to have gold potential, they must have disposable income –– funds available above what’s required to meet monthly expenses. Regardless of the disposable income available, people don’t spend money on things they don’t care about. The “fool’s gold” customer couldn’t care less about his or her carpet or about the business or home environment in general. When they clean, if they clean, it’s simply to get the ugly out. They’re not cleaning because they appreciate “pretty” –– but because they don’t like “ugly.” Conversely, the gold customer cares. (See my October 2002 and January 2003 CM/Cleanfax articles for more insight into what they care about.) It’s also true that the gold customer can appear to be pyrite simply because they lack knowledge and insight. Price shopping vs. price selling Let’s consider the knowledge deficiencies that commonly culminate in price shopping on the customer’s side of the equation and in price selling on the cleaner’s side. · People know nothing about proper maintenance Yes, they know they have maintenance problems, such as rapid re-soiling and reappearing spots. But most do not know why they have them. Surprisingly enough, neither do many cleaners. They’ve never had a day’s training in the proprieties of cleaning. Customers will never know why they should remain loyal to the qualified, educated professional who’s careful to rinse thoroughly if he never explains why rinsing is important. · People know nothing about the various carpet cleaning methods or about their cleaning deficiencies To them, the only difference between cleaners and cleaning methods is price. But then, the same can be said for most professional cleaners who lack in-depth understanding of their own cleaning method, let alone understand any other. How are customers to understand why they should remain loyal to the educated professional who doesn’t educate them? · People don’t know what constitutes a reasonable charge for cleaning All they know about price is what they see advertised –– and most cleaners sell price. The average, advertised price is not a reasonable charge, certainly not for quality workmanship. The service charge has to control service time and that service time (among other things) necessarily controls service quality. But how is the customer to understand that a reasonable charge for quality service has to be higher if the expert doesn’t explain the reasons? · People see a carpet cleaner –– all carpet cleaners –– as nothing more than a specialized handyman, which is to be expected, considering that’s precisely what the average cleaner is –– very unprofessional for lack of investigation and assimilated knowledge. How is the educated expert to be recognized for his expertise if he doesn’t display his knowledge in what he does and says? Is the price right? Every cleaner promises quality workmanship. But most rush their work, turning out mediocre to poor cleaning results, which, to the quality-oriented customer, makes every cleaner suspect. In other words, to the quality oriented, every cleaner is guilty until proven innocent. It’s up to the cleaner to prove his innocence, up to him to prove that he’s not an average cleaner, which is impossible if he is average. Therefore, to succeed with the quality oriented, with people who are willing to pay more to get quality, the professional must investigate and assimilate knowledge and then display it, dimensionally. They give little thought to the soiling process and know nothing about organic, inorganic, and biological contaminants (health hazards) that they permit their children to play upon. Nor do they consider that these contaminants in their various forms –– tacky soils, particulate soils, and liquid spills –– permeate the carpeting from surface to backing. When they look down, all they see is an ugly surface. Repeats, referrals, a willingness to pay more, cleaning frequency, how much carpet the customer cleans –– every aspect of a customer’s profit potential is necessarily dependent upon their regard for their carpeting and for cleanliness. The cleaner who does nothing to educate his customers on the health importance of cleanliness is doing nothing to increase their profit potential. Not only do these tips fit snugly into the category of business and profit building, they also explain why the average charge for carpet cleaning has risen no more than a nickel per square foot during the past 30 years: 1. There’s a great lack of professionalism in the carpet cleaning industry 2. Cleaners don’t know how to sell Without in-depth knowledge, price is all you have to sell. And you don’t learn how to sell, much of your acquired knowledge has no sales value. Again, you’re left with only price to sell. **** Ragan owns Consumer-Oriented Publications and is a successful, 29-year veteran in the carpet cleaning industry.

Mike what have you found that is better?

You Gotta Love Kids Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was: A four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." ********************************************* Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different color hair than the other family members. One child suggested that he was adopted. A little girl said, "I know all about adoptions because I was adopted." "What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child. It means," said the girl, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy." ******************************************************** A four year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in there?" "Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart. Barney's on my underpants." ******************************************* On my way home one day I stopped to watch a Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was. "We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile." Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged." "Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet. ******************************************** Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in a school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mom," he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me............................ "I've been chosen to clap and cheer" ********************************************** An Eye Witness Account from New York City, on a cold day in December some years ago: A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, "My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!" "I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, you will be more comfortable now". As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face........ with tears in his eyes, asked her .. "Are you God's Wife?" ************************************************ SEND TO ALL WHO LOVE AND CARE FOR CHILDREN Hope this put a smile on your face.

Espec sells the same one for $36. Ask Beth if she can get them and if she can I bet she matches or beats Espec.

http://i.madblast.com/funflash/swf/ColorBlind2.swf

Did I send this to you already? I can't remember. NEW VIRUS Just got this in from a reliable source. It seems there is a virus called the "Senile Virus" that even the most advanced programs of Norton and McAfee cannot take care of it . so be warned. The virus appears to affect those that were born before 1960! Symptoms of the Senile Virus: 1. Causes you to send the same e-mail twice. 2. Causes you to send blank e-mail. 3. Causes you to send e-mail to the wrong person. 4. Causes you to send e-mail back to the person who sent it to you. 5. Causes you to forget to attach attachments. 6. Causes you to hit "SEND" before you've finished the e-mail. Remember??????????? I don't remember if I sent this one out......... I don't think I did...or did you send it to me?? Funny, I don't remember being absent minded... God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference. Now that I'm 'older' (but refuse to grow up), here's what I've discovered: 1 I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it. 2 My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran. 3 I finally got my head together; now my body is falling apart. 4 Funny, I don't remember being absent minded... 5 Funny, I don't remember being absent minded... 6 All reports are in; life is now officially unfair. 7 If all is not lost, where is it? 8 It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser. 9 Funny, I don't remember being absent minded... 10. Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant. 11. I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few... 12. Kids in the back seat cause accidents. 13. Accidents in the back seat cause kids. 14. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded... 15 It's hard to make a come back when you haven't been anywhere. 16. The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom. 17. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees. 18. When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone decide to play chess? 19. Funny, I don't remember being absent minded... 20. It's not hard to meet expenses... they're everywhere. 21. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. 22. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter... I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after. 23. I AM UNABLE TO REMEMBER IF I HAVE MAILED THIS TO YOU OR NOT! 24. Funny, I don't remember being . . . . . absent minded... Now, I think you're supposed to send this to 5 or 6, maybe 8, maybe 10, oh, heck, just send it to a bunch of your friends if you can remember who they are. Then something is supposed to happen..I think. Maybe you get your memory back or something! I think...

Sodium Hydroxide is corrosive to aluminum, and if used will need to be with extreme caution, as well as neutralized.