Fire Water 14 Report post Posted February 13, 2005 I want to purchase everything from Home Depot and put it on the Depot Credit Card No interest or payments for 12 months. I want to buy The following equipment from Home depot; Excell 3700 Power Washer. The access. that go with the machine. Small trailer. Hitch/Light kit for trailer. Should I do it???? There's alot of business floating around Long Island and I want a piece of the pie. CLEAN COUNTY BEWARE!!!! Just Kidding John Thank You for your opinions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Henry B. 4 Report post Posted February 13, 2005 Sure rush on out there and buy the equipment... BUT. Do you have any idea what to do once you get it? Do you have insurance in case someone sues you for everything you own? Do you have a license and is it required? What are you going to clean? Do you have any experiance? Do you know what to charge? I could add another 50 similiar questions but these are pretty important. If you like give me a call and I'd be happy to go over each item with you and much more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 EmpirePW 14 Report post Posted February 13, 2005 I started out with a little 2.5gal/2400 psi residential pw that I got from my grandpa when he bought a new one. Then I realized the money making possibilities of pressure washing so I bought the same powerwasher you mentioned from the Home Depot because of the 0% intrest for a year. I have gotten plenty of work with it and since it isn't a skid unit I didn't need a trailer, just my pickup. It has been a good investment and paid for itself but once I get enough work to do this full time I intend to buy a better PW. If you are starting up with very little money to invest then buy it but do remember to do some research into what you need in this industry before you just buy a power washing and start working. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RyanH 14 Report post Posted February 14, 2005 Buy it and an Xjet and learn the usefullness of a few basic chemicals. Perhaps an extension wand with your first profits and a ladder. You don't need all the toys when you start out, just the determination to succeed and the tenacity to go through with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 newlook 265 Report post Posted February 14, 2005 Good advice all the way around. One may not have enough capital to get all the "bells and whistles" at the begining. I suggest map out a 1-3 years plan as it relates to equipment upgrades and etc. Please be sure to get insured if not already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Adrian 155 Report post Posted December 6, 2005 The x jet will make your life so much easier. Make sure you get the model rated for your pw. If capitol is a pinch right now, I would go for the xjet as it greatly reduces the chances of climbing the ladder or in a lot of cases you may not need the ladder at all. Most important...... cover the legalities like license and ins. like Mr Brockman said. Don't give up and keep plugging. Business tends to come in spurts just starting out. Each year has been better though, so stick it out, and learn learn learn from these guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Neil_Asheville 114 Report post Posted December 6, 2005 FireWater. If no payments/no interest is your only option, Northern Tool has this same option. http://www.northerntool.com/credit/ You 'do' know about Northern, don't you? I have one here local and that's both a blessing and a curse. Northern has far more machine for your money and 'almost' a one stop shop for your basics. Don't even bother with PW accessories from HD. Hoses, lances, especially GUNS, PPE, quick connects, detergent injectors (my local store carries xjet). Spend your cash on good chems from a LOCAL resource or ones on this board. /neil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Henry B. 4 Report post Posted December 6, 2005 Why don't you buy yourself a small cold water machine and mount it in the back of a pickup truck. Then you can get hose reels and long hoses that will stop you from having to lift it out of the truck all the time. Before buying a power washer, check out the article on power washers on the bottom of this page. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Mike 64 Report post Posted December 6, 2005 Ignore negative comments and get as much education about what your going to do before you do it. To answer the question about equipment, there are alot of sucessful companies out here that started out the same way your talking about and have done great. One day you will want to upgrade your equipment though so make your company stand out from others. Welcome to the board also! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 CLASSICPW 14 Report post Posted December 6, 2005 I just finished my 3 season in business and that machine is all that I've used, I'm just now planning on upgrading to a hot water skid for this spring. I've replaced the pump once, with a 4000 psi unit, and the recoil assemply 3 times, but besides that the unit was a beast for the money. I did the same thing you did with the HD credit card since I started with zero capital. I used ramps to get it on and off the truck. The gun that they give you is junk, but the hose is no different than the rest. Buy an extra 50 ft, an xjet, and a 24ft ladder. I just bought an extension wand this year and probably only used it once, I actually built a 6ft wand that works great on 2nd story decks. The one thing I did was research heavily for a year before I started the business. I read books, the internet and asked tons of questions, and I still learn something new everyday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Jeff 232 Report post Posted December 6, 2005 Firewater, My 1st 2 machines were Lowes and i built a nice biz with those machines I suggest getting at least a 4GPM machine so when you can purchase a surface cleaner you can use it. Shop around You can do anything in this PW biz you want as long as your reliable , willing to work hard and have drive. Its a great biz and you can start out small and do it part time or make a nice living off it. JL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Henry B. 4 Report post Posted December 6, 2005 I'm not sure what negative comments Mike is talking about, maybe someone edited out a post or something. He is right about a lot of people starting out with a machine like that. I baught a couple of them 2 years ago just to finish a large contract job and we still use them. I've got two Home Depot Machines mounted in two of my vans right now. Another van has a deckster sprayer and a cold water unit mouned in it. Today, I just purchased another Chevy that I'll use for a trailer rig and I may mount one in that too..lol I made my suggestions based on experience and what works well for me and I suggest you do the same. Take a look at the options and do what's best for you. If you have any questions you also welcome to give me a call. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Mike Williamson 198 Report post Posted December 9, 2005 Ignore negative comments and get as much education about what your going to do before you do it. To answer the question about equipment, there are alot of sucessful companies out here that started out the same way your talking about and have done great. One day you will want to upgrade your equipment though so make your company stand out from others. Welcome to the board also! Amen to that! There are a lot of guys who are now running top grade machines who started with a machine like you're talking about, or even smaller. It'll get you started. One thing I will suggest, though, is to find out by doing searches here and on the PWNA board about water reclamation. I believe it is being actively enforced in your area, and you don't want to get fined. I understand it can be very expensive. If you're doing housewashing where there is no runoff, I would think you'd be fine, but for driveways or anything else where the water is going to do anything other than soak into the ground around the house, you'll need to reclaim. You'll want to get a business license, get insurance, check into the laws in your area as far as workman's compensation, licensing, and do a lot of reading here to learn techniques, chemicals, tools, etc. You will need to buy extra pressure hose, wands, tips, and other parts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 tropical wave 22 Report post Posted December 9, 2005 Fire Water.... you can get by with that machine......but like someone else said, you'll need more stuff and dont get any of the other stuff from HD.....get good professonal chems and a variety of other nozzle sizes to reduce your pressure. you wont need the 3700 psi the machine provides for much. you'll need more hose and its cheaper thru other locations on the web.......if you plan on getting bigger over time, dont skimp on a tiny trailer, room runs out quickly..........shoot me a call or email anytime, and good luck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Mathew Johnson 123 Report post Posted December 9, 2005 I started in 2003 with Home Depots 2700 PSI Excell. It worked... I was able to build my business equipment to top grade stuff. Good Luck and call anytime with ???? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 CLASSICPW 14 Report post Posted December 9, 2005 Good point. Don't buy any chems or stains/sealers from any Home Depot or Lowes, it's all junk. I buy chems from sunbritesupply.com. As far as your stains/sealers there are various opinions, read the wood forums for that info. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Not_Under_Pressure_ 14 Report post Posted December 21, 2005 TRY TO FIND A CARTRIDGE FOR THE BUILT IN UNLOADER!! I can't find any. I contacted General Pump and they gave me 3 dealers to call. None had a clue! 2 told me the whole pump would have to be replaced! GP says there is a cartridge for standard pressure stop and a flow type as well. Now, if only I could find one! ANY DEALERS HERE THAT CAN GET ME ONE? The pump says gptx1510a on it. I want to purchase everything from Home Depot and put it on the Depot Credit Card No interest or payments for 12 months.I want to buy The following equipment from Home depot; Excell 3700 Power Washer. The access. that go with the machine. Small trailer. Hitch/Light kit for trailer. Should I do it???? There's alot of business floating around Long Island and I want a piece of the pie. CLEAN COUNTY BEWARE!!!! Just Kidding John Thank You for your opinions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Jarrod 22 Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Call Envirospec 1800 346 4876 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I want to purchase everything from Home Depot and put it on the Depot Credit Card No interest or payments for 12 months.
I want to buy The following equipment from Home depot;
Excell 3700 Power Washer.
The access. that go with the machine.
Small trailer.
Hitch/Light kit for trailer.
Should I do it????
There's alot of business floating around Long Island and I want a piece of the pie.
CLEAN COUNTY BEWARE!!!!
Just Kidding John
Thank You for your opinions.
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