Rookie

[CHAMOS 14]

Hi, I have been reading the information on this site about a week now and decided to sign up. My son and I are starting a power washing business and would appreciate any information that you could offer. We are currently looking at enclosed trailiers to set up a floor mounted unit and a portable one, both running of reals. Any pics or suggestions would be great, aslo any accessories that would be benificial to us. I am also seaking pricing information in our area. Please note this is a side business for me and a opportunity to show my son that earning his own money is an option. We do not attend to undercut or hurt any excisting power washing companies. We are located in south Jersey.

Thanks,

Troy Foster

[Richard 17]

Welcome to The Grime Scene.

Read,read,and then have your son reread twice as much.There is a lot of seasoned pros on here.Those guys and girls will give you a wealth of info that you'll have a hard time finding without them. Use the search function till you go blind. If you then can't find it, go ahead and ask.

[A and J POWERWASHING 64]

I HAVE A ENCLOSED UNIT IT IS A 20.5 LONG 8.5 FT WIDE GREAT TRAILER THE POWER WASHER THE IS A 3500 PSI 5.5 GPM HOT/COLD WATER LANDA , 225 GAL WATER AND 55GAL DRUM FOR SOAP ,2 COXS HOSE REELS ,X-JET A MUST AND A EXT WAND . WENT WITH ENCLOSED BECAUSE IT KEEPS EVERYTHING OUT OF THE WEATHER .ALSO YOU CAN PUT YOUR LOGO AND PHONE NUMBERS ON THE SIDE. I HAVE ABOUT 10FT BOTH SIDE OF LOGO AND PHONE NUMBERS , AND MY LOGO ON THE BACK ... YOU ALSO NEED TO FIND A GOOD SOAPS TO USE PRICE AND QUAILTY ARE KEY , WE USE POWERHOUSE FROM SUN BRITE FOR HOUSE WASH , ALSO GOOD LUCK ANY ? PLEASE CALL 410-430-5912 OR EMAIL mcbrda@comcast.net

[Jeff 232]

Get a dual axle trailer a minimum of 12 ft , You'll end up using all the space. At least one 5.6 gpm machine , hot water if you can afford it. The more gpm the faster you can clean (more $$$ in your pocket.) 2 5.6 would be ideal. Hose reels save a lot of time too. 100-300 gallon supply tank. A surface cleaner for concrete is a must. Roto nozzle, Xjet if you are going to use one. GET SPARE PARTS, couplers, orings, guns.

Theres a lot of things to get and you can get less than I mentioned , like I did to start , but the more gpm the better

good luck

JL

[CHAMOS 14]

thanks guys this seems like a good group of contractors.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Hi Troy,

Did you see the link to the ACR Products round table this weekend? You don't want to miss it. It's inder the Easter Region News and Events forum.

Beth

[PressurePros 248]

I think you should explore wood restoration. Shamong is a hotbed for it. Yes come to the meeting at ACR. There is a gentleman named Everett from Shamong whom will help you.

[CHAMOS 14]

Hi ken,

Thanks for the reply.Thats funny you mentioned Everett. we have known each other for 30 years. I did plan on talking to him to let him know what Im trying to do with my son and getting started. What is arc

PS thanks beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

www.acrproducts.com <--- ACR. They are the vendor sponsoring the round table I spoke of.

Beth

[Washaway 64]

Chamos,

What aspect of pressure cleaning are you looking to specialize in?

[PressurePros 248]

Interesting, Troy. If there is anything I can do to help you as far as business plan, marketing ideas or techniques, feel free to give me a holler.

[CHAMOS 14]

I am going to start with houses and flat work but there looks to be a big market for roofs. thats what I'm trying to read about. How to apply chems. Do you go up and brush? I see what looks to be low preasure set up from the roof guys in fla. I understand you can't blast the cinders off the roof but is there a way to clean them with the set up I'm building.

[doublejager2000 14]

-talk to don phelps and and apple both have a little diffrent methods but maybe you can get help from both and make your own. don has helped me a lot.

[John T 744]

I am going to start with houses and flat work but there looks to be a big market for roofs. thats what I'm trying to read about. How to apply chems. Do you go up and brush? I see what looks to be low preasure set up from the roof guys in fla. I understand you can't blast the cinders off the roof but is there a way to clean them with the set up I'm building.

You have the chance of a lifetime staring you right into your face. Probably the finest roundtable thats ever to be assembled up to this point is going to be that one. IF you could you should try to get there so to give your business a jump start for the upcomming year. Its $30/head and its money well spent.

John T.

John

[RyanH 14]

Washaway's advice to pick your focus up front is an excellent starting point.

If you are going to specialize in roof cleaning and don't want to invest huge sums up front, you could start off small with a Shurflo and 100' of hose. You could use a smaller pressure washer just to rinse. I know it's like nails on a chalkboard to many contractors to suggest buying inferior equipment at first, but if it's to "test the waters," there's no point in bringing an M16 to a laser tag match. You could use a pickup bed for this.

If you only want to do house washing, you'll be fine with a 4 gpm portable machine and 200' of hose. Bypass on the reels up front if initial capital is limited. Put your money into quality chemicals for each job. And an Xjet. It's cheaper than a ladder and much faster. I used a 4' x 8' open trailer for this and it worked very well. I was at this level for about a year before I made enough to buy a bigger machine and surface cleaner.

If you want to eventually move to doing flat surfaces (driveways, etc.) definitely go with a higher gpm machine and a surface cleaner. Or buy the bigger machine at first, do some houses, then buy the surface cleaner with the earnings. Then focus on the hose reels and other gadgets. These will all help to decrease your time spent at the same task. I'd go with a 6' x 10' or bigger for this arrangement since this will be a skid mount unit and the surface cleaners take up some valuable real estate in your trailer. I got to this level and "quit," but retained the equipment. It's still fun to go out every now and then to do a small job and pretend to be a pro :)