help on residential

[washit]

Hi guys. I have been a fleet washer for 2 and a half years and have been really successful with it. I was a brick mason for many years and I loved the opportunity to try something else. The thing is that my little ones are getting older and I don't want to miss out on those weekend things. So I thought that maybe I could get some help on the residential side of things and get out of the weekend work. Most people think that powerwashing is very easy, wrong!!. There is a lot to learn. Anyway, I read alot about x-jets and dual lances and stuff like that. We don't wash trucks that way so I was wondering if I need to set my machine up different to wash houses and decks and concrete. I have washed a few houses and decks and concrete. I got the job done but I know that ya'll have an easier way. The few that I have done went pretty quick and looked good but there were some problem spots that I would like to get rid of. As fas as pricing I charged 100 to 150 on one story houses and 200 to 250 on 2 story houses. Do you really need to do it by linear foot. And how is this done? I want to type a lot more but this will do, any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Lance

 

[Austin]

I price houses around 10cents per sq ft gutters extra. Double for the second story and so on. If it is a big house or building I'll cap the price somewhere so it doesn't get too rediculous.

Never tried an X-Jet my self and probably won't. I don't see how they could be faster at all with having to drag a hose around hanging out at the end of your wand not to mention the bucket with the chemical of choice. If I don't down stream it or up stream it I use a 12volt Flo-Jet pump with a wand W/ ball valve on and off. If its to high to down stream I attach the Flo-Jet wand to an extension pole via a couple of hose clamps open the ball valve, get it up where I want to apply the chemical, then tell my helper to go hit the switch and I'm in business.

 

[washit]

Thanks for the reply. We use the shur-flo pumps for pre-spray on the trucks. But the upstream and downstream thing, I don't know anything about that either. I used to two step and ran the chemical through my pump and always had problems with it. It was a cat and those are supposed to be pretty good. I now have a general pump and have had no problems with it. I assume that with upstream and downstream that the chemical runs through the pump. All the houses that I have washed we have always used the shur-flo, but if it was very high we would put a zero degree tip in and that shoots it at least 50 feet. But I figured there was an easier way. Thanks for the help.
Lance

 

[washit]

I always thought the way I learned was good and made me a lot of money but I can see that I am wrong. I have one guy prespraying and one guy brushing wheels and the truck if need be. On some of my accounts one guy just moves trucks so the washer never has to cut off. He pays for himself three times. I see a lot of people doing this by themselves, I don't want to do that but if I could get rid of the presprayer then It would be fine. We usually wash between 100 and 110 dollars an hour and I thought that was good. There are a few contract cleaners around here, I know one real well and he washes the same way that I do. Evidently not as well because his contracts are calling me. I do a good job, but all of this upstreaming and downstreaming is chinese to me. I would appreciate what you have to show me and tell me. I do want to start the residential stuff in the spring but I am still going to have my main guy washing on the weekends in my place. Please enlighten me. I thought that I knew a lot but I guess I don't. Thanks
Lance

 

[Mike Hughes]

Originally posted by justin
I am selling it and I will follow up here shortly with a description and a picture if I can ever get Mike Hughes to help with that ...

Justin,

Send me an email and detail what you need help with. I hope I didnt forget something you asked me to do...........

mike@evclear.com

 

[ron]

washit
i wash trucks and houses
for trucks i upstream hot soap
and downstream HF acid
my pre-spray is a pump-up and i only pre-spray for bugs.
Upstream is chem injection before the pump[high pressure]
downstream is after the pump[low pressure]
To control them you use a dual lance [a lance that has 2 pipes,one for high pressure and one for a soaker tip]and to shut off soap you need to return to the wash unit and shut off the soap valve.
You say that you 2 step[it really is 3 steps].
What chems do you use to 2 step?
If you post a pic or description of your equipment more people can help you.
Weather your washing houses or trucks the key is how good your chem is and how you apply it, as in how much and how fast.
AUSTIN,please dont take offence but 10 cents a sq ft[i think you ment a lin ft] is kind of ahhh welll you know Add $10 for 100 ft of gutter? Just figure the cost of gutters in with the rest[outside only] If you ment the insides then your too cheap.
I dont mean to pick on you but why would you need a helper for house washing? [im thinking vynial siding].
You talk about dragging a hose around when using a x-jet.
I much rather do that then use that whole 12 volt system your using.
On top of that if you know how to set-up your enclosed buckets with each bucket having it's own supply line and valve. You can detach that supply hose after each side has had chem applied.
It will shot your chem 30 ft with a 72" lance.
When you downstream or upstream at best you get a 20% draw.
Now if you use household bleach[6% sh] at a 20% draw and used ALL bleach you would only get 1.2%sh on the house.
Now in your housewash mix you dont use 100% bleach, you add detergent and or limonlene. So now your down to .25%sh. That wont do crap.
You need a min of 3% in my opinion. Sometimes more.
I quess my point is that you can build a x-jet type tool for $5 at home depot. It wont work as well as a x-jet but at least you can see if it's a tool that can make you money.
I would gold plate my x-jet and wear it around my neck if i was damn sure the plater would'nt loose it.
Your 12 volt set up is good for spraying the gutter cleaner if you like to save money on gutterzap but the time loss my not be worth the chem cost savings.
There are meny ways to skin a cat and im not saying you do anything wrong. I am saying keep an open mind and try new things. That is how you learn.
Washit why do i have the feeling you just use cold water?
When you did 2 stepping what chems did you run threw your pump?
What kind of rigs?
Do you use alum brightner[HF acid}?
Got a pic of the type of rigs you wash?
Do you need to recapture water?
Do you need to haul your own water?

 

[Austin]

Hey Lance, upstreaming chemicals refers to running the chem through the pump at high pressure. Down streaming refers to introducing the chemical after the pump via a down stream chemical injector. This is actuated using the dual lance by turning the handle. The pressure is lowered creating a suction and pulls the chem through the injector and introducing it into the water stream. Using this method the chem can only be applied at low pressure. There is a little ball and spring in the injector that opens and closes when the pressure is raised or lowered. this is a very efficiant way to make your soap last a long time but IMO this is useless for anything bigger than a one story house or building.

When I wash a one story building or house I do it by myself and usually always apply the chemical of choice using the down stream method except gutters I use a pump up back pack sprayer
since I use a different chem for that. This works great for me, its fast. Two stories and larger I use a prespray man. I'll usually pre wet the surface and move on to another side while my helper applies the chemical to the one I just soaked for a little dwell time while I'm wetting the second side. Then we switch and I'll wash the side that had a little dwell time with some soap without the bleaching agent at high pressure then turn the soap off and rinse.
When two side are finished we move to the next two sides and so on. We seem to be abel to do this fast and deliver quality also.

We do trucks the same way you mentioned, a guy applying chemicals with the flo-jet and one of us washing and rinsing. We always average $100 an hour or better.

If you had problems using a 12 volt pump it might be that you're using a Sure-Flo. I used those in the beginning and never had one last more than 2 months. Been running the Flo-jet with hydrocloric acid all day for the last 6 months with no problems. I just fush it with soap at the end of the day.

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. austinmcmahon@hotmail.com

 

[Austin]

Well I started my post about 1am and didn't hit submit till about 2:30 I was getting tied up. But anyway Ron has explained the upstream downstream thing.

Ron don't worry about offending me everyone has their way. I like to get input from everyone but my method is as fast or faster than anyone else's. And I don't think 10cents per sq ft is too cheap. 2000sq ft house=$200 It takes me about an hour and a half if this is a single story building easiest money I've ever made.
I charge $45 extra for gutters on a 2000sq ft house an extra 30 minutes of work. Total work time 2 hours for $245 one man one machine not bad. The reason I don't just give the bid with gutters included is because it gives the customers a choice. You'd be surprised how many people say "Well the gutters don't relly look bad just go ahead and do the siding" Thats fine with me I don't have to worry about making my money off of extras. Oh yeah I don't do the insides of gutters just the outsides.

Keep in mind that my location has a lot to do with the way I bid jobs. It is very common that people here build out instead of up. 2000sq ft Ranchers with gables on both ends are very common here. I can wash one of these in an hour by myself and that includes gutters. $245 for an hour is good enough for me.

I remeber recently Ron you were talking about being the $99 house wash guy and you said extras were extras. Thats basicly what I do. I wash 1000sq ft house for $100 and $35 extra for gutters. This is what works well for me and could work for others as well but take the advice only as it applies to your situation. "Yours not meanig you personally" but anyone reading this seeking advice on this topic.

But I will take some of your advice Ron. They always say don't knock it till you try it so I will break down and buy or build an X-Jet and try it out. I'll let you know how its works out.

 

[ron]

austin, i was also a little out of it and was thinking you were charging 10 cents a lin ft for JUST gutters. lol
Your pricing is just fine. Sorry about that.

 

[melsmobile]

Say Justin,

 

[melsmobile]

J

 

[Larry L.]

Justin,as for speed I do not have to let off the trigger for my downstreamer to work with the dual lance,how do you get your downstreamer to work without letting off the trigger and changing tips when useing one wand?

 

[washit]

Thanks for the replies. You can't wash trucks with cold water. When I started washing I had a cold water two step. I was running a brown high alkaline soap and acid. I only had a month to learn from the guy that sold me the business but man I fought it everyday and wondered what the hell I was doing in this business. Then I got an Elite hot water unit 5.5 gallon a minute and 3000 psi and it is all a breeze now. Yes I do use acid but not on everything. We wash about 110 pieces a weekend, more if we had it and do pretty quickly. I don't think I like the idea of going back to the machine to turn chemical on and off. The shur-flo works great, I had the same problems with the flo-jet. The last shur-flo I had lasted about 16 months, so that isn't bad. I am always going to have one helper, so I don't want to worry about finding a way to get rid of him. We wash freightliners volvos trash trucks, but the main ones that we wash are kenworth w900s and there is no way that I am going to put acid on that truck. Some get acid on the polished out stuff when they need it but that would scare me to death. Anyway thanks for the help.

 

[ron]

Hey Justin are you setting up wash units with PRO-TECH systems?
Remote controled guns that control 3 diffrent chems with a downstream spider injection system with electrical switchs turning them on and off?
I know if i washed 100 trucks a weekend that would be what i invested my money in.
If i had 2 people washing i would get two wash units set-up with them and clean them in 1/2 the time.
When you said 3 chems and no tip changing it set me to thinking.
They are not cheap systems.
You can walk away from your gun because there is a clutch system on the engine that disengages the pump.
It saves your equipment. The engine also idel's down and saves that also.
I wish LARGO would sell there wash units with it installed as a option.
How hard are they to install?
Im going to look like an ass if im wrong.
Ohh well ive looked that way before.
Cost is around $1300 plus the install?

 

[Austin]

Hey Justin, Please post some pics and description on your setups.
I am now interested in your services. If you wash 80 trash trucks in 8-12 hours thats one truck every 6minutes to almost 9 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They say if its to good to be true it probably is! If you can back up what your are saying I would like to use your sevices. Please let me know how much it will cost me for you to come on down to Cowtown and setup my rig.

I don't want to come off like a smart ass but this sounds a little out there. But I am willing to keep an open mind and I would seriously be interested in a rig like yours if it will improve my wash time to an amazing 6 times faster!!!![hand]

 

[Sunny1]

Try new things.

It was fun to read all the different ways things are done by ya'll. Here at Sun Brite, we too, have our methods that are not the same as everyone elses. The point made in the post is use what works for you, but keep an open mind to what else is available.Lots of good people put lots of effort into researching better and faster ways to do things. A common theme I see on these boards is contractors seem to think distibutors are out to over charge everyone and not give them a quality product. I read all the time how something can be built cheaper, or how chems can be bought at lower prices in raw form. With experience, sometimes this is fine. I always worry when I see newbies trying these methods. It's because I hear stories all the time from contractors who do this and end up hurt, or with less than desired results. Please remember, distributors,while in the business to make a living like ya'll, are also trying to make the pro contractors life better with thier access to new technoligies and improved tools. Tools like the X-Jet have made our cleaning jobs faster and easier, and we love to pass that on to our customers. But if it doesn't work for you, pass it up. Just don't rule it out before you give new ideas a fair chance. We're here for you, as part of your solutions, not here just to take your money. That's my two cents worth. Hope it didn't come off as a lecture, only as food for thought. Work safe- Have a Sun Brite Day! For more help or info, call toll free- 1-866-537-2748

 

[offdutyfirema]

If you give the x-jet a chance you will kick yourself for not buying it sooner. Also for those still using a heavy dual lance for fleetwashing try this. A 4 ounce 36" aircraft aluminun lance with a flip nozzle. Whole set up cast $50.00, weighs half as much, and is easier to work with.

 

[the_GUNN_man]

Hey Lance,

You said you used to be a brick mason. So did I that is how I got into pressure washing. Have you ever thought about washing new construction brick? I get paid about .45 a sq. ft. and can make upwards towards $120 an hour doing that. It makes me good money. I just hope this coming year I can find more of it. It is hard trying to convince some of the old timers to switch from scrubbing brick to pressure washing it.

 

[paul-uk]

aircraft

odf

do you have a link to this aircraft lance please

cheers paul.

 

[washit]

No I haven't looked into washing brick. My masonry company always scrubbed with acid and a garden hose. When I got into pressure washing I started out on fleets. I never have really done anything else, besides a house here and there and a little concrete. This year I want it to be different. My kids are getting older and I don't want to miss out on the weekend stuff. Plus I am gettting tire of playing golf by myself, since everyone else works during the week. But I would like to know how to get into cleaning the brick. I know that there is more ways to make money with a pressure washer than you can shake a stick at, so this year I want to explore some other ways. I have enough equipment to run on the fleets and do other stuff too, so I am going to let my main employee take care of the fleets. As long as I have some other work to do. When I got on this board I noticed that at least 80 percent of you guys do the residential and commercial side of the business. And make a good living. So I hope with some advertising and maybe some inside iformation from ya'll that I can supplement my income. Sometimes I miss the masonry, good money, but nothing like working for myself. Thanks for listening guys.
Lance