Hello everyone, I am so glad I found this site. Im starting my power washing business here in Oklahoma City, OK and was wondering if anyone in the area could help me get through the start up faze of this industry. Also, wondering what catigory I need to license the business under and wondering if I have to deal with the EPA if i use envirnmentaly friendly chemicals. Thanks
-
Check out this this free event.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Lic/Enviro help..
- Thread starter AFountain
- Start date
Well, I don't know about business licensing in OK, but the EPA is a federal entity... ever heard of the Clean Water Act of 1973? It has a major impact on the way all cleaning contractors (are supposed to) do business today. You may not discharge or allow to be discharged into any body of water (via a storm drain) any water that didn't just fall from the sky. Environmentally friendly chemicals are a start, but you need to learn about controlling your discharge when working on impervious surfaces. Washing buildings surrounded by grass or dirt doesn't really apply, unless you're using some awesome chemicals. I don't even want to go there.
Water recovery is a big deal, but it doesn't need to be a big $$$ deal- go to the water recovery forum and read the description of the system I put together for $1200. Good luck!
Water recovery is a big deal, but it doesn't need to be a big $$$ deal- go to the water recovery forum and read the description of the system I put together for $1200. Good luck!
Hello, thanks for the information! I too once lived in the great state of Idaho, as a matter of fact i graduated high school in Rathdrum. I was a military brat and Oklahoma is my 13th state i've lived in I'm really a Yankee from Mass...
Yes, I have heard of the Clean Water Act, kinda scary.. I have read hundereds if not thousands of these posts and the one theme that is echoed the most is you have the (lowballer, Newbee) that is not licensed, insured, or following all the regulatory guidence, thus allowing them to bid low on jobs.
Let me tell you that my top-quality PW business will not even begin operating until i have all my legal ducks in a row!! I now have my Oklahoma License, i got my insurance quote from Joe Walters (thanks too this board and the many posts) much to my surprise it was much lower then i had anticapated, I have joined my local chamber.
Again, the only thing that is really bothering me is back to the clean water act. Thank goodness i have my full time job thus allowing me to really search and learn this business prior to making the industry look like a jack a$$.. I don't want to start off my business on the wrong foot, because i'm only human folks and if i do something wrong once and don't get caught then it gets very easy to keep breaking the rules. I know shut up and read the threads...
Yes, I have heard of the Clean Water Act, kinda scary.. I have read hundereds if not thousands of these posts and the one theme that is echoed the most is you have the (lowballer, Newbee) that is not licensed, insured, or following all the regulatory guidence, thus allowing them to bid low on jobs.
Let me tell you that my top-quality PW business will not even begin operating until i have all my legal ducks in a row!! I now have my Oklahoma License, i got my insurance quote from Joe Walters (thanks too this board and the many posts) much to my surprise it was much lower then i had anticapated, I have joined my local chamber.
Again, the only thing that is really bothering me is back to the clean water act. Thank goodness i have my full time job thus allowing me to really search and learn this business prior to making the industry look like a jack a$$.. I don't want to start off my business on the wrong foot, because i'm only human folks and if i do something wrong once and don't get caught then it gets very easy to keep breaking the rules. I know shut up and read the threads...
Well, you really can overthink these things...When my husband first told me he wanted us to get into this business, I was decidedly lukewarm about it until I hit upon the environmental angle ( I really am a treehugger at heart). That's one of the only things I miss about living in the Puget Sound-the environmental awareness, recycling, etc. We have the same laws here as everybody else does, just not much in the way of enforcement. It pretty much boils down to you have to control your watewater IF
1) You are cleaning any surface that has any contaminant that should not get into the groundwater-mostly would be grease, oil, fuel, and 2)you are working on an impervious surface. The EPA is well aware of the filtering properties of soil, and remember- "the solution to pollution is dilution". makes my treehugging skin crawl, but it is true-enough water will cure a lot of environmental evils. If you wash houses or buildings that have grass or gravel around them, and you aren't using any really nasty chems, you'll be OK. What you can NEVER do is let water run into the storm drains. You block the drains, contain the water, vac it up, filter it, and arrange to discharge it in the municipal sanitary sewer. Do some reading up on BMPs (best mangement practices) for your expected worksites. Basically, they just want to know that you're aware of the issues and you're trying. My homemade containment dams don't stop 100% of the water, but they do stop probably 95% of it, and the municipalities are OK with it, because they see that I'm trying, and I do have an agressive pickup and filtration/treatment system in operation.
I was where you are not too long ago-confused about everything but my desire to do it right. Hopefully in your part of the country you have more people with answers, and less who look at you like you're nuts for wanting to do it the ethical way and not the easy way. Idaho's a little backwards still...
1) You are cleaning any surface that has any contaminant that should not get into the groundwater-mostly would be grease, oil, fuel, and 2)you are working on an impervious surface. The EPA is well aware of the filtering properties of soil, and remember- "the solution to pollution is dilution". makes my treehugging skin crawl, but it is true-enough water will cure a lot of environmental evils. If you wash houses or buildings that have grass or gravel around them, and you aren't using any really nasty chems, you'll be OK. What you can NEVER do is let water run into the storm drains. You block the drains, contain the water, vac it up, filter it, and arrange to discharge it in the municipal sanitary sewer. Do some reading up on BMPs (best mangement practices) for your expected worksites. Basically, they just want to know that you're aware of the issues and you're trying. My homemade containment dams don't stop 100% of the water, but they do stop probably 95% of it, and the municipalities are OK with it, because they see that I'm trying, and I do have an agressive pickup and filtration/treatment system in operation.
I was where you are not too long ago-confused about everything but my desire to do it right. Hopefully in your part of the country you have more people with answers, and less who look at you like you're nuts for wanting to do it the ethical way and not the easy way. Idaho's a little backwards still...