Questions

July 15th, 2010

Is chlorine the main chemical to clean houses with.  Is this a powder form?

It some states it may be illegal to mix and make your own chlorine.  As a contractor you should be able to purchase chlorine for dirt cheap at your local pool supply store.  Why waste time mixing powdered chlorine yourself when the process is already done for you not to mention that mixing, making and adding things to chlorine that you are unfamiliar with is dangerous and not very smart.

If you mix it in a tank and add water and put it through the chemical injector won’t it dilute it?

If you use straight chlorine which is really isn’t straight chlorine because the chlorine that you purchase at the local pool supply company legally can not sell you chlorine that is over 18%, will cause so much harm so quickly that you my friend will be in business for ohh about a day.  Straight chlorine and even chlorine that mixed at a 50/50 ratio with water will change the color of paint and kill grass, plants and flowers.

This is why we use the chemical injector…

The chemical injector dilutes the chlorine 10:1.  This means that for every 1 part chlorine there is 10 parts water.  This is plenty of chemical to kill the growth without changing the color of the paint and killing the grass (it is still a good idea to use tarps and/or pre and post water the surroundings areas that you will be using chemical).

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Troubleshooting

July 12th, 2010

Low Pressure from flat surface cleaners

Obstructed or clogged nozzle tip.

From time to time you may experience a clog in one of the two nozzles in your flat surface cleaner.  The flat surface cleaner may shake violently due to one of the nozzles clogged or it may not work at all if both nozzles are clogged.  First you will need purchase a tip cleaner from Home Depot.  They sell for a little over $3.00 and come in a small rectangle box.  It is a good idea to turn the machine off before taking the nozzle off with a wrench.

After removing the nozzle simply unclog the nozzle by inserting the tip cleaner in the orifice of the nozzle.  You may also want to flush out the flat surface cleaner while one of the nozzles are removed.  Turn the machine back on and engage the surface cleaners handle for a minute or two.

Why do the tips get clogged in the first place?

The tips are clogged due to debris entering inbound house connected to your machine.  If you have a mobile machine that is not plumbed to a water tank and you are drawing straight from a water faucet, flush out the garden hose for a minute or two (this means the hose is not attached to your machine).  This allow insects, lizards and dirt to be removed from the hose.  It is recommended to have a filter connected to your machine where the garden hose screws in.

Many pros use water tanks.  The machine is plumbed to a tank where both tank and machine are mounted to a trailer.  A filter system is usually installed between the tank and machine.  The filter will prevent the debris from entering your machine and causing problems such as clogged nozzles.

If both nozzles are free from debris, you may have a swivel (metal cylinder attached on top of flat surface cleaner) that needs to be repaired or replaced.  Water leaking out of the swivel is an indicator that the swivel needs attention.  Furthermore check the nozzles to make sure they are the correct nozzles for the GPM (gallons per minute) of your machine.  A machine that dispenses 5 GPM will not work with nozzles that were designed for a 3.5 GPM machine.

If both nozzle and swivel are working properly then the problem could be as simple as not enough water or as complicated as a pump malfunction.

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Keys to Success in Starting a Pressure Washing Business

April 5th, 2010

Key to Success in Starting a Pressure Washing Business

Rex M. is the owner and founder of Pressure Washer Services of Clearwater, FL.  I assisted him the best I could with transferring all of my old equipment onto a new trailer.  It took him two twelve hour days to do the job.

The first day we were just starting to get to know each other.  Rex has the intelligence, eperience and know how of that of a mechanical and electrical engineer.  He receives phone calls all over the world from Australia to Connecticut in regard to questions about pumps.  He holds seminars for associated members of large power washing companies and rental establishments.  He could be recognized as the Obi Wan Ken-obi of the Power washing Business.

In our first day of working on installing the equipment onto the new trailer, it didn’t take me long to realize that Rex was as tough as an old rusty nail and has the personality of a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips.  It didn’t take Rex long to assess that I am baffling fool when it comes to the knowledge of mechanics and the tools needed to work on them.

The day was filled with “Rex comments” towards me like your sharp as tack, your very observant, its a common sense thing and you remember that common sense thing.  After I realized that me being not mechanically inclined irritated Rex more then his wise cracks irritated me, the day took a turn for me and I laughed for hours which irritated Rex more.  After an exhausting first day of twelve hours of trying my best to assist Rex we finally wrapped up at 8:30.  I was looking forward to getting home so I could get some rest.

Rex asked me to start one of the machines.  I was surprised as most machine shops leave on the dot at 5 pm in a scurry as if their Godmother had a spell on them much like in the story of Cinderella.  I mean no disrespect to machine repair shops around the country that leave at 5 pm.  For those of you in the business though, I know you will see the humor here.  Right around 4:30 you begin to see the repair guys work faster and faster in order to make sure that they will be able to get off work on time.

It was dark out and I was exhausted.  I starred at Rex for a few seconds wondering to myself if this guy was crazy or was this his strategy of increasing his pay for the day.  Most of the day he complained that he was losing money by helping me and that he was two weeks behind on work so I believe I went with the idea that he’s crazy.

I started the engine and soon leaks came out of the Titan reals and out of one of the hoses.  I turned off the engine.  Rex said to me, “Well, can’t let you leave like this.”  One hour later and now at 9:30 (13 hours straight) I was finally able to leave Rex’s shop.  As I drove home it became perfectly clear to me why Rex was the #1 pump repair man on planet Earth.

The next day I wanted to test him a bit.  I told him that his work ethic reminded me of my Grandfather, Daniel Theron Lasher.  If my Grandfather was alive today he would actually be old enough to be Rex’s father.  I told Rex that I wondered if my Grandfather could have out worked him.  Until meeting Rex I had only met three other men that could work as hard and as long as me; my father Shapur Fahari, my brother Dahvin and my Grandfather.  I knew Rex could out work me, my brother and father but I wasn’t sure about my Grandfather.  I told Rex that the only difference between him and my grandpa was that my Grandfather used a slide rule to do his calculations where Rex used a calculator.  Rex responded with, “Sir, I collect slide rules.”

Tom Brokaw describes the WWII generation as “The Greatest Generation.”  The Greatest Generation grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression and then went on to fight in World War II, as well as those whose productivity within the war’s home front made a material contribution to the war effort.  The Greatest Generation are the parents of the Baby Boomers.

Even though Rex is part of the Baby Boomer generation technically, he has the work ethic and values of The Greatest Generation.  Men like Rex and my Grandpa were a dime a dozen fifty years ago.   My Grandpa was your everyday common worker who worked hard to provide for his family.   My grandfather had a simple rule when it came to work; wether you are janitor, carpenter or the CEO of Starting a Pressure Washing Business, you show up on time and do the best job you can or you don’t show up at all.

Today men like Rex and my Grandpa are no longer your everyday common men.  Knowledge of mechanics, electricity and hydro power are not as respected as they once were.  Much like my Grandfather, Rex’s knowledge is self taught from books and from apprenticeships of putting in long hard hours over the years underneath experienced veterans of the trade.

My Grandpa learned how to build a home from the ground up and made a living at it all by going to the local library and teaching himself from reading a book.  A skill my brother and I acquired.

Today Rex stands alone in a world filled with salesperson trying to offer you a coffee before they try to sell you something or complimenting you on your shirt for no reason at all.  Rex will more then likely make fun of your shirt before he compliments it.

Rex and my Grandpa are the quintessential definition of what it means to live the American Dream.  Rex has created a business where his daughter and wife work.

He provides an excellent service of repairs and sales of equipment to business owners all over the world.  In the pursuit of happiness as the Declaration of Independence states we have right to, Rex is rewarded by making a good living for his honesty and his commitment to his customers.  This renaissance man is an example of what success is.

In summary, I have written extensively here about Rex and my Grandfather.  Not to boast about Rex for Rex or brag about my Grandfather for me as an extension of him but to illustrate to you in the best way that I can so you can become successful.

You see, in a world of outsourceing, and maximizing profits even if it means creating inferior products and service, there is an excellent opportunity for you in whatever trade you venture to choose if you simply take pride in your work.  If you want to start a power washing business or any business for that matter, a little pride and honesty will go a long way!

Rex has not read this essay on Key to Success and if he did I imagine he might say something like, “that’s just common sense.”  Common sense?  Maybe…Common Practice?  I am not sure….

When was the last time you hired someone that you thought gave you everything they had?

Pressure Washer Products

Key to Success in Starting a Pressure Washing Business
by David Fahari

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