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  • Pressure Washing, Mr. Scott?

    Some older guy was by the shop late yesterday. He pressure washes part time, after his full time job.

    He doesn't advertise, he isn't licensed or insured, works by himself & says he should do close to $100K this year. That is some strong bucks there! Claims he has 3 to 5 jobs waiting on him at all times for over 2 years now.

    What gets me is, he does a lot of washing for New Home Builders & a few local Commercial Builders. He also cleans bricks which I know it's hard to find guys that will spray Muratic Acid. Says he has a strong list of homeowners.

    This guy says he uses Muratic Acid on most of his flat surfaces. He also has all his finger nails? I didn't think you could spray Muratic Acid & Keep your nails too?

    I never thought of washing for New Home Builders & Commercial Builders? Hmmm? This is where going to a Public School in JawJa has failed me?

    I would love to be a $100K plus a year Pressure Washing Scrub! Right on & Ca Ching! $$$$$

    The only disadvantages I see is, if I did the work I would lose weight & have to purchase new Overhauls?

    I dunno... Mr. Scott, do you think this is possible a 1 man show making $100K a year. He said he has 4 washers, generators & lights so he can work at night?

    He would have to be working almost 40 hours a week 9 months of the year? Unless he's making over $75 an hour & I find that hard to believe? What you think? I dunno, he must have some help & maybe he's doing $75,000 a year?

    I couldn't even sleep thinking about it last night?

    Mr. Scott, could you run some possible scenarios or do you think it's all BS?

    I mean I've made $75 an hour plus but $50 or a little over an hour was the average. And I know good & well prices haven't went up that much?
    GrassMaster, LSF Administrator!
    LawnPro - Lawn Care Business Software:
    www.lawnbook.com --- www.lawnservicing.com

  • #2
    To make that kind of money running a pressure washer, that guy must be shriveled up like a PRUNE!! LOL
    Jeeps are like women.....much more fun with their TOPS OFF!



    A society that rewards based on need creates needy citizens. A society that rewards based on ability creates able ones.

    Do you guys think Obama is going to kiss us after he is done with us or is he going to put on his belt and head out the door?

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Elwood
      To make that kind of money running a pressure washer, that guy must be shriveled up like a PRUNE!! LOL

      Elwood

      Maybe in your part of the country, But in my part of the world the water spray is very welcome.

      Grass master

      Back in the late 70's and early 80's before everyone had pressure washers I got in the business and ran it like a scrub. No insurance or Licensing etc. I am older and Wiser now. It was a part time job because I worked for the state two days on two day off and three day week ends every other week, 12 hour days. I made very good money at it and had a system worked out. The Washer stayed in the back on a Datsun Pick up truck and I had 300 ft hose reel like in pesticide. Water refill was from their faucet off an other hose reel.

      I ran ads to wash any house in town for $ 50.00 and would do 7 to 9 a day. The Chemical Cleaner was the trick. I just sprayed on the cleaner first time around the house and then rinsed it off with fresh water on the way back to the truck. It cost me less than a dollar for the cleaner per house because I got the chemical from a chem plant that made Chlorine and the stuff was a by product they paid to get rid of. I hated to go to my State job because that was great money even today let alone back then. But after a three year run someone started advertising $ 49 and after a brief price war I fold shop because of an advancement with the State. I was averageing $ 400 a day back then, which is the $ 100,000 your buddy claims to be making today. Plus I up sold paint jobs with I sub-out to my buddy. However I was not doing it year round for two reason. 1st the winter weather and 2nd the demand in the winter was way down.

      There are or were three attachment that are nessasary to do all out pressure washing and water Blasting. First the Chemical injector for Soap type cleaners. Second is the Acid injector which is at the nozzle and the acid container must be moved with the Pressure gun. Third is a sand blaster which also is on the pressure gun and the sand must be moved with the gun. Water volume does more work than Pressure. Here in Florida Water is so expensive people want pressure not volume. Roof Cleaning is a big business here because of all the tile roofs that mildew. But you aren't going to catch me on a roof.

      I am a little surprised that Busted didn't answer this thread since he is all kn owning and many Brick layer or masons that hard scape must acid wash the excess cement off the new walls. I still have a couple of pressure washers of different sizes including the home owner plug in model which I wouldn't recommend to any body. Car dealer are another large market, they like their cars shining. however this takes a special water filter system not to leave spots. The market for pressure cleaning is limited only by you ability to promote it.


      You can lead a donkey to water but you can't make the Jackass drink.

      Comment


      • #4
        Ric was a scrub pressure washer?!!!

        Ric is right about the chems though, let them do the work, you just rinse them off.


        You customer sounds kinda fishy to me BUTT!,,,

        I've done jobs and made over $100 an hour (a whole two hours worth,, yahoo!). It just depends on what you do.

        I have a deck that I'll be striping, neutralizing and then staining. Total cost of chems, tape(I have several tarps), and stain run under $200. Total time, estimate 6 hours. Fee = $1200. You can finger da rest.

        Cleaning Roofs: (last one was early spring then got busy with a few lighting gigs)average 2000sf house with barrel tiled roof.
        cost of chems < $25
        time: 2 hours max with coke(a cola) and snickers break
        Fee: somewhere around $400-$600 (last one was $400), depends on location and how well you know the HOA superintendent.

        Surface cleaning: walkways, driveways, and drive thrus
        I just finished doing a church breezeway today, 5hours, $350 total bill.
        Chems: < $5
        Sonics, McD's, BK, Taco Bell, banks, or any other biz that has a busy drive thru will pay good coin to have their areas cleaned at night but ya better be packin and have a helper, aka witness.

        Churchs (brick buildings): $1 per linear ft, per story. (I usually hook up the deal for our churches though, they're really good repeat customers. They like to have their walks and entrances clean at a minimum for Easter and Christmas.)
        Chems: pool chlorine and my special citrus chems.
        Last one I did was $1200, a little less than 16hours.


        I'm not a fan of muratic acid although some swear by it. I'm a chlorine, citra, and oxalic acid kinda guy. Regardless of what you use, PPE is paramount when dealing with chems of this kind, ie; rubber gloves, goggles, and respirator as a minimum.

        I'm not too sure about your customer working for all those contractors on a cleanup w/o being legit due to them being constantly audited. My contractor wouldn't even think about it. I haven't seen or heard of too many local builders using pw'ers to clean up after completion but I know it's busy bizness in Jawja, Tenn, and the Carolinas. Don't have any #'s but I guess I could talk to a few pw'ers in those area via forums. Also, if this guy is making $100k PT, how much is he making in his FT job? Why does he have a FT job? You smell smo--smoke?

        I'd have to say that pressure washing is one of the least physically demanding jobs I've done, especially surface cleaning.

        For those of you interested I'll list the minimum stuff you should have
        - bizness plan
        - insurance! don't leave home w/o it! solo operator runs about $650 annually
        - pressure washer; HD sells a 3600psi 4 gpm for a grand, most guys start here. It'll get you through the 1st maybe 2nd year with good maintenance practices. You'll need to upgrade once you get busy.
        - extra hose, 200ft should be plenty and about a dzn spare seals. good hoses run about $80 per 50ft and yes there is a difference between what HD sells and what a quality hose is. $250
        - M5 x-jet and 5gal bucket, this is the secret weapon of the trade. Don't go generic substitute, they're junk $150
        - PPE; rubber boots, rain gear, respirator, goggles, rubber gloves $150
        - 50-100ft commercial water hose $50
        - ladder if you do roofs $150
        estimate total startup w/o chems, licencing, and truck.
        < $2000.00

        If you'll be doing surface cleaning you'll need
        - hot box, $1500
        - insulated gloves $30
        - surface cleaner $800 for the Big Guy
        add $2400 to the startup fee for these options

        I believe these are the basics


        If you have $$$ to toss around or you've been washing for a while I'd suggest the following:
        - skid unit with burner, 5.5 gpm @ 4000psi is sweet, 8gpms will allow two wands.
        - some reels for water hose and pw'ing hose
        - dedicated trailer, used 14ft box trucks do well too
        - tote tank, 300gal is good
        - some 30gal tanks are good for chems
        - 55 gal for chlorine
        - spare M5 xjet
        - lights on trailer for night work
        - specialized tips
        - coress wand, don't get the yellow noodle, it's too heavy
        - fuzzy dice for yawls window
        - and some headphones with some old time jams!!!

        some photos of guys I chat with:

        This is Wayne, he's a scrub but don't tell him I said so.
        Wayne's World


        Mel's, this guy is bald and kewl. He used to be a sales rep for APW but decided he needed to make money to feed his kids.
        Vero Under Pressure

        And if you're serious about getting into pw'ing you have to talk to this gentleman first.
        Steve Rowlett




        mannn,,, I think this is the longest thread I've ever posted... I quit
        If you feel that you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Scott
          This is Wayne, he's a scrub but don't tell him I said so.
          Wayne's World
          Someone better tell Wayne to put the WEW on the rest of those photos before they show up on Sodbusted's website.

          Comment


          • #6
            Scott, this is a stupid question, but how do you know what pressure you need for a job? Like when cleaning a home, what if you start off with too much pressure and it removes paint or etches the wood, etc?

            What happens if you DO take off paint when they didn't want that? I'm about to purchase a unit for my own use (gotta paint my home this year), and shop use, but one employee wants to get into this side of the biz for me. I just don't know what to buy, and I worry about too much power. Sounds dumb huh?
            a.k.a.---> Erich

            www.avalawnlandscaping.com


            Build a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day.
            Set a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thank You Mr. Scott...

              Erich, I was a pressure washing fool... And made decent money for a few years but mainly did it for Lawn Service Customers & their nearby neighbors.

              I would suggest that $999 4,000psi washer at Lowe's or HD, I'm sure it's close to same washer, 13HP Honda, 4GPM, 4K PSI for a $1,000 is killer Deal!

              I washed everything imaginable & my pressure stayed at a constant 2,800 to 3,000 PSI, you adjust your pressure by the distance & different tips, it takes time which as you well know is experience, at least that's the way I did it. I washed lawn furniture, outdoor carpet & all other kinds of delicates, I never adjusted the pressure at the pressure washer, I just knew how far away to hold it. If it's 500 or 5,000 PSI you must watch it when you first pull the trigger, that's what does the damage.

              LOL, you got you a good house & Shop to practice at... Start at the shop first please, then the house. Don't screw up that front porch, I'll get mad at ya!

              If your dumb you take off paint, the biggest problem washing is, you must always aim the gun in the air (Away from work) pull trigger & wash toward your work, because you aim it at the work & pull the trigger, you just as soon be shooting it with a gun.

              Get more hose than you think you need & get good hose like Mr. Scott said. Just like cutting grass or painting a Picasso, start at the farthest away & most unnoticeable area when starting. No matter how long you do it, some surfaces will fool you no matter what.

              I always got me a good close level parking spot, then I would drag hose to the farthest spot... Watch those hoses, I did more damage with hoses than I did with the washer it self.

              If Mr. Scott says different than me listen to him so if something goes wrong it's all his fault?
              GrassMaster, LSF Administrator!
              LawnPro - Lawn Care Business Software:
              www.lawnbook.com --- www.lawnservicing.com

              Comment


              • #8
                I'm no PW guy...but I have a guy here I refer questions to...the moss grows FASTER here than the PW can handle...not really but close.
                anyway, my point is..those HD PW's AREN'T the one you want...something with that size compressor being not able to keep up over time with commercial demands...they burn out in less than a year of heavy use...That much I know cause I bought one..." off the back of a truck " , just like the beefy one HD sells...and through the course of time I had comments on it about it being the one that burns out, the HONDA motor keeps running-though..
                One uses DISTANCE to effect pressure, the closer the wand the more likely you are to destroy wood and the like....
                What PW'ing I have done, makes me feel like I'm getting foot rot at the end of the day....for full time work I would need 1 hour or so a day of hot tub decompression....but it's cold here. You warm climate guys might like it...

                “There are some who, uh, feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is: Bring ‘em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation. “ - George W. Bush, July 2, 2003.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hmmm, I may need to change my purchase thoughts. I saw one with a Commercial Suburu 7hp engine around 3000psi but only 2.7 gpm (I think). But it was only $500, so I guess you get what you pay for.

                  The paint on my house is in pretty bad shape because I have neglected it for a few years past it's painting due date. But I'm ready to do it this year (by myself!). New roof too.

                  My neighbor scared me a bit because he said I could literally eat lines in the wood if I wasn't careful. The bad thing is that I have some wood shingles on the 2nd story portion of the home. I worry about blowing those suckers right off the side of the house if I use one of those 13hp Big Dawgs.

                  Heck, I bought a 2800psi model about 5 years ago and returned it a few days later because it peeled the decals off my mowers. I guess I should have just practiced more. I suck.
                  a.k.a.---> Erich

                  www.avalawnlandscaping.com


                  Build a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day.
                  Set a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    noooooooo,, Mr GM is right on and it will always be his fault,, I plead da fifth! He knows more than he's posting and he just baited me with the thread.

                    Knowltondata, I'll let wayne know asap but he a scrub with scruby pics anyway!

                    Erich,
                    there are a couple factors that determine the pressure of your water exiting the gun: obviously machine, length of hose, and tip.
                    You can buy a gauge that goes between the hose and your gun, get stainless. It not only tell you what you have prior to the hose but give telltale signs if your washer is wearing down.
                    Tips! Tips can also greatly effect your pressure and they do need replaced occasionally. The ones you get with the unit are just your basic ones and unless you're really diving in, you wouldn't need anything else, except maybe an m5 x-jet. This following pic is an original x-jet. You'll want the newer one which has a variable tip which is all I use for house washing. This item will save you tons of moola since you're not running the chems through your machine or hoses, just the tip.
                    Initial pressure surge: can be avoided by changing your unloader. With swapping over to a K-7 unloader you lose that hard initial burst of pressure.

                    Best thing to do is practice on yawls mowers, buildings, stray dogs and cats.
                    Or go to Steve Rowlett's and read. You'll have to register to access his page. He thinks he the 4th member of ZZtop.

                    Scaring/etching wood will happen if you're not watching what you're doing. Even furring happens to the pros. Personally I would leave all paint prep to the pros and/or painters.

                    House washing is done with chemicals, not pressure. Get the right chems along with dwell time then all your basically do is a rinse with a bit o' pressure. I use the x-jet and I generally hold the tip at least 5-6ft from the house and it's set to extreme fan. Remember we're letting the chems do the washing/cleaning and we just rinsing, with a bit of pressure. To boost you and your helpers confidence level, start with a friends vinyl house. Go rent a 3600/4000psi and 4gpm unit and get a couple gallons of that citra clean, a couple gallons of pool chlorine, some dawn dish soap and a 5gallon homer bucket. 1gal citra to 1gal chlorine, couple squirts of dish soap and then fill the rest with water. Down stream one side of the house with the black tip(soap tip), wait 5-10mins and then come back and rinse with the white tip at a fair distance, 5-7 ft from the house to the tip. And always, soap from the bottom and work your way up. This helps to avoid streaks. If the house is really dirty you may have to increase soap and chlorine. And don't forget to time yourself. Knock out a few of those and you'll be ready to do a brick house, and all those grout lines.
                    Now if you're really serious about dabbling in the pw'ing industry, get your HD setup, wash a few things, over time if it pans out, get a skid unit, surface cleaner and dedicated box truck with tommy lift along with all the other stuff. Once you get a skid, that HD unit becomes a backup.
                    Remember your times privously? well buy that m5 x-jet, then divide that by 5 and that's how fast you'll be washing houses. I can soap the side of a two story 3500sf house in under 2mins with the x-jet and that's taking my time.

                    Personal advice: stay away from wood homes, T-111 siding and watch out for synthetic stucco. Shoot in your case, I'd stay clear of all residentials.
                    I'd target fast food drive thrus and dumpster areas along with brick churches to develop good returning customers. Shoot you already have 30+ BK's to draw from. What's up with that dawg?

                    Email me or visit Steve's forum for more info/advice.
                    If you feel that you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Dr.Bizzaro
                      I'm no PW guy...but I have a guy here I refer questions to...the moss grows FASTER here than the PW can handle...not really but close.
                      anyway, my point is..those HD PW's AREN'T the one you want...something with that size compressor being not able to keep up over time with commercial demands...they burn out in less than a year of heavy use...That much I know cause I bought one..." off the back of a truck " , just like the beefy one HD sells...and through the course of time I had comments on it about it being the one that burns out, the HONDA motor keeps running-though..
                      One uses DISTANCE to effect pressure, the closer the wand the more likely you are to destroy wood and the like....
                      What PW'ing I have done, makes me feel like I'm getting foot rot at the end of the day....for full time work I would need 1 hour or so a day of hot tub decompression....but it's cold here. You warm climate guys might like it...

                      yeah you're right, the unit as a whole is lacking but those GX Honda's are unstopable. Hopefully if anybody gets into the pw'ing biz, they'll make some cash, get a dedicate trailer and then mount the honda directly to the deck of the trailer.
                      If you feel that you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Scaper-S2k
                        Hmmm, I may need to change my purchase thoughts. I saw one with a Commercial Suburu 7hp engine around 3000psi but only 2.7 gpm (I think). But it was only $500, so I guess you get what you pay for.

                        The paint on my house is in pretty bad shape because I have neglected it for a few years past it's painting due date. But I'm ready to do it this year (by myself!). New roof too.

                        My neighbor scared me a bit because he said I could literally eat lines in the wood if I wasn't careful. The bad thing is that I have some wood shingles on the 2nd story portion of the home. I worry about blowing those suckers right off the side of the house if I use one of those 13hp Big Dawgs.

                        Heck, I bought a 2800psi model about 5 years ago and returned it a few days later because it peeled the decals off my mowers. I guess I should have just practiced more. I suck.
                        that subaru isn't worth the $$$. Best thing to do about your house is VINYL SIDING!!!
                        If you feel that you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          My house doesn't look to big from the street, but up close, it's pretty big. Vinyl siding would probably set me back $25k. I don't want to hire anyone to remove the paint because I want to do a lot of good prep work.

                          Plus, I have an older, 'almost' victorian style home. Vinyl would not look real good on that. A house 3 down from me got it, it looks kinda cheesy.


                          Maybe I should start a new thread so I don't ruin this one.......ahhhh, what the heck.

                          -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          I don't want to have to stay back 7' to remove the paint. I will be on a ladder and couldn't hold it that far away! So would it make sense to just buy that cheaper $500 washer for the home AND keep it just as an equipment cleaner at the shop?

                          Then later buy the Big Dawg for real work in the field?

                          With the cheaper 3000psi, couldn't I get closer to the work so I could see what was happening? Heck, I don't know, I just don't want shingles flying off!

                          Cheaper one now so I don't cause damage and then use it only at the shop for easy stuff. Then the Big Dawg later?

                          Expert advice needed.......
                          a.k.a.---> Erich

                          www.avalawnlandscaping.com


                          Build a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day.
                          Set a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            get the 13hp and change your tips. Pressure is how you cause damage. You might want to try a wash and then come back to sand.
                            PW'ing from a ladder can be detrimental to your health, rent some scafolding or something similar. The end result will be worth it.
                            If you feel that you must burn our flag, please wrap yourself in it first.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I am considering renting one of those man lifts that you can drive around in the yard!

                              Please stop scaring me about this project!
                              a.k.a.---> Erich

                              www.avalawnlandscaping.com


                              Build a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day.
                              Set a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

                              Comment

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