exhaust cleaning school certificate holders

Hoodcleaner
I agree with regarding extra help and your time saving would low, on any given job. However if your crew is trained as a two man team, your times will be cut in half. When my manager comes off the roof the kitchen, for the most part is being moped out and the crew meets at the door. That second man has his job to complete and if he looks good the manager looks good.

One could compare it to team sports in that the crew works as a team. A player just can't be expected to play as well if he just shows up now and then. The crew has no speed or rhythm to the process.
 
Now that Micheal has assured me that the sharks dont bite I will jump in.

I have been cleaning hoods since April 2002, I now have around 140 customers. I really enjoy working for myself. I dreamed about it thought about it for years but didnt find the right one till it jumped up and hit me. I live around Chattanooga TN, nice area, lots of restaurants, some competition.

That comment Josh made about Chinese. I have not called on one of them in months now. Some I called earlier call me and want a bid. Now that I dont NEED them as I did earlier I bid it for what it is actually worth. Of course the response "to high to high". I tell them thats the price call me if you need me.

Yall have a good one, gotta go.
 
A 1 Air vent, How long does it take you to clean a 3 hood kitchen. Say two hoods with 4 filters each and a 2 filter hood? I am just curiose. I have cleaned it with a trained crew of 2, and alone. What does it cost in for this in Sacremento? Just curiose.
 
David just said a mouthful, and has defined the difference with precision. We two work together like a well-oiled machine with little conversation and virtually no idle time. Our job time is less than half of a one-man operation. In addition to safety issues, we don't have to suffer the scourge of the raised eyebrow and the usual question - "are you all by yourself?" In addition, even some small jobs absolutely cannot be done correctly without help. Just last week I was unable to lift the u/b fan assembly back on the pedestal curbing by myself. This is rare - I am a former powerlifter and usually can handle anything - but it DOES occur! We have 3 or 4 account locations at which the motor start phase is inoperable and fans are left on 24/7. At these there is no roof switch nor switch under the u/b motor cover. One must use the kitchen switch or breakers. Not even possible to start the impeller by hand and throw the switch. Just two of many reasons why it would be stupid to approach a first-time servicing with no backup.
Richard
 
Hoodcleaner

To clean 3 hoods and cost-One need much more information about the 3 hoods and as per price-refer to Phils manual and add $100 because its California. I am not sliding the question-some units we could do the 3 in 2 Plus other could take 7 plus hours. To ask that question in that way indicates that you are in a learning curve and have not started any complex systems.
 
David, am I correct in assuming that your second guy in the kitchen has a pressure washer at his disposal, while the guy is on the roof? 2 pressure washers on one job, that is the question.
 
We use just one machine. We feel a second machine would get in the way of the simple process.
 
Then is your guy inside cleaning the hood by hand? You mentioned that he sometimes is mopping up when the guy on the roof comes down.
The point I think that was being made earlier, was while the roof is being done; they are waiting for the pressure washer downstairs. This is how they are coming up with the waiting around time.
Please fell free to correct me if I put words in anyone mouth, I am only trying to further the conversations.
 
There is always work to do-the manager is the one that points and job is completed. If a guy has nothing to do then the manager needs to be talked with. When it work it works very well. When its slow then we have a problem. There are 100 thing that the Tech. can do so that the job is nearly completed & on time.
 
quote from David
"When my manager comes off the roof the kitchen, for the most part is being moped out and the crew meets at the door."

This statement confuses me, I undersand and agree with you, there is always something for the guy in the kitchen to do to move the job along, but how is he almost finished when the guy come down from the roof. What am I missing?
 
David,
Hoodcleaners asked you about the cost in Sacramento and I was interested in hearing you too. I read Phil's book and I agreed with it. I was asked yesterday by a Japanese restaurant to give them a bid and the owner showed me a bid from another cleaner for me to beat the price.
The restaurant has 4 hoods ( 2 canopies (6 ft and 6 filters each) and two 12 ft wall mounted hood. The price to beat was $495, I told the restaurant owner to keep this bid as there were no way I could beat this price. According to PHil's book, this price is way out. My take from this is that we HOODCLEANERS SHOULD VALUE our work. This is not about competition (there are plenty of work for all of us), nor how long one can do the job, this is about elevating the job. I can go and hire three illegal worker and pay them $5/hrs and charge $200 for the 4 hoods and beat everyone else bid. This is insane. When I entered this field, I did it with pride as we save properties and lives of burning down. I recommend all of us to go by the book, by Phil Ackland's book to give a fair bid to our customers.
 
David,
Is $495 fair for 4 hoods (2 canopies 6 ft each and 2 wall mounted hood 12 ft each)? I was asked by a Japanese restaurant owner to beat this price another hood cleaner gave him. I told him, i am not here to beat any price, to keep the current bid as it was pretty cheap. My take here is that we hoodcleaners should value the job we do. When a fire starts after we clean, we will regret why we sold ourselves so cheap. Let us all go by Phil's book and any differential per state.
 
Take a small job 2 hoods. The manager works the roof(hood is hung) when he completes the fans and the vertical he sends the hose down the vertical and the Tech. shoot the two small hoods-sends the hose back up and the manager finishes the roof and fan assembles.

When he comes off the roof, winds the hose up puts back equipment and the Tech. should be at the end of the cycle.

No $495 is not a good price-Your comp rate is better than $30-so how could $495 be good?
 
Your one guy could not clean that job. He would be at the location for 3 days.
 
The $495 is in reference to a Japanese Restaurant and we most certainly could and do clean them. Even if it took me 6 hours to clean, I'll take my $82.50 an hour and grin all the way to the bank.

Usually we would charge in the $1000 range though for the job as described above.

Rusty
 
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Have your guy do it and take pictures-I might even take a look-you could set a new trend out here on the West Bank.

When he finishes that one, I will give him a list-FREE-so he can fill his five days up.

Happy Grease

Still- NO SOUP FOR YOU
 
Sounds good. $495 x5 x50 weeks = $125,000 a year. Of course if you have employees, you'll only make $50,000 and after worker's comp you'll make only $30,000. After taxes you'll see about $24,000. No wonder you and your crews are so efficient. You have to be, so that you can clean 3 or 4 jobs a night so that your company can make some money.

That assumes that you pay yourself $25 an hour, your crew leader about $19 an hour and your helper (or helpers) a total of $16.80 an hour.

Kick in some benefits (subtract $4 per hour) so you actually pay them $15/ hr for the crew leader and $12.80 an hour for your helpers.

Kick in worker's comp benefits (subtract $.58 per hour for crew leader) = $14.42 per hour for your crew leader.

Subtract ($.50 per hour for helper) = $12.30 per hour for your helper.

Imagine if you only had to clean 1 restaurant a night to make a decent living instead of this?

At what point is it worth it?

You say that one person can't clean as well as a crew. Isn't it a fact that your crew leader (manager) is the one doing the cleaning and is by himself on the roof cleaning all by himself? That he in fact passes the hose down through the exhaust stack and the person down below cleans all by himself.

That while one person is cleaning, the other person is doing busy work?

What if as a 1 person crew, I do the cleaning and the busy work? Even if it takes me longer, I keep all of the money. So, I work longer per job, but make more money than your crew.

There is usually a manager waiting for the job to finish, so that the 1 person cleaning crew is never truly alone.

Rusty
 
Can't you just join the party without trying to sell your program-get off your sales pitch. The point is one guy could not do that job in one night-I am aware of the job. I wish worker comp was .58 cents-its more like 32% of wages.

In rereading your post I should just delete it-and some should say I pull it. However, I think you just don't get it-we don't care about your program, we just want all share information and help others within this network. Is that so hard to understand.
 
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