Question!

Hook and Ladder LLC

Hook and Ladder LLC

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Ok guys got my first BIG commercial flatwork job with LOADS of bubblegum and your typical shopping center sidewalk crap. Whats the best mixture to use of the 15% good stuff....oh and yes I do have a hot water setup I have rented to tackle the gum issue. A little nervous guys about this not sure why just new I guess. Got any tips or advice?
 
Normally on jobs like that I ds the sh and mix some Dawn and a degreaser into the mix. Just use your sc and pop off the gum as you are rinsing. As far as being nervous everyone is different but I think it is not only normal but it is a good thing also. It shows that you care about how the job will come out and that in turn will lead you to do a fantastic job. Heck I still get a little nervous feeling in my gut on just about every job I go to... Good Luck! You will do fine and I'm sure they will be happy as heck that they hired the right guy for the job! :) GET-R-DONE! :)
 
Thanks Millette. I am sure it will go smooth ust think of the what ifs too much. I will get some pics beofre and after for sure. What did you mean "sc"? Give me a good ratio for the SH and the DAWN. I don't have a big tank so keep it simple for me. PLEASE. hahahaha
 
Hook and Ladder LLC said:
Thanks Millette. I am sure it will go smooth ust think of the what ifs too much. I will get some pics beofre and after for sure. What did you mean "sc"? Give me a good ratio for the SH and the DAWN. I don't have a big tank so keep it simple for me. PLEASE. hahahaha
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LOL... The sc is for surface cleaner... As far as ratio's I really don't do much measuring. If you are using say a 25 gal tank and your using 15% it will probably be in the 12.5% range by the time you use it. I would go ahead and use 12-15gals of sh fill the rest with water, 10-15 oz of dawn and aprox 16 oz of a good degreaser. Down stream the mix to the surface and let it dwell at least 10 minutes before starting. I use this mix on just about all my concrete cleanings for residential and comercial. Actually I use that mix for most all of my ds house washes as well...Works real well. Some use caustic cleaners and such but I've never seen the need for it on my applications. Now if what your cleaning has a ot of oil then you may need a caustic. Hope this helps!
Larry
 
Hook and Ladder LLC said:
Ok guys got my first BIG commercial flatwork job with LOADS of bubblegum and your typical shopping center sidewalk crap. Whats the best mixture to use of the 15% good stuff....oh and yes I do have a hot water setup I have rented to tackle the gum issue. A little nervous guys about this not sure why just new I guess. Got any tips or advice?
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be careful and please do it at night or when the center is closed. Do not do it when people are coming and going like some yahoo's I have seen, most dont use chems on shopping centers (fyi) hot water is the most suitable method, in other words where are your chems going to go when you rinse ? Do you have a dry well near by ? If so you can divert your water to them , but if not you may want to rethink all the soap and bleach and degreaser stuff or you may open yourself up for a serious liability problem , congrats and best of luck to you
 
Thanks for the insight on nite time. Ya I am planning a hot humid night job. As far as the chem runoff ya I have been thinking about that as well. No liablility stuff and is hot water alone will tackle all that stuff then I might head in that direction. Thanks for the insight though this will def be useful!!
 
Russ is right. I wasn't thinking about the run off issue. It has not really been too much of an issue down where I am. You mentioned mix ad I imediatly went there without thinking. I always do mine on the weekends or at night also. Always a joy to have to race and beat the clock. Especially on a job that you know will take 2 days...
 
Hook and Ladder LLC said:
Thanks for the insight on nite time. Ya I am planning a hot humid night job. As far as the chem runoff ya I have been thinking about that as well. No liablility stuff and is hot water alone will tackle all that stuff then I might head in that direction. Thanks for the insight though this will def be useful!!
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as far as chem, as always they would help the job but due to the fact that I dont know what you are cleaning or how dirty it is hard to say, EPA should not be a problem in your area , we work in a few cities in South Carolina as well (Darlington not too long ago) We clean 90% of our commercial strip malls w/o any chems so that is my best advice
 
Yea I'm the same way Unless it is Way Dirty, just Hot Water is used and it comes out great and no worring about chems to mess with. I have a new store that I'm going to be clening here in a few weeks and the guy that has been doing it looks like he is usung cold water and it is a mess , but I think it will come out fine with just Hot Water or maybe just spot spraying of a cleaner on a few areas. Nothing to harsh just simple green or something close to lift the dirt.
 
ok great...well I am off to get started now on the first part then the second part is into the nite. I will get some pics....to show how bad I did....HA j/k..I hope.
 
well I didnt get pics of the first job. Had to move quickly before people started to show up at the business. Looks a ton better. Used only hot water and it just melted the gum away. Used the surface washer and it did good at getting up the dirst and all but the wand was the trick for the gum. Tonights job is bigger nastier and will be more of a challenge. So RUSS I will be seeing what a lonely parking lot in the wee hours is all about....lol.

Hey whats a fair way to charge people? By the time it takes you or by the sq ft?I was doing time but I want to make sure I am getting a fair price.
 
I charge by the square foot. It is easier to measure off a property than guess at how long it will take. More consistent pricing method I think. After you have done a few your speed will improve and you can figure out how many sf per hour you can clean. Then after you measure and multiply by your rate you will have a good idea of how long it will take and you can adjust your price from there if you need to.
 
Hot Water only!! Never a problem. You can put some degreaser down on some of the bad spots with a pre treat and your good to go..
 
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