Two questions

About a year and a half ago, I almost make the mistake of buying (way too much) equipment. About the only thing that saved me from doing that was the people on a bulletin board, most of whom participate on this board. The responses I got from that one post were enough to give me pause. Looking back on it, what I had was an idea not a plan.
 
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First mistake,
7 years ago i thought I had a original idea..pressure wash everything in site. so I went out and bought a used h20 landa for 5000.00 bought a tank ,van,and used a degreaser on everthing .
The landa I bought was about 3 years old and I paid TOP dollar for it... It worked for about a year then the coil split so i welded it .It wasnt a month or soo later that the engine blew up.......NO WARRINTY.... lESSON # 1

Found a pressure washer supplier about 45 mins away from me so I made the trip over and found all kinds of "goodies" new hoses,nozzels,different sizes of dual lance wands....etc.... wow i was happy.. And this guy knew it. Everything he had was TOP dollar nozzels 12.00 a piece. but i bought them anyways b/c I thought he was the only one....Everytime I had to take my machine over there for work it cost me on a average of 500 to 600 dollars..and most of the time it was b/c i had air in the system.lesson #2

So I go to my first trucking company and had NO clue how to wash anything..... O sure I can was a truck but 40 of them in one weekend? with my machine in sorta top condition I still didnt know how to make it sing. My first couple of weeks washing was with a bucket and a brush. I would dip my brush in a bucket and wipe away then rince with my p/wer... I thought man there has to be a better way!!! That was then This is now!!!!!!!! lesson # 3

Chemicals ,
I think I tried every one of them from Dawn,to a conc. truck wash
I have spent so much money in soap .Everybody I talked to had the best . but when I applied it was another story.lesson # 4

Houses,residental,
Did my first house in the first year of business it was a single story aluminum . What a nightmare... I was using heat most of the time to try and get the "zebra" strips off and when I was finished the house was filled with smoke......... How? At the time I had no answer I thought I cought the house on fire.

Then I did a big commerical building and it was also aluminum ,,,, another nightmare took me a week to do it b/c I was never satisfied with the finish................ lesson #5

I reakon I could go on but I think I used enough space already
I have learned alot since I first started..... I work on my own machines , have a great chem, found a good "cheeper" supplier
And I can make anything shine ........ even aluminum .... but I still dont do houses.............................

how's this?
 
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First mistake was not trusting my bid. I always tried to second guess the total. don't do that anymore. What I charge is what I charge and the customer WILL get what he pays for.

Second, not hiring a high school student to help in the summer. I have a teacher across the street from the house and he has hooked my up with several leads and am currently interviewing. A highschool kid wants money fast, usually cash. You can find the right one.


reed
 
Two Questions

As my first contribution or response to this board, Im choosing this topic first. Bits of everyones responces sound like me. I started PW buisiness about 8 years ago, not serious at the time and no real compitition to speak of. Used local dist. for parts and equip. used a local auto detail supply dist for chem. I sold that Buisiness after about 5 long years.

Im back in my opinion at ground zero as of 8/2001 and very serious about education, groth, survival. I definately apreciate any advice on any topic.

I did jump in with both feet and bought all new equipment (thats all new equip.) ins. advertising, phones, the works. Now I need to finish paying for it, And put something on the table for dinner.

In need of work, I figured I would clean anything until I got control of where I was going. After cleaning combines in November and December I did pretty much nothing until around end of March 2002. Talk about scarey.

To sum it up, I would probably bought less at start up, lowering my debt responsibility, researched my area for work prospects a little more, and picked picked one particular specialty that I would master and be known for cleaning. Although someday I still would like to reach the goal of becoming "the Lord Of Pressure cleaning"
at least in my area. I welcome any response or e-mail


sf49rsrick@aol.com
 
1) So far, the biggest mistake has been some problems related to the name of the business. We went around and around with different names because, unbeknownst to us, they were being used somewhere else. Anyway, it caused confusion, reduced the impact of ads, etc.

2) The single best thing I did was get to know Les Howington. He taught me about chemicals and about the x-jet, etc. Without him, I would still be out in the weeds!
 
Well I haven't even bought my p/w yet, I get it tommoro, its only an excell 3600 from home depot, I'm just staring out as an extra service to my window cleaning customers, I have had many ask me about washing their houses but only done a couple as I had to rent a unit, as I go on and learn I hope to grow this side of the operation, with a special interest in deck restoration(Maybe thats cause I use to build them), Ive noticed the one big thing that everyone has mentioned is chemicals, thats good cause now I don't feel so dumb. I'm sure one of my biggest mistakes will probably be pricing, I have made a price list for myself but will not know if its too high/low til I give my first several bids, I guess.
Gav
 
My first mistake was not knowing how much I should be charging. I use to show up at a costomers house and say......give me 70 bucks.I was doing work for a painter and he would ask me how much I wanted for the job. The homes where a lot bigger than I had done in the past. I gave hime my price and he would turn around and charge a lot more than what I was charging.

I wish I had found this BB sooner. I bought a p/w last year and a surface cleaner a week before I found this BB. not the best equipment but it will do untill I find I need something better.I cant get over all the info that I have got from this BB and the deckguide BB. I do this work and work a full time job too. I want to go full time but I'm not sure if I can handle everything that might come my way. After finding this BB I feel I can count on all you guys to help me find answers to all my business needs. I will give myself a year and will go full time next spring. I thank you all!!!!
 
Biggest mistake - purchased an on-going business for too much over hard asset value (i.e. goodwill in customers). Discovered that I was better at sales, etc. than I realized so could have achieved nearly the same level of business on my own.

What I have learned - Original strategy was to develop business is several directions. Lack of ability to hire GOOD people has limited, and will continue to limit, growth in earnings.
 
Well, no mistakes yet, or so I hope. Still waiting on my trailer to get here. Let's see if I ordered wrong and maybe I can change before it gets here. It is a Honda 20HP, 3500psi, 5.3 gpm, 115V, two 230 tanks, vacuboom20, water filtration, surface cleaner, night lights, 18' ext pole, sand/soda blaster & a roto tip.
I deal with a lot of chemicals at work, so I am doing pretty good on that side. If anyone has comments on my equipment setup let me know I still have about 3 weeks for delivery.
 
ron p

What are you going to be washing ALAN ?
ONE TANK FOR SUPPLY about 45 min worth of wash time.
and 1 tank for recapture?
How big are the fuel tanks?
did you get extra filters,turbo rebuild kit,surface cleaner,duel lance,o rings,extra spray tips,a 12 volt flo-jet spray system,chem tanks, folder for MSDS paperwork,first aid kit,fire exstingusher,a spare tire,tool box,rain gear,battery charger,downstream injector- both for soap and acid, i dont even know the ware parts for the recoverey system,extra trigger gun,hose reels,garden hose quick disconnects,extra pressure QD, get stainless steel ones,loc tite,teflon tape,a vise,tools,exstension cords[GFI protected],
WD40,white lithem grease,oil filter,air filter,spark plug,motor oil,pump oil, these are just some of the things you will need.
If i were you i would spend the first day just putting a real good wax on all of my equipment
BEFORE it gets dirty.
Alen if you dont mind me asking what a rig like that set you back? $20,000
 
It sounds real similar to what I have. There are a few advantages to the two tanks over the single tank. The first is that you have a recovered water tank. the second is that you can see over teh back of your trailer, not a big thing, but somethig that can be helpful. The third is that with two tanks, there is a baffle effect if they are plumbed together so that it does not slosh quite so much when they are only partially full.
I would suggest that you plumb the two tanks together. It adds up to only an hour and ahalf of wash time, but in reality it works closer to two hours. What with you turning the gun off and moving around.
As for the Vacuboom, where is the vacuum system? Is there any kind of filtration system? Do you know what the local laws are for wsate water discharge? California is different from Arizona which is different from Texas, etc, etc.
The machine sounds good, but make sure that you have at least 10 gallons of gas and 16-20 gallons of diesel.

Just my opinion.

Scott Stone
 
Biggest error was not listening to my distributor when first starting out, I always think big, so why not buy biggest everything and be done with it!

He said start small, build as you need more but nope I plunge with all the biggest everything.

Now going 100% on water reclaim, sort of have to since here they are now enforcing the laws. Ordered reclaim, vacuboom, larger generator, if room one of those reels for 1 1/2/2 inch hose.

Got the new trailer two weeks ago too, bigger and larger GVW.

(Many cities have shut down pressure washing of businesses that do not hire companies that can prove they reclaim water)
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Mr. Alan I sure hope you bought a top of line trailer and not one from AZ Tex, would like to know what brand reclaim you got also, if it is not to late might be able to help you on things.

You should meet Chuck up there, nice chap to get to know.

Give me a call or Email your phone number and I will call you.

Jon
 
I left out a minor detail that would answer a few questions. It is the ALL AMERICAN STREAMLINER II trailer and the fuel tanks are 18 gallons a piece. Total water capacity is 460 gallons and the tanks are plumbed together, with a valve to close them off. The reclaim is from Mighty Mobile Wash Systems LD-30(www.watertreatmenttech.com). Scott, you asked where the vacuboom is located. It will have a storage spot on the trailer, but I do know it must be on the ground to work right, if that is what you are wondering. It is the 20' system.
Water regs in CA say that I can discharge water to the SANITARY sewer after the LD-30, so I will have the choice of discharge after LD-30, send to second tank and hold, or open valve let the tanks level/dilute and reuse, depending on the type of washing.
RON, you had a good extra parts list and I plan to go out prepared. The reclaim is mainly filters,but has a small pump out for the discharge. Hope this sheds a bit more light.
Thanks to all for the replies.
 
No, I wanted to know where the vacuum system was located. The boom requires a vacuum and hose to make it operate. Something has to create the suction. So I ask again, do you have a vacuum planned, or did your salesman, who I assume is helping you with this, miss it?

Scott
 
This reply is for Scott. I guess I misunderstood your question when you asked "where is the vacuum".
It is the complete vacuboom 20 system. This includes the 20 foot boom, vacuum with pump out, vacuum hose and discharge hose, misc connectors and such. I can not recall the model # off hand, but I am sure you get the picture. I guess your question was meant to mean Did I get a vacuum or think I was okay with just the boom. I hope I got it right this time.
 
That is what I meant. I was just curious what your salesman told and sold.

Scott
 
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