Every once in a while I need to vent and go on a rant and hope someone out there will listen. Well ... now it's time and here I go again and sorry to put you guys through the agonizing pain. (click the BACK button to escape the blabber I am about to spew if you don't want to hear it)!
I have a few part time ground guys that have been with me for a while and they are great guys and do a fantastic job of keeping all the vegetation watered down during roof and house Soft Wash projects. BUT … they all seem to forget from time to time what they are protecting when they drag their hose around.
What I am talking about is … when they make a turn around the corner of a house, they drag the hose over flower beds, small shrubs and ground cover. I see everything from my vantage point because I’m on the roof I have a bird’s eye view of everything AND IT DRIVES ME INSANE when I see a hose being dragged across a planted area around the corners of the homes.
So my solution is to spell it out, or in my case, I am going to draw it out. I’m pretty anal but I want things done properly and not half assed! The drawings are going to show how to use simple objects like a tree or mailbox to pivot hoses around corners whether it be the Soft Wash application hose or garden hose to irrigate vegetation.
It’s going to show how to pull hose slack to one corner of a house or structure before they take off down the side, front or rear of that house or structure with the spray end of the hose.
I’m going to work these drawings up in the next few days and after I post them, please give me some feedback. If you think there might need to be some modifications, let me know and I’ll make some changes. If everyone thinks they look fine, feel free to print them out and give them to your present and future ground guys.
To those that endured the pain of my relentless venting, stay tuned for the upcoming, preliminary sketches.
-- Edited by Capital Roof Wash on Sunday 8th of December 2013 03:35:39 AM
Eric Schnaible said
Dec 8, 2013
Man I am with you brother. It also bugs me when I'm coming down and they don't direct the hose properly so it ends up draped all over the prized flowers. I tell them the homeowners care more about their plants than their kids.(that's only true sometimes)
Ray I would suggest you hook up with one of those fast drawer guys from fiverr. As a matter of fact, If we found one of those guys we liked, we could have a bunch of instructional videos made. We could collaborate and make them NSWA approved. That would benefit all of us. I'll pay for it.
Liberty SoftWash said
Dec 8, 2013
We carry rebar and when we are setting up I walk around and pin the corners . It only will a take 4 most times. I think it works well.
Capital Roof Wash said
Dec 8, 2013
Eric Schnaible wrote:
Man I am with you brother. It also bugs me when I'm coming down and they don't direct the hose properly so it ends up draped all over the prized flowers. I tell them the homeowners care more about their plants than their kids.(that's only true sometimes)
Ray I would suggest you hook up with one of those fast drawer guys from fiverr. As a matter of fact, If we found one of those guys we liked, we could have a bunch of instructional videos made. We could collaborate and make them NSWA approved. That would benefit all of us. I'll pay for it.
I wish I read your post befor I started...haha I'm just about finished and will post them shortly.
Capital Roof Wash said
Dec 8, 2013
Roof Cleaning PA wrote:
We carry rebar and when we are setting up I walk around and pin the corners . It only will a take 4 most times. I think it works well.
Eric, that is an awesome idea. The old "kiss" method (Keep It Simple Stupid). I will be adding a few 3' pieces to my arsenal. Thanks for that tip.
Capital Roof Wash said
Dec 8, 2013
Here they are. With Erics suggestion of rebar, it would eliminate the need to hand pull slack to a corner in Example #2.(thanks Eric).
Example #1 shows how I like to use any object, weather it ba a tree, mailbox, fire hydrant ect., as long as the hose doesn't drag accross flower beds, mulched areas and any sort of ground cover at the corners of customers homes.
Feel free to copy and use these to hand out to present and future ground guys.
-- Edited by Capital Roof Wash on Sunday 8th of December 2013 07:35:46 PM
Low Tech but says we care. Probably need to be sure no underground wires, sprinklers etc but how simple. I am going to implement this for another reason.
It drives me crazy how easy for our roof and watering hoses to get tangled up. "You go inside, I go outside" sound good, but it still happens, so this may be the solution.
Accuwash said
Dec 14, 2013
good call, make sure your employees know they are working for their pay. You can get anyone to pull a hose in the laziest way.
AC Lockyer said
Dec 14, 2013
Until you hit them in the check book they will not change.
AC
Dan Dykstra said
Dec 15, 2013
Eric,
thanks for that great tip (rebar). will be on the truck next season for sure.
Jeff Wible said
Dec 15, 2013
Our choice is to pull the slack hose to each corner and then proceed,..but we have also used 5 gallon buckets filled with water and set in place,..the hose will drag right around the big radius of the bucket, and also the plastic makes it drag easy as well.
Jeff
Doug Rucker said
Dec 15, 2013
Jeff Wible wrote:
Our choice is to pull the slack hose to each corner and then proceed,..but we have also used 5 gallon buckets filled with water and set in place,..the hose will drag right around the big radius of the bucket, and also the plastic makes it drag easy as well.
Jeff
Same here.....and I thought I was the only doing that.
Jeff Wible said
Dec 15, 2013
It's cliché' Doug,..but you know what they say about great minds!
Jeff
Doug Rucker said
Dec 16, 2013
Jeff Wible wrote:
It's cliché' Doug,..but you know what they say about great minds!
Jeff
Lol So true.... and those 5 gallon buckets of water actually come in handy for a few things while working too.
Jeff Wible said
Dec 16, 2013
Always use clean water in a clean bucket,.I remember using the bucket of water to flush my eyes from SH after the wind shifted abruptly and blew it back into my face , Ha,Ha.. Now I just spray with my eyes shut. Also had a dog drinking out of it once.
Every once in a while I need to vent and go on a rant and hope someone out there will listen. Well ... now it's time and here I go again and sorry to put you guys through the agonizing pain. (click the BACK button to escape the blabber I am about to spew if you don't want to hear it)!
I have a few part time ground guys that have been with me for a while and they are great guys and do a fantastic job of keeping all the vegetation watered down during roof and house Soft Wash projects. BUT … they all seem to forget from time to time what they are protecting when they drag their hose around.
What I am talking about is … when they make a turn around the corner of a house, they drag the hose over flower beds, small shrubs and ground cover. I see everything from my vantage point because I’m on the roof I have a bird’s eye view of everything AND IT DRIVES ME INSANE when I see a hose being dragged across a planted area around the corners of the homes.
So my solution is to spell it out, or in my case, I am going to draw it out. I’m pretty anal but I want things done properly and not half assed! The drawings are going to show how to use simple objects like a tree or mailbox to pivot hoses around corners whether it be the Soft Wash application hose or garden hose to irrigate vegetation.
It’s going to show how to pull hose slack to one corner of a house or structure before they take off down the side, front or rear of that house or structure with the spray end of the hose.
I’m going to work these drawings up in the next few days and after I post them, please give me some feedback. If you think there might need to be some modifications, let me know and I’ll make some changes. If everyone thinks they look fine, feel free to print them out and give them to your present and future ground guys.
To those that endured the pain of my relentless venting, stay tuned for the upcoming, preliminary sketches.
-- Edited by Capital Roof Wash on Sunday 8th of December 2013 03:35:39 AM
Ray I would suggest you hook up with one of those fast drawer guys from fiverr. As a matter of fact, If we found one of those guys we liked, we could have a bunch of instructional videos made. We could collaborate and make them NSWA approved. That would benefit all of us. I'll pay for it.
I wish I read your post befor I started...haha I'm just about finished and will post them shortly.
Eric, that is an awesome idea. The old "kiss" method (Keep It Simple Stupid). I will be adding a few 3' pieces to my arsenal. Thanks for that tip.
Here they are. With Erics suggestion of rebar, it would eliminate the need to hand pull slack to a corner in Example #2.(thanks Eric).
Example #1 shows how I like to use any object, weather it ba a tree, mailbox, fire hydrant ect., as long as the hose doesn't drag accross flower beds, mulched areas and any sort of ground cover at the corners of customers homes.
Feel free to copy and use these to hand out to present and future ground guys.
-- Edited by Capital Roof Wash on Sunday 8th of December 2013 07:35:46 PM
What a great idea. duh?
Low Tech but says we care. Probably need to be sure no underground wires, sprinklers etc but how simple. I am going to implement this for another reason.
It drives me crazy how easy for our roof and watering hoses to get tangled up. "You go inside, I go outside" sound good, but it still happens, so this may be the solution.
AC
thanks for that great tip (rebar). will be on the truck next season for sure.
Jeff
Same here.....and I thought I was the only doing that.
Jeff
Lol So true.... and those 5 gallon buckets of water actually come in handy for a few things while working too.
Jeff