Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Cost Saving Ideas

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Another option is to add a service or two. Like washing windows, staining decks,.etc, etc,..Nothing too far off of what we do now.
As I mentioned in another thread,.I picked up an old account from a local anchorage for pontoon cleaning,..with the option to clean the fiberglass/gel coat bottoms as well. Mot interested on that at this point,..we shall see.

Jeff

Admin · Head Quarters

I'm cutting back on the free extras. I do way to much and sometimes I don't think they even notice If I can save a gallon or two per job it will add up at the end of the week

DirtyRoofcom · Approved Exterior Cleaner

In addition to the normal softwash tips I have on a 4 banger, I also have a reduced down tip 2515 that is great for getting good coverage with less volume of water. I generally use this for second and 3rd coats on a roof and areas where I need to be accurate and have little runoff. The spray is almost that of a heavy mist.

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I haven't gotten to far in my brain to figure out where and how to save. I'm a cheap penny pincher, so I know there will be something really soon.

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

DirtyRoofcom wrote:
In addition to the normal softwash tips I have on a 4 banger, I also have a reduced down tip 2515 that is great for getting good coverage with less volume of water. I generally use this for second and 3rd coats on a roof and areas where I need to be accurate and have little runoff. The spray is almost that of a heavy mist.

Great post,and got my mind working! ! I indicated in my post that I will be using the same percentage on roofs because that's what roofs require,..and not much room for lighter solutions. But, concentrating a little more on how much I use will be a way to save some. Altough, I've always been pretty good at getting good coverage with minimal runoff,..I will try and do even better and be a little more patient while it flows down.

I will also be more patient on waiting for the mix to work,..I AM guilty of respraying too quickly,....

Jeff

-- Edited by Jeff Wible on Friday 4th of March 2022 06:11:41 AM

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I was thinking of new things, but there are many things we all do to save money every year. One of my biggest is to use Arm & Hammer with an additive from a local supplier for roof soap. I get it at Costco and the additive is for cling. The only things I have shipped in are things I cannot get local. I just ordered 5 gals. of One Restore. Shipping... $41.00!

Good post! As I think of more things... I'll be back!

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

BlueRidge wrote:
I haven't gotten to far in my brain to figure out where and how to save. I'm a cheap penny pincher, so I know there will be something really soon.

If anything can get a brain in gear Brett,..it's anything money related, Ha, Ha,

Jeff

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Jeff Wible wrote:
BlueRidge wrote:
I haven't gotten to far in my brain to figure out where and how to save. I'm a cheap penny pincher, so I know there will be something really soon.
If anything can get a brain in gear Brett,..it's anything money related, Ha, Ha,
Jeff

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I D/S with an Envirospec stainless sud succker. I average about 7 gallons on a house. I'm going to try and cut a gallon or so. I always start on the worst side of the house and spray all 4 sides and go back, hit again as needed. Gutters get hit twice and I don't rinse them. Sometimes I will blast them with a 6 GPM zero to help things along. Then I smoke a Cigar to waste some time!

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

The thing is Art,..I don't smoke cigars? So not sure this plan will work for me, Ha, Ha,..

Jeff

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Art O wrote:
I D/S with an Envirospec stainless sud succker. I average about 7 gallons on a house. I'm going to try and cut a gallon or so. I always start on the worst side of the house and spray all 4 sides and go back, hit again as needed. Gutters get hit twice and I don't rinse them. Sometimes I will blast them with a 6 GPM zero to help things along. Then I smoke a Cigar to waste some time!

If I was the one doing the work... the cigar is a great added plan of attack! If the crew "wasted" time... I'd completely lose it! They do enough of that anyway! And... want raises and bonuses!

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

DirtyRoofcom wrote:
In addition to the normal softwash tips I have on a 4 banger, I also have a reduced down tip 2515 that is great for getting good coverage with less volume of water. I generally use this for second and 3rd coats on a roof and areas where I need to be accurate and have little runoff. The spray is almost that of a heavy mist.

Curious about the J rod picture. I put all the nozzles in so the spray pattern is exactly the same. IE: the angles are all in line. If I remember, I'll post a J rod set up.

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I agree Brett,..my nozzles have to be all aligned perfectly crossways with the length of the "Banger" .

*Also,..when I park my wheels have to be straight,.... and I could never leave my wipers half ways up the windshield when I turn the engine off, Wipers off first, and then shut the engine off, Ha,Ha,...Minor OCD issues going on here!!

Jeff

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Jeff Wible wrote:
I agree Brett,..my nozzles have to be all aligned perfectly crossways with the length of the "Banger" .

*Also,..when I park my wheels have to be straight,.... and I could never leave my wipers half ways up the windshield when I turn the engine off, Wipers off first, and then shut the engine off, Ha,Ha,...Minor OCD issues going on here!!

Jeff

Well Jeff... that explains it! Old, set in our ways and OCD!

Hell, it really comes down to the right things to do. I hate wipers that come on a dry window! No wonder we are self employed. I have had one paycheck job since 1980! Or as my X called it... "a real job." Attention to detail is a lost art! Doing little things that make your life easier (reducing call backs) in the end, is so simple. In the case of a house wash, not looking at the house with an investigative eye, more so than the customer, could result in at least an hour of free work, depending on where the house is.

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

My J rods

The one on the left is Guys shoot, That's my favorite. If I lost it I would freak out. It shots the best. The #6 zero on the end I use for rinsing hard to get stains. The j rod on the left is KEC. Not as good as guys shooter, but the different tips that come in handy. Pic won't reduce

DirtyRoofcom · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I feel personally attacked!!! 🤣🤣

I usually have some ocd issues as well but here's the reason w the jrod.

For what ever the reason the milling on the Jrod and the 1/4 Meg nozzles are not perfect match. When I screw in some nozzles they only go in 1-1.5 turns which is not really adequate so I just tighten them as much as I can and forget about lining them up.

Funny part is, that not being lined up has no effect on the outcome of the job....🙂

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Ha, Ha,..Erik,..take no offense. But you really should try to get with it, Ha, Ha,.. I know exactly what you mean by the tightening aspect and how the nozzle lines up when snugged down. That is a pain. Not sure if you use dope or teflon tape or nothing at all. But the dope I think allows for more fine tuning?? Gives a little better sealing than nothing at all if left a tad loose. Doesn't take much to seal these threads,..and maybe using nothing at all works,..I just always use a little dope,....The path of least resistance is out of the orifice, so there isn't any type of real pressure trying to escape through the threads.

*I'm sure you're used to them the way they are, and correct,.makes no difference at the end of the job.

Jeff

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

DirtyRoofcom wrote:
I feel personally attacked!!! 🤣🤣

I usually have some ocd issues as well but here's the reason w the jrod.

For what ever the reason the milling on the Jrod and the 1/4 Meg nozzles are not perfect match. When I screw in some nozzles they only go in 1-1.5 turns which is not really adequate so I just tighten them as much as I can and forget about lining them up.

Funny part is, that not being lined up has no effect on the outcome of the job....🙂

I get it completely! I thought you might "feel offended"! biggrin

I had the same problem years ago but we use a ratchet to snug them. We always use Tru-Blue which helps. As long as you are the one using it, no big deal. If it's employees, there HAS to be a dummy proof way of doing things. At least I try to make the effort!

DirtyRoofcom · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Here's one I thought of yesterday on first day of season.

Scheduling the jobs in a way to minimize travel time and distance is now more important than ever. I used to not mind driving around to diff jobs to fill the day.

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I put a picture up that I couldn't reduce and it stretched the hole thread

Maverick Contracting · Approved Exterior Cleaner

When I was running another company after meeting with the client and the guys were setting up I would ask if they were friendly with any of the neighbors (who also had dirty roofs) to come and watch, and then would drive around neighborhood doing cold call sales and try to get on-the-spot sales. Worked pretty good especially if they lived on the block.
The guys could jump right over to another job and if they needed more SH I would run to the nearest pool store for more.

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

DirtyRoofcom wrote:
Here's one I thought of yesterday on first day of season.

Scheduling the jobs in a way to minimize travel time and distance is now more important than ever. I used to not mind driving around to diff jobs to fill the day.

Yea,..that is food for thought. I was the same way,..I didn't make any special arrangements to look at work before. But now I may try to be organized about it.

Jeff

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I'm raising my price, But I'm going to have to do selective raising. I can't hit people over the head who don't have the money.

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Jeff Wible wrote:
DirtyRoofcom wrote:
Here's one I thought of yesterday on first day of season.

Scheduling the jobs in a way to minimize travel time and distance is now more important than ever. I used to not mind driving around to diff jobs to fill the day.
Yea,..that is food for thought. I was the same way,..I didn't make any special arrangements to look at work before. But now I may try to be organized about it.
Jeff

They call, I go

Admin · Head Quarters

Phones picking up. I'm getting a few calls a day. Not traveling very far from my base. Keeping it local.