Certainly not me, but I like what this dude’s got going on! 
I’m afraid I was down here in South Cakalac sweating my buns off all day. I went through four shirts today, and just got out of my second shower.
I actually disassembled my old rack a few months ago, and ended up using some of the pieces to help reinforce some railings with chicken wire around our small vegetable garden out back of the house.
Dare I asked for an updated pic?
Nothing real recent, but got a deal from someone who had an incorrectly ordered ladder rack, and traded a housewash with the town’s mayor for his bed slide.
All you need is that 5 and you’ll be set!
Yeah…about that…
I bit the bullet and bought another identical pump and installed it this afternoon on my lunch break. I had been having some hiccups with the old pump this pst month and after replacing unloader, bypass, and some “power boost” thing it wasn’t getting me anywhere. Saturday I was washing a house and I had a 100-ft section of hose blow on me and after hooking up a new hose I immediately had more series issues. I could no longer let off the trigger without the engine bogging down and cutting off. I was able to adjust the unloader way down and still finish the house, but pressure was real light. New pump cam in yesterday, installed and test ran today. I’ll be back at it tomorrow washing houses.
How much did that new pump set you back? You realize you’re killing us here Thomas. @qons - we need a hate button in addition to the like button on here.
He was just getting his backup machine ready to go so he’s prepared the first time the new 5 he’s upgrading to has any issues.
I know, I know…I’m stubborn as a mule.
Realistically, the thoughts in my head are along these lines:
Exact replacement pump I installed was around $320. The first pump lasted three and a half seasons of what I put it through. I don’t really know if I want to be doing this in another three and a half years from now.
Four bolts and a key way off, four bolts and a key way on, less than 10 minutes and it was swapped out completely and hoses hooked back up.
Never owning a nicer unit before, I can only use information gathered here in order to arrive at the following:
a) I’m used to running without a buffer tank, 20/30 seconds before I need to pull the trigger really isn’t that hard for me to keep up with. I can’t justify needing a buffer tank for pump water recirculation. The owners manual on the new pump actually states to not be off the trigger for any longer than two minutes at a time.
b) Running the smaller pump (3.5gpm) keeps me from having to be scared of water supply issues and most places, also alleviating the need of a buffer tank.
c) Rinsing takes longer I’m sure, but that’s a trade-off I’m sure I can live with.
d) Space in the back of a 6-ft bed truck is limited. Not to say it can’t be easily outfitted, but about every two weeks I empty the bed of the truck. Hose reels and washer stay in, but all the buckets, 12v pump, wand, gun, tanks, storage box, etc all come out. I then load up all the trash and recycling generated at the house and take it to the dump/convenience station. Come back home and load the rig all back up again. This is still my personal truck that I use for personal errands and I’m not wanting to purchase a second truck or go the trailer rig route.
I hear what y’all are saying, preaching, pleading… and I would never tell anyone that your insight is wrong. But for me, this system works. It isn’t “practical” but it’s my own. I mean, I could be like @Nickski and use redundant 12v pumps for everything… 
But seriously, thank you all for the strong suggestions, but it’s not bothering me nearly as much as it’s bothering y’all
Hey come on now, I pressure wash too. I just don’t like pressure washing lol.
Lol. I think I told @Infinity a while back if we got the hate button up and running Ide spam a lot less on here. He doesn’t care about you guys lol.
We encourage you because you don’t know any difference. It’s no sweat off our backs what you do, but it seems like you’re still trying to grow your business. The advantage of a slightly larger machine is it increases your productivity. That translates into a number of things. You’ve proven you can generate business.
a) the payback for the difference is extremely quick, you can get a 30 gal buffer tank for almost nothing, grab a predator with gear box and pump probably for less than $1500.
b) Your efficiency would probably increase 25 - 30% which results in either more jobs in the same amount of time or being able to spend more time with your family.
c) Everything is faster, especially the rinsing and any concrete you do. And it’s that way for years, not just one job.
d) Being able to tackle larger jobs. Sure you can do some of them now, but most people don’t necessarily want the pressure washer hanging around all day. Especially true on being able to do larger drives.
e) As you’re finding out, time is a valuable commodity. Ask anyone on here, if they could be 25% more productive would they go for it. You talk about unloading and loading truck couple times a month to carry trash. In the time that takes, you could wash a house for $200-250 versus spending $75/month for weekly trash pickup.
But all of this applies, if you can stay booked, for your available free time. If not, and you’re only doing one or 2 houses/week then carry on. If you have more demand than you can currently meet in the time allotted then you should consider. It’s a simple formula, better equipment translates into more time available.
Best of luck whatever you do, but there is a reason to our madness.
A hate button might be 2 strong. Maybe a 5 star rating from 1-5 or could be like Youtube with a thumbs up or down.
It’s just one more person that you’ll never have to compete against
I totally get that there is a method to the madness… and you as well as just about everyone else here are proof that the methods work. I’m not here to argue the methods or to state that my way is better than anyone else’s - because it’s not - but I just am at that point where I don’t want to invest more into my side hustle or grow any larger than just a few houses a week.
I never started this venture thinking I had to be a large company, or able to tackle all sorts of different types of work, or even to be in it full time. And all of that still applies to me today.
The information you and mostly everyone else is sharing is amazingly helpful and has helped me to get where I am today - I just don’t think I desire to be any more than what I am currently. I am satisfied with what I have going on, the additional money this setup brings in, and the balance of life and work. But, hopefully sooner rather than later I’ll be able stop taking on clients, start turning away jobs, and strip the vinyl decals off the truck to shut the business down. It might be a year, it might be three years, but I know there is an end in the future.
The full-time job with the Town has lots of potential in the next few years with most of my department getting to retirement age (or at least with enough tenure to retire) paving the way for me to move up and be compensated handsomely. I’ve gone above and beyond and completed all the necessary training and certifications and then some that they ask for in order to hold these higher positions and now it’s just a waiting game. Come August I’ll be working on an additional certification through Clemson University just to continue my education in that field. I’ll also continue adding more electives to my current SC Pesticide Applicator’s License on top of what I already have. My wife just went back to work full time with the school district and with that it more than doubles what our income was this past year, not including the house washing business.
I don’t see the light at the end of housewashing tunnel yet…but it appears to be not as dark in here as it once was, if you understand what I’m saying. I’m not hanging up the hoses and wand yet, and I’m going to continue to be an active member of this forum/community until Mike, Brian, Chris, or someone bans me from here, but hopefully that’s isn’t anytime too soon. But if Mike comes up with a new rule stating all members must own at minimum a 5gpm pump I might be blocked before I know it!
Nicely stated and I know you didn’t plan on leaving that cush city job, lol. That’s good news for you on your wife going back.
Not to throw in a monkeywrench…but it sounds like you’re doing well, and it’s growing. Just food for thought, what if you did build it a little, and as it grew brought on a helper/apprentice that you could have running the business during the weekdays, and maybe work into passing it off to, for some financial consideration of course. Businesses aren’t always stuck with just the options of keep doing it, or shut it down… Just a different possible perspective on it.
I’m afraid to take that leap to be honest with you. I’m not wanting to tackle the logistics of that; another truck, more equipment, more insurances, a place to store another truck, more aggressive advertising campaigns to help try to earn more business to help offset the costs of said expansion of business, etc… All essential to growing the business, but just another venture I’m not interested in taking right now. If come November I don’t have a single client on the books I’m okay with it - I have plenty of options for overtime at my Town job. But, if I have a helper we’d have to figure out whether they would be just seasonal, as-needed, year-round, etc.
I was thinking you bring them on with the eye towards that November date, when you quit and just book the work for them. Maybe you setup a “work to own” agreement where you get some value out of what you’ve built, and gradually get out like you said (if that’s what you still want to do). But it does require a comfort level, and it is weightly being responsible for other people’s income.
