Brushing these vinyl buildings, whether with a brush or applicator pad, is going to lead to problems. I strongly advise against it, could very easily put you out of business.
Can you elaborate, Micah?
I would be worried about the siding being oxidized and you leaving brush marks on it.
Trae is right. Brushing vinyl siding will remove some of the oxidation from the vinyl. Unless you are completely brushing every single square inch of the siding you will notice brush marks once everything is dry. Very irritating to fix this - but it’s easy to prevent, using proper washing methods.
Sometimes, just because it may be possible, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.
This is hilarious. If the back pack sprayer gets to heavy try water balloons . Sorry. Couldn’t resist. This is what keeps me in business.
I see. Assumptions have been made that the siding has, in fact, been oxidized. An equal number of assumptions made of inconsistent results and no inquiry as to what, if any, adjustments have been made to mitigate them - just more assumptions that brush marks have been left there to telegraph a total absence of professionalism. I find this unfortunate. As is, “Sometimes, just because it may be possible, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.” What is your purpose in writing this? Somehow, maybe it’s just me because I can be overly sensitive, it just misses the mark of collegial repartee.
The statement that something being possible doesn’t necessarily mean that someone should do something is an elegant precept. It would not be a leap of reasoning, then, to offer that making an assumption doesn’t necessarily make something true, yes?
It is impossible to understand why a person decides to do something and what number of an infinite array causes are at play that provide the motivation to make such a decision. Please, my friend, I invite you not to make the mistake of thinking you know, and attempt to further that thinking by wagging a finger with a degree of moral righteousness to another bloke that is only aiming to build something for himself and his community, and to do so with care and, well, love.
You know, when I started cleaning windows I got this huge gym as my first commercial account. I had a couple of squeegees and an articulating ladder. I was in over my head. I went to the WCR forum, asked questions, revealed my quirky methodologies and got really great input from window cleaners from all over the globe. I got better, got profitable, bought better equipment, got more efficient and a whole lot safer.
My service has value beyond the job being done at someone’s home or business. After all, it just cleaning windows. I show up, do good work, am safe, and most of all, I an kind and make myself easy to have around. Other window cleaners taught me this. It is why I am pretty good at what I do. now.
As the result, I joined the WCRA, and buy 98% of my supplies and equipment from WCR and affiliated businesses. The discounts are cool, to be sure, but it’s that almost everyone stuck their hand out at one point or another and offererd meaningful help or support. I have never experienced anyone telling me to not do something, or outright insult someone for trying and asking. It’s why I ended up here. I gotta tell you, most - not all - here seem interested in burying someone that is aiming move their business in a direction to be a peer of theirs.
I gotta ask, why would I join the PWRA? The discounts? If so, then the value of this forum is virtually nil.
I think every forum attracts people of all types. I admire someone with drive and determination striving to provide a quality service regardless if they are doing it with a garden hose or they own 3 trucks with multiple pressure washers. I have gained a wealth of knowledge since I have been here. I also have scratched my head a few times at some of the responses people have given. Some are neither helpful or constructive criticism.
I felt bad earlier in the thread with the way some of the people treated you. Not everyone on here can afford the same equipment. Telling the guy to buy this and that and ridiculing him because of what he uses for equipment is not the spirit of any Association.
If you really want to help him out, help him get from point A to point B and over time he will have everything he needs to do any job out there.
It appears you have made the assumption that the vinyl is not oxidized. Or, maybe, you didn’t know that oxidized vinyl and brush marks could even be an issue. Either way, it’s a very fair assumption that brushing these buildings will leave the property manager with less then adequate results.
And there’s the problem. You came on to the forum looking for advice but yet you don’t want to take the advice that’s given. Would it be fair for me, or others, to tell you that your less then adequate method would work? No. That would be irresponsible and just mean. This is a professional forum - we promote professional methods. To do this job professionally you’ll need the proper tools.
You asked for advice. Some blew smoke, sang fluffy songs and danced the peace (sammy lewis two step)dance. Others were honest. I hope you go for it. I want most contractors to fail and go under because they offer competition. If you don’t listen to the advice given, you offer me the chance for work.
Fair enough, it would be poor form to suggest or help with a method that consistently gives inconsistent and poor results.
I have done my homework, though, and tried to look at all the factors that I might be encountering and make allowances for them. I looked for oxidation on the surfaces most exposed to sun, rubbed the siding to see if a chalky film was left on my finger. Took a mild abrasive on a hidden surface pretty high and away from the dirt that accumulates close to the ground and cleaned a spot to see. The buildings are not that old, and they have been cleaned - by a contractor that put holes in another property by blasting the bejesus out of it - that siding was old, chalky, and brittle. So, there is no oxidation to speak of and the surfaces that are the most visible are gleaming after they dry.
When I started cleaning I looked at the the solution and looked to see if it was clinging, that is when I started to agitate with a brush. Just for agitation mostly to get the solution to foam and cling a bit longer. This did the trick. My solution is 7 ounces 12.5 and 5 ounces Elemonator for every five gallons water. I have found that the most trouble I am having is with the rinse - one of the units has poor water pressure. I ended up on ladders to get close enough so the weight of the water could do it’s thing. I am finding that the rinse is as important, maybe even more so, than the application of the cleaning solution, provided that the solution is applied in a uniform manner.
What I am trying to say is that I do think about what I am doing, and think a lot. This isn’t elegant, but the results, so far, are spectacular. As time goes I will get better equipment that will speed my process up significantly. Better yet, I will know what I have to do with this equipment when I get it.
wow
I’m unsure why this is even a discussion. You stated that your window cleaning company was doing reasonably well. How do you not have the money to do this job?
- $50/day will get you a rental machine with 50 feet of hose and a gun.
- Buy an injector for $20 bucks and you have to pay for your chems anyway.
-Order 4 of the correct tips for your rental machine for another $20 and you are in business
This method will be 20 times faster. Not ideal but much much faster than using a pole.
If you can’t afford $50 a day till you get paid, then I am not sure your window cleaning business is going all that well.
It was, I injured myself and was not able to work from early November until New Years. It is slow and the amount of work I have been doing has paid my bills, but nothing extra. So, you’re probably right, it isn’t going great right now, but I am picking up again.
This is going to be remedied this week, most likely. I have a good 5 gpm 3500 psi industrial unit that I can use to complete the job I am on, then I will rent one for the next two complexes, then buy a new one before I start the fourth. I have an x-jet coming in Tuesday likely going to buy hose by Wednesday. Have to get a hitch and a hitch carrier to transport it. I use a Jeep Cherokee, so there isn’t a good way to carry it, even though it fits - the floor is high off the ground and the muffler will be next to something that will melt no matter what direction I put it in.
I’ll continue to plug away with a pole until this stuff comes together.
Ah, the hazards of self employment. Well my first advice to you then would be to get some decent life insurance and disability insurance to protect yourself and your family. I used to always skip personal insurance when I was single, but now with a family it’s not something you can skip.
You should be good when the rest of the stuff comes in. I’m sure you have done your due diligence on the boards and I think you will find everyone more willing to help since you are trying to acquire some real equipment.
You definitely have guts trying to clean a complex with a water fed pole. It's not something I would have ever attempted due to many of the reasons listed earlier in the thread. It can only get easier at this point. Good luck the rest of the way.
