Getting setup - any adive appreciated

[Sean K]

Aloha,

So I'm working with John Olson in set-up for our new general/carpet cleaning business, which will run alongside our mobile auto detailing business.

I've been sifting through the forums, and the deeper I get, the more unsure I am about which tools to get. The options are unexpectedly complex to say the least. So I figure I'll present my small set-up to you guys and let you rip it apart or recommend others.

First, I will not have a truck mount as of right now. I'd like to get this off the ground before I make that investment. Also here in Hawaii, we have a lot of condos and high-rise apt buildings which would limit the access to a truck mount. So right now, I'll be sticking to portables (i know, I know).

As of now, this is what I'm considering purchasing:

Rotovac 360i
LTD3 Speedster® Limited Carpet Extractor
Sapphire Pro or Hydro-Kinetic Upholstery Tool (which do you recommend)
30" single get PMF stair tool

Any recommendations or additions to make this a more complete set-up would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to this particular service and inexperienced with the tools of the trade. Money isn't too much of an issue at this point, but I would like to keep costs under control.

Thanks again for any advice!

 

[FLYERMAN]

I can't speak to the portable but I use a Hydro Kinetic upholstery tool and would buy another is a heartbeat. Mine is around ten years old and is the only hand tool purchase I have never regretted. The stair tool I use is a 40" PMF Dual Jet so you're close enough there. Good luck.

 

[Mikey P]

Sell your goats, cars, Iraqi dinars, comic book collection or what ever it takes to get a real Truckmount.

Portables are a time wasting joke of a way to start off a business.

 

[jcooper]

Also here in Hawaii, we have a lot of condos and high-rise apt buildings which would limit the access to a truck mount.

So, don't market to them!

Your the guy for the big fancy houses!!!

 

[Sean K]

I'm doing research on TM's as well. But by having just a TM, I'd be closing myself off to a huge market, especially out here. Unless I'm missing something, and there's a way to access the TM on the 27th story of an apt building. To put this another way, of the 953,00 people on Oahu, almost 400,000 (if not more; numbers by doing a quick google search) live in apartments/condos inaccessible to TMs. These are also the places that tend to have higher tenant turnovers rates. Ignoring this market in favor of a TM would be a mistake in my inexperienced opinion. My own townhouse in Makakilo is inaccessible to a TM actually, unless someone is willing to run near 150ft of hose into my place.

Also, I hear so many different opinions. Just from the research I've done in the past 2 weeks, I've come across dozens of claims/opinions that portables are crap, and dozens that claim they've come so far as to be worth the investment. Even though the consensus agrees that the TM is more powerful and therefore better, it's just not possible to reach many of the residences in Honolulu.

Anyways, what are your recs on TMs? Direct drives or slide ins? I was looking at HydraMasters, but again I'm pretty clueless when it comes to reputable equipment in this industry.

Thanks again!

 

[Mikey P]

I missed the Oahu part of the picture.

You can do an excellent job with a portable, no doubt about it.

Ask Willy P here for advice on what unit to get.

I'd trust his opinion 100%.

I ran a portable and a old style Rotovac back in 2002 just long enough to figure out how poorly the combo worked. 15 gallons out, 5 back in..

And after seeing how the HOSS and Trex worked with the Mytee ETM yesterday I can say things have not improved much.
Even with a four vacuum system.
So plan on lugging in a 175 floor machine to pre scrub the bad areas.
Overwetting is a mistake a new company can't not afford to make. .

 

[Jim Williams]

I would stick to the porty for now. Especially in your market. If at all possible get what you can pay cash for. Going in debt to start this business is asking for trouble. The first three years can be brutal financially so hang on to your detailing business income for awhile.

I break out my porty on condos sometimes and it cleans just fine. A good prespray and rinse will make up for the lower heat and can make you lots of happy customers.

The Rotovac does tend to put down tons of water, so use very low water pressure with that baby. When I had one I only used 250 psi max with a big bad TM to keep from over wetting.

Good luck!

 

[carpetcleaner]

I dont know much about portables, but I would only use the Rotovac with a portable that is auto fill/dump. For the first 1-2 years, I used a portable and the original Rotovac - spent too much time filling and dumping.

I was TM HWE just about 100% of the time with a rotary extractor on the heavily soiled ones, then I bought a BrushPro. I use it on every job - sometimes as a stand alone method or followed with my TM on heavily soiled or urine jobs. You might wanted to look into a CRB machine instead of the Rotovac. I have been thinking about getting rid of my TM and getting a portable, the BrushPro has been working so well for me that I don't need a TM on 95% of the cleaning that I do.

 

[Dolly Llama]

A

As of now, this is what I'm considering purchasing:

Rotovac 360i
LTD3 Speedster® Limited Carpet Extractor
Sapphire Pro or Hydro-Kinetic Upholstery Tool (which do you recommend)
30" single get PMF stair tool

Any recommendations or additions to make this a more complete set-up would be greatly appreciated

Thanks again for any advice!

add some airmovers to your tool box to accelerate drying

Few guys here have more "real world" veteran experience using Portys than Willy.
he's the "go to" guy as far as I'm concerned .
all i can suggest is find the breaker box on every job before you start...cause you WILL blow breakers at times


you need a 175rpm rotary scrubber , not the 360i
A rotary is far more versatile .
it can be used to pre-scrub (nothing is better at shearing soil from the fiber l than a heavy roto)
It can also be used for bonnet cleaning maintenance and scrub 'n run encRap

upl tools...it's a matter of personal choice , but as far as I'm concerned, there is no better upl tool that the PMF internal jet tool


stair tools are somewhat a personal thing as well.
I personally don't care for long length stair tools (I'll use a wand instead) and follow-up detail when needed with a smaller length tool like a Prochem 18-20" or similar

I know Olson is a believer in Prochem ..i am too, so I'm reasonably sure he'll agree that Prochem chems are a wise choice.
Overall i don't think there is a chem line better than Prochem ..mainstays are Ultrapac, Dry Slurry and Powerburst (PB for the rat nasties)
There is nothing those three products can't handle with regards to cleaning synthetic carpets .
all you need to go with the above chems is a handful of specialty spotters and a bar of Fels Naptha



..L.T.A.

 

[Russ T.]

Hydro force sprayer for prespray, works fine on a portable and beats the heck out of a pump sprayer...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Rotovac]

Aloha,

So I'm working with John Olson in set-up for our new general/carpet cleaning business, which will run alongside our mobile auto detailing business.

I've been sifting through the forums, and the deeper I get, the more unsure I am about which tools to get. The options are unexpectedly complex to say the least. So I figure I'll present my small set-up to you guys and let you rip it apart or recommend others.

First, I will not have a truck mount as of right now. I'd like to get this off the ground before I make that investment. Also here in Hawaii, we have a lot of condos and high-rise apt buildings which would limit the access to a truck mount. So right now, I'll be sticking to portables (i know, I know).

As of now, this is what I'm considering purchasing:

Rotovac 360i
LTD3 Speedster® Limited Carpet Extractor
Sapphire Pro or Hydro-Kinetic Upholstery Tool (which do you recommend)
30" single get PMF stair tool

Any recommendations or additions to make this a more complete set-up would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to this particular service and inexperienced with the tools of the trade. Money isn't too much of an issue at this point, but I would like to keep costs under control.

Thanks again for any advice!

Your on the right track with the 360i. Cliff Monson, the owner of Rotovac, used a 175 rpm scrubber followed by a wand way back in the 70's. The poor results and drudgery of that old style cleaning method was what drove him to come up with the invention of Rotary Jet Extraction. The 360i hooked up to a portable will leave the carpet cleaner and drier than using a scrubber and a wand. Anyone who has experienced otherwise was either using the 360i incorrectly or there was something wrong with the 360i such as a build up of carpet debris clogging the vacuum or a worn out or torn felt vacuum which seal causes a vacuum leak.

 

[John Olson]

add some airmovers to your tool box to accelerate drying

Few guys here have more "real world" veteran experience using Portys than Willy.
he's the "go to" guy as far as I'm concerned .
all i can suggest is find the breaker box on every job before you start...cause you WILL blow breakers at times


you need a 175rpm rotary scrubber , not the 360i
A rotary is far more versatile .
it can be used to pre-scrub (nothing is better at shearing soil from the fiber l than a heavy roto)
It can also be used for bonnet cleaning maintenance and scrub 'n run encRap

upl tools...it's a matter of personal choice , but as far as I'm concerned, there is no better upl tool that the PMF internal jet tool


stair tools are somewhat a personal thing as well.
I personally don't care for long length stair tools (I'll use a wand instead) and follow-up detail when needed with a smaller length tool like a Prochem 18-20" or similar

I know Olson is a believer in Prochem ..i am too, so I'm reasonably sure he'll agree that Prochem chems are a wise choice.
Overall i don't think there is a chem line better than Prochem ..mainstays are Ultrapac, Dry Slurry and Powerburst (PB for the rat nasties)
There is nothing those three products can't handle with regards to cleaning synthetic carpets .
all you need to go with the above chems is a handful of specialty spotters and a bar of Fels Naptha



..L.T.A.

Thanks Larry. There are supply issues on Oahu for Prochem chemicals. It is something that is being worked on from what I understand. There is a steady supply of CTI on the island. As for the portable the LTD3 is auto fill and auto pump and the 360i across the board is still the best option that I know with a certainty will do what it says without the user having to tweak or modify. Sean can't just come down to the shop or get immediate help like everyone else. He needs out of the box performance and durability. Why I chose to suggest what I have. Will others have different suggestions sure, do I have other suggestions? Sure but I can 100% stand behind what I have suggested that everything will do what it is supposed to and will deliver quality and consistent performance. This starter package is just that the biggest bang for the money to start with. I'm also going to have him hook up with Nate and when we go back over to service BYU Hawaii I plan on spending an afternoon with Sean.

 

[John Olson]

Hydro force sprayer for prespray, works fine on a portable and beats the heck out of a pump sprayer...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

the problem with using a hydroforce with a portable are 1. Water 2. Rinse agents.
1.with the power of a TM the amount of water a hydroforce puts outs it is a help not a hindrance but with a portable over wetting becomes a big issue using them with a portable. Also it uses a lot of water so it empties the portable fast! With a auto fill it isn't as big a deal.

2. LTD3 with the chemical draw it mixes the chemical in the tank. You can turn it off and on easier then the TM but it is till an issue and an extra step. When you add it all up a pump up is the better option to start then once your making money spend the money on an electric. I'm not a believer in having all the cool guy toys to start. The buisness should pay for those things when it is earning those things..

 

[Willy P]

Hi Sean - feel free to contact me and I'll help you as much as I can. I understand the high rise market quite well and do pretty good servicing it.
Don't do the internal heat thing as in my experience, it gets too hot in the "cabin' and cooks up your other components too fast. If you can do it, buy the Mytee with general pump, You'll thank me for that 5 years down the road as it will still be running strong, although the Cat porty pump is doing pretty good so far and has considerably less amp draw. Dual 3 stage vacs in parallel as the recovery is better. If you go to an inline heater, I recommend the Kleenrite heatrite 2 - 3250 watts. Good strong supply of hot water. You may want to swap out the disc thermostats for higher operating temps. I've got mine at 220 and no problems.Other than thermostats and switches, no grief in nearly 8 years of use. Get a 35 foot hose set up. Again, you'll thank me for that later. Strongest electrical outlets are in the kitchen. Primary cord )with pump and vac) to kitchen counter area, secondary to the stove. If there's an insuite laundry room, there's usually a 20 amp outlet there. Buy a glide. Trim your wand down to a 3 flow total as it increases impact on the fiber and won't overwet. I use a hydroforce, but that works for me. I get 3 to 4 hour dry times in most cases by doing good dry passes. My prime market.... (Shut up Chavez) Learn how to grab that cows udder and squeeze it. There's a lot of milking to be done if you're able to deliver great high rise service. BTW - I think you've made a good choice for a supplier. John's a good guy with your best interests at heart.