New Equipment?

[klndry]

Hi

I am new to the business. Not new to running a business. I have always believed in getting a good price for my work or products without burning anyone.

My problem right now is suppliers. Since I live 1000 miles from the nearest supplier and I am having the equipment shipped to me, I would really like to know:

What do you recommend for a porty?
What do you recommend for a wand?
Does green really work?
Is anyone using any of the duct cleaning equipment and if so which one?

I do like the idea of portables right now, and may move to TM later, but the initial investment of 40 grand is a little much. Build a business first then get the top of the line equipment is my motto. Good honest marketing and quality work builds a business fast.

Thanks for taking the time.

 

[Chris A]

What do you recommend for a porty? Couldn't Tell ya.
What do you recommend for a wand? I like both the Titanium, and Greenhorn, but both will be a lot of flow on most portables
Does green really work? I use Masteblend SoapFree for a pre-spray and rinse, and it works great. Again, I use a TM.
Is anyone using any of the duct cleaning equipment and if so which one? No
quote]

Welcome, you'll find a lot of good information from this board, especially about products. However, beware when someone says something is the "Best Ever", because it's usually a fad and only lasts a week.

 

[John LaBarbera]

This is where trade shows come in handy. At such shows you can compare different products to see what is best for you. Connections is coming up but not until September and that may be too late for you. It may be worthwhile to take a little trip and visit different dist. to see what they have and actually run a unit before purchasing. There are a number of decent portables and rotary machines to choose from. The internet is helpful also to do armchair shopping as you are.

 

[TimP]

Hi

I am new to the business. Not new to running a business. I have always believed in getting a good price for my work or products without burning anyone.

My problem right now is suppliers. Since I live 1000 miles from the nearest supplier and I am having the equipment shipped to me, I would really like to know:

What do you recommend for a porty?
I would have to say the mytee porty.
What do you recommend for a wand?
I'd have to say a 12" greenhorn from greenglides with a hole or hybrid glide, for a porty at least. TM I'd go with a 14" greenhorn or look into a Prochem TI wand for the long run.
Does green really work?
depends on your definition of green, many green chems aren't that different from regular ones, usually they leave out some things that aren't supposedly as good for the environment etc, but add in something else to make up for it that is defined as green but nothing is really that green
Is anyone using any of the duct cleaning equipment and if so which one?
If you want in duct cleaning prepare to spend as much on a duct machine as you would a TM, rotobrush is just cleaning the ends of the vents and returns I think. To really clean a duct you need a TON of air movement. A TM or anything smaller just don't do it. Bridgepoint has something called ram air and it's the best there is for not really doing it exactly right as far as I can tell. Also many states require you to have a HVAC license to do it too.

I do like the idea of portables right now, and may move to TM later, but the initial investment of 40 grand is a little much. Build a business first then get the top of the line equipment is my motto. Good honest marketing and quality work builds a business fast.
You can always buy a used TM to start you can get something decent for 20-30 grand also if you buy a used Van you can get a new Judson or something similar for around 15 grand and be well under 30 grand with both and have a new machine. A machine will far out last a truck, plus with a slide in you can put it in a nicer van once you can afford one.

Thanks for taking the time.

 

[FloorPizza]

Or you could get a brand new Judson in a 1997 Dodge van with only 35k miles on it for $21,500. Whodathunkit?

 

[klndry]

Hi again.

Thanks for your answers.

The other issues I could have with truck mounts are this. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Water supply. I am on a well outside of the city. The water is good but in dog days of summer there may not be enough in the well. If I use over 100 gallons in a day, I am screwed.

I am on a septic system. Dumping that much grey water into my system would destroy my field in no time.

Also, I live in an area with 5 - 6 months of good winter. So I would need a heated garage. Don't own one. I would have iether treat all of the lines every evening, heat the inside of the van, or get a heated garage or pick up my porty nd put it inside the house.

That leaves me with the option of renting a space. Yuck

Thanks again

Kevin

 

[Farenheit251]

You said "good honest marketing and hard work builds a business fast". Even for those who succeed in this business most of us had to starve for a couple years first while building a customer base. Advertising will accelerate things but in most cases the profit you make is going to pay for the advertising, so you are just buying a customer base.
I look at it like you are buying a business only difference is you are paying in struggles instead of cash.

 

[klndry]

There is a reason that I know that business this will work. The same reason I laid down my money to join this site and it is a good deal. First of all, people don't like to clean their carpets and I like to do physical work.

People don't like to do work when they can be free on the weekend to go somewhere or do something else. They also don't like machinery or other labour. They don't want to learn how either.

But to get to these people you need to do things differently. My experience in the selling advertising and the sign industry has taught me what is real value. Real value is meeting with people and developing relationships. Good strong bonds. Not everyone is just out for a buck. So networking works. I know it works. Also using people I know and who trust me to get what they want done the way they want it done and for a price that doesn't put them in the poorhouse.

That is the way we will start. After that we will see if we require a large phone book ad. It may take me longer, but I am not afraid. I am building a business. If I am hungry, food will come. If I am thirsty, there is water. If I am broke money will be in my pocket. I know that. You just have to really believe, be honest and work hard. Face adversity head on whatever it is. Make the best deal you can and carry on.

 

[mean_gene3298]

Hi, I live in Northern Michigan where I also have to worry about freezing my truckmount. I live out in the country and I heat my home with an oudoor wood boiler. I have my truckmount/ tank/ chems etc. in an insulated enclosed 8x12 trailer that I haul behind a truck. I ran an extra set of water lines from my boiler to my trailer and installed a hydronic heat loop with baseboard heaters in my trailer. I have quick connect hoses and an electrical cord that stick out of ports that I made in the side of the trailer. When I leave to do a job, I just disconnect the hoses and cord, pull them inside the trailer, cover the ports and take off. Hook back up when I return. It is all thermostat controlled and works really well. I keep my trailer at 70 degrees regardless of the outside temperature. The whole heating system cost about $400 (not counting the boiler of course, I already had that to heat my house- $8000) but the alternative was electric heaters that were costing me $100 per month extra on my electric bill. I don't know how you could heat a van without a heated garage.

Thanks for your answers.

The other issues I could have with truck mounts are this. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Water supply. I am on a well outside of the city. The water is good but in dog days of summer there may not be enough in the well. If I use over 100 gallons in a day, I am screwed.

I am on a septic system. Dumping that much grey water into my system would destroy my field in no time.

Also, I live in an area with 5 - 6 months of good winter. So I would need a heated garage. Don't own one. I would have iether treat all of the lines every evening, heat the inside of the van, or get a heated garage or pick up my porty nd put it inside the house.

That leaves me with the option of renting a space. Yuck

Thanks again

Kevin[/quote]

 

[CleanFreak.com]

What do you recommend for a porty?
We have had great success with this 200 PSI adjustable pump portable extractor;


Does green really work?
Green cleaning does work, but it is usually going to be more labor intensive, more chemicals used, and more expensive. So make sure you're charging accordingly.

I do like the idea of portables right now, and may move to TM later, but the initial investment of 40 grand is a little much. Build a business first then get the top of the line equipment is my motto. Good honest marketing and quality work builds a business fast.
We always recommend a portable unit to beginners to make sure they can make a go of it before making that huge investment.

 

[juniorc82]

hey , in regard to what equipment I would recomend a 500 psi recoil cross american portable. It is the best portable hands down. because it doesnt have a heater I would recomend the mytee in line 2400 watt heater box. you willl be able to run longer hose legnths with this machine and recover more water than most other portables, plus it has a 16 gallon fresh water tank and a 15 gallon recovery giving you more time in between refill and dump. you will also need a couple air movers and a 175 rpm floor scrubber with some floor bonnets and a nylon brush . you will have a good starter package with what I said above for around 4 thousand american dollars.