Nordic1 ETM fun facts

[Mikey P]

 

[Mikey P]

You can thank me in Vegas Terje...

 

[Mikey P]

When I come out with the Mikey Board line of Truckmounts I'll be sure to paint them blue so they stand out from the crowd.

 

[FB7777]

$11,200 Annual fuel cost at $4 per gallon ????

If you burn 2 gallons / hour, that's $8 per machine hour

Who operates 1,400 hours a year?


I average 800 hours , and burn 1.5 gallons per hour which is $480 Annual fuel cost to run the machine

Besides , doesn't the ETM need the truck to idle to power a generator to allow the thing to be anything mo than a portable bolted in a van?

 

[Becker]

Numbered based on a perfect world for the ETM, and worst case for the standard TM. And I think you mean $4800 Fred.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Besides , doesn't the ETM need the truck to idle to power a generator to allow the thing to be anything mo than a portable bolted in a van?

nah, that was the prototype lectromout at Mikefest that ran off a $5000 inverter that has to be shoehorned into an engine compartment

you only need an 18 HP GAS generator to run the 4-vac ETM
and should be included in the floor space requirements

$11,200 Annual fuel cost at $4 per gallon ????

John may have taken classes at the Yappy Skool of Figgerin'


..l.T.A.

 

[John LaBarbera]

nah, that was the prototype lectromout at Mikefest that ran off a $5000 inverter that has to be shoehorned into an engine compartment

you only need an 18 HP GAS generator to run the 4-vac ETM
and should be included in the floor space requirements



John may have taken classes at the Yappy Skool of Figgerin'


..l.T.A.

I may have figured it wrong. Or may be not. Here's is how I got to that number. Maybe you can explain your way of doing math for the rest of us. Oh that's right, you didn't do any math. Sorry.

6 hours a day X 1.5 gals per hour = 9 gals X $4.00= $36.00 X 6 days per week =$216.00 per week X 52 weeks = $11,232.00


If I use my generator on board my gas consumption is about the same. In most cases the customers power can be used just like you use their water. If we clean a house with out electricity I'm totally self-contained in that I have electric power for my Trex, fans, lights etc.
my entry cost is still less and so is my maintenance. However, it's your money and you can spend it anyway you see fit.

 

[Becker]

I know very few people putting 1800 hrs plus on their machines annually.

Why stop at 6 hrs a day, and 6 days a week.

This sounds better.

Fuel savings of $17,500 per year. 8 hrs a day 7 days a week.

Math is correct, real life avgs are not.

 

[FredC]

hell...add a second shift...save $35000

 

[carpetcleaner]

I put about 100hrs per month on my TM.
I work 5.5 days a week on most weeks, never work on Sundays
Is that more than most owner/operators running a 1 man show?

 

[Able 1]

For me and my Peak I spent less then 7,000 in fuel(including all personal gas used) for 5 years... $2,500 in maintenance per year is way off also(maybe $250)!

 

[John LaBarbera]

I know very few people putting 1800 hrs plus on their machines annually.

Why stop at 6 hrs a day, and 6 days a week.

This sounds better.

Fuel savings of $17,500 per year. 8 hrs a day 7 days a week.

Math is correct, real life avgs are not.

Thanks for the info. We used approx numbers but that is how we arrived at our numbers. I thought that 36 hrs a week was a reasonable number.

Would you agree with the initial cost and maintenance numbers?

 

[John LaBarbera]

For me and my Peak I spent less then 7,000 in fuel(including all personal gas used) for 5 years... $2,500 in maintenance per year is way off also(maybe $250)!

Wow. Interesting, thanks for the input. I thought our numbers were reasonable. I got the maintenance numbers from a tm distributor , maybe I misunderstood. Thanks again.

 

[carpetcleaner]

I do most maintenance and repairs myself. It keeps costs down and I have little to no down time. If I didn't do the work myself, I think the costs would be cost. I need 2 oil changes a month - isn't that close to $100? That is half the estimated cost. Although, most of my maintenance items are not directly related to my TM. It's the little things, QCs, hose, valves on tools, ect.

 

[Mikey P]

Two changes per month ??

I do most maintenance and repairs myself. It keeps costs down and I have little to no down time. If I didn't do the work myself, I think the costs would be cost. I need 2 oil changes a month - isn't that close to $100? That is half the estimated cost. Although, most of my maintenance items are not directly related to my TM. It's the little things, QCs, hose, valves on tools, ect.

 

[carpetcleaner]

Every 50hrs

 

[Mikey P]

1200 a year?

really?


Apartment king?

 

[carpetcleaner]

No apartments, single family residential homes. I usually do 3-4 jobs a day during the week 1-3 jobs on Saturday. Average job is 1.5 machine hours. It averages out to 100hrs a month. It has been that way for the last 10-12 years, I think.

 

[randy]

You can expect a manufactor to have the exact fuel figures for everyone. Besides how would this look in an ad:

Two jobs per week x 1.5 hours each= aprox 6 gallons of gas a week x 18 working weeks a year= 108 gallons per year or $432 annual fuel cost

 

[hogjowl]

Figures lie and ...

The real issue is ... can I clean carpet with that thing the same way I can a real TM? Or am I going to be forced to reduce my expectations and change the way I approach my jobs, change my hourly production expectations or limit the size of or distance to jobs that I can do as a result of reduced performance issues?

Saving money and floor space is fine, but not if it comes with opportunity costs that limits my production ... and thus my bottom line.

The only way I'll REALLY ever know if those lectroweenies can produce is to use one for a day or two, and since that is never going to happen, I am left with having to use common sense to determine their utility.

So, at this point, I must confess that I think EWITS are only attractive to pad cleaners and other functionally and/or economically challenged cleaners.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I may have figured it wrong. Or may be not. Here's is how I got to that number. Maybe you can explain your way of doing math for the rest of us. Oh that's right, you didn't do any math. Sorry.

no need to apologize, John...cause I'm pretty poor at math that's fo-sho .
But DO have uncommonly good common sense when it come to practical matters

here's the reality (and It's no knock on you or any manufacture, I promise)
but the reality is, (and anyone that's run portys for any length of time knows this)...the first thing you do is find the breaker box, cause you're going to blow breakers at times ....it's not an "IF" thing ...it's "when" it happens
That's not big deal in empties, but can be in res and com where the breaker box isn't easily accessed .

Mrs Pfiff doesn't want you in her basement or bed room or closet to flip tripped breakers ...she doesn't want to reset clocks and other elect devises either .
and in some com, you may not even be able to GET to the breaker box, cause no one is there with the key to the control/maintenance rm

so the practical reality is, most will run the genset to avoid those troublesome conditions .
and ALL (with any sense) will at least carry a genset on board ...so when the prospective buyer sees the floor space figures, he shouldn't neglect to include the floor space a lg gentset requires .

The savvy prospective buyer should also add the co$t of a large quality genset when counting beans
Got to heat the water too somehow (it's just more efficient than cleaning with lukewarm water)...add more cost there ..and floor space ..AND fuel costs if they want "hot" water at any sustainable flow


donno about maintenance costs of lectromounts ..never ran one ... but do know a good TM isn't all that expensive to maintain yourself.
and if a BD is mechanical enough to replace a vac motor, or pump head, or elect motor than drives the pump or leaking fitting , he should have no trouble doing same on gas TM ..just add changing oil and greasing blower bearings to mix

If he can't do that, he looses the $ame in downtime and expense of shop labor


I'm not dogging you or your lectromount personally , i promise .
It's just that as "practical" matter, if you want "real" TM performance and not "porty in a van" performance, it requires much more than 3 sf of space, a couple/three 10 ga extension cords , and $6 grand .

til the power/fuel requirements it takes to get "real" TM performance are cracked, the lectromounts will always be a small niche market ...good for back-up units or overflow times ..and start-ups that don't know the realities of all the costs involved .


but again, I'm not very good at mAth and I'm damnsure a poor biz man ...but til the power breach nut is cracked, lectromounts for primary, everyday use don't make much $enSe to me when all the "little" details of "practical" use are added up


naw'mean??


..l.T.A.

 

[Desk Jockey]

The only way I'll REALLY ever know if those lectroweenies can produce is to use one for a day or two, and since that is never going to happen, I am left with having to use common sense to determine their utility.

So, at this point, I must confess that I think EWITS are only attractive to pad cleaners and other functionally and/or economically challenged cleaners.

Marty I cleaned with one for many years, they work and they work well if you use them combined with a propane heater. The only things I grew to dislike was handling the power cords when setting up and tearing down and popping breakers.

Once the unit was setup and running it was difficult to tell what the powering source actually was.

 

[hogjowl]

Marty I cleaned with one for many years, they work and they work well if you use them combined with a propane heater. The only things I grew to dislike was handling the power cords when setting up and tearing down and popping breakers.

Once the unit was setup and running it was difficult to tell what the powering source actually was.

Let me be sure I understand this, Taco. Did you run a "electric truck mount" (I still laugh) or a portable? I have to suspect it was either a portable and that your satisfaction with it's performance was simply because a portable works fine at 10 feet of hose and time has given you the ability to forget the hassles associated with being a POG.

Or, you ran a Bane and if that is the case then you are delusional.

 

[Desk Jockey]

It was a Workmaster unit back in the early 80's when the energy crisis hit, my father bought an electric TM. It was manufactured by Steam Services of Fresno, can remember extacts but it was dual 3-stage lamb blowers with a sutorbuilt PD blower. You could clean several hundred feet and it rivaled a TM for performance and results.

It wasn't the only one out there at the time Steam Genie also offered an electric TM. I actually liked theirs better but I had little input at the time.

Another feature was you could drop some lock in legs and operate it out of a janitors closet for corporate work. It worked great but sometimes the exhaust from the blower was a little funky of the tank had not been cleaned regularly.

I think the thing I hated the worst was popping a breaker and getting yelled at for someone losing their work on their PC.

 

[John LaBarbera]

Figures lie and ...

The real issue is ... can I clean carpet with that thing the same way I can a real TM? Or am I going to be forced to reduce my expectations and change the way I approach my jobs, change my hourly production expectations or limit the size of or distance to jobs that I can do as a result of reduced performance issues?

Saving money and floor space is fine, but not if it comes with opportunity costs that limits my production ... and thus my bottom line.

The only way I'll REALLY ever know if those lectroweenies can produce is to use one for a day or two, and since that is never going to happen, I am left with having to use common sense to determine their utility.

So, at this point, I must confess that I think EWITS are only attractive to pad cleaners and other functionally and/or economically challenged cleaners.

Its easy to criticize a product long distance. Why don't you come to connections and try it out first hand before you kick it in the shins. Not to dog you but you talk like money is no object but youre the first in line for something free. Not that that is a bad thing but a little consistancy would be nice.

The Escape ETM may not be your pig in a poke, but it seems you look for an excuse to insult other cleaners that would find this product helpful.

 

[Desk Jockey]

John don't let him insult you or your machine, he does it to everybody! LOL

 

[steve_64]

i rarely trip a breaker anymore. just plug into the kitchen or bathroom where there is typically a 20 amp breaker and 12 gage wire instead of 15 amp and 14 gage in other rooms. you learn to use what you have.

today i cleaned for the apartment complex that i just picked up. the landlord was amazed, said the other guy never got them to look that good and it was trashed.third complex that i have heard that from andi know the other guys were using gas powered truck mounts. the new lady was also suprised at how fast igot it done so that tells me im at least as efficient time wise. and i never broke a sweat today.

my first job was the guy who owns all the subways around here so im doing high end and apartments with my electric bane. i dont carry a generator but have thought about getting one.

only had one occasion where there was no power so i asked the neighbor if i could use thiers. i left a magnet and told her to call me and id give her a break.

i have two 100 ft 12 gage extension cords but only need one. they are on reels and take about 30 seconds to plug it in and walk to the truck and plug in the other end, and thats if i have to use the whole thing. one has the deal where the female is locked into the side for short runs and the other i wrap the female end down after two or three wraps. it works nice for dropping off balconies too. they wrap up just as fast.

many folks are becoming aware of the issues with using fossil fuels. there is a market for electric and that market is growing more and more all the time. its another tool in marketing also just as saying you have the biggest truck. tit for tat i guess.

 

[Desk Jockey]

The Workmaster took two cords, plus like idiots we also used a 175 in traffic areas. It left it looking amazing but occasionally we popped a breaker when we did spread them good enough.

 

[steve_64]

i have popped breakers its never been a big deal. even had to go get a new fuse once in an old house that wasnt updated. probably lucky i didnt burn it down. i learned from it and just carried on. hek back 25 years ago working for a chem dry i put a buffer through a wall. the owner who had me doing it went and got some plaster and i patched it up. i told him the carpet was to worn but he was greedy. it wrapped up around the pads while in the hallway and wham!

i dont think there is too much we cant overcome if we are determined enough.

ive seen guys in machine shops crash $500,000 machines. things happen. as long as we dont give up we learn and move forward. popping a breaker is nothing. maybe a little embarrising the first few times.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I agree Steve, but when I used the HM Bobcats I didn't have the problem. I grew to despise taking the machine out, I give you had we had the unit today we would need the 175 so we would have few electrical problems.