160,000 sq ft in 5 1/2 hrs

Jim@Garagecleaning

Jim@Garagecleaning

banned
We had a garage to do this weekend and I wanted to see what we can actually clean in an hour from pressure washing. This was only timed from the meter as we pressure washed. I only used 1 hose in the cleaning though our rig can do two surfaces cleaners at the same time. Temp was lowered to 260 degrees at 4200 psi at the surface cleaner. Please note that the reading was not taken at the washer and no temperature was "assumed" by a standard dial meter thermostat. Instead we use a" Flow through In-line temperature and pressure gauge" at the SS quick connect from the surface cleaner at the end of a 200 ft hose.

Granted there is prep time which was not included in the above time. Prep time includes set up, hand scrubbing, rinse down, filtering all Grey water and tear down of dikes and rolling of hoses etc. Oh an lunch and breaks.

Here, I have broke it down for you....

Total time was 18+ hours, plus 1.5 hours traveling time each way ( 3 hours) for a total of 21 hours.



2 hours for lunch and dinner

(6) 15 minutes for breaks.

(2.5) hours for set up ( Filter trailer placement and leveling, dikes, tear down and blockage of drainage pipes, evaluation of water run off walk thru, check oil, hydraulic fluids, hoses, O Rings, safety checks, grease all unions, Pre start safety inspections, Prime main motor, pressure pumps and hydraulics for [15] minutes prior to starting. etc.)

(3) hours for applying detergent hand scrubbing of all parking stalls until detergent emulsifies with the oil and transmission fluids.

(1) hour 40 minutes for rinse down of walls, columns and stalls with fire hose

(1) hour and 45 minutes approx. to tear down. Rolling up (10 combine) 1 1/2 inch 100 ft fire hoses and 4 inch dike hoses, securing filter trailer for transportation, Pressure Wash down of all equipment including the inner tanks, trailer, and surface cleaner, visual check of equipment for leaks or wear items, etc.

If we did not have to worry about Grey water run off, we could of did the total cleaning in just under 12 hours. :eek:
 
Nice work, any pics, the amount of prep and safety checks reminds me of my ammonia plant shutdown days.

questions:

How many men?
The surface cleaner, assuming it was your 36" gas driven, what was the GPM ?

Still looking for the 800CFM vac?
 
Last edited:
We operated the equipment at 5.8 gallons per minute.

We did go after some gum the day before on soft cement rated at 3000 psi. Etching was an issue. We operated the equipment at 295 degrees at 2800 psi. We was able to hit dry steam. (Virtually no run off). However a brand new O Ring blew at the quick connect from the wand and I heard my operator scream from around the corner. The steam just nicked him and went through his clothing slightly ripping his sweat shirt.

The operator usually wears the following:

1) Tee Shirt
1) Flannel Long Sleeve
1) Sweat Shirt
1) Jacket

In this case, since the outside temperature was about 80 degree's at 11:00 am, the operator only worn the top three and not the jacket. If he worn the jacket, he probably wouldn't of got burned.

Fortunately, it was only red. Looked like it hurt, but no 2nd degree.
 
For all of those who ask why we take temperatures at the surface cleaner and not use the reading at the thermostat?

The thermostat is a device that you set for the boiler to shut off when it reaches that temperature. It is not very actuate and is only a approximation of the temperature. Readings could be off by as much as 50+/- degrees. We set ours at 270 degrees and we hit 295. Other times we set it at 200 degrees and only hit 185.

Do not rely or give to anyone the impression that a thermostat will raise your temperature because you went to a bigger thermostat. This is simple NOT TRUE. Your boiler will only get so hot based on your BTU's. THAT IS A FACT ! Just because you upgraded a thermostat dose not make the flame hotter. It only delays the shut off from the flame. If your flame ( when operating in an open gun situation) dose not shut off, then a high temp rating thermostat will do you no good.
 
So you are saying that one guy running a pressure washer cleaned a 160,000 sq.ft. garage with one wand in 5 1/2 hours? Let me see, at 15 cents a foot, that would be 24k in 5 1/2 hours? That is awfully hard for me to believe. I have done a lot of garages, and less you are totally blowing and going, I have never been able to achieve that rate of production, even with two machines running.
 
You need to check his prior threads where he claims to get as much as 20 cents a foot. I was being generous.
 
Well, if you do check out my previous threads, you will see that I post a check for $43,600 for 2 and 1/2 days of work. It showed the days worked on the description. Start Work Friday @ 3:00 Pm till Sunday 10 PM. This was done for a city and went out to bid. We won the bid.

In January 2009, we most likely will raise our rates to 24 cents a foot for new customers with a gas surcharge clause in the contract. I don't want you to think that this is all profit.... Our equipment is state of the art. Our filter trailer cost us over $75,000 to build $30,000 is just for the generator and that was back in 1995. IT ALSO COSTS $5,200 TO RECHARGE THE FILTER AND DISPOSE OF THE CLASS II HAZARDOUS WASTE THAT WE GENERATE IN THE GARAGE CLEANING.

We also are planning to buy a vacuum at a cost of $28,000 able to vac and pump 40 to 80 GPM's at 15 ft of head with 18+ inches of Merc. at 300 ft away.

Our new pressure washing rig costs us over 100 k. Designed to hit 300 degrees for removal of oil. It produces Dry Steam which is much more aggressive over wet steam.

We average $20,00 to $60,000 a weekend when we work. We do not work every weekend, in fact there are 3 or so months out of the year we do not do any work at all, but when we do work, we work very hard and long hours. My guys each get as much as $700 a day. There is no complaining during the job. We work until the job is done and they get paid very well.

Please note that we have very advance equipment designed only for garage cleaning and our customers understand that.

Look it, I only tell all of you this to prove that garage cleaning should demand a premium. It took me almost 20 years to get the pricing up to 17+ cents from 5 cents in 1989. As far as the 20 cent mark, I do believe I said we are trying to break the 20 cent mark. If this contract we are working on dose get signed, then that 20 cent mark will be a reality. If you would like to see my next check, I will show you. HOWEVER, the last time I did that, allot of washers thought I was bragging and " Looking for approval". Apparently no matter what I say or show, Someone will always say "prove it" or when I do " Prove It" then I get someone else saying "he's bragging". I just can't win here.

All I am saying is this .... start asking for higher amounts for garage cleaning. Go, like I did, and meet with your Sanitation Districts and show that you can filter and collect ALL of the run off to EPA requirements. Invite them to view the cleaning process. Take them to lunch.. discuss options. Work the system. If you don't, then you will always just get 2 or 3 cents a foot. If you believe it can't be done, then you are right, but if you believe.... the sky is the limit, well then it is !

I am currently working on 2 contracts in the coming months. They are NOT SIGNED AS OF TODAY. HOWEVER 1 IS FOR 20 CENT A FOOT AT 442,000 SQ. FT. ( THAT'S $88,500) in the south bay, AND THE SECOND ONE IS AT .24 @ 273,000 SQ FT also in the south bay ( THAT'S $65,520) IF I GET THEM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THAT CHECK also? I WILL EMAIL THEM TO YOU, however I will not post them on this site again. I have learned my lesson.
 
We have a 5 man crew minimum and sometimes up to 12-15 men, depending on the times restraints and job wash description.

This is the break down...

1 man on the turbo twister
1 man on the alignment of the 1/2 inch 200 ft hose ( NOT 3/8 )
1 applying detergent and scrubbing of stalls and stains
1 man monitoring the waste water / viewing of any water leakage, breaks in dikes / and monitoring of filter usage.
1 man monitoring the pressure washer temps / moving truck and rig and floating were needed.

When done, the scrubber switches jobs to rinsing with a 1 1/2 inch fire hose. The floater will help in dragging the 100 to 200 ft hose for rinse down.

So do we use only 1 guy.... NOT POSSIBLE ! When two surface cleaners are running, double the guys and add 1 to 3 men.
 
Jim, do you have to do any modifications to the Turbo Twister?

It looks like a good machine, how long do they last you with the work you do?

Do you think that a 5.5gpm 3000psi or a 8gpm 3000psi would work with the Turbo Twister and be able to walk at a good pace or would you need to walk slow?
 
Jim---I think it is awesome, and I don't even do garage cleaning (or pressurewashing for that matter). I love seeing big #'s----it should inspire everyone, but sometimes will just create jealousy and negativity.

I too would like to see proof of your timeframes/recievables.....and I only say I would like to see "Proof" because I trust you exactly as much as I trust anyone else I meet online, in another state, that hasn't been "vouched for" by someone I know.

I'd love to see you prove this stuff because, a) you'd get serious respect and b) it should serve to give others hope that they too can move up the pressurewashing ladder to greater things.

How to prove? Simple---have a long-term, proven member of this site give a verification. I have no idea where you are in Cali, but I can think of a handful of guys I'd trust to verify your claims.

..Why should you do this?!?! You have nothing to prove, right?? What do you care if anyone believes you on an online forum.....checks cash just the same, correct?? I agree with you. For that reason, I never post anything financial about how much I charged for this or that, etc. because I don't want to be challenged. I could care less if anyone believes me. But you've *obviously* made some big claims that others are having trouble swallowing (I don't know, have no clue about #'s for biz like yours).

I've enjoyed reading what you've posted about your rigs, etc.....far bigger/better than anything I've ever seen, and you educated at the very least myself about a different side of this biz. Take it a step further and prove the numbers.....like I said, it gives a guy hope to see stuff like that!
 
I just find it hard to believe. There are differences in every operation, and I think that we can all learn a lot from each other. I would love to see your equipment, because I think that there would be something that I could use to make my operation better. If you are getting that kind of money for your work, more power to you. You are definitely in a different market than I am.
 
why bother?

How to prove? Simple---have a long-term, proven member of this site give a verification. I have no idea where you are in Cali, but I can think of a handful of guys I'd trust to verify your claims.[/QUOTE





Why bother ? People are here sharing their business models with people they don't even know ...sharing their most inner secrets with us sharing knowledge they don't have to. I learn a lot from these people it doesn't cost me anything to learn from their ideas. If and when I start challenging what they say... why would anyone share anything. maybe we should do complete background checks on people here to satisfy the curiosity of a few.......

Instead of challenging Maybe we should say........... Thank You to people like Jim and especially Ron for their knowledge
Click to expand...
 
dollarspa said:
How to prove? Simple---have a long-term, proven member of this site give a verification. I have no idea where you are in Cali, but I can think of a handful of guys I'd trust to verify your claims.[/QUOTE





Why bother ? People are here sharing their business models with people they don't even know ...sharing their most inner secrets with us sharing knowledge they don't have to. I learn a lot from these people it doesn't cost me anything to learn from their ideas. If and when I start challenging what they say... why would anyone share anything. maybe we should do complete background checks on people here to satisfy the curiosity of a few.......

Instead of challenging Maybe we should say........... Thank You to people like Jim and especially Ron for their knowledge
Click to expand...



Very well said! I was about to type something very similar.

It is great that people like Jim come here and try to help teach us how he does things, other ways to do a job and how much his business has evolved from something that is like what a lot of us are at right now.

I don't care about proving anything. He has shown us a lot with the equipment, how he does things and a lot more.

There have been others that came here and people did not want to listen, accuse them of lying, no way it can be done, etc...... and then they realize that they are wasting their time and leave.

When someone does a great job, big job, got new equipment, etc.... they are happy and want to talk about it with us and help motivate us so we can all do better.

Instead of demanding that he prove this or that, we should all tell Jim thanks for sharing a lot of knowledge and experience with us when he did not have to and could have just stood at the sidelines and kept to himself.

In my opinion he does not have to prove anything to anybody. If you do not believe him, drive or fly to where he is and see for yourself (after calling and making sure that it is ok first) then you will have your answer.

Is this disbelief because he is new to the board or because he is successful?

I do not hear anyone question Ron about all the work he has with all the shopping centers, I believe him.

I Believe Russ about that huge job that he finally got after working on it for 2 years, nobody is questioning him.

I do not hear anyone questioning Scott about all the fleets and work he does but I belive him and have talked to him in the past, he is a great person.

I do not hear anyone questioning the hood guys about all the contracts they have or how many trucks they have on the road.

Just because you do not see something does not mean that is is not there or not true.

Ok, I am done ranting. Sorry this was so long but I felt it had to be said.

Thanks Jim.
Click to expand...
 
You are correct, all the skin has re-grown on my right hand.

I might have some nerve and tendon damage but too early to tell.

If i use my hand too much, it starts to hurt and feel hot, not as hot when I burned it but hot.

On the top of my hand is where you see the skin taking forever to start to look normal, on the bottom of my hand is where it is hard to tell the new skin from the old skin.

The Plastic Surgeon said that I healed quick. Just wish I had all 100% use of my hand already, still have a lot of projects left to do but need both hands.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top