Add-On Pressure Washing for Better Growth & Higher
Profit
By Drue Ann
Hargis-Ramirez, Write Right Enterprises
Whether
your company offers janitorial or housekeeping services, or even carpet or
window cleaning services, adding on pressure washing may help you achieve
better growth and higher profits. Need convincing?
Dan
Cosgrove, owner of Welcome Building Maintenance, in
Although
Dan’s core business is still janitorial, pressure washing now accounts for 25
percent of his profit and enabled him to eliminate housekeeping a few years
ago. Moreover, adding on pressure washing has kept his business growing and
diversifying. “I do a lot of work at a retirement community, and last year I
got a contract to clean gutters for 700 residential units.” Dan uses light
pressure washing for the gutters and has now been asked to clean the dryer
vents too. “I wouldn’t have gotten the contract,” he acknowledges, “if I hadn’t
expanded into pressure washing.” Dan now employs 60 full- and part-time
employees.
Need
to know more? Thomas McCord, owner of McCord’s Carpet Cleaning in Easley, South
Carolina, added on pressure washing to his carpet cleaning business three years
ago. “Just by saying we offer pressure washing, I get more work.” He also notes
he’s not had to make one sales call to promote his pressure washing; he’s simply
used his existing customer base. He employs two full-time employees and owns
three vans; two dedicated for carpet cleaning and the third houses his pressure
washing equipment. Although his business currently comprises 60 percent
commercial and 40 percent residential, because of his success adding on
pressure washing, he expects to hire a full-time pressure washing employee this
year.
David
Ortiz, owner of Olympique Expert Building Care in
Now
that you’re convinced, who better to help than Delco Cleaning Systems of Ft.
Worth (www.dcs1.com), the nation’s leading
manufacturer and distributor of mobile power pressure washers and wastewater
reclamation systems, and its president, Robert Hinderliter, founder and current
Environmental Chairman of the Power Washers of North America (www.pwna.org) and a 32-year industry veteran.
Delco carries every piece of equipment and tool you’ll need. And he and his
staff are ready to help your company grow.
Getting
Started - Choosing a Pressure Washing Unit
The
first piece of equipment you’ll need is a pressure washing unit. To pick the
right pressure washer for your company, you need to determine beforehand what
type and size of pressure washer will fulfill your anticipated needs. To do so,
consider: 1) what surface you will be cleaning; 2) where you will be cleaning;
and 3) how frequently you will be using the equipment.
“Do
your research,” Thomas McCord advocates, “and get good equipment. Don’t worry
about spending $1,000 [or more] on a piece of equipment, you won’t notice [in
the long haul]. But if you buy the cheaper equipment, you’ll notice it right
away.”
There
are cold- and hot-water units, and the pump is driven by a gasoline, diesel or
electric motor. “The pump pulls in low pressure water and puts out high
pressure water," explains Robert. "Gasoline engines are the most
popular because of the amount of power for the price, but diesel engines give
the longest life and use the least amount of fuel."
David
Ortiz’s first machine was a cold-water unit with 2,000 pounds per square inch
(PSI), but he quickly learned it was inadequate for concrete cleaning. He bought
his next unit from Delco, a RK-21 hot-water machine with 5 gallons per minute
(GPM) at 3,000 PSI.
Buying
a hot-water pressure washer, which allows for either cold or hot water, will
get the job done faster and more efficiently, and the hot water may prevent the
need to apply cleaning detergents. Ronda McCarty, who with her husband Walt
owns Patriot Pressure Wash & Striping in
Delco’s
most popular pressure washing unit is the RK-41 because its maintenance
friendly and can do any kind of work. The RK-41 has 3,000 PSI and 4.8 GPM. It
also comes with easy drain tubes for oil changes. For optimal performance,
change the oil every 25 hours of operation or weekly. Delco also offers the
RK-41 single and double axle trailer wash rigs with a 225 and 500 gallon water
tanks (see pages 4 & 5 of this issue of the Delco Wats Blaster.)
Thomas
McCord’s first pressure washer was a Delco RK-43 (see page 2 of this issue). He
went to Delco because they offered the most options as well as a unit with an
18 horsepower (HP) engine. “Most carpet cleaning machines run off this size
engine, so if anything should happen, although it hasn’t yet, I already have
spare parts and spare engines.” He says if he could do it all over again he’d
still buy the same pressure washing unit from Delco. “When I saw it for the
first time off the truck, you could see the quality and thought behind [it]; the
layout was built to service the equipment.”
For
a listing and more information on the pressure washers offered by Delco, visit
Delco’s website at http://www.dcs1.com/del/delpg7/index.html
.
Other Equipment Needed for
the Job, Startup Costs & Pricing
Once
you have chosen which pressure washing unit you want, how much should you spend
and what other equipment will you need? “There's a wide range of prices for the
types of equipment out there,” David Ortiz says. “I would spend somewhere in
the middle of the road.”
The
following equipment will get you started with an estimated initial investment
under $6,500.00: 1) a RK-41 4.8 GPM, 3,000 PSI hot-water pressure machine with
a 50 ft pressure hose and wand (see page 2); 2) a CC8324D surface cleaner (see
page 19); 3) a 24-foot extension wand for higher work (see page 6); 4) 50
pounds of R-109 heavy-duty degreaser for washing of almost all surfaces from
vehicles to flat work (see page 23); 5) 100 feet of extra pressure hose (see
page 7); 6) a hose-reel to protect your hose in transportation and save time on
the job (see page 8), and 7) a turbo zero-degree rotating nozzle to prevent
streak marks (see page 11).
David
Ortiz believes a surface cleaner is a must-have piece of equipment to clean
hardscape or flatwork such as concrete walkways. "You need both (the wand
and the surface cleaner), but you will do a better and more efficient job if
you start with the surface cleaner and finish with the wand. You are rinsing
with the wand and approaching any deep stains such as gum that the surface
cleaner didn't remove." Delco’s Model CC8300 Series Concrete Cleaner
cleans up to three and one-half times faster than a wand and offers 2,000
rotations per minute (RPMs). Delco is also currently testing a newly designed
concrete cleaner with a fold-down handle for easier storage.
Most
importantly maintain your equipment to manufacturer specifications and keep
what you need in stock. “We have seven trucks on the road and every truck has
its own tool box,” says Kenny Cohn, who owns Kevco Building Services, a window
cleaning and pressure washing company in
Once
you’ve made your investment, you’ll want to start marketing your expanded
services, but how much should you charge for your services? Robert says you'll
break even around $45 per hour, but average hourly rates range between $65-$75,
less for cold-water pressure washing and more for vertical work. For a power washing pricing guide go to http://www.dcs1.com/del/pricing.html.
“Don’t
sell yourself out,” emphasizes Thomas. “Don’t go into the industry and be so
desperate for work that you low ball the jobs. You’ll end up doing yourself an
injustice.” In other words, if you charge appropriately, you’ll ensure
continued productivity and profit. If you are not losing at least 20% of your
bids, Robert notes, your prices are too low!
Wands and Nozzles
Wands
are attached to the pressure hose with a gun, the trigger of which starts the flow
of water, and the other end of the wand is fitted with different size tips or
nozzles to provide different spray patterns. Spray patterns range from 0 to 65
degrees. A zero-degree nozzle provides a concentrated stream, which blasts or
gouges away stains. It can also put a hole in your foot if used improperly
without the right footgear. A 15-degree nozzle acts like a scraper, a 25-degree
nozzle sweeps away dirt, and a 40-degree
nozzle washes large surface areas quickly. "The common size for flatwork
to clean grease is 25 degree because it fits most peoples natural wash
pattern," Robert explains, "but if taught how to use it, the 40
degree works more efficiently. Use it like a broom and keep the tip equal
distance from the surface."
"Every
tip has its application and knowing what tips to use for the application is the
first step," says David Ortiz. "The best place for this information
is the manufacturer and other contract cleaners. Rely on the manufacturer for
training on the equipment." To assist its customers, Delco furnishes a two-hour operations and
maintenance DVD with the RK-40 series of pressure washers.
There
are variable pressure wands or dual-lance wands (see page 6) and standard wands
or straight-through wands (see page 7). The variable pressure wand allows you
to adjust the pressure without changing tips. A variable pressure wand has two
nozzles at the end - one nozzle is the low pressure side (usually a 65-degree
nozzle); the other is the high pressure side (usually a 25-degree nozzle). If you
completely close off the low pressure side, you will get high pressure. The
variable pressure wand is twice as heavy as the standard wand and twice as
expensive if bought individually. When is one better than the other? It depends
on the use. For example, wood can easily fur or feather if too much pressure is
used, so Robert says a variable pressure wand works best on wood decks.
"Test the pressure on the bottom side of the deck to determine how much
pressure you need."
Robert
uses a separate nozzle for every wand. “So I'm swinging the lightest wand
possible," he explains. He also taps the pipe so he can screw the nozzle
directly into the wand without the use of quick couplers, which add weight to
the end of the wand. Instead he adds a quick coupler to the gun so the wands
can be switched easily and the weight is closer to his body rather than out
front draining his strength. For wands and couplers, see pages 6-7 & 9 of this issue of the Delco Wats Blaster.
And
don't toss worn out tips, Ronda McCarty recommends; they can still be used for your pump-up sprayers.
Chemicals and Detergents:
Application and Safety
“Chemicals
are cheaper than labor,” Robert points out. Kenny Cohn agrees. “The more work
you can do from the ground with the chemicals doing 90 percent of the work the
better.” This increases your productivity and safety, according to Kenny, and
means more profit. He says not to worry about the cost of a tool; focus on its
productivity and efficiency.
Although
some pressure washers will use a variable pressure wand for use of a chemical
injector, Robert doesn't. “I use a roll-over nozzle or double nozzle head (see
page 12), like a quick coupler at the end of the wand that holds two nozzles,
high and low pressure. Only one nozzle can run at a time so this is different
from a variable pressure wand. It only selects high or low pressure, not
variable pressure. This is all that is needed for the use of a chemical
injector.”
Amazingly,
Thomas says, the work--carpet cleaning versus pressure washing--is quite
similar and the same theories of cleaning apply. “If you have heat, you can use
[fewer] chemicals. If you apply chemicals with a brush [agitation], then it
doesn’t need to sit as long. These principals in carpet cleaning cross into
pressure washing the same.”
Ronda
McCarty recommends R-109 (see page 23) as a good general detergent, noting that
it can be injected into the water stream before you pump. “V-505 and DNB-1430”,
she says, “are good but more caustic for heavier duty cleaning like trucks and flat
work. R-202 is good for concrete cleaning, [and] DR-60 is an acid to remove
mineral deposits [and stains] from stone and walkways.”
Robert also recommends R-202, which is a heavy-duty concrete cleaner or
whitewall tire cleaner, and adds that R-109 or DNB-1430 works well for house
washing. He also notes that adding one-quarter bleach (Clorox) to the liquid
concentrate will kill mold and mildew.
To
ensure your safety before using chemicals and detergents, read the Materials
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) on the cleaners, and keep the MSDS sheet on your work
truck so they’ll be at every job. “If a contract cleaner is stopped along the
road,” Robert says, “he must have the MSDS for each chemical and detergent for
DOT or OSHA inspection in his possession in plain sight or a fine may be
levied.”
Follow
these safety checks when using pressure washing chemicals and detergents:
ü Look over the label of the
detergent and read the precautions and directions carefully before using the
product;
ü Follow the recommendations for
safety equipment and procedures;
ü Check for incompatibilities
of the detergent with the surface being cleaned to ensure it won't harm or
damage what you are cleaning and with the equipment you are applying it through
to prevent equipment damage; and
ü Check the water you are
using to ensure the detergent is compatible (hard water is harder to clean and
rinse with). Quality detergents and degreasers have water
softeners built into the formulas instead of fillers.
For
more information on chemicals, visit Delco’s website at http://www.dcs1.com/msds/ .
Training through Delco’s
University
When
Thomas decided to add on pressure washing, he knew the right training would be essential
for success. So where did he go for training? That’s right; he attended Delco’s
For
more information on Delco’s training, visit page 27-29 of this issue of the Blaster or Delco’s website at
[www.dcs1.com/delco-university].
Consider
Dan Cosgrove’s words. “In simple terms I wouldn’t be doing pressure washing
today if it wasn’t for Robert and the PWNA. I wouldn’t have gotten the
information to get started and diversify.”
So,
what are you waiting for? Add pressure washing to your business and increase
your opportunities for growth and profit.
This
article is on the internet at http://www.dcs1.com/articles/addon.html
Drue can be reached at WriteRightEnt@aol.com
COPYRIGHT 2005 © Delco Cleaning Systems
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By: Robert M Hinderliter,
Delco Cleaning Systems of Fort Worth, 2513 Warfield St., Fort Worth, Texas
76106-7554. email: delco@dcs1.com ; URL:http://www.dcs1.com ; Phone: 800-433-2113;
Fax: 817-625-2059.
Copyright 2005. Delco Cleaning Systems of