Justin Noggle
New member
Hi Everyone!
I am brand new to uamcc and just wanted to take the time to introduce myself to everyone here. I started my business (Sky Power Wash) two months ago and have been loving every second of it. I worked with my father in law for 5 years before I decided to buy his machine and start my own thing. I now own a Hotsy 5.6gpm, 3100psi machine with a diesel burner, 500 gallon freshwater tank, detergent valve with 2 35 gallon detergent tanks (pre-pump unfortunately), a surface cleaner, telescoping wand, dual lance gun, jetting hose and nozzle, sprayer pump run by a Honda motor (not sure the hp at the moment) and some other bells n whistles.
It's been an adventure so far because the machine sat OUTSIDE for over two years in Boise, ID. Extreme hot and extreme cold seem to have weakened everything. My first job was a s*** show. Fortunately the customer wasn't living there yet because they had just puchased the home. First, I pulled up to the house, ran the hose to the spigot on the house to begin filling the tank and the water was shut off. I called the customer and she sent her daughter to turn it on. Now it's noon and my water is full enough to begin. I run the pressure line to the back of the house and attach it to the telescoping wand. I cross my fingers that the line won't pressurize before the engine starts because I wasn't close enough to the attachment to pull the trigger and I knew that the starter wouldn't turn if the pump/line was pressurized. I turn the screwdriver (the previous kid who ran the jobs forgot the key one day so he jammed a screwdriver into the ignition and now only a screwdriver will start it) and nothing happens, not even a click. Off to O'reilly's for a new battery. New battery installed sort of (terminals were so corroded that I couldn't unscrew the clamp). I turn the screw driver and it fires right up and sounds good. Now I head to the back of the house and start cleaning the vinyl siding. Ten minutes later after I let go of the trigger, there's an explosion behind me and my butt is soaked. Time to turn off the machine. Hose is blown but lucky for me there are a couple replacement hoses. I coil up the blown hose and mark it with some tape so I can get it fixed the next day. I attach one of the other hoses, start the machine and head back to the wand. Water is fountaining 2 stories in the air about 10 feet back from the wand. Second blown hose. That one was blown when I got it. I mark it with some tape and attach a third hose.I start the machine and from the back yard comes, BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!! Third hose blown along with my patience. I let the customer know I'll be back the next day and I head to Dalco to get the hoses fixed. We determine that a couple of them are garbage and one is fixable so we cut out the bad section and crimp on a couple ends. Next day I go back to the house, finish the job, collect my money and bank the story!
Basically my whole first month was one broken thing after another, but I was able to repair most of it myself. The things requiring professional repair (burner nozzle, and truck injector) ran me about $1100 but I guess that's all just part of the game. As I said before it's been an adventure but one that's kept me happy and active. I am a commercial fisherman in the summer so it's been great to have something worth while to do in the winter. I'll be leaving this April so I'm considering hiring someone I can train to Do the cleaning while I'm gone. Any advice or prior experiences would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read my story.
Justin Noggle
Sky Power Wash
www.skypowerwash.com
contractor license #SKYPOPW852QT
I am brand new to uamcc and just wanted to take the time to introduce myself to everyone here. I started my business (Sky Power Wash) two months ago and have been loving every second of it. I worked with my father in law for 5 years before I decided to buy his machine and start my own thing. I now own a Hotsy 5.6gpm, 3100psi machine with a diesel burner, 500 gallon freshwater tank, detergent valve with 2 35 gallon detergent tanks (pre-pump unfortunately), a surface cleaner, telescoping wand, dual lance gun, jetting hose and nozzle, sprayer pump run by a Honda motor (not sure the hp at the moment) and some other bells n whistles.
It's been an adventure so far because the machine sat OUTSIDE for over two years in Boise, ID. Extreme hot and extreme cold seem to have weakened everything. My first job was a s*** show. Fortunately the customer wasn't living there yet because they had just puchased the home. First, I pulled up to the house, ran the hose to the spigot on the house to begin filling the tank and the water was shut off. I called the customer and she sent her daughter to turn it on. Now it's noon and my water is full enough to begin. I run the pressure line to the back of the house and attach it to the telescoping wand. I cross my fingers that the line won't pressurize before the engine starts because I wasn't close enough to the attachment to pull the trigger and I knew that the starter wouldn't turn if the pump/line was pressurized. I turn the screwdriver (the previous kid who ran the jobs forgot the key one day so he jammed a screwdriver into the ignition and now only a screwdriver will start it) and nothing happens, not even a click. Off to O'reilly's for a new battery. New battery installed sort of (terminals were so corroded that I couldn't unscrew the clamp). I turn the screw driver and it fires right up and sounds good. Now I head to the back of the house and start cleaning the vinyl siding. Ten minutes later after I let go of the trigger, there's an explosion behind me and my butt is soaked. Time to turn off the machine. Hose is blown but lucky for me there are a couple replacement hoses. I coil up the blown hose and mark it with some tape so I can get it fixed the next day. I attach one of the other hoses, start the machine and head back to the wand. Water is fountaining 2 stories in the air about 10 feet back from the wand. Second blown hose. That one was blown when I got it. I mark it with some tape and attach a third hose.I start the machine and from the back yard comes, BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!! Third hose blown along with my patience. I let the customer know I'll be back the next day and I head to Dalco to get the hoses fixed. We determine that a couple of them are garbage and one is fixable so we cut out the bad section and crimp on a couple ends. Next day I go back to the house, finish the job, collect my money and bank the story!
Basically my whole first month was one broken thing after another, but I was able to repair most of it myself. The things requiring professional repair (burner nozzle, and truck injector) ran me about $1100 but I guess that's all just part of the game. As I said before it's been an adventure but one that's kept me happy and active. I am a commercial fisherman in the summer so it's been great to have something worth while to do in the winter. I'll be leaving this April so I'm considering hiring someone I can train to Do the cleaning while I'm gone. Any advice or prior experiences would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read my story.
Justin Noggle
Sky Power Wash
www.skypowerwash.com
contractor license #SKYPOPW852QT
