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Famine to Feast

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Post by Mo Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:23 pm

Bob you're just shipping the coil right? Let me know when you're ready, we'll bill it to my fedex account
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Post by milspec6 Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:18 pm

That is quite an offer Mo, thanks....I will consider it.
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Post by dp1 Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:01 am

That's very nice of you Mo !
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Post by milspec6 Fri Jan 27, 2017 10:16 am

I will check with LG regarding the repair on Monday. They said they could fix it the last time, but they need to see the pictures and confirm that prior to it happening. The last thing I need is for them to tell me they can't fix it after wasting money on shipping.
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Post by milspec6 Fri Jan 27, 2017 9:18 pm

Two big jobs left before the finish line and I can't find a helper willing or able to work. Mad

I have 3 guys that are on-call when needed. Two of them are gainfully employed and take jobs for extra cash, while one has been unemployed for almost a year and begs me for work weekly.

The two already employed didn't want to waste their weekend this time around and the unemployed decided that he would hit the bars for a bender tonight even though he agreed to work tomorrow morning at 7:30 am.

Any guesses why the dude remains unemployed? So, I am going it alone again this weekend. Funny part is that I was actually faster solo the last 2 jobs, so maybe it is a good thing.
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Post by dp1 Sat Jan 28, 2017 1:03 am

Unefficient helper actually slows the job down, that's why I hate inexperienced helper.
Sorry to hear that Bob, I wish everyone have a mindset of a business owner.
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Post by milspec6 Sat Jan 28, 2017 4:50 pm

Well, the bank is finished and just got home.  Went at it straight from 8 am until 3:30 pm....solo for all except the first 15 minutes.  My helper showed and said he needed the work....still smelled like he could have been Jack Daniels himself, so I sent him home.  He did off-load some hoses and equipment while he plead his case.

I am beat!  Nothing about this job was easy.  The carpet wasn't your typical cgd, it resembled an Irish Fisherman sweater (I can't recall the term for it) of about 1/4 inch deep.  You had to wand with the rows or the wand would just skip, so I was on my knees slinging a stair tool beneath every desk!  All told, there were 10 offices and 15 cubicles on the lower level to contend with.

I lost track how many chairs and end tables I ended up moving, but I never want to see another one again for awhile.  The worst part about cleaning a bank is that every time you turn around, there is another room that you didn't expect.  Walk-in closets off the meeting rooms, women's locker room, and of course, the vault.  I don't know how well it will turn out for that vault as it was on timer and I had to work fast to avoid being locked in.  There wasn't any air movement either once that door closed, so I don't see any drying in the future.  All I could do was warn them....they didn't see an issue, so it is on them.

Everything held up this time except for maybe my HF sprayer.  Something concerns me there.  I over-hauled my equipment last night (new jets, re-tapped all fittings, clean out the sprayer, etc.) so that I wouldn't have any surprises, but I am not sure my sprayer was siphoning much.

I didn't really notice anything, but once I was about an hour away from completion, I noticed that I had only used a little more than 1/2 the jug of prespray.  I would have expected far greater usage over this size of area.  It does have the yellow tip installed and it worked well before and after I cleaned it out last night, but it has me wondering right now.

It is too cold for a good bucket test, but it does worry me a little.  Surely, I didn't just flush the place instead of cleaning it?  It looked good when I left, but was still a little wet and hard to tell.  Smelled much better at least.

I just know that I hurt.  Between the chairs, planters, tables, hoses, wands, and of course that CRB machine....7 hours of that without a break can make you old fast.

At least the Butler handled it like a Boss.  Next up is the large hall on Sunday.  I think I will change sprayers first though.

Off to the sauna for damage control.....
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Post by dp1 Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:54 pm

cheers nothing feels better than large job being done !
I always remember the aches and sores especially the next day but as long as there is no problem with equipments and accessories, I think that's a winner in my book.
Regarding the hf, that's a very small issue, as long as there are some solutions on the carpets and it looks good when you're done, I think it should be fine, not saying you shouldn't check the hf, just saying you shouldn't worry too much about the job not being done as good as it should.
I know that can be bad in that sense, because there are some people that are just not the type that complains, they simply are not going to call you again next time, but that issue can be eliminated if you just do a follow up call a week or two after the job is done and ask them how the carpet is looking.
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Post by milspec6 Sat Jan 28, 2017 10:43 pm

Well, the sprayer has me all kinds of concerned. It is actually a 7 qt jug using a HF sprayer block assembly. I measured 3.2 qts remaining after this job. It must not have been siphoning at all times.

I hit all the traffic areas and under the desks with the CRB, so they should have distributed what prespray there was in those areas. I am just concerned that it will end up looking streaky when it dries down.

I plan on returning Monday morning to inspect the results, but I am not sure if I should voice my concerns to the customer now. I just feel like I should be out in front of it if they see any problems rather than explaining after wards which will sound like excuses.

The other side of course is that they might not notice it either way unless I send them looking. It just pisses me off to work that hard only to end up with inconsistent results.....I sure don't want to re-clean the damn thing.

As for the sprayer, it is siphoning right now off my portable without any problems. It just seems so strange. I think I will take along another sprayer tomorrow or maybe just pull out the metering tip. This is the only sprayer that still has the metering tip, I always removed the others to prevent clogs with powders.
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Post by milspec6 Sat Jan 28, 2017 11:37 pm

Well, right or wrong, I sent out the invoice and advised the customer that I want to inspect the results Monday morning. I was up front with him that there may not have been consistent application of the conditioner in all areas.

Might be a mistake, but the only thing worse than inconsistent results would be a customer that is disappointed enough to not recommend you, but not enough to tell you either. This way, he understands that I care about the results and their full satisfaction....no excuses and if there is a problem, he already understands why.

The final job will be in 12 hours and will likely be another 7 hour cleaning solo as the helper just called to tell me that he is having a "stomach thing" and isn't sure if he will be able to work.

This isn't so much the cattle drive that I thought originally, but more like labors of Hercules. The trouble is that I am a middle-aged, out of shape, balding dude and not Hercules. Maybe I will wear a cape in the morning.
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Post by Freemind1 Sun Jan 29, 2017 12:38 pm

I would not word it that there may not have been consistent results.

I would have said" Since this is a first time clean, I want to drop by and check the consistency of the results of your cleaning for my quality control purposes".

That way it shows you care, without raising hairs that you may not have done something perfectly. They really don't need to know you were or may have had, equipment problems.

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Post by Mo Sun Jan 29, 2017 5:11 pm

I agree with Freemind sometimes I think we give more info to the customer than we need to or that is warranted.

The good mews is
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Post by milspec6 Sun Jan 29, 2017 9:40 pm

That is a fair point, most commercial customers wouldn't notice a chalk outline of a dead guy on their floor let alone inconsistent results. They know that I am very OCD about my cleaning, so I voiced it along those lines.

I used that sprayer today and it seemed to work okay. It still seemed to be using too little prespray, but it was siphoning. I used Procyon on the bank, since it was not very visibly dirty and they were concerned about smell, but that stuff just looks like water when you put the tip to the floor and spray. I mentioned that concern a year ago, but this was the first time that it bit me. You can't tell if it is water or prespray.

Today, I ran my sprayer with Slop and Gobble. It has a light blue look to it and is easy to see when you tip spray point blank. I still had more juice left than normal, but I tested it all throughout the job and it was always putting out the mix and the results looked good. I will bucket test it tomorrow, but I might be okay on that Bank.

Anyway, that convention center today was a brute. Being sore going in, I wasn't any better 6 hours later when I finished. They even left 20 folding tables and 45 folding chairs in the room that I had to put away just to start. That didn't help matters either.

Anyway, the cattle drive is over unless I have to re-clean the bank. Gawd I hope that isn't the case!! Painful, costly repairs, yet a nice run of good paying jobs for the week.

I have 50 degrees in the forecast for tomorrow, so I will be able to get everything cleaned up and maybe even re-install the LG coil for now. That is the way I want to end this cycle....cleaned, serviced, and ready for the next go around.
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Post by milspec6 Tue Jan 31, 2017 12:25 pm

Just to finish this topic up. I checked on the results at the bank yesterday and it all looked uniform without any streaks. The staff that I talked to commented that the carpets looked brighter (they are brown so, I take that as a compliment).

I just spoke to the Facilities Manager who said that he appreciated my "Thoroughness" and wanted to know how soon did I think it would need cleaned again? He did also comment that he would be on the look-out for any problem areas, but so far all were satisfied.

So, showing my hand didn't bite me in the ass like I feared. He still might find something, I guess, but so far so good. I really wasn't looking for a repeat performance anytime soon, but maybe semi-annual would't be too bad. Then again, they do have quite a bit of tile in the 4 bathrooms and 2 locker rooms.....so, we should discuss that as well. Peace
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Post by Mo Tue Jan 31, 2017 6:30 pm

Good work Bob!! Now put him on your six month reminder list and do it again
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Post by milspec6 Tue Jan 31, 2017 6:49 pm

I actually did Mo, he called me back later and asked how often should he encap clean and when to schedule the next hwe event. I like this guy, he is so OCD about cleaning that he takes a leaf blower to the sidewalks and parking lot each morning to reduce what gets tracked in.

He even asked if I would consider hiring his son this Summer between semesters? Not sure about that one, but I guess my cleaning OCD matched his enough to suggest it.

I think I both dodged a bullet on that bad sprayer and accomplished my goal of gaining a very important referral source for that town. Now that the soreness has ended, I am almost all smiles....damn coil.
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Post by Matt; My carpet cleaner Tue Jan 31, 2017 7:22 pm

I so glad you've been able to start checking off your list, of jobs. And the equipment is holding up.
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Post by milspec6 Tue Jan 31, 2017 8:31 pm

Thanks Matt, I am quite relieved myself, it buys me more time. I should be able to hold on till Spring now. What happens next is anyone's guess, but I do believe that things will be very busy come April / May.

I keep watching old westerns lately and they really hit home more when they talk about how harsh the winter was....ranches going under, illness, madness, etc. It kind of felt that way to me this winter thus far. Things are better now and hopefully will keep improving.
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Post by milspec6 Wed Feb 01, 2017 4:43 pm

Just added the 2 other branches of this Bank today. The Bank President called and asked me to provide estimates on the other buildings. They are about 40 minutes away in different directions from me, but have gun will travel.

Now if that little groundhog doesn't piss me off tomorrow, life is picking up momentum.
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Post by Mo Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:57 am

Your home free brother. It very difficult to get used to the slow season
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Post by milspec6 Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:41 pm

I know that I panicked there Mo, obviously a rookie at going solo. I just can't stand still and when nothing is coming in, it is very difficult to have faith that it will change.

It was a good learning experience and one that I will keep in the back of my head when I am working non-stop in the warmer days. Now I just have to start pumping up my website and Facebook page before Spring arrives.
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Post by Matt; My carpet cleaner Thu Feb 02, 2017 3:39 pm

milspec6 wrote:Thanks Matt, I am quite relieved myself, it buys me more time.  I should be able to hold on till Spring now.  What happens next is anyone's guess, but I do believe that things will be very busy come April / May.

I keep watching old westerns lately and they really hit home more when they talk about how harsh the winter was....ranches going under, illness, madness, etc.  It kind of felt that way to me this winter thus far.  Things are better now and hopefully will keep improving.

April/may? I'm thinking late Feb, early March.
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Post by milspec6 Thu Feb 02, 2017 7:56 pm

That might be the case as well Matt....it depends on the weather. We do have some really unseasonably warm days in the forecast next week. I also have some Valentine's Day event locations that I plan on pitching next week as well.
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Post by dp1 Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:08 pm

I usually get a little bit of Valentine's Day rush, I'm just hoping for 70 degrees weather next week to support the possibility of it happening.
I'm glad you booked those banks Bob, I come to realize how much those steady commercial works worth in these winter months.
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Post by milspec6 Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:54 pm

We have upper 40's to low 50's starting this weekend as well, so things might spark up. I know that I have some commercial customers hosting large Valentine's Day events, so I expect a couple of phone calls at the start of the week or maybe after the event.

Around here, there is only commercial until March.
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