Today sucked

[Living The Dream]

A week ago a customer called and needed their home cleaned that they were selling. They were in the process of moving and wanted to wait until closer to the closing date to have it cleaned. They were supposed to have everything moved. Today roles around and it's -20°F and nothing is moved, they didn't want to move the cleaning date because of closing, so I explained that I needed to have a clear path and would need to get in and keep the water moving to prevent freez-up.

Well I got there and nothing is moved, they want me to clean 4 area rugs that were never discussed. They needed help moving stuff, blah blah blah, and then my machine froze up and I ripped my sliding door handle off my Promaster.

Not a good day!

 

[Living The Dream]

I'm thinking about pulling my TM from the van and having it refurbished and just have this be a VLM winter.

 

[FredC]

that is the type of shit that would get me a bad review because I'm not making their problem mine....

 

[BIG WOOD]

I'm thinking about pulling my TM from the van and having it refurbished and just have this be a VLM winter.

It blows my mind that you guys clean in that dangerous temperature

 

[icleancarpetz]

it's -20°F

yo….i must be a Prima Donna canceling at 32° or less.

Working in -20°? Is this a typo?
no way for me.

 

[Living The Dream]

It blows my mind that you guys clean in that dangerous temperature

-25° right now. I'm thawing out in my hot tub as we speak.

 

[Living The Dream]

yo….i must be a Prima Donna canceling at 32° or less.

Working in -20°? Is this a typo?
no way for me. I’ll remain a Prima Donna.

No typo and no exaggeration.

 

[icleancarpetz]

No typo and no exaggeration.

You’ve got bigger golf balls than me.

 

[BIG WOOD]

My hat's off to you sir for battling the cold.

Is there a better way to get that tm running and water moving with the doors closed and the windows cracked open to help heat up the machine while you set up on a job?

 

[icleancarpetz]

My hat's off to you sir for battling the cold.

Is there a better way to get that tm running and water moving with the doors closed and the windows cracked open to help heat up the machine while you set up on a job?

Yeah there is a better way….stay home. However when you gotta make the doughnuts and deliver, gotta do what a doughnut maker gotta dooo.

 

[Living The Dream]

My hat's off to you sir for battling the cold.

Is there a better way to get that tm running and water moving with the doors closed and the windows cracked open to help heat up the machine while you set up on a job?

I have a couple ideas on things I could do differently, but it's going to take a little bit of engineering.

I know there's guys that plumb their exhaust through the floor and leave their machine running with the doors closed, but I don't think that is a good idea because when the machine is not running and you're driving down the road the cold air could come up through the exhaust and freeze the heat exchanger.

HWE is honestly easier in the winter with my enclosed trailer. I have a Chinese diesel heater in there and I could keep it 60° in there no problem anytime of the year, but today with it being -20° the windchill was like -50° it's just hard to keep even your solution line from freezing.

Typically in the winter I bring my hoses in opposite how I do in the summer.

1. I bring my vac hose in starting at the farthest point in the house and run it out to my TM.
2. Then I string my lead solution line from the farthest point in the house to the front door.
3. I put a male QC in my female QC valve and crack it a quarter turn open and stick it in my vac hose (so water starts immediately flowing when the solution pump is turned on).
4. Then I take my 2nd solution line and connect it to my line at the front door and run it out to the TM and flip on the solution pump.

But even doing all that today it wasn't enough.

 

[Living The Dream]

Yeah there is a better way….stay home. However when you gotta make the doughnuts and deliver, gotta do what a doughnut maker gotta dooo.

Carpet cleaning is really my lowest stream of income in the winter and I had better things to be doing. I was really just trying to help this person out.

 

[BIG WOOD]

I have a couple ideas on things I could do differently, but it's going to take a little bit of engineering.

I know there's guys that plumb their exhaust through the floor and leave their machine running with the doors closed, but I don't think that is a good idea because when the machine is not running and you're driving down the road the cold air could come up through the exhaust and freeze the heat exchanger.

shove a piece if insulation up that exhaust pipe to block that cold air from reaching the heat exchanger, and just pull it out when you get to your job

As for your solution line, have you considered making your hose reel live? during setup, you could just hook the end of it to your water tank and get the water moving through its own system while it's heating up during setup as well

And maybe install a bucket water heater in your big water tank to raise the temp on it to lukewarm to help prevent freeze

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Carpet cleaning is really my lowest stream of income in the winter and I had better things to be doing. I was really just trying to help this person out.

This is the “customer service trap” that all of us can find our way into from time to time.

Age and experience has turned me more toward Fred C in how I handle issues like this in my business. It seems to world is full of inconsiderate, disorganized, and crisis managing idiots who make their problems yours.

That said, once you showed up, I fully understand why you gritted your teeth and followed through on your promise, even though they didn’t follow through on theirs.

I do know a number of cleaners who shut down for the winter, or do only portable or VLM work until springtime.

 

[Mikey P]

I do know a number of cleaners who shut down for the winter, or do only portable or VLM work until springtime.

Most do that here .


Their garages are full of junk, remodeled into bed rooms or non-existent, so the van stays winterized while they wash dishes, clear snow or some other gig..

 

[Brian H]

We have cleaned in below zero temperature before and it's not fun, though it is doable. As I remember, we did have a cold spell where it got down to -29 below zero and we went out and cleaned. We run Butlers and my rule of thumb is to have the solution line hooked up to the wand and flowing within 60 seconds of it touching the ground. Keeping it flowing and avoiding any prolonged periods of no water flow and you should be good. We do keep the door to the van mostly closed though we don't use the Butler door porthole because it takes too long to run it through.

And doing all that, we still have had times that we need to thaw out the solution line in the customer's laundry tub...

I just looked and Monday's forecast is for a HIGH of 10 and we have 10 routes going out. No one shuts down for the winter around here.

 

[Living The Dream]

These last two days can only be described as something I will remember forever.

As I rolled out of bed to go plow snow at 6 am. It was -30° outside and I quickly realized we didn't have any water working in the house. So down in the crawl space I went to inspect. It took me awhile but I was able to get water flowing.

Then my wife decided that she wanted to drive to town to check some of our vacation rentals and make sure they were all good, so as she's leaving the yard she calls and tells me that the tire pressure is reading zero, so I tell her don't move I'll be right there. I get my air compressor plugged in and start charging it, but do you think I could find an F'n air chuck to fill the tire? Hell no! I go check the tire and it's low with about 20 lbs in it but not flat, so I have her limp it to our shop in town where I can bring it in where I thought it would be warm and fill the tire. As we get to the shop I realize that it's 40° in there and the heat is not working. FML! I go upstairs and check the boiler and the pilot light is out! It took a little messing around, but I was able to get the pilot light to stay lit and start heating again. Crisis averted there.

I was finally able to go plow and hopefully have everything working as intended. I did go to the Hardware store and pickup some heat tape and spare thermocouple for the boiler.

I learned a lot these last couple days. I hope tomorrow isn't a learning day.

Stay warm!

 

[KevinD]

We have cleaned in below zero temperature before and it's not fun, though it is doable. As I remember, we did have a cold spell where it got down to -29 below zero and we went out and cleaned. We run Butlers and my rule of thumb is to have the solution line hooked up to the wand and flowing within 60 seconds of it touching the ground. Keeping it flowing and avoiding any prolonged periods of no water flow and you should be good. We do keep the door to the van mostly closed though we don't use the Butler door porthole because it takes too long to run it through.

And doing all that, we still have had times that we need to thaw out the solution line in the customer's laundry tub...

I just looked and Monday's forecast is for a HIGH of 10 and we have 10 routes going out. No one shuts down for the winter around here.

I might add with a live real run hot water through it before you even take it off the real.
Gives you a extra couple minutes.

 

[sassyotto]

I dont mind cleaning in cold weather, but next week each day has wind chills of -20 so when its that cold it could affect the TM. Thats a risk I cant afford to take.

I called every job next week and they all totally understood and rescheduled.

 

[sassyotto]

And if I cant (or dont want to) clean it, I have another cleaner I will refer it too who is more than happy to take on additional work. So if I cant clean in their timeframe, I dont make it my problem,

If its something you dont normally do and had asked them to do but they didnt do, I would have stood there with the clipboard and said, ok the cleaning will come to $X and the additional prep time will be $Y. then let them decide.

 

[Nate The Great]

These last two days can only be described as something I will remember forever.

As I rolled out of bed to go plow snow at 6 am. It was -30° outside and I quickly realized we didn't have any water working in the house. So down in the crawl space I went to inspect. It took me awhile but I was able to get water flowing.

Then my wife decided that she wanted to drive to town to check some of our vacation rentals and make sure they were all good, so as she's leaving the yard she calls and tells me that the tire pressure is reading zero, so I tell her don't move I'll be right there. I get my air compressor plugged in and start charging it, but do you think I could find an F'n air chuck to fill the tire? Hell no! I go check the tire and it's low with about 20 lbs in it but not flat, so I have her limp it to our shop in town where I can bring it in where I thought it would be warm and fill the tire. As we get to the shop I realize that it's 40° in there and the heat is not working. FML! I go upstairs and check the boiler and the pilot light is out! It took a little messing around, but I was able to get the pilot light to stay lit and start heating again. Crisis averted there.

I was finally able to go plow and hopefully have everything working as intended. I did go to the Hardware store and pickup some heat tape and spare thermocouple for the boiler.

I learned a lot these last couple days. I hope tomorrow isn't a learning day.

Stay warm!

Is your name Matt?

While it wasn't fun living through your morning, everything happens for a reason.. You wouldn't have found out the heat went out to the shop if you found the tire chuck.. Count ya blessings Swani! I know the feeling all too well..

If it wasn't for bad luck or hard luck, I'd have no luck!

 

[BIG WOOD]

I know that feeling

 

[hogjowl]

And I thought I was having a bad day. I had a Democrat (all too common) cancel at the door this morning. Pisses me off! I’m about to start insisting on a non-refundable deposit with them or I won’t schedule them.

 

[FredC]

And I thought I was having a bad day. I had a Democrat (all too common) cancel at the door this morning. Pisses me off! I’m about to start insisting on a non-refundable deposit with them or I won’t schedule them.

You know they can be Republican too...

 

[Willy P]

You know they can be Republican too...

Not a chance when Pope Donald the First takes charge after the next election! His abilities to bring people together from all spectrums is beyond anything that can be described with mere words.

 

[FredC]

Keep it in the rubber room Willy

 

[Mikey P]

And I thought I was having a bad day. I had a Democrat (all too common) cancel at the door this morning. Pisses me off! I’m about to start insisting on a non-refundable deposit with them or I won’t schedule them.

Your request a quote form asks for their political party?

Do you ask them to declare religion, dietary restrictions and which gender they identify with as well?

 

[Willy P]

Got it Fred. I think I'll go stir up some offal there.

 

[Cleanworks]

A week ago a customer called and needed their home cleaned that they were selling. They were in the process of moving and wanted to wait until closer to the closing date to have it cleaned. They were supposed to have everything moved. Today roles around and it's -20°F and nothing is moved, they didn't want to move the cleaning date because of closing, so I explained that I needed to have a clear path and would need to get in and keep the water moving to prevent freez-up.

Well I got there and nothing is moved, they want me to clean 4 area rugs that were never discussed. They needed help moving stuff, blah blah blah, and then my machine froze up and I ripped my sliding door handle off my Promaster.

Not a good day!

You need to know when to say no.

 

[Cleanworks]

You’ve got bigger golf balls than me.

Because they're from a brass monkey.