Pricing question

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Lee Stockwell
The cfx has powerful vacuums but the downfall has been having to hook up to a water supply. Not always available. Most are using tap pressure, I believe they have units with 250-500 psi pumps available. They will be heavier units. You might better off looking at some type of fresh water tank for your 370. For me any building without an elevator is done with a TM. If they have an elevator, I will roll my high performance portable in and go to town. I have a job in a house Friday, cleaning a mattress where I have to use a portable. All of the outside water is turned off. The room where the shut offs are is locked and they do the have a code. There is not a single Faucet in the house where I can attach a tap adapter. I only have a laundry sink where I can put a 5 gallon bucket. I run into this more and more these days. Hooking up to an interior tap is getting difficult.
You need a few adapters.
 
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Mikey P

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The cfx has powerful vacuums but the downfall has been having to hook up to a water supply. Not always available. Most are using tap pressure, I believe they have units with 250-500 psi pumps available. They will be heavier units. You might better off looking at some type of fresh water tank for your 370. For me any building without an elevator is done with a TM. If they have an elevator, I will roll my high performance portable in and go to town. I have a job in a house Friday, cleaning a mattress where I have to use a portable. All of the outside water is turned off. The room where the shut offs are is locked and they do the have a code. There is not a single Faucet in the house where I can attach a tap adapter. I only have a laundry sink where I can put a 5 gallon bucket. I run into this more and more these days. Hooking up to an interior tap is getting difficult.



each unit has a washer and dryer inside...
 

Cleanworks

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each unit has a washer and dryer inside...
If you have to move washers and dryers to get power, you will hate it after the first job. Lee is right when he says tap pressure is fine but only if you are able to hook up easily. I have hooked up to washer inlets in the past but it is a pain. Put towels down to catch the drips and make sure there are no leaks when you reconnect. You should be able to find enough electric power with 2-15 amp cords, or 1-15 and 1-20 including the pump out. You always have to make sure you have no foam, otherwise, you will be blowing dirty water all over the place from the vacuum exhaust. Using something like procyon will help.
 
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Mr Brightside

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I've never been an apartment guy but this 130 unit complex called. I'm feeling the Yelp hit so I went and took a look.

They allow pets but replace the carpet if damaged.
3 story buildings, no steps in units
Currently paying 95 to 125 but not happy with the results
Access is decent, nothing over 200 ft

What's you price on each floor plan for a do what ever it takes cleaning?

View attachment 91038View attachment 91039View attachment 91040View attachment 91041



What’s the yelp hit? Please I have no idea
 

Desk Jockey

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each unit has a washer and dryer inside...
The first time you ruin a vinyl floor you'll figure out you don't want to mess with moving them. The weight and length of time they sit without moving creates indentations which if their are any sharp edges will cut a nice "L" shape when forced. Seen it happen many times, bought a few floors too. 😔
 

Cleanworks

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You might drain the water heater before a 3 Bedroom job is finished: so might want to bring one of your own.
Most of these places have at least a 40 gallon hot water heater. If you can't clean it with 40 gallons, somethings wrong with your cleaning techniques. There are no electric heaters that will keep up with flow you need.
 

Dolly Llama

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only made it thru the first couple sentences
Just couldn't go much beyond the first sentence where you said

"it's got me thinking"

cause obviously , you're NOT
used to a TM and you think a POS porty might work for you

you'll toss the "new improved" POS next to that one in the garage after the first couple jobs




to the pricing question


How bad do you want it?
And how far away?


I could turn a fair profit at 22cent
average gross w/2 man crew $150 pr hour

no vac, no scrub ....that's "salvage/restorative" cleaning and additional charges apply

coordinated crew in "production mode" set up, hammer it w/pre-spray and rock 'n roll

you?
a semi-retired playboy??
they won't go for the price you have to charge for 27step vac and lil peeder roll brush

..L.T.A.
 

Papa John

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Most of these places have at least a 40 gallon hot water heater. If you can't clean it with 40 gallons, somethings wrong with your cleaning techniques. There are no electric heaters that will keep up with flow you need.

You're not going to get TM heat with these heaters but it does help. And I use a lot more water with a porty then i do a TM for the same amount of carpet.
You Do need to change your technique based on the equipment you are using.
I adjust my "wetting" area based on what my heater can process. I then do dry strokes or other tasks to allow the heater to process more water.
This "Delay time" is not needed as much with most TMs, and counter productive from a heating aspect on non heated porties
 

sassyotto

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Back in 1994 we grew to three trucks. 30 percent of our business was apartments. 20 percent commerclal and 50 percent residential

We came to a point where we wanted to expand, just didnt know if we should do it vertically (same service area but add more services) or horizontally (same services just larger service area) We eventually chose to join Service Team of Professionals headed by Mack Clark.

The thing about Mack was, he was always right. I know how that sounds, but anyone who knew him knows that its true. Anyway, the VERY FIRST thing he told us to do was to drop all apartment cleaning. Considering that was a substantial part of our income, we did hesitate (for about 5 minutes) When we went back home, followed his advice and never looked back.

Suggest you do the same.
 

Hack Attack

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I'll go up 3 floors with my TM do it all the time with holiday apartments, yes the extra setup and teardown time sucks but rather that than a porty.

Some portables are more powerful but I've got a basic, regardless of the layout my price goes up $20 per floor for setup etc
 

Cleanworks

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You're not going to get TM heat with these heaters but it does help. And I use a lot more water with a porty then i do a TM for the same amount of carpet.
You Do need to change your technique based on the equipment you are using.
I adjust my "wetting" area based on what my heater can process. I then do dry strokes or other tasks to allow the heater to process more water.
This "Delay time" is not needed as much with most TMs, and counter productive from a heating aspect on non heated porties
I use an inline heater with my portables. Yes, you have to change your technique. Although we are using 500 psi pumps, we have to use much jets to maintain any type of heat. Using a system like the cfx, you have to go to larger jets. I suggest 8-10 flow. Since you don't have the pressure, you need increased flow. No electric heater will keep up with that, even if your name is Willy. Keep in mind, these are cheap jobs and you need to knock them out quick. The more equipment and power cords you have to hook up take away from that. The cfx has no rinse capability either, as far as I am aware so you need to use a heavy duty prespray.
 

Papa John

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I use an inline heater with my portables. Yes, you have to change your technique. Although we are using 500 psi pumps, we have to use much jets to maintain any type of heat. Using a system like the cfx, you have to go to larger jets. I suggest 8-10 flow. Since you don't have the pressure, you need increased flow. No electric heater will keep up with that, even if your name is Willy. Keep in mind, these are cheap jobs and you need to knock them out quick. The more equipment and power cords you have to hook up take away from that. The cfx has no rinse capability either, as far as I am aware so you need to use a heavy duty prespray.

with 8-10 flow he will definitely drain the heater quickly.
He will be using a 360ibh. With the increased agitation provided by this great machine--IMO Flow/psi, chem, heat and time can be reduced in the equation if needed.
 

Cleanworks

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with 8-10 flow he will definitely drain the heater quickly.
He will be using a 360ibh. With the increased agitation provided by this great machine--IMO Flow/psi, chem, heat and time can be reduced in the equation if needed.
His largest unit has 730 sqft aprox. If I brought my 24 gallon machine, using a 6 flow wand, I would only fill it once. A 360 with brush head will use more but he's only going to use that on the worst areas and wand everything else.
 

Cleanworks

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Mikey will only do it once. You have to carry the machine in one hand and the power cords, pressure hoses in the other. Climb 3 flights of stairs. Find places to plug in and hook up water. Go back down the stairs and get the hydro-force and the wand. Bring them up the stairs. Prespray the carpets and go back down the stairs, get the 360 and climb back up the stairs. Clean the carpets, then reverse the process, climbing up and down the stairs several more times. Then go see the doctor about his pounding heart.
 

Old Coastie

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I use a CFX daily. That looks like the 15-gallon one.
You can use hot tap water and do just dandy, or an inline heater with whatever the 12” Dev has (6-flow?). It will kill with the 360i or good agitation with your CRB.
However, you are going to miss the very high temps and pressure at first. Be prepared for that. You also better take powdered defoamer in with you on every job, just in case.
When you give up in disgust, I’ll pay the shipping. At close range those big vacs are gonna suck the balls off a brontosaurus.
 
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Onfire_02_01

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I have done apartments for years and it is all about learning efficiency, bring a rope up with you, lay all the hoses out on the ground floor and pull up with the rope from the balcony or walkway. You have walked up to inspect unit and drop over the rope, second coming up is with your hydro force, wand and spotter, then you pull up the hoses and start working. Also your crb and encap will be a life saver, I have encaped 100’s of units this way and haven’t touched a truck.
In our market 1bd = $69; 2bd = $79; 3bd = $89 (if you are in good and can prove worth you can get some more) however everything above a basic clean is extra; heavy soil extra, red stain extra, smells funny extra, visible smelly urine much extra, vacuum extra, you get the idea extra.
It’s about efficiency, do a decent job quickly and don’t cause headaches for the manager. If you can clean it instead of them replacing it, they get a bigger quarterly bonus. Offer repairs anyway, I get lots of repair work from apartments because they have to call me with a list to clean anyway and can add repairs instead of having to call and schedule a second company.
 

Onfire_02_01

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Also it’s a great way to train new hires. If you have an issue that comes up once a year in residential carpets you will find it once a month with apartments. They come up to speed quick or drop out quick.
 
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Papa John

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I have done apartments for years and it is all about learning efficiency, bring a rope up with you, lay all the hoses out on the ground floor and pull up with the rope from the balcony or walkway.

Or you can work with gravity instead of against it.
Bringing the hose up and dropping is less physical.
 

Papa John

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Mikey will only do it once. You have to carry the machine in one hand and the power cords, pressure hoses in the other. Climb 3 flights of stairs. Find places to plug in and hook up water. Go back down the stairs and get the hydro-force and the wand. Bring them up the stairs. Prespray the carpets and go back down the stairs, get the 360 and climb back up the stairs. Clean the carpets, then reverse the process, climbing up and down the stairs several more times. Then go see the doctor about his pounding heart.

A portable should only be used as a last resort.
 

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