[johnstanley]

hi all
has anyone got any info or heared of rotary washers for driveways / patio cleaning (whirlaway??)where you can buy them (new or secondhand)
thanks for all your help

[denzle]

John,
I use a whirlaway and i have to say i'm very impressed, they take a little time to get used to but once you learn to "slow down" they certainly get the job done. The first thing you will find is that you find the odd swirl or miss, that is because you are moving too quickly over the surface. The great thing about them is you don't splash water all over the place and end up cleaning the windows afterwards, you can work real close to plants and gravel borders etc without causing damage. Jobs take a lot less time because you are cutting an 18" swayth through the driveway each pass. Yopu will need to go over some areas with your normal lance to remove the odd bit and to swill away the dirty water and debris off the drive.
Mine is linked to a 200bar cold water pressure washer and i haven't found anything it won't clean. There are 2 types... one runs on castors and the other runs on a nylon bristle skirt. Mine is an 18" unit and runs on castors and its a bit like trying to control a shopping trolley so i think next time i would go for the skirted one ( And the're cheaper )
Cost wise, i think i paid about £500 for mine.
I bought mine from a local company ( Worcestershire ) and the service was first class, The guy to speak to is Robert Higgot on 01386-860032 ( office) or 07860-707035 mobile ( Tell him you spoke to Dennis Taylor )
I hope this helps
Denzle

[Mike_Boxall]

Hi John
We supply the Whirlaway range too - perhaps we could post you some info and prices?
Do we do any business with you Dennis? You're in Worcester aren't you?
Regards
Mike

[denzle]

Mike thats right i am in Worcester, every time i come through Malvern i mean to find you and call in for a chat.
Dennis

[Mark Betts]

Denzle

I am thinking of offering a drive way cleaning service?

What do you charge per sq yard?

Thanks

Mark


Mike

What would it cost to set up to offer this service?

eg Reasonable power washer etc?

Thanks

Mark

You can e mail me if you like with the reply

sales@carpet-magic.co.uk

Ta

[denzle]

It depends how bad you want the job, I seldom give a price per Sq Yrd but work on about £1- £1:50 per sq yrd in my head. You want to be making about £25- £30 per hour so give them a price to clean and re-sand block paving. Sanding takes a while to do and the surface needs to be dry before starting, so try and get a couple to do at a time. While ones drying you can be cleaning the other and then drop back and sand them. I would stay away from sealing them as this can be very time consuming and expensive.
Getting back to price, its a good idea to have a minimum price so that you don't get burned on the small jobs. I would say about £50 - £60.
This type of work is very seasonal though, usually from spring until early summer, but it is a good add on service.
Denzle

[Mike_Boxall]

Mike

What would it cost to set up to offer this service?

eg Reasonable power washer etc?

Hi Mark

This is the same as asking how much to spend on a carpet cleaning machine - will you be in the Prochem Steempro market or the Karcher Puzzi 100 one?  

My machine of choice would be the Delta with a Whirlaway (coincidentally the same as Denzle) approx £1600 but you could arguably start with a half decent electric machine (provided you had access to the customers electricity supply and / or your own generator) and one of the new smaller Karcher rotary heads which they've just launched. A Karcher electric setup would cost in the region of £600 - 700 including thier rotary washer which you could compare to a 'Rugdoctor' setup in the carpet cleaning business.

To go for a Karcher domestic machine and T-racer from ourselves (or the likes of B&Q Etc  ) would be the carpet cleaning equivalent of the Numatic George!!!

Mark, I'll send you a catalogue and you can have a look but as I've said before like anything you get what you pay for.

Regards

Mike

By the way, if you were going to jump straight into the 'Truck mount' market with a fully self contained, mobile hot water machine that could also do gum and graffitti you'd be looking at £12,000 plus! This is the sort of equipment you'd need to do local authority work.

[Mark Betts]

Thanks Mike

I was thinking more along the lines as an occassional add on service to my cc.

Thanks very much I will have  asquint on your website

Mark

[Mark Betts]

Catradoney


Excellent idea!!!!

Where would u recommend sourcing the hire, local hire shops?

Thanks for that


Mark