Masonry Magazine June 2009 Page. 27
We started washing our first job the following morning," he continues. "This job had about 20,000 to 22,000 bricks. My laborers, who had never washed brick before, had the entire job done in less than a day and wanted to know where they should go the next day. They told me that the cleaning had been easy, and they were proud of how much better this job looked than previous jobs.
"I sent them to a colored, split-faced job the very next day," says Swanson. "It had two light bands, and the rest was a deep red. This was where I felt we would lose it. The job was cleaned and looked better than any block job in town. We had just saved half our cleaning cost on one block job. That one week of use saved us half of the machine's cost. We also had several great-looking projects.
"My customer called me because one of those jobs was his," he says. "His newest project looked better than any we had done in the past. This job was a blond clay brick with a slightly darker banding. The only product used was muriatic acid. We did not burn or etch any pre-installed windows. The mortar joints were still as nicely tooled as prior to washing. We had no sand falling out of the joints. It all blended together better than any brick job I had seen before. He liked the way my in-house laborers had jumped right on the washing as soon as we were done."
Swanson Masonry Inc. now owns two Kem-O-Kleen machines. One is set up to handle the clay brick and smooth faced colored CMU. The other is for split-faced CMU and "glassy" clay brick. Rick says, "We clean about 3,500 to 4,000 square feet of masonry on any given day. Our laborers love the way the machine operates and how efficient we have become."
"They know the details that make jobs turn out right, like using plenty of water to pre-wet and rinse," he says. "They know not to get in too tight with the wand."
The right equipment
THIS IS NOTHING MORE than the old common-sense adage "the right tool for the right job." As the contractor at the Akron elementary school found out, using high-pressure spray equipment to apply a cleaner that should go on at low pressure was not "using the right tool for the right job."
"He'd gotten away with that before," Trotta explains. "Even though the cleaner instructions warn specifically not to apply at high pressure, the contractor thought he could save time. And, he did, on a few jobs where the walls were dense clay brick and tooled mortar joints. He took an awful chance, but was lucky. His luck ran out when he encountered the porous concrete brick."
Instructions on reputable masonry cleaning products tell you specifically what kind of equipment to use, right down to the nozzle size, Trotta says. Successful masonry cleaners follow the instructions.
Two out of three
THE CLEANING SUB-CONTRACTOR on the Chicago luxury home was a good man, with good equipment. But two out of three keys wasn't enough.
In addition to cleaning masonry, Swanson Masonry Inc. uses their Kem-O-Kleen machines for a variety of other tasks. "We have acid etched newly poured exposed aggregate concrete slabs," Swanson says. "We have waterproofed several buildings with huge success. The materials are added into the holding tank and then pressurized. We use the machine as a low-pressure sprayer capable of spraying faster and more evenly than any machine we have ever used. The constant flow of material really makes for good coverage and a quality project. We even use the machine to clean our equipment."
The change six years ago led to a dramatic increase in productivity and quality. The result was lower cost, higher employee satisfaction and higher customer satisfaction. IMAS
About the authors: Randy Weil is president of Unique Industries, and Rick Swanson is president of Swanson Masonry Inc.
Cold Pressure Washers
SOMERSET, Pa-based Steam Jenny, a product division of Jenny Products Inc., has introduced four models of direct-drive, cold pressure washers. Providing a compact, economical alternative to belt-driven models (while yielding commercial grade performance), the washers are designed for maximum durability and portability. The pressure washers are powered by 9- or 13-horsepower Honda GX Series engines. They are available with pressure ratings between 3,000 and 4,000 psi, and flow rates vary between 3 and 4 gpm. Furthermore, a customizable option allows customers to choose a unit with pressure and flow ratings based on their specific needs. Learn more at www.steamjenny.com. IMAS
The cleaning sub-contractor on the Akron elementary school was an experienced professional with an effective cleaner. But the wrong application equipment sank him.
The kid who left the wand marks had good equipment and a good cleaner. But without experience or supervision, he was in a position to do some damage, and he did.
While two out of three may be okay for coin flips, you need all three keys to succeed in masonry cleaning.
When you have them, there's not much that can stop you. IMAS
Gary Henry is Business Communication Specialist for PROSOCO