Been thinking of switching to more VLM now the weather is darn near subzero. Whats your go to system? Thinking of getting a smaller 13in 175 with brush and bonnets?
Wintertime VLM
- Thread starter Timothyscarpet
- Start date
george8585
Well-Known Member
I went all VLM in Oct 2019 and will never go back to HWE.
I have 3 op's, ( 4 if you count Oreck Orbiter ) a Stepson for stairs and a 13'' Hawk 175-300.
I think the 13'' Hawk 175-300 cleans the best.
It does leave swirl marks that must be groomed out with a carpet rake or CRB.
You don't realize how slow 175 is until you use 300. Get a 175-300 if you can afford the extra cost. I use 175 the most but it's nice having the 300 in big open areas.
If you put a riser on the driver you can use any size driver you want. That's nice in big open areas. I use 12''-14'' -16'' drivers on my 13'' Hawk depending size of room and furniture.
I usually use a CRB first to scrub but you can use a brush or fiber pad first on 175 to scrub and then Bonnet Pro Ironman bonnets to extract.
Bonnet Pro Ironman Bonnets are the BEST for 175 !!!
www.bonnetpro.com
I have 3 op's, ( 4 if you count Oreck Orbiter ) a Stepson for stairs and a 13'' Hawk 175-300.
I think the 13'' Hawk 175-300 cleans the best.
It does leave swirl marks that must be groomed out with a carpet rake or CRB.
You don't realize how slow 175 is until you use 300. Get a 175-300 if you can afford the extra cost. I use 175 the most but it's nice having the 300 in big open areas.
If you put a riser on the driver you can use any size driver you want. That's nice in big open areas. I use 12''-14'' -16'' drivers on my 13'' Hawk depending size of room and furniture.
I usually use a CRB first to scrub but you can use a brush or fiber pad first on 175 to scrub and then Bonnet Pro Ironman bonnets to extract.
Bonnet Pro Ironman Bonnets are the BEST for 175 !!!
www.bonnetpro.com
Bonnet Pro is the way to go for VLM. I've tried some different companies for bonnets and chems and always go back to bonnet pro.
Great input guys im browsing the market for another swing machine, I've got a 20in Clark right now but its so big for residential. I also have a 10in crb which has paid itself off many times over just in the savings over needing back surgery
george8585
Well-Known Member
george8585
Well-Known Member
If you start VLM for residential it's not easy. You will get frustrated.
Best tip I can give you is to slow down. Let your 175, or CRB do it's job. VLM is a slower process.
Make sure you have a good reliable sprayer or two. Worx Sprayer works great for VLM and HWE prespray.
Steps were the worst for me in the beginning but not now. Vacuum, Prespray, scrub with 10'' CRB with short handle, grout brush for crevices along walls if needed, Stepson with microfiber bonnet.
Worx Sprayers
Best tip I can give you is to slow down. Let your 175, or CRB do it's job. VLM is a slower process.
Make sure you have a good reliable sprayer or two. Worx Sprayer works great for VLM and HWE prespray.
Steps were the worst for me in the beginning but not now. Vacuum, Prespray, scrub with 10'' CRB with short handle, grout brush for crevices along walls if needed, Stepson with microfiber bonnet.
Worx Sprayers
george8585
Well-Known Member
Get this! I was doing a wax job at a local church, I needed a plug in and happened upon a storage closet and there sat an older 13in swing machine! I emailed the church board and asked if they'd part with it and they agreed! Pretty cool story because I was eyeing some online and this one is legit, so I ordered up some bonnets from Bonnet Pro and got a few of his samples, I also got a few samples from excellent supply. The release it hydrox is pretty amazing. So far I have mostly used the 13 in for post bonnet on a few rat nasties. I did a 2 step pad cap on a townhome and I thought it turned out nice. Ive sold roughly 1000 dollars in commercial VLM coming up in February and hopefully more to come. Love learning new techniques.
george8585
Well-Known Member
Look at those tiny wheels.
Big profits on VLM.
Are you thinking about selling your TM ... lol
Big profits on VLM.
Are you thinking about selling your TM ... lol
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Here is my observation so far...
2 step pad capping is way slower IMO at least on residential compared to using HWE. And my HWE system cuts no corners,
Commercial glue down large square footage, encapping with just a pad or scrub microfiber with shower feed or mounted sprayer CAN be more efficient but if you have 2 guys running, HWE can be close.
Biggest difference is ....cost of doing business.
I drill into my business its about being effective AND efficient everything.
I like having options so my 370 will be sticking around, well until I upgrade to a 570.
OxiFreshGuy
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My problem with VLM is it will eventually catch up to you. A combination of both is the best of both worlds.
We do hybrid of both in residential and I feel it's not only the most profitable but also the best for the customers.
Encap is extremely profitable if your not using it daily in your business your missing out big time.
Encap is extremely profitable if your not using it daily in your business your missing out big time.
george8585
Well-Known Member
I used a TM for 25 years and starting in 2013 I started using VLM and HWE.
I went all VLM October 2019 and do not take on jobs that VLM can't handle.
I'm just tired of all the problems a TM brings.
Most of those problems are winter and cold weather. From November to April. Every winter is different. Some are not bad. I don't have a garage so I'm using heaters. Worrying about the electric going out at 3 am, and if it gets too cold, below 10, putting in anti-freeze and taking out, is a pain in the ass. Dragging hoses thru the snow, trying to keep cold air out of customers house.
NO THANK YOU !!! NO MORE !!!
I love VLM !!!
I went all VLM October 2019 and do not take on jobs that VLM can't handle.
I'm just tired of all the problems a TM brings.
Most of those problems are winter and cold weather. From November to April. Every winter is different. Some are not bad. I don't have a garage so I'm using heaters. Worrying about the electric going out at 3 am, and if it gets too cold, below 10, putting in anti-freeze and taking out, is a pain in the ass. Dragging hoses thru the snow, trying to keep cold air out of customers house.
NO THANK YOU !!! NO MORE !!!
I love VLM !!!
Can you explain a little further about "not taking on jobs that VLM can't handle".
How did your regulars feel about TM vs VLM when you cleaned with the new method for the first time with them?
How do you handle pet accidents that need flushing or you have to get aggressive in your treatment?
I also use VLM along with my TM. I think all cleaning methods have their place and it's up to us to determine when and where.
I've noticed its hard to sell people on VLM because we've created such a truckmount culture in our area.
Like you said they all have their place and it is our job to decide what's needed to clean effectively AND efficiently.
george8585
Well-Known Member
John you might find this hard to believe, but I actually have a very good reputation in my area. I'm established and have a lot of 10-15-20 year customers. So they trust me. I really don't do any advertising anymore. I just rely on old customers and referrals from customers. So most of my customers didn't even question me about a change in methods. They just gave it a try. 1-2 hour dry times is a good selling point but I did lose a some customers.
On my voice mail or when I talk to customers I tell them that VLM is not recommended for heavily soiled carpet. Heavily soiled, trashed carpet I recommend HWE. I don't even want to do those jobs anymore. I used to do rentals for this one guy in a very low income area for over 10 years. He had 18 properties and they would be black from wall to wall. I no longer do those jobs and I don't want to work in that kind of filth anymore.
When it comes to pet accidents and urine/odor I could write about two pages on the subject but I believe no method works 100%. I do tell customers their best option is to get carpet flushed using HWE.
The problem with (HWE) your using a lot of water and water pressure just pushes the urine down and your not removing 100% of the water or urine. So now you got dirty water with urine still in carpet. There is no perfect way to get odor/urine out of carpet. The only way to get rid of urine and odor 100% is to replace carpet/padding, baseboards, if needed, and seal or replace floor if needed.
So when it comes to pet accidents, if it's just minor urine damage, I tell the customer I'm deodorizing/cleaning/sanitizing down to the backing of the carpet. My aggressive is using clo2 in my Deodorizer/Encap and a CRB that scrubs down to the backing. I'm not doing anything for what's in the backing of carpet or padding or baseboards/floor. I tell them I can only make the situation better but I can't guarantee 100% odor/urine removal. For 100% guarantee of odor/urine removal you need to replace everything. If the customer is ok with that, I do my best.
These are just my opinions. I am not trying to start a VLM - HWE war ... lol
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IMO sometimes VLM urine treatment is the way to go. Not disturbing bacteria that lies beneath and no wicking, even with a water claw flush you may just bring up more problems. Cant beat the mist and walk away of a good USOR...
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