Tips from Gary- Blood removal- When dry- When there is small quantities of blood on a carpet or furniture- don't put any chemical on it- just scrape the deposit off of the fabric. you will find in most cases your fingernail is the best, and the handiest tool for this trick, when the deposits are just drops. I have done this many times. When the deposits are larger- say from a dime size to a half dollar size, use a spotting brush- tamp it dry, vacuum the dust off, and gently brush the remainder, being careful not to fray the fabric. Vacuum away. I have cleaned up after murders and suicides, with a lot of blood, and when it is dry, it all comes off the surface with only mechanical action. If it has soaked into the padding, or backing, or batting, it is easier to replace that than to fool with it, trying to remove it. When the blood is still wet- Absorb it up with absorbant media. Talcum powder, salt, powdered marble, cornstarch, etc. Anything that can be discarded when full. Absorb all possible, vacuum away, and if there is still some in the fabric, apply more absorbant media, place a weight on top of the dry media to make good contact with the blood. Make a pile at least half an inch above, and beyond the deposit. The blood will be drawn into the media very close to 100%. Any remainder when dry, can now be removed by mechanical means- without chemicals. If someone else has monkeyed with the deposit before you arrive, and has applied soap, water, or any chemical, the most likely way to remove the remainder is with hydrogen peroxide. Apply with a Q-tip- don't pour it on, as the peroxide may bleach the fabric. Wear rubber gloves- you don't know what that blood contains that you don't want for yourself. Gary Free Lance Brain Surgeon. Anesthetic 5 cents. Used mallets for sale. Response from Randy- Gary, I just read your posting on blood cleanup and had to respond to one thing you said. You said to use your finger nail on dried blood, while it is very effective in loosening and removing the dried blood it has one potential serious risk. Even dreid blood can harbor Hepititus B and be absorbed into the bloodstream through a small cut or abrasion on the skin around the finger nail. Better to use a scraper of some type and avoid even the slightest of risks...Other wise it was right on the money for dealing with blood...well written. I have had the duty of doing quite a few major blood and body fluid cleanups too, and can appreciate the last statement...always go in protected to the max... Randy Berglund Trainee brain sugeon volunteer Non-anaesthetic division -------- Q.Can I run 50 feet of hose with my portable? A.Hi Jeffery- You need more CFM at the source, and that will give you more water lift. 50 feet is an awful lot of 1 1/2 inch hose, though. You would be more efficient running say 30 or 40 feet of 2 inch hose, then 10 or 15 feet of 1 1/2 inch. The problem is with turbulence in the 1 1/2 inch hose, constricting the air flow volume of CFM. Even on truck mounts, it is recommended no more than 20 feet of 1 1/2 inch hose, because of the constriction of the 1 1/2 inch hose. That's why you cannot do it successfully now with 50 feet. It would be cheaper to get a 50 foot length of 2 inch hose, and run that directly to the wand from the machine, if you want more reach. There is no portable manufacturer that recommends more than 25 feet with a portable, because of this problem. Adding more vacuum power or more heat, or more pressure requires more energy, and that's more electric load at the source. I have been down this road, and at one time made up a pigtail for 220 that plugged into a 220 dryer outlet, with the socket divided into 2 110 outlets, and I used that for more power. Too many problems going to the dryer, then running long extension cords to the machine, moving and disconnecting the dryer, then moving it back, and re-connecting the dryer. If a house had a gas dryer, I could not run the machine. Phooey. I even had an electric truck mount for a couple of years, With the same problem. That's when I gave up on electric machines all together, and went for a gas truck mount, and a regular portable for secure buildings and high rises. I mentioned the added vac and pump motors, for longer reaches, and I have the hoses for this, but too many electric problems. I will sell you my separate vac and pump to add on, if you want, but it is not really a good idea. While I had the electric truck mount, there were a lot of problems with vacuum and air flow, and I tried a lot of different configurations, but it is just not as practical as a gas truck mount. They need 2 circuits in the home or office, and so does the more powerful portables. If you make a mistake, POW goes the fuse or circuit breaker. Then try to find a separate circuit, and something important on the blown circuit is damaged, or screwed up, like a computer, and the customer is upset, and you have not even started cleaning yet. I say forget the whole idea, and go for a gas truck mount. When you do this, I recommend a CDS type rather than a slide in. Lots of reasons, but I won't go into that now. I have had both, and would not even consider a slide in. Too many problems with them all. ------ Q. Tell me about in line filters. Roger A.Hi Roger- I have used a clear plastic in-line filter that I got at McDowell's last September. It gets about 99% of all the stuff that would go into the waste tank. I love it. Easier to clean out after every job, and sometimes a couple of times on a job, if there is lot of stuff, but it really helps to keep the waste takn clean. I have only cleaned the tank out twice, following a sewage extraction, but normally with regular steam cleanings, there is not enough crud in the tank to need a cleanout. You should get one, too, if cleaning out the waste tank on a regular basis bothers you. ------- Gary If love is blind, then why do they make lingerie? ----------- Q.I have a Butler. What do you think of it? How can I make it better? How can I get more business? Tell me about the Turbo Steam Cleaning. What do you think of Joe Polish's marketing ideas? Pat. A. Hi Pat- Re property managers. There are 2 ways to see them. If you just drop in, and they won't talk to you, just leave business cards and flyers with your info on them. The better way is to make an appointment, and keep that appointment. They are just as busy as anyone else, and usually don't have the time to talk to every salesman that drops in, no matter what they are selling. Same with interior designers, carpet and furniture stores, etc. But that is the best way to get them to send you referrals. I clean the carpets in several stores, and do spot removals in the stores as needed, and service calls to their customers when something is soiled in delivery, and believe me it is real common. No, the Turbo Steam Cleaning is not the same as a regular steam cleaning. It is greatly different, and it is worth promoting, I think. Every cleaner with a truck mount does it pretty much the same, and so why should a property manager use your services, when he or she use Mr. Cheap Cleaner who does it the exact same as you do? You have got to be different to get their attention. That's one reason I developed the idea, and the results are better than using a wand, or even an RX-20, or other power head. the waste water tells the story. It is dirtier with the turbo cleaning than with the wand, RX-20, or any other method I have ever seen, and I have tried them all. (All that I know of, anyway.) Plus it is a lot faster than regular wanding, with less strokes for moderate to real heavy soiling. The carpet is left about the same amount of dampness as with regular wanding, so the drying time is about the same. Re the Butler. If it has live reels, disconnect them, and don't use them for that purpose. Too much power lost with the extra lengths of hose, not used, and the subsequent loss of pressure and vacuum. Forget that aspect. You will have better results with the corresponding increase in gasoline saved, and less strain on the equipment. Remove and discard the Butler waste filter box that it comes with. You can use the space it takes up better. Use an in-line filter, and clean it out after every job. No crud in the waste tank now. The Butler filter is almost useless. Put the in-line filter next to the truck, on a short length of vac hose. Put the other end of the short length to the vac intake on the waste tank. Remove and discard the clean water tank. As I have said on a lot of BBS's- why take water from a place that has water, to a place that has water? That's nutso. Hauling around water takes more gasoline, harder on all of the truck's components- engine, transmission, brakes, shocks, etc. Nutso. EVERY home, and EVERY office you go to has water. I have run truck mounts since 1976, and I have NEVER had a need for hauling my own water. Some cleaners say it is convenient to haul water. Quicker to begin cleaning, by not having to find the hose bibb. All right, it is quicker, by seconds. Maybe a minute. How frequently do you have to replace brakes? Carrying 100 gallons weighs 900 lbs, plus the weight of the tank. That's another 100 lbs, at least, so the total additional weight is over 1000 lbs. Think about that. Remove and discard the reels. Coil and hang the hoses. More space in the truck, plus less weight of the reels. A reel is worse than useless. It turns the hoses into dog poop magnets, and they need constantly to be cleaned off. Why make more work for yourself? You have to unreel the hoses, coil them to carry into the house or apt, and connect them there. then when finished, disconnect them, coil them to carry outside the house, connect them to reel onto the reel. clean them off, and reel them up. If the hoses are coiled and hung from the walls by bungee cords, or heavy string, or light rope, you carry the whole coil into a house, string it out, and connect them. When finished, you coil them, tie them, and carry them out to the truck and hang them. It is a LOT quicket that way, than fooling with reels. I know, I started in 1976 with reels. I discarded tham in 1978. What do truck mount manufacturers know about cleaning carpets? NOTHING!! What do truck mount manufacturers know about making life easier for the guy using them? NOTHING!! What do truck mount manufacturers know about making the equipment more heavy, more expensive, more stuff to buy, more bells and whistles that are not needed, but ADD TO THEIR PROFIT? EVERYTHING!!! Think about it. Look at the entire thing in the truck. Say to yourself- Do I need this? Who says so? How can I do it differently, so it is all easier for me? What can I do to simplify it for ME??? Without the fresh water tank, the Butler filter, the reels, how much more room will you have? How much weight will you save? How much easier will it make my work? Then do it. Re Joe Polish. His stuff does work for some people. It helps if you are real aggressive, and a SALESMAN TYPE PERSONALITY....... I won't tell you to either keep it, or send it back, that's up to you. But if you want a 10 or 20 truck operation, use it. ------- Q.I had an in line filter, but it clogged. My waste tank stinks. What do you do to keep from it smelling? Roger. A.Hi Roger- Re the in-line filter- Yes, it does get clogged up, but that's the benefit of it. The stuff that clogs it does not get into the waste tank. Really, by using it, it keeps my waste tank pretty clear of sludge, lint, pet hair, etc. I know it is a bother to use it, and to clean it out after every job, but the alternative is to clean out the waste tank, and that's much worse, so I want to keep it as clean as I can. Really, it does not stink, unless I do a urine or sewer job. The Bac-Out digester goes in every night, to keep the residue that does not come out digested, and sweet smelling. You ought to try it. One of these days you will, and you will say- "Why didn't I listen to Gary years ago, and get on his good side, and buy stuff from him, and make him rich." ------ Q.Compare slide ins to CDS machines. Ron A.Hi Ron- Good to hear from you. Heres what I know about truck mounts. Any slide in weighs more than any CDS (Clutch Drive System), so you use more gas, and wear and tear on the truck with the added weight. Any CDS is quieter than any slide in. Any CDS has less maintenance than any slide in. Any belt replacements are easier on a CDS than a slide in. With a CDS, there is no separate engine maintenance. Any CDS is cooler inside the truck than a slide in, because of the ambient heat of the machine. On hot days, you can shut off the incoming hot water from the engine to the heat exchangers with a CDS, but not a slide in. Most CDS's waste tank is easier to clean out than a slide in- but not all. some are badly arranged. Look at this aspect before you select your CDS. All CDS's take up less room in the truck than any slide in. They both consume about the same amount of gasoline while running. No propane or fuel oil with a CDS. Maintenance is limited to some grease on bearings every couple of hundred hours. Belt replacement about every 2 years. The total cost over 5 or 10 years is minimal with a CDS. No small parts to break, and replace. My CDS is 12 years old, thousands of hours on it. I just spent $65.00 for the first repair to anything in March this year- needed new check valves in the Cat Pump. No slide in can compare, but this is typical of any CDS. Yes, I am still running my Astro with the Ballweber CDS in it, and expect to die still shoving my wand. They will have to pry my cold dead hands from my wand. Do you feel that way about your Pro-Chem? All right, enough about them. I had a Hydramaster CDS for 5 years, that my son used. It needed a few repairs, and over 5 years it cost me about $150.00 for them. I sold it last September to another cleaner when my son decided to go to work for someone else. If I was buying another today, it would not be a Hydramaster again. Several reasons, but I would get a Butler, or a White Magic machine, I think. Ballweber has retired, and does not make them any more. If you could get a used Ballweber, that would be the best. Hard to find, though. even 5 or 10 or 15 years old, they are so much better than anything else, it would still be a good move. The main drawback to the Hydramaster is the engine speed. It runs at 2200 to 2600 RPM. My Ballweber runs at 1200 RPM. Same with Butlers, and most others. It cost me exactly twice the gasoline per month as the Ballweber. Bad engineering there. Ron is in Phoenix, where it gets hot, sometimes. I will give you his e-mail address, if you want more info. Forget about any slide in, is my opinion. Forget about Pro-Chem's PTO unit. Several manufacturers have tried this configuration, and ceased making them pretty quick. Too hard on the transmission, I have heard. Steamway did it back in 1987, and only made a few, before they were all recalled. Maybe Pro-Chem has the problem whipped, but I would not bet on it. I would not want to be their guinea pig. Here's the bottom line. IT HAS TO BE SIMPLE !!!! Most manufacturers make it too complicated. More bells and whistles. More heat. More vacuum. Parts that easily break, cost plenty to replace, with a LOT of difficulty, because, they make more money on parts than on the original. Think about it. Would you say your machine is simple, or complicated? What could they do to make it simpler than it is? Engine, pump, blower, heater. "Well, if we add this bell, and this whistle, and put them where they cannot be reached unless the customer has to also remove this and this, breaking that over there to reach the broken part, and having to replace both, and they are made in Indonesia, where they have no idea of what they are doing, and use the cheapest stuff to make it out of, like bananna leaves, then our profit will be enormous!!" Does that sound cynical? Look at your machine, and others, and see if I am correct or not. How much is good design, good sound engineering, good construction, quality parts, easily replaceable, easy maintenance, etc, and what is CRAP? I could go on and on, but I think you have got my drift by now. I have owned 1 slide in, and 4 CDS machines, and I say CDS is the best way to go. Arnie Ballweber's philosophy is- "I never want to see you again, or hear from you until you want another machine." His machines never break down or quit, just keep on running, year after year. Re the electric clutch of the CDS. My original has never been serviced. Nothing done to it at all. How durable is it? I have no idea. How about forever? Every one else I have talked to that has a CDS says the same. Hey- keep using that outside inline filter, to keep the junk out of your waste tank. Sure, it plugs up. Otherwise the junk would go into the waste tank, and you would have to clean that out, which is a worse job. ------ Q. Today, something happened to me, for the second time in my short life. I was cleaning away during a snowstorm, with lots and lots of really wet flakes. Almost like rain. Well, into the third room of a five room job, I hear my machine choking and, worse of all, a horrible knocking sound coming from the engine. You know, the type of sound like a rod is going to come out the side of an engine. So I run out, shut it off, have a mild heart attack, and start thinking of ways to tactfully cancel all my appointments today. (Of course, this had to happen on my first full day in about two weeks of sitting and getting fat.) After injecting some coffee into my veins, (those syringes are good for stuff other than deodorizing the pad under carpet) I check my oil level, which was fine. I start it up, sounds OK, and finish cleaning. Next job, does the same thing, during the heavy snow. Then I notice my air intake is taking in as much snow as it is oxygen. Hmmm. So I move my van so it is sucking just air, and add some water remover to my fuel tank. Rest of the day, problem solved. I was also running near empty on my fuel tank. Maybe I got some gas with too much water in it. Could that cause the knocking sound? I would like to hear from some mechanically inclined. Can water in the gas, or water being pulled into the intake and through the carb, cause knocking in the engine? Enough to give a 33 year old a heart attack? I hope that was all it was. Two more jobs, ran fine. Dale Collins, I know you're out there somewhere. Thanks, Jeff. A.Jeff, it was most likely Water vapor freezing in the carburetor venturi, and partially choking the engine. I have had this happen both in my old TM machine, and in my car during snowing weather. There is so much water vapor in the air, and it is freezing temperature, so the faster moving air in the carb venturi makes it that much colder, so the water vapor mixed with the gasoline freezes. When you stop and wonder about it, or pause for any reason, the frozen vapor, now not being continuously colder, thaws, and the car, or machine runs fine. When you start up again, it freezes again. Using some methanol in the tank minimises this, or eliminates it. Move to a warmer climate to eliminate the problem completely. -------- Q. > I had a malfunction in my ProChem Bruin II yesterday that > greatly concerns me ! I thought I'd see if anyone else has > had the same problem with their Bruin II ... > > Just as I was finishing a job and outside gathering my > hoses, I noticed that the sound of my machine was beginning > to change. The engine was intermitantly 'missing' as it ran. > This usually means something is wrong - so I checked it out. > > As I approached the machine side of the truck I could see > that there where flames rising about 8 inches from the > bottom right front side of the machine (right behind the > passenger seat at floor level). I turned off the machine and > blew on the area (like birthday candles) and the flames went > out ... Had that not worked I was already starting to grab > for my nearby fire extinguisher ... > > What happened ?? > -> The temperature relief solenoid valve had shorted out > internally and the wiring to it had begun to burn as a > result of the short. > > If this were the first time this had happened I wouldn't be > too concerned about it - but infact - this was the second > time I've had this happen to my Bruin II ... The circuit > breaker held in each instance, allowing the machine to > continue operating as the wiring to the valve overheated and > caught fire within inches of my van's passenger seat > upholstery, leaving soot on the seat-back each time. But - > It could have been worse ... > > If I had been inside the job and 100 or more feet away - I > wouldn't have heard the machine 'noise' change as readliy or > had been as quick to check it. The upholstery could have > caught fire and I most probably would have lost the machine > AND the truck. As luck had it - both times this had happened > I WAS nearby, and got to it in time to prevent any major > damage. Only the solenoid valve needed to be replaced in > each instance. In my experience the repeat interval on this > failure seems to be at somewhere around every 1000 hrs of > operation. > > Has anyone else seen this problem on their Bruin II ? Is > every Bruin II operator in danger of an electrical fire when > this valve fails electrically ? If so - I think we need to > get the word out before someone looses their truck to > something that might be preventable - had they known > about it beforehand. > > Tom Quid > A.Tom- I have not had this particular problem but a similar one with my old slide-in. The temperature sensor thermostat failed, and the propane fire stayed on, and when I shut off the wand, pretty quick, there was a steam explosion. Fortunately, the weakest thing gave way- the pressure hose at the machine QC, and when I heard the POW!! and ran out to see what happened, I had to turn off the propane at the tank to get the fire to go out. A potentially dangerous situation, for sure. I replaced the thermostat, and in about a year, the same thing happened again, this time damaging my pump. When I replaced the pump, I sold the machine, and got a CDS. No more propane for this kid. Too dangerous. Same thing can happen to a kerosine fired machine. Forget it, I sez. Believe me, it can happen to you, too. --------