window cleaning, solar panel cleaning, pool servicing, grill cleaning

[Escoguy]

Guess I want to catch up on a few things and would appreciate pointers on cost/potential good vendors for:

1. cost of window cleaning for SFHs 2600sf/3000/sf/4000 sf

2. cost of solar panel cleaning for SFHs 12 to 20 panels

3. is calling an official pool rep to look at pool pump worth it? (no specific problems, just wanting to check that everything is fine)

4. Had my grill cleaned for about $100/last year but lost the number of the guy

If anyone had exceptional service for a good value, would be good to know.

Thanks

[kkertzman]

I clean windows professionally. My rule of thumb is $100 per thousand sf. 2600 = $260 that gets outside, inside and screens and tracks. Price can vary up to $150 per thousand sq.if all windows are french pane, hard to access, or construction debris cleanup. Solar panel cleaning is anywhere from $10-15 per panel depending on access. Hope this helps.

[njtosd]

If your pool stays clean with 8hrs circulation a day, your pump is working. You can get a variable speed pump which apparently takes about 6 years to pay for itself (according to my pool guy, who I’ve had for over 15 yrs). Apparently a standard pool (with a solar heater) costs roughly $150/month in energy costs. If yours seems a lot higher, your filter might need to be cleaned or repaired. Pool guy does a great job -let me know if you need his name –

[enron_by_the_sea]

Do you really need to cleanup solar panels? Someone told me that rain cleans them good enough.

[Doofrat]

With a variable speed pump, it costs me less than $25 a month to filter the pool for 8 hours a day. I run it at 1400 RPM (which uses 186 watts) for 6 hours and another 1-2 hours with the pool monster at about 500 watts (using a straight through leaf basket to the pool monster saves about 150 Watts).

In the winter, our electric tends to hit tier 4 earlier, so that offsets the savings a bit on having to run the pump less, but it’s probably just south of $20 a month for power.

With solar, it costs me about 20-30 cents in the summer to heat the spa to 101.

If you use the pool a lot (stirring it up), running the pump at a lower speed actually cleans the pool better than running it at high speed. I didn’t believe it until I tried it, but it’s true, and a lot cheaper.

Also, replace those incandescent bulbs in the pool and spa with LEDs(in ours, they were each 300 watts). I put a cheap Chinese one in the spa and a good one from Home Depot in the pool and they both work well. The Chinese one isn’t as bright as the good one from the Depot, but has changing colors and such. The combined power in now only 45 watts.

[pokepud3]

[quote=enron_by_the_sea]Do you really need to cleanup solar panels? Someone told me that rain cleans them good enough.[/quote]

You don’t need it unless they are based on the floor or their angles is flat. I haven’t cleaned mine in 4 years and have had no measurable decrease in production.

[moneymaker]

Have you gone up on the roof and looked at them? Just leave your car outside without washing it for 2 months and that will give you an idea what they probably look like.

[an]

But the question is, does it really affect the electricity production when it’s dusty. My 4 years data say no as well.

[njtosd]

[quote=doofrat]With a variable speed pump, it costs me less than $25 a month to filter the pool for 8 hours a day. I run it at 1400 RPM (which uses 186 watts) for 6 hours and another 1-2 hours with the pool monster at about 500 watts (using a straight through leaf basket to the pool monster saves about 150 Watts).

In the winter, our electric tends to hit tier 4 earlier, so that offsets the savings a bit on having to run the pump less, but it’s probably just south of $20 a month for power.

With solar, it costs me about 20-30 cents in the summer to heat the spa to 101.

If you use the pool a lot (stirring it up), running the pump at a lower speed actually cleans the pool better than running it at high speed. I didn’t believe it until I tried it, but it’s true, and a lot cheaper.

Also, replace those incandescent bulbs in the pool and spa with LEDs(in ours, they were each 300 watts). I put a cheap Chinese one in the spa and a good one from Home Depot in the pool and they both work well. The Chinese one isn’t as bright as the good one from the Depot, but has changing colors and such. The combined power in now only 45 watts.[/quote]

Hmm – very interesting. I need to look into this a little further. Do you mind sending along the brand and horsepower of your pump?

[Coronita]

How often do solar panels need to get cleaned. I am assuming not that often?

[OwnerOfCalifornia]

[quote=flu]How often do solar panels need to get cleaned. I am assuming not that often?[/quote]

I tested this once a couple years ago. The following is mostly not scientific.

I waited for two sequential identical weather days in June (temperature, humidity, cloudless, duration of sunlight on array, etc.) At the end of day 1, I got up on my roof and thoroughly hosed off my panels. The result was ~ 8% increase in generation on day 2, which for my system was about $0.32 / day of electricity.

No telling how fast the panels would get dirty again, probably pretty quick in the summer, meaning you’d have to get up there kinda often if you were OCD about it. I decided that’s not worth my time and safety (walking around on my roof), and the winter rainy season was sufficient.

[gzz]

How about for our referral list, palm tree trimmers who do small jobs.

I have 4 Mexican Fans that need a trim. I called emailed and texted multiple guys on yelp. Some never replied at all, others asked for a photo but never followed up after I sent one.

They don’t absolutely need a trim and the dried tops provide a bit of shade in the summer. But it also is a home for noisy crows, and my prior trim was because wood wasps were nesting in them. These are harmless, I’d attack their nest from a spray can and they never attacked. But they freak guests out since they are karge and there are a lot of them. For whatever reason they haven’t come back the past two years. Instead this year I have a lot of shiny green beetles.

[Hobie]

My tree guy is booked 45 days out now. Not sure when this will hit, but to conform to new emission laws, they need to be getting new chippers. So expect a price increase too.

I get those green beetles in my plum trees.

Overheard a funny story: “When tree trimmer showed up in a Mercedes for the estimate, I knew that trim was gonna cost me!”

[gzz]

Hobie, My plum tree went nuts this year for the first time.

Had about 60 fruit last year, 500+ this year.

That explains the beetles, which seem pretty harmless.

My main animal enemy are gophers. I expanded my grassy lawn 6 months ago. They completely destroyed it. About 15% of it is left. Bermuda grass seems to be partly a deterrent, but it takes forever to establish compared to other types.

I put in a new peach tree in my back yard this year.

One day every single one of the 10 immature peaches it came with disappeared. I blame crows.

[Hobie]

Since we are talking ‘farming’. I’ve had a squirrel problem with my fruit trees. Couple of hawks moved in and between my cat and the bird, no more lost fruit.

Try a “Black Hole” for your gophers. It is a box with a hole in one end. You bury it so the gopher thinks he has to fix the hole. When he trys to push soil out, the trap pinches him. Better than bait, for now.

Cat is 50/50 with gopher. Flying beetles eat the fruit and are pia flying into you. Don’t have any solution for those bastards.

Don’t get me started on the damned crows. They are so smart. A BB gun only works for a week or two. They recognize you and fly off before you can get a shot. Not to mention they wake everyone up!

[Author]

Posts