Comments on: Rent vs. Buying Unique Equipment

By: Carman

Carman — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:04:57 +0000

What do you mean by “friends like Carmen pop up all the time”? I’m not your friend; you can’t even spell my name right.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:23:31 +0000

Carmen, Where are you washing your deck? Tan, Ipod, own your own home humm.lololol.

Back to the point in hand:

Don, your analysis on opportunity cost for storage is invalid unless you are using the space for another purpose. ( not every inch of your house is in use) Your house cost is a sunk cost It will cost you $85.00 if you buy and store a power washer or leave it empty. Duh!. SHould I factor $200.00 a sq ft ( my cost) into the charge for my neighbors? That is ridiculous unless you are inthe business of washing decks or rentals. You also forgot to factor the real cost and opportunity cost of the machine over its life versus renting during the same period. Another note when renting is lets not forget the cost of gas……..to go pick it up and in Don’s terms mileage on the vehicle. Average cost to operate a vehicle is over $.50 a mile now.

Having owned a power washer for over five years and maintaining it like a lawn mower ( oil changes) the power washer is also good for removing brake dust from automobile wheels and cleaning the sidewalk.

Another reason to own one is friends like Carmen pop up all the time. Surprisingly, you become popular in the neighborhood and charging a neighbor a recovery cost of say $75.00 pays for the machine in no time flat.

By: 2 million

2 million — Sat, 27 May 2006 14:54:11 +0000

I broke down and bought a 2400psi gas engine pressue washer. I split it 3 ways with my brother and father. Since we only need to use it once a year or so it made sense to all chip in – it would have been about the same for each of us to rent one and now we can use it every year.

By: Carman

Carman — Wed, 24 May 2006 04:59:34 +0000

I may have to look into renting one of those 2000 p.s.i. machines for my deck. Alternatively, I have four gallons of deck cleaner (no idea if that’s enough) that I can scrub with by hand. It seems like a waste of time, but if you choose a sunny day, it actually saves time on getting tan.

With an iPod and some cheeba, it can be pretty enjoyable too. That’s my tip.

By: raising4boys.com

raising4boys.com — Mon, 22 May 2006 22:39:55 +0000

The play structure is redwood and cedar, and it’s pretty big. After about three years out in the elements it could use a fresh coat of stain, and I thought that it might be best to clean it up/pressure wash it first. Unlike a deck, it doesn’t have any large, flat, uncovered surfaces that collect leaves, bird crap, etc. (it’s mostly beams, and the ‘deck’ that it has at the top of the slide is covered by a canvas roof).

By: jim

jim — Mon, 22 May 2006 16:56:44 +0000

When my water heater needs to be replaced, I’m thinking about getting an on-demand tankless water heater in part because of energy conservation.

By: Don

Don — Mon, 22 May 2006 16:38:43 +0000

Something you touched on and should be considered on each buy decision; that is storage. My 2980 sq ft house cost me a cool 1/4 million. This works out to about $85 per sq ft. Using my $85 value and a minimum of 2 ft square to store their behemoth, this works out to $340. This really ups the price considerably, particularly in many of the “hotter” real estate areas.

I think everyone should consider this when they replace, for instance, their hot water heater with an on-demand type which uses much less space.

By: jim

jim — Mon, 22 May 2006 13:30:17 +0000

Anything 2000 psi and higher usually runs off a gasoline engine and will run you about $300. The 1300, 1200-ish psi ones can be plugged into a household electrical outlet and those are around $130 a piece. I don’t know what your play structure is made of but the 1200/1300 psi washer should be enough. As for your deck, you really want to go with a 2000+ psi washer if you want to really get that gunk off well. At 1200 psi, you have to spend a lot of time (and water) with the nozzle head really close to the wood in order to get what you want. Luckily you only need to refinish a deck once every four or five years.

By: raising4boys.com

raising4boys.com — Mon, 22 May 2006 12:41:44 +0000

I’ve been wondering the same thing, as the deck at our new house needs to be refinished, and our kids play structure does too. I figured I’d rent something and hit them both in the same day. While it would be convenient to have one of these lying around, I’m not sure I want to store it. Any idea how much the 2000 psi monsters cost to buy?

By: ~Dawn

~Dawn — Mon, 22 May 2006 04:02:58 +0000

Research does wonders for the pocket book! Good work.