Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: lee_dewing on March 07, 2016, 10:31:58 pm

Title: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 07, 2016, 10:31:58 pm
As title
 http://chemiclean.co.uk/Numatic2.htm

WVD-570-2 (3rd one down).

Any good as a guttervac?

I know machine is small in size but spec looks good.
Think that's the same a grippavac machine they advertise smaller vac for small van owners £700.

Or have I got it wrong.
Thanks lee.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 07, 2016, 10:52:50 pm
As title
 http://chemiclean.co.uk/Numatic2.htm

WVD-570-2 (3rd one down).

Any good as a guttervac?

I know machine is small in size but spec looks good.
Think that's the same a grippavac machine they advertise smaller vac for small van owners £700.

Or have I got it wrong.
Thanks lee.

Hi Lee, did you get my email?

The gutter sucker gold pro package is around £700. 3000 w triple motor vac, carbon poles.
Can't go wrong.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 07, 2016, 11:20:42 pm
Thanks very much Chris.

Just read your email and responded.

I'll checkout those recommendations now.

Do you have a minimum charge? (gutter vac)

Glad to hear your busy.
Sorry to hear about problems you mentioned.
Not funny   :o

Lee

Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 08, 2016, 07:30:10 am
Yes £3 per metre minimum charge, with a discount for regular customers.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: David Beecroft on March 08, 2016, 07:36:37 am
Hi Lee, if you decide on a Numatic machine you'd be better to buy this from Avern Industrial. Its already got the 50mm side Cyclonic entry port fitted. Just buy the machine not the Gutter Kit as its made up of 38mm Numatic steel poles, too narrow, too heavy. You would still need to buy 50mm hose (Grippa Vac seem reasonably priced) and poles , tools etc. I dealt with Avern when I bought mine and found their customer service excellent. https://www.averncleaningsupplies.com/WVD900-GD-Gutter-Vacuum-Cleaner-Drain-Numatic&filter_name=Gutter%20Cleaning
Hope you get on okay.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 08, 2016, 02:03:43 pm
Thanks for that link David.

So you got the wet and dry vac from Avern.
Think I remember you saying you were very pleased with the vac and its cleared all gutter jobs no problem.

Then got your poles, nozzles, tubing from grippavac?

I know the numatics have a 2yr warranty.

I have a ford escort van I'll have to get measurements of vac to make sure fits alright, sure it will.

Just some of the vacs seem quite large.
I know grippavac sell smaller numatic, exactly same spec as yours just smaller size say 30 litre but £700 :o

The only thing I remember reading with the grippavac tools is they don't have a narrow nozzle option for tight gutters.
Is that right?

Thanks lee.
Ps sorry if my message is a bit muddled on quick lunch break. ;D
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 08, 2016, 02:31:55 pm
Chris, checked out gutter sucker.

Window cleaning warehouse sell.

Gold package with vat £888.

Is that to do with skyvac? Or another company?

I know the atom is skyvac but think that is only 1400watts.

Regarding gutter clearing I was thinking £60 minimum charge.

I suppose you can offer to inspect custies gutters with camera on end of wfp pole for a reasonable charge.

Then knock of inspection charge if custie goes for gutter clearing.

Gutter clearing 3 bed semi £75.
Say £15 inspection

If inspection turns into a gutter clearing job then £60

Do you have a camera Chris do you find it wise to so customers before after pics?

Just thinking If customers sign up for a regular annual gutter clearing, they might realise from camera images there gutters aren't that dirty.

Instead of leave my windows this month there not that dirty.

It will be leave my gutters this year there not that bad ;D

 ;D

Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 08, 2016, 06:01:28 pm
Chris, checked out gutter sucker.

Window cleaning warehouse sell.

Gold package with vat £888.

Is that to do with skyvac? Or another company?

I know the atom is skyvac but think that is only 1400watts.

Regarding gutter clearing I was thinking £60 minimum charge.

I suppose you can offer to inspect custies gutters with camera on end of wfp pole for a reasonable charge.

Then knock of inspection charge if custie goes for gutter clearing.

Gutter clearing 3 bed semi £75.
Say £15 inspection

If inspection turns into a gutter clearing job then £60

Do you have a camera Chris do you find it wise to so customers before after pics?

Just thinking If customers sign up for a regular annual gutter clearing, they might realise from camera images there gutters aren't that dirty.

Instead of leave my windows this month there not that dirty.

It will be leave my gutters this year there not that bad ;D

 ;D

You can get the gutter sucker package direct from them on eBay for £780.

I don't have a minimum price, I charge £3 per metre with a discount for regular window cleaning customers.
Yea don't bother with inspections, when a customer asks to have their gutters cleared just price it up and do the job. Even if the gutters are pretty empty just whip around with the vac and charge full price.
Most people just want it done anyway even if there's only a few bits of moss in there, just for peace of mind.
I may hop up on the ladder briefly just to get an idea of what's up there or what attachment I need to use.

Having done a fair few jobs with the vac now iv realised a camara isn't really that necessary. You get a feel for it and can judge pretty well if the gutters are cleared. 
I just think inspections are a waste of time, customer wants gutters cleared, I give price, customer says yes or no, if yes I get out the vac and whip around and clear whatever is in the gutters, job done, leave the bill.
Some jobs the gutters may be packed and take longer, other jobs are dead easy and may only take half as long as planned.
I had this 2 weeks ago, a small block of 4 flats I thought would take minimum 2 hours took me only an hour. There was about 4 bits of moss in my vac at the end. Probably the easiest £130 iv ever earnt.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 08, 2016, 08:31:56 pm
Thanks very much for your posts Chris.

Much appreciated.

Forgot to ask have you had to go up the ladder yet for anything the vac can't handle?

I.e blocked downpipe?

Never offered a gutter clearing service due wanting to keep my feet on the ground, as wfp.

Thanks lee.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 08, 2016, 08:54:39 pm
Thanks very much for your posts Chris.

Much appreciated.

Forgot to ask have you had to go up the ladder yet for anything the vac can't handle?

I.e blocked downpipe?

Never offered a gutter clearing service due wanting to keep my feet on the ground, as wfp.

Thanks lee.

The vac has handled everything so far, even blocked downpipes. I usually put on the thinner head that slides right into the downpipe.
Ladder does come in handy though to get to awkward, hard to access gutters.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 08, 2016, 09:21:07 pm
Thanks again Chris

Just looked on ebay at gutter sucker.

Thanks for tip, £100 cheaper.

Email'd them to get dimensions of vac. :)
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: David Beecroft on March 08, 2016, 10:22:40 pm
Hello again Lee, I didn't buy anything from Grippa Vac, I just seem to remember that their 50mm hose was good value. If you shop around you can save money on carbon poles etc.  :)
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 10, 2016, 08:10:58 am
Hi  David.

Yes seem to remember smudger had some custom made by a carbon manufacturing company.

Forgot to say if I go for buying a vac now do you think it might not get used much?

Better to wait til late summer, ready for autumn?

I could get some fascia soffit gutter cleaning leaflets done though with also gutter clearing on.

Much appreciated Chris and David for the info.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 10, 2016, 11:16:57 am
Hi  David.

Yes seem to remember smudger had some custom made by a carbon manufacturing company.

Forgot to say if I go for buying a vac now do you think it might not get used much?

Better to wait til late summer, ready for autumn?

I could get some fascia soffit gutter cleaning leaflets done though with also gutter clearing on.

Much appreciated Chris and David for the info.

I'm doing far more gutter jobs at the moment then I did through the whole of autumn/winter.
Averaging 2 or 3 a week as well as usual window rounds.
If you push the service you can get gutter work most of the year round.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 11, 2016, 11:03:23 am
Chris glad to hear that. :)

I spoke to the guy once where you bought your gutter vacuum.

He said that if you don't get greedy with your prices you'd be busy all year.

I believe that now coming from yourself, rather that the man selling the equipment. ;D

Stay busy Chris.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 11, 2016, 11:06:45 am
David.

Where was all your gutter vac equipment from?

Avern for numatic vac £500 ish.

But where dud you get poles (carbon?) also end tools and hose?

Thanks lee.
Sandwich break over :(
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 11, 2016, 12:34:26 pm
Chris glad to hear that. :)

I spoke to the guy once where you bought your gutter vacuum.

He said that if you don't get greedy with your prices you'd be busy all year.

I believe that now coming from yourself, rather that the man selling the equipment. ;D

Stay busy Chris.

Still you don't want to be running around like a headless chicken either earning next to bugger all.  Gutter clearing & downspout unblocking can be hard mucky work even using a guttervac. That said you need to price well or not bother at all and let someone else do it for peanuts.  It is up to the individual what they charge but I soon learnt that underselling a gutter clearing service you might as well stay on the glass.

Some jobs using a guttervac are a doddle to do and others you will find are a real pain in the arse. Don't expect every gutter job just to do with a guttervac either as ladders and/or other suitable access equipment are somtimes required too.

Just interested how much you chaps would charge to check/clear the gutters & downspouts. Then clean the fascias, soffits, gutters and windows on this extened semi. Guttering runs along  3 sides of the property and office is included in the price at the rear.

And no I'm not cleaning those solar panels on the roof if anyone asks as they are self cleaning glass don't you know ;D

Closest price wins.







Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 11, 2016, 04:19:52 pm
Hello anyone out there want to have a stab at the price of that one. :P
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Mike55 on March 11, 2016, 06:21:02 pm
Hello anyone out there want to have a stab at the price of that one. :P

£145 including extension and garage conversion
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 11, 2016, 06:24:23 pm
Thanks Mike...Anyone else?
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 11, 2016, 06:29:40 pm
£200 ;)
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 11, 2016, 06:31:39 pm
£75 gutters, £25 windows, £100 fsg clean.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 11, 2016, 06:33:45 pm
Thanks  lee...anyone else?
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: 8weekly on March 11, 2016, 06:51:36 pm
How many metres of guttering is it?
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: David Beecroft on March 11, 2016, 11:08:53 pm
Hi again Lee, I bought my Carbon poles and tools from these guys, http://www.guttercleaningsystems.co.uk/
I haven't any experience of other poles & fittings to compare them with but they work fine for me and the price is pretty good. I bought my 50mm hose direct from Numatic but as I said before I think Grippa Vac has it cheaper.
If you're like me and new to Gutter cleaning with a vacuum system expect it to be pretty frustrating at first, I have learned a lot from reading posts on this forum. Its still hard work but its another string to my bow.
David
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 11, 2016, 11:47:24 pm
It's hard to be precise from the pics but probably between £160-£180.

Pricing can be a hard thing to get right, especially on commercial.
Iv just picked up 2 blocks of flats, they wanted a price to clean the windows quarterly and gutters once a year. I really wanted the job so went in on the lower end for the windows , but still at a rate I'm happy to earn in a day. Well turns out it was a fair bit cheaper then the previous vat reg company who they weren't happy with, so they accepted and asked for 8 weekly cleaning at that price.
By giving a good price I gained 2 extra days work.

The gutter quote was also accepted which is huge plus as its around 3× my average daily rate and I should get it done in a day.
I think because I gave a very good price for the windows they were happy to pay a premium for the gutters.
 Win win
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 12, 2016, 08:13:03 am
Regarding pricing it can be tricky one for sure as what some may think is expensive others think is cheap.
I think there is no right or wrong price if the customer is happy and you are happy what you get out of the job.

However after saying that it's very easy to undersell services if you're in the mindset to go in low every time to win work on price alone. Then you can end up regretting doing the work for that price as it turns out not as quick and easy as you thought it might be.

Regards to the example job I posted most would go in about 200-250 so Lee was the closest at £200.

I actually quoted £350 on that one and still got the job... go figure  ???

Out of choice I would rather just do top dollar gutter clearing jobs all day long than include f.s.g cleans aswell as to be honest f.s.g's can be a hard work, take a long time and pain in the arse to do properly.

For me it puts it into perspective when you get to do a gutter clearing job worth say £300 and takes around 2 hours to do rather than spending a lot more time and effort doing jobs like the one posted.




 
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 12, 2016, 10:31:04 am
Regarding pricing it can be tricky one for sure as what some may think is expensive others think is cheap.
I think there is no right or wrong price if the customer is happy and you are happy what you get out of the job.

However after saying that it's very easy to undersell services if you're in the mindset to go in low every time to win work on price alone. Then you can end up regretting doing the work for that price as it turns out not as quick and easy as you thought it might be.

Regards to the example job I posted most would go in about 200-250 so Lee was the closest at £200.

I actually quoted £350 on that one and still got the job... go figure  ???

Out of choice I would rather just do to dollar gutter clearing jobs all day long than include f.s.g cleans aswell as to be honest f.s.g's can be a hard work, take a long time and pain in the arse to do properly.

For me it puts it into perspective when you get to do a gutter clearing job worth say £300 and takes around 2 hours to do rather than spending a lot more time and effort doing jobs like the one posted.

I forgot to add the windows, so £200 - £220.
£160-£180 for just the guttering and fsg cleaning.

Your right though smurf there are no right or wrong prices, its whatever your happy with and how much the customer is willing to pay for the job.
I think if your busy and quoting one offs you can go in high and not worry about getting the work.
Whereas if its regular, good work on offer you need to think about the price a bit more.
It's a fine balance of putting in a price you want for the job but at the same time a price that actually gives you a chance of landing the work.



Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 12, 2016, 09:24:30 pm
Sorry for going off topic folks.
 
Anyhow I don't think it really matters what decent guttervac kit you decide to buy as if you price well it should pay for itself in no time.

Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 22, 2016, 09:31:27 pm
Quote
Hi again Lee, I bought my Carbon poles and tools from these guys, http://www.guttercleaningsystems.co.uk/
I haven't any experience of other poles & fittings to compare them with but they work fine for me and the price is pretty good. I bought my 50mm hose direct from Numatic but as I said before I think Grippa Vac has it cheaper.
If you're like me and new to Gutter cleaning with a vacuum system expect it to be pretty frustrating at first, I have learned a lot from reading posts on this forum. Its still hard work but its another string to my bow.
David

Thanks David.
I was looking at these people for complete guttervac but remembered Chris's vac packed up not long after he got it.

Also Chris mentioned adjustable neck broke ::)roll

Maybe I'll chance poles and tools from these guys but not vac.

Smurf do you ever get customers saying you were quick e.g. Suggestion that you should be cheaper ;D

One of my customers works in the office for a roofing company.

Told me when someone says that one of their jobs was done quick, he replies would you have paid more if it took longer than you thought?

After that no problems ;)
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 22, 2016, 10:00:09 pm
Quote
Hi again Lee, I bought my Carbon poles and tools from these guys, http://www.guttercleaningsystems.co.uk/
I haven't any experience of other poles & fittings to compare them with but they work fine for me and the price is pretty good. I bought my 50mm hose direct from Numatic but as I said before I think Grippa Vac has it cheaper.
If you're like me and new to Gutter cleaning with a vacuum system expect it to be pretty frustrating at first, I have learned a lot from reading posts on this forum. Its still hard work but its another string to my bow.
David


Smurf do you ever get customers saying you were quick e.g. Suggestion that you should be cheaper ;D

One of my customers works in the office for a roofing company.

Told me when someone says that one of their jobs was done quick, he replies would you have paid more if it took longer than you thought?

After that no problems ;)

That example job took 5 hours to do properly.  I did get a bit carried away as cleaned all the solar panels in the end for free. Needless to say the chap was well impressed as saved himself another £60  ;D
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lal on March 23, 2016, 10:04:18 am

 Hi smurf, i would have said 350 pounds too, looking at your photos i was guessing there must be nearly 50 metres
 of gutters  x 3 pounds metre emptying = 150
                         x 3 pounds external G/F/S    =  150
                          windows cleaned                       =    50
                                                                     Total             350
 I agree with you totally, they can be hard work, i price well, the same as above, the ones i don't get I'm not bothered about,
 like you said they can get someone else to work for peanuts.

 Lal
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 23, 2016, 01:52:02 pm
Nice one lal as I'm glad I'm not the only one that wants work at a decent price for all the effort.

A total of 5 hours that  one took me including
nipping back home to pick something up -20 mins,
dragged away to give a chap a quote accross the road - 10 mins,
3 cig & tea breaks - 30 mins
free solar panel clean -15 mins
chatting to the customer -30 ish mins

Like you say thoes sorts of jobs  can be very knackering to do and can't be rushed if you want to do a proper job.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lee_dewing on March 23, 2016, 07:59:20 pm
Smurf and lal.

How do you work out the metres of guttering?

Remember someone saying count gutter clips, 1 metre apart.

Lee
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lal on March 23, 2016, 08:16:03 pm
Nice one lal as I'm glad I'm not the only one that wants work at a decent price for all the effort.

A total of 5 hours that  one took me including
nipping back home to pick something up -20 mins,
dragged away to give a chap a quote accross the road - 10 mins,
3 cig & tea breaks - 30 mins
free solar panel clean -15 mins
chatting to the customer -30 ish mins

Like you say thoes sorts of jobs  can be very knackering to do and can't be rushed if you want to do a proper job.

Hi Smurf,  ive been self employed window cleaning now 4 years here in Galway ireland,  (Originally from London) 
when i started out i made a few mistakes with pricing jobs like we all do, going in to cheap cos your afraid you won't get
the job, but i look back and treat it as a learning curve, these days I'm very confident with pricing, i would say i get 90% of
the jobs i quote for, as for gutter clearing  Fascia cleans you have to price to earn its hard dirty work, unless you want to
be a Busy Fool.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: chris turner on March 23, 2016, 08:28:57 pm
Got to do the gutters on this beast in a couple of weeks. There's a smaller block of 5 flats next to it as well.
Will be the biggest gutter job iv done yet with the vac, hoping to crack it out in a day then take the rest of the week off to recover!
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: lal on March 23, 2016, 08:32:22 pm
Smurf and lal.

How do you work out the metres of guttering?

Remember someone saying count gutter clips, 1 metre apart.

Lee

Hi Lee, i used to count the gutter clips, but found a lot of the time the clips were a lot more than a metre apart, so wasn't
happy doing it that way, don't think the customers were impressed either looking up mumbling numbers to my self, these
days i use a surveyors measuring tape, very accurate and definitely looks more professional.

Lal
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on March 23, 2016, 08:46:22 pm
Gutter clip should be  set closer than a metre apart if fitted properly so you can count the clips and just round it up to get a rough idea.

Another quick way is to do what I call a silly walk and just pace it out using what's know as a surveyors pace which if done right will be roughly a metre for every pace you take.

You can also download and use the measuring tools on goggle earth pro for free that I mentioned in another thread.

Regards pricing I don’t just go on how many metres there are but also factor in how bad & awkward the job is going to be too.  Plus I also factor in additional costs like travel time, mileage etc.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: 8weekly on April 27, 2016, 05:24:04 pm
Is this the deal on ebay you were referring to?

Just seems a bit cheap compared to Guttersucker's own price.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Tom-01 on April 27, 2016, 06:07:41 pm
About £320 for that job, two of us get it done in half a day.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Nick Day on April 27, 2016, 08:54:23 pm
Actually if you look it's quite odd because on EBay you have the same seller using 2 different account names selling the same machine for totally different prices. One account name has the 34ft reach machine at £745 inc vat but then their other account name has it at £840 inc vat? Then if you go on their website (same people yet again)  they have that machine at £790 plus vat. Very confusing.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: johnny bravo on April 27, 2016, 09:17:12 pm
what is the difference with these vacs,
240 volt
110 volt
 on gutter cleaning systems web site.n
i had a eastern trading vac and alloy poles around 5 years ago , or maybe longer.    sold it to posh.
thinking of investing in another one , this time with carbon poles.  alloy poles put me off , i used ladders. lighter.
can anyone put a link up for the two items ,  or the best site to get a good deal.
i can look around for a camera as i did before.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Nick Day on April 27, 2016, 09:34:43 pm
Most people have the 240 volt machines, we do the 110 volt version because some councils and companies prefer 110 volt. With 240 volt you can plug them straight into a standard plug whereas 110 volt you will require a either a step down box or generator to operate them. Hope that makes sense.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: johnny bravo on April 27, 2016, 10:19:57 pm
so the 110 volt machine will blow out  fuses  in household sockets.    why the difference in price.        just more knowledge added, cheers.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: johnny bravo on April 27, 2016, 10:20:40 pm
your from G.C.S  then nick
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Nick Day on April 28, 2016, 08:19:20 am
Yes that's right I'm from Gutter Cleaning Systems, the 110 volt won't blow standard household electrics. You need a step down box (yellow box) which plugs into a standard 3 pin socket then the machine has a yellow plug which plugs into the box, this box converts 240 to 110 volt. Whereas a standard 240 volt machine plugs straight into a 3 pin socket. The 110 volt machines cost more simply because they cost us more to buy.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: johnny bravo on April 28, 2016, 05:13:46 pm
WHICH DO YOU THINK FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IS THE BETTER SET UP AND WHY.
240  110 volts,    they can both use a genny cant they.
what xtra £££   would a box cost  to convert a 110 volt to use on customers electricity.

Is there no difference in these vacs   which ever you choose,    surelly you would go for the 240 volt as its cheaper.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Smurf on April 28, 2016, 05:14:50 pm
I've used both types and to be honest 110 volt vacs are not really required as I've never lost any work due to the type of vac I use.
Title: Re: this wet and dry vac any good?
Post by: Nick Day on April 28, 2016, 05:28:19 pm
To be honest I agree with Smurf, we've done gutter cleaning for schools and housing associations as well as domestic and never been asked what voltage vac we use. Id go for 240volt as well in all honesty that's what we use, we did have a 110 volt machine but sold it off in the end.