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williamx

Getting rid of the remote control
« on: October 01, 2004, 12:28:09 am »
I have being using my trolley for 6 months now and like the rest of you I've had problems with the remote control ( you can't turn the pump off if the water flow is at maximum) which in my eyes makes the remote control useless.

So after some shopping around what I've done is to fit a 1/2'' ball valve and fitted 2 x 1/2'' to 10mm straight adaptors to the pole.  I then connected the 10mm hose from the brush head to one adaptor and the other one to the pump box.

The results have been impressive.  Firstlywith the ball valve I can turn the water pressure either up or down or turn it off completly, when I do this the motor shuts down.

The advantages I have found is that the water pressure has increased by about 50%, which give a better and faster clean also I save quite a lot of water and don't have to keep walking back to the trolley all the time to shut it down, which in my eyes is a good health and safetly policy what with all the hoses that are lying around.


Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2986
Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2004, 02:41:25 am »
I have Peter Fogwell's trolley, it came with a remote control, I used it for a while, but to be honest, although useful, I now simply pinch the hose to cut of the flow, its instant, no wastage, and if you have the pump on full, as you say, the pump cuts out, they are demand feed and when it reaches it's maximum pressure it cuts out. The one thing you must ensure, is that if not working at maximum then you have the flow cut back enough so that the pump operates smoothly and does not 'stutter' even when flow is pinched off.

cake ;D

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

simonb

Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2004, 10:57:22 am »
Hi Ian
So you never found a tap or similar to fit the small hose?
Simon

Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2986
Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2004, 07:29:25 pm »
Simon,
Finding a tap not the problem, but where to fit it ???
If the pole is 40 ft in the air then obviously it needs to be 40ft from the brush, likewise if I am only using my 3ft extension pole it only need to be a few feet from me.
I could fit a shut off tap every 3ft I suppose ;D
I did think about that, err...not every 3 feet of course :-\ but now fold and pinch without a thought.
Now there are occasions when perhaps I have to go into an office to be able to get to a balcony on the first floor.
When things such as that happen, where a tap close to hand would be a bonus, where the smaller hose connects to the smaller hose, I just pop the connection, as the female connector on the larger hose automatically shuts of the flow I don't waste water.
I loop it in a knot around the brush head,
lift it up so that the brush is at the height of the balcony,
go into office,
up stairs, onto balcony,
 whip off the brush head,
re-connect hose, wash window(s) and reverse procedure 8)

I have my heavy duty Leisure battery chuntering away in the back of the car, I have gone two days without recharging  (it runs for a minimum of 6 hours a day) so not bothered that it is being used while I'm not actually cleaning.

I'm learning all the time, new tricks to help me improve my efficiency all the time.

One I have just discovered:

I use the aluminium pole by unger that Peter supplies with his trolley system.
Prior to WFP I used a 5 ft (or is it 4ft 6in ???) extention pole by Unger in the normal course of my window cleaning.
I have now started to substitute the first 2 sections of of the longer pole that came with the trolley system with my shorter pole.
Works great ;) And then when I drop down to the ground floor level, I simply use the shorter pole ;D
More Manoeuvrable than the 2 metre sections of the longer pole, and extendable too ;D

Well, ok, only a tiny wrinkle, but it saves me carting around extra poles to keep swapping with ;)

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

wrighty

  • Posts: 368
Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2004, 07:39:38 pm »
I have seen a chap tape it to the armchair so he doesn't lose it ;D

williamx

Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2004, 11:59:04 pm »
what I have now is a pole with an on/off tap at my fingertips.

I have fitted the on/off tap about 2' from the end of the last pole which is deployed.

CS_Win

  • Posts: 34
Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2004, 04:01:39 pm »
what I have now is a pole with an on/off tap at my fingertips.

I have fitted the on/off tap about 2' from the end of the last pole which is deployed.

Do you have any pictures?
Chris

Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2004, 08:38:13 am »

The control valve pictured above may be of interest.  It has a female Hozelock on the left, and a normal 1/2" hose clamp on the right, and can be fitted right at the base of your pole.  At £6.50 plus VAT it can't be bad.  Buy on-line at www.andwat.co.uk
Andrew

Craig_Mawlam

Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2004, 09:35:12 pm »
Simply hold the hose in a loop together with the pole so that the tubing kinks, if you do it correctly you can loosen the kink with your thumb to turn the water on or off whenever you want. This is one of the tips you'll learn by attending a BWCA WFP Course.

Rgds
Craig

Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2986
Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2004, 09:53:23 pm »
I agree with Craig, a simple and very effective method no matter what size pole you are using.

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

williamx

Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2004, 10:15:11 pm »
The Problem with this method is you are linked to the pole and cannot release the pole without turning the water off at the pumpbox.  With my method you just turn on/off whenever you need to and you can rest the pole whereever without going back to the pump box.

The valve I use is like the one pictured except the in and out valve is 10mm instead of 1/2'', it is also fixed via jubilee clips to the bottom of the pole but around 2' from the end so that if needed you can still fit the extension poles, when you need to work higher than the normal house.

Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2986
Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #11 on: October 06, 2004, 05:48:18 pm »
Not a bad idea to have a method of turning off the flow when you are away from the pump, I think i might get hold of such a tap to fit inline near the business end.
Ideal for those occasions when you are negotiating gates, fences, changing poles and so on.

Will still pinch of the supply though when just moving around as it is so quick and easy.

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

williamx

Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #12 on: October 06, 2004, 11:41:03 pm »
Ian

I think after a couple of days you won't even pinch the line

washglowboy

  • Posts: 18
Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #13 on: October 12, 2004, 12:30:40 am »
YES
I bought A REMOTE CONTROL unit but it didn,t work properly  so I had 2 send it back because it worked sometimes (and it was supposed to work on the other side of the building that you were cleaning and it didn,t EVER)
and when it came back "SUPPOSEDLY A NEW ONE" it did the same again ( so NOW I,ve thrown  it off of beachy head ) 8) so NOW I do the same thing as most wfp doers pinch the pipe.  ;D

simonb

Re: Getting rid of the remote control
« Reply #14 on: October 14, 2004, 04:14:01 pm »
Andrew
Do you do a valve in plastic that fits 10mm clear reinforced water pipe.
I have seen metal ones but want to reduce weight
Simon