[PoleKing]

Hi Alex, I would email you but I think a few night be interested in your reply.

Extreme 47.
Obviously 47 feet.
You recommend (no more than) 6HS extensions @ 5ft.
77ft length, low 80's reach.

Why do you not recommend anymore than 6 extensions?
I assume you put more on to test and they broke/snapped/crushed?
Just wondered if you cared to elaborate on your tests please?
I'm really interested in the technical side of recommended usage.

With the Ionic 72' they recommend fully extending it along the floor then 'walking it up' with the base wedged between wall & floor.
Obviously with the Extreme being modular (after 47ft) that isn't needed but would it snap if one tried to do this?

Appreciate if its secret you won't want to share but if you don't mind sharing I'd really like to know please?

Regards, Darren

[Alex Gardiner]

Hi Alex, I would email you but I think a few night be interested in your reply.

Extreme 47.
Obviously 47 feet.
You recommend (no more than) 6HS extensions @ 5ft.
77ft length, low 80's reach.

Why do you not recommend anymore than 6 extensions?
I assume you put more on to test and they broke/snapped/crushed?
Just wondered if you cared to elaborate on your tests please?
I'm really interested in the technical side of recommended usage.

With the Ionic 72' they recommend fully extending it along the floor then 'walking it up' with the base wedged between wall & floor.
Obviously with the Extreme being modular (after 47ft) that isn't needed but would it snap if one tried to do this?

Appreciate if its secret you won't want to share but if you don't mind sharing I'd really like to know please?

Regards, Darren

I thought that I would post early in the morning as I am out all day.

We have to draw the line somewhere - it is not because anything broke in testing, but more to do with us assessing what the safe limit for working with a water-fed pole is.

Even at our recommended limit of 78ft of pole we would say that only very experienced workers should attempt this and then only once they have become completely practiced working at height and have in place a very strict risk assessment and method statement. This would also included a maximum safe wind speed - some contractors have set this at 7mph for this full height and I would completely agree with this. Also at these heights this would be a two-man job at all times.

I would not recommend 'walking' a pole of this height up a building as this in my opinion brings in a whole new set of risks.

[Archer]

Alex,

Totally agree with everything you have said.

[PoleKing]

Thanks.

Why did you decide on 6 extensions as a maximum though?
Why not market 88ft (90's reach)?
It's only 2 more extensions...
Not trying to tell you how to run your business, just genuinely interested.

I appreciate the H&S aspect and the need for experience.
Using the Ionic 72' I only work in single figure windspeed.
But just going on weight alone (I realise this isn't the only thing to consider) Ionic 80' Swift is 8.5kg.
To take the extreme 47 to 8.5kg it'd be pole + 11 sections (roughly) which is 100ft+ reach.

How big is your yard?
Could/would you do some testing?
You never know it could be safe to use your Extreme at 100ft (theoretically).
At worst it'd cost you a few snapped HS extensions (if planned for properly)...?

[8weekly]

Thanks.

Why did you decide on 6 extensions as a maximum though?
Why not market 88ft (90's reach)?
It's only 2 more extensions...
Not trying to tell you how to run your business, just genuinely interested.

He answered that. He doesn't think it is practical/safe at that height.

[PoleKing]

Thanks.

Why did you decide on 6 extensions as a maximum though?
Why not market 88ft (90's reach)?
It's only 2 more extensions...
Not trying to tell you how to run your business, just genuinely interested.

He answered that. He doesn't think it is practical/safe at that height.

Helpful as ever.

I got that but I'm interested in his reasoning.
For the domestic shiner going from an SLX18 to a 100ft extreme isn't possible.
But there are some who are working at 80ft+ now. The jump to 100ft isn't that much.

[8weekly]

Thanks.

Why did you decide on 6 extensions as a maximum though?
Why not market 88ft (90's reach)?
It's only 2 more extensions...
Not trying to tell you how to run your business, just genuinely interested.

He answered that. He doesn't think it is practical/safe at that height.

Helpful as ever.

I got that but I'm interested in his reasoning.
For the domestic shiner going from an SLX18 to a 100ft extreme isn't possible.
But there are some who are working at 80ft+ now. The jump to 100ft isn't that much.

Why the sarcasm? And I wouldn't call a 20 foot jump "not that much".

[PoleKing]

You repeated his answer which doesn't answer my question.
No offence intended.

It is and it isn't. 18 to 80 is a much bigger jump than 80 to 100 obviously.
The jump between 60 to 80 (I feel) would be more than the jump from 80 to 100 would be.

If I was Alex I would want to push my poles past their safe use point (in restricted conditions).
Only when you've gone too far can you know how far the limit was.
Alex seems to be in the best position to test this as he will have a whole stack of HS extensions laying about.

[Archer]

To be honest, just by adding 2 sections at those heights makes a lot of difference.

It obviously can have sections added but in my opinion I am always worrying that it may snap, because the pole is so light, and as I have mentioned I personally would not use it other than in courtyard areas or early morning when not many people are around.

[trevor perry]

Thanks.

Why did you decide on 6 extensions as a maximum though?
Why not market 88ft (90's reach)?
It's only 2 more extensions...
Not trying to tell you how to run your business, just genuinely interested.

He answered that. He doesn't think it is practical/safe at that height.

Helpful as ever.

I got that but I'm interested in his reasoning.
For the domestic shiner going from an SLX18 to a 100ft extreme isn't possible.
But there are some who are working at 80ft+ now. The jump to 100ft isn't that much.

 the jump from 80ft to 100ft is a massive jump I would say from experience that every section added above 70ft brings along with it a whole new lot of problems the main one being any wind speed

[PoleKing]

Anyone ever dropped a pole at 70ft+?

[formb]

The jump between 60 to 80 (I feel) would be more than the jump from 80 to 100 would be.

Why would you think that?

I'd have thought that the higher you go the more effect any increase in hight would have. Surely the further from you the brush is the more effort it takes to control it?

I have never really gone beyond 50(ish)ft and wouldn't like to either. My only pole that goes that high is a 5 year old Facelift carbon fibre job (still in perfect condition BTW), perhaps the new generation of poles are more workable at that sort of height?

[PoleKing]

Just the technique used at 50 is similar to 80 so 80 to 100 may be a similar jump.
It's completely different to cleaning 1st floor domestic properties.
Can't comment on your pole as I've never used one.
I'm not saying its the same as obviously I don't know, I'm just theorising and asking Alex for his comments.
If Emporium can make a 90 footer 5 years ago, technology has come on leaps & bounds so my thinking is that the pole (extreme) may be able to cope, it just comes down to the operator.
And whether Alex will be able to say 'suitable for 100ft work' because its a completely different ball game when someone says 'yeah I've put 11 extensions and it was fine' compared to Alex endorsing and selling it as capable of 100ft.
The repercussions if it snapped could be catastrophic.
That's why I'm not asking Alex to say it, just share his findings (if any, if appropriate & if he wants to)

[Alex Gardiner]

Thanks.

Why did you decide on 6 extensions as a maximum though?
Why not market 88ft (90's reach)?
It's only 2 more extensions...
Not trying to tell you how to run your business, just genuinely interested.

I appreciate the H&S aspect and the need for experience.
Using the Ionic 72' I only work in single figure windspeed.
But just going on weight alone (I realise this isn't the only thing to consider) Ionic 80' Swift is 8.5kg.
To take the extreme 47 to 8.5kg it'd be pole + 11 sections (roughly) which is 100ft+ reach.

How big is your yard?
Could/would you do some testing?
You never know it could be safe to use your Extreme at 100ft (theoretically).
At worst it'd cost you a few snapped HS extensions (if planned for properly)...?

In reality the market for poles over 65ft is very, very limited. At 78ft the market is even more limited as there are very few operators who are prepared to handle the associated risks.

I personally believe that working at over the 78ft mark has too many risks and I would not want to endorse any window cleaner working at this height regardless of the publicity that such a 'label' would bring.

Yes it is of course possible, but to endorse this or sell a product marketed to do this would make me partially liable (both morally and legally) for any issues that would no doubt occur if such work was carried out regularly.

Because of my feelings about this there is no point testing our equipment any higher - I do have a 150ft high building about 300 yards from our premises and it has often tempted me, but I have resisted for the above reasons. 

[PoleKing]

Thanks Alex.
A very fair answer.

Regards, Darren

[TomCrowther]

Also, you can't really see what's going on at much over sixty feet.