Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here
Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

Luke Johnson

EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« on: June 17, 2007, 11:16:44 pm »
I've heard that some European pole companies are whey ahead of us in this country as regards to their poles and systems, I've heard that they build better and lighter poles, especially in Holland. A window cleaning friend of mine who lived in Holland for 10years said that in Holland, window cleaning is much more competative and more professional than here, and they earn alot more. Can anybody give any links to any Dutch or European pole comapanies

DASERVICES

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2007, 11:27:04 pm »
Nope their not, seen them at the Cleaning show. The Poles were heavier.

jouk45

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2007, 11:40:04 pm »
their looks are more proffessional,  there brush heads, look the year 3000
i just wished the uk firms took it more seriously as they do,

Luke Johnson

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2007, 11:57:31 pm »
JOUK45, do you have any links, please tell us more

*foxman

  • Posts: 250
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2007, 11:59:35 pm »
In Holland they have banned the use of poles over 45ft, it's only a matter of time before the same thing happens over here.

jouk45

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2007, 12:00:52 am »
i  lost the links but will find them for you, i managed to save this video,

Luke Johnson

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2007, 12:01:14 am »
why is it banned

*foxman

  • Posts: 250
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2007, 12:13:30 am »
why is it band

Less control at that height, user is under more stress - just from looking up besides anything else, increase risk of tripping over and dropping pole, hitting power cables, the list goes on....

It's heading over here before long. As WFP companies get involved with the HSE they don't realise that the HSE will look more and more into pole work and see it's disadvantages. They will then limit what type of pole work will be acceptable.

Luke Johnson

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2007, 12:17:05 am »
I hope they take into consideration the lightness and stifness of the poles, fishing poles arent alot of strain over 45ft

*foxman

  • Posts: 250
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2007, 12:21:47 am »
But they are more likely to break as they are much thinner than standard poles and you still have less control when using them. Looking up at that height while working is a big issue in itself.

Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2994
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #10 on: June 18, 2007, 06:13:04 am »
I can imagine that at some point there will be a height restriction, it's more about where they will set it that will be the issue.
Fishing pole technology in regard of poles used for window cleaning is advancing all the time, lightness, rigidity and strength are all increasing, but I am also talking about poles 'specifically' for window cleaning and not simply a fishing pole converted to a window cleaning pole.

Power cables??

Mmm....well, they will always be a risk, even on first floor work, but when looking at risk you have to ask what is the actual 'likelihood' of hordes of window cleaners getting zapped to a frazzle?
The potential is certainly there...it's also there to get zapped by lightning too (if you are daft enough to work in a thunder storm....er....guilty M'lud :-[ )

The highest I've gone is just over 40ft, to be honest, I wouldn't want to work much higher than that, power lines apart, as the tech improves the ability to work at heights safely much higher than that can only improve.
What difference looking up at a window 25ft up and one, say 70ft?? I've cleaned windows in an alley at just 10 or 15ft and had to stand almost with my nose on the wall beneath it! (and getting soaked in the process too :-\)
We are manual workers at the end of the day, strains will be put on our bodies.
You want to see some real strain on your neck, try being a plasterer plastering a load of ceilings, or a decorator papering ceilings, from many years of personal experience I can tell you the strain of that is much greater on your neck than working with a pole.

But I will agree that H & S will stick their snouts ever deeper into our business (and every other aspect of our lives too).

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

pylofm

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #11 on: June 18, 2007, 07:37:17 am »
Re Dutch window cleaners...I am based in the south-east of The Netherlands so not Amsterdam, Rotterdam etc....

In my region I know of only 2 companies using wfp and 1 is  a very large countrywide cleaning company and the other is a 5 worker company both of these using wfp and the modular carbon fibre style poles as in the video....I have watched both of these companies operate and I have to say...both at the time I watched them looked very poor in respect of cleaning, I went back to both of the sites later and checked some of the glass and I found very large amounts of spots and drips....

Both of the above companies are primarily commercial....

As for domestic I have yet to see another domestic property being cleaned with wfp....perhaps in the west & north it is different...

As for more professional....I do not think that in the region I live and from what I have seen it is any more or less professional than UK from what I have seen and read about here....if anything the Dutch in general are not that 'comfortable' with customer service...

As for earning more money....I am about half of capacity and earning ok...I suppose it is like anything, I have terraced ranging from 8quid to 15quid, semi's from 12 to 24 and detached from 27 to 55 quid....but then again its all down to the size, access, area, etc, etc and rich taxes.

I know I am on average 25% more expensive than the large domestic operator who employ teams of guys to blitz area's.

So earning is horse for courses ....

But please bear in mind I am in the South-east which is country bumkin land...as this is very different to the big cities...Things can be very ruthless and cut-throat there...which is why I am very happy being a country boy.

A few Dutch links....

http://www.baudoin.nl
http://www.tousainreiniging.nl/html/glasbewassing.html  (you'll like this one)
http://www.provi.nl/site.php?pagina=producten&hoofdcat=10&provi_lijsten_Productgroepen_use_cat=41
http://www.telescoop-glasbewassing.nl/
http://www.xs4all.nl/~noortnwh/glw-smb/techniek-glasbewassing.html

Those that do know about wfp here would in the most part only know it as Tucker-pole or telescoop glasbewassingI have found.


Cheers
Dave.


Luke Johnson

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #12 on: June 18, 2007, 09:14:30 am »
so has anybody ever had a fishing pole break in mid air? high up

MartinB

  • Posts: 88
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2007, 10:20:31 am »
Williamson Pumps  are the UK distributor for Carbonized Pole Systems.

See www.carbonized.co.uk/

Contact 0845-226-3638 for further details & prices.

Jeff Brimble

  • Posts: 4347
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #14 on: June 18, 2007, 07:01:29 pm »
Luke, all fishing poles come with a guarantee that if they break in use when used as a fishing pole but not as a wfp, then they will be replaced. Remeber that they are designed for use horizontally and will take a  "hit" from an 18lb fish. 
No I have never experienced a breakage in mid air at any height and because of the angle have never even come close to it. You would actually have to get near horizontal with a very heavy brush at say 35ft to even get close to the breaking point for our use. This applies to 4 different poles I have tested including the Blue Diamond, F16 and Garbolino.

billozz

  • Posts: 526
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #15 on: June 18, 2007, 07:49:19 pm »
i  lost the links but will find them for you, i managed to save this video,


jouk,
like the video, is she using water or is it steam, that would be a great way of cleaning internal windows and we have a few places it might be useful, any chance of a link to a site that can supply one
thanks
Bill
there are more windows than window cleaners so lets help each other

pylofm

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #16 on: June 18, 2007, 07:53:08 pm »
That video is from http://www.baudoin.nl

Cheers
Dave.

need a cleaner

  • Posts: 409
Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #17 on: June 18, 2007, 10:23:50 pm »
what is the actual cost?

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD?
« Reply #18 on: June 18, 2007, 10:44:37 pm »
what is the actual cost?


I was thinking that, great bit of kit.

Macc

jouk45

Re: EUROPEAN POLE COMPANIES, WAY AHEAD? New
« Reply #19 on: June 18, 2007, 11:16:43 pm »
its around £600 for the system, one of the dutch lads here on the forum translated it for us a wee while ago,
i think its just pure  water they are using.
this is the link i had  http://www.deklopschoonmaak.nl/nieuws/indoor-clean-pole