[tompoole]

Do it, fit van system straight away with 100m hose you can't go wrong.
Really not much to it .
As for how long each house takes , that all depends on how
Dirty the windows are. It's not just a case of wet scub and go.
Sometimes you will need to soak or even get ladder out to clean
Some windows on first clean.
I started trad , then back pack then talked myself into trolley
System but from trad to van system was one month , I wasted
Time and money with backpack and trolley.
Keep prices high and work at a steady pace sooooo much easier
Than trad and mostly quicker too once first clean out of the way
And assuming you do it properly first time

[Paul Coleman]

Indeed.  Just do it.  It should do your head in at first but fine after you get used to it.

[PoleKing]

i don't see how you can do a 3 bed semi in 5-7 mins with cleaning all the glass frames and sills also? 15 mins is more like it on a 3 bed semi with no bays with unpacking and packing up


Just because one person can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done.
Plenty of people can be fast and good.
Being fast doesn't necessarily=splash & dash

[tom20001]

lads thanks a million for all the positive replies........

Over the next 6/8 weeks i hope to be WFP but have to upgrade van for unrelated reasons also

Thanks Darren, i will go with whatever works best for the van i buy, more than likely a Vw caddy due to favorable mpg! I like the look of ur system tho and impressive website u have also

If i can get a system for less than 1500 for 1 man, which seems to be consensus here, il be more than happy!

[Michael Peterson]

fiat doblos will give you a good mpg and easily take a 400 liter tank, save a lot of money as they are nice and cheep as well

[tom20001]

fiat doblos will give you a good mpg and easily take a 400 liter tank, save a lot of money as they are nice and cheep as well

Thanks Michael il check them out also

Caddy does bout 700 miles to bout £60 i think which would be hard to beat i reckon!!

[Michael Peterson]

hard to beat indeed but they the vw are much more expensive upftont

[Michael Peterson]

i take that back im looking at them on autotrader not too bad at all

[AuRavelling79]

> John -  

1. I ran a Doblo 1.3 diesel (ave 40mpg when window cleaning, 50mpg elsewhere, cheaper road tax) with a 400L from 2006 to 2011 (payload 736kg) when I went two man and got a bigger van. If you have a Caddy it will be fine for a 1 man if it's payload is 650/700 plus. I even towed a 200L trailer with it for the first six months of two man wfp.

2. Remember how when you first tradded a house would take an hour? Now it takes 30 minutes? Same with wfp except you start at 40 and end up at 20. (General average)

3. "John" is a very careful and conscientious window cleaner; he quotes significantly longer wfp cleaning times than most on here. I believe he quotes his "best" trad. times compared with his own wfp times. On repeat cleans where such "careful" cleaning is not necessary you will spend slightly more than half the time he quotes on a house.

4. John will respond to this post ...  

[home6442]

> John -  

1. I ran a Doblo 1.3 diesel (ave 40mpg when window cleaning, 50mpg elsewhere, cheaper road tax) with a 400L from 2006 to 2011 (payload 736kg) when I went two man and got a bigger van. If you have a Caddy it will be fine for a 1 man if it's payload is 650/700 plus. I even towed a 200L trailer with it for the first six months of two man wfp.

2. Remember how when you first tradded a house would take an hour? Now it takes 30 minutes? Same with wfp except you start at 40 and end up at 20. (General average)

3. "John" is a very careful and conscientious window cleaner; he quotes significantly longer wfp cleaning times than most on here. I believe he quotes his "best" trad. times compared with his own wfp times. On repeat cleans where such "careful" cleaning is not necessary you will spend slightly more than half the time he quotes on a house.

4. John will respond to this post ...  

My post states that it should take 15 to 20 mins.
Granville then replies that Im too fussy, take too long and should be cleaning them in 20 mins which
is the average.
Hes right how could I not reply to this stupidity.

[jonboywalton75]

I'm sure the 20 min house Gold is referring to is not a 3 bed semi

[DG Cleaning]

A 3 bed semi with normal access takes me somewhere in the region of 10 to 15 mins.
I could do it under 10 but I feel like I'm rushing it a bit.
I also give the sills a good wipe with the water off because I'm a bit paranoid about drips tbh.
If I didn't feel the need to wipe sills like I do I'd be under 10 mins no problem.

[dazmond]

the truth is you wont be much faster on normal compact 3 bed semi work.if you normally could clean 4 an hour trad then you will still clean 4 an hour wfp,maybe 5.this is ONCE YOU GET USED TO THE SYSTEM!which takes a few months.

the real speed comes on bigger domestics and commercial.you can be twice as fast on these jobs compared to ladders.also leaded and georgian windows are easier and faster.

the safety benefits are obvious but most of us switch over to make more money which will happen over time.awkward houses,large domestic and commercial all become viable with a pole system.plus add on jobs like full UPVC cleans,conny roofs and solar panels.

AND!you can work in the rain and 9 times out of 10 the windows still come up good!your also more inclined to work harder and longer due to wfp being less tiresome than running up ladders all day.(if you have an ultra light pole!)

overheads are higher though by a fair few grand a year.although you should be easily able to accommodate the extra expense due to higher earnings.

ive been wfp for 3 and a half years and im earning much more than i did when i was on the ladders.im on course for earning £15,000 more this year than i was when i switched over from trad 3 and half years ago.

its the best move ive ever made in window cleaning.

get a van mount straight away mate.dont bother with trolleys or backpacks.they just slow you down and make your work harder than it needs to be.


very best wishes


dazmond

[SunShineCleaning]

One area's 3 bed semi is often different to another area's 3 bed semi so written description like these is pointless.

It's better to work on your speed regardless of the house type. As he did in his question

If it takes 40mins to do a house how much time would wfp be likely to take?

How much would system cost approx?

Therefore if a house currently takes 30 mins you can knock off 10 mins from the time. Bear in mind that there can be a setting up time.

Alternatively you can bump the price up by 1/3 and still take 30 mins, who cares how long a fictitious job takes , the price will determine if it is a good job or not.

Tom, if you want to talk face to face or on the phone feel free to call me any time and I'll talk you through the process.

[Spruce]

Before you start looking at wfp systems, buy a genuine tds meter and measure the tds of your supply water. This will tell you what route you need to go down - di or r/o. Only then can you start looking at systems. RoMan or Daqua will have them.

On the tank side, you will use more water to begin with, but as you develop your cleaning technique I doubt you will use more that 400 liters a day doing residential as a single operator. Large commercial buildings will be different and you could use 600 liters.

My advise would be to buy a van that will take a higher payload and fit a bigger tank, ie 500 liters. Most manufacturers have the same van with different payloads, ie Berlingo/Partner 600 and the same van as an 800. Ford have the Connect in either 625 (t200) or 825 (t220) and the LWB in either 825 or 900 (t230). The higher payloads will take a larger tank.

My S.I.L has a LWB T220 Connect with a 500 liter tank. When he first started he used all his water every day. Now he uses about 300 - 350, but he has the extra capacity if he needs it.

There is a thread on Connect vans on here at the moment.

Any other relevant info ............ You are investing in your future. Going wfp will reduce the risk of you having a seroius or even life changing injury.

[tom20001]

thanks Guys

ive only a small van at the mo so im guessing even a caddy upgrade is still to small and id be better goin for bigger van altogether then from reading the posts here. I think ur right dazmond messing with portable systems is pointless i think id rather do it proper from the start and get a good van mounted system with a larger capacity storage tank so i can grow biz as quickly as i want. Thanks for all the valuable info daz its much appreciated
 

the safety benefits, getting thru more work and as you rightly said Spruce, and ur more inclined to do more as ur less tired with wfp than u wud be from trad are all well worth paying for thru WFP system.......Thanks for heads up on tds Spruce that will be the 1st thing i will do.  Thanks for all the info spruce

Sunshine thanks for the offer i might well take you up on it but i may have to hold off for few months now before i go down wfp route, the bigger van  and larger capacity system mean im goin to have to add to my budget a little bit. Thanks sunshine and il be in touch in near future

Thanks for all posts here lads, the information and advice is way above and beyond the call of duty......Its invaluable because the difference between talking here and some1 selling these systems is they want to make a sale at the end of the day but u guys just looking out for each other Much appreciated and have a great weekend every1

ps apologies for "text" speak mobile phones have me ruined!!!

[barry mallett]

i don't see how you can do a 3 bed semi in 5-7 mins with cleaning all the glass frames and sills also? 15 mins is more like it on a 3 bed semi with no bays with unpacking and packing up

dave, what's all this unpacking and packing up malarkey . Oh I get it know , you mean sliding open the side door , walking away with my pole and then cleaning the windows .2 hours and 15  - 20 houses later winding the hose in placing the pole in the van and closing the door . I totally forgot about that . Best add another 45 seconds on top of the 2 hours .   

[Pete Thompson]

The only downside of WFP is that its so much easier than trad, you do feel a bit like you're cheating.

IMO don't bother with trying to cobble together a system by yourself, just bite the bullet, pay the money and get a ready made one from a reputable company.  It will pay for itself in no time.