[ronaldo]

Dave, yes its getting a bit better mainly because ive made another pole up that is alot lighter than my original one and ive been wearing a strap that you put at the top of the forearm.

[master cleaner]

hi my son is ok if a teenager can ever be ok  

but it does for me put wfp into perspective , i wont go back to ladders for cleaning windows no matter what

gary

[DASERVICES]

6. filling the van every night and forgetting that you have left the tap running until one of the neighbors tells you there is a swimming pool at the bottom of the street.


I gave Alex Gardner an idea on how to solve this, he was going to speak to the supplier. If it works out will solve all probs, will wait for outcome.

Doug

[rosskesava]

Dave

I agree with the whole list and I agree that why aren't manufacturers listening.

Today we had the usual problem of a connector getting caught on a wall.

At least once a week a connector fails.

Why oh why is something so simple so complex?

Brush heads? Why is it such a simple thing so hard to design? Last week we were at our local supplier and a well known make still had the same 100% useless brush heads costing a bomb.

Hi G,L,R Window Cleaning Services

I am truly sorry that your son was injured falling from a ladder and that is one thing can never ever be denied about wfp. It is safer although back injuries are more likely with wfp. A back injuries is non the less less likely to cause death than a ladder.

Two weeks ago we got given some work by a window cleaner who is retiring. He had been doing windows with a ladder for 40 odd years without a single injury or fall.

I don't mean to start an issue about wfp v trad but it seems to me in almost every thread like this one this always crops up and it is for me, a real put off. I then think here we go again.

Sorry, and I mean no insult but that is what I think.

I personally think it's best to start a new topic about how wfp is safer rather than include it in a heading 'things I hate about wfp'.

Cheers

[P @ F]

Dave , just out of curiousity , what type of air hose connector are you on about ?
Is it the one with the nylon sleeve from Gardiners ?

Rich   P @ F

[Morph]

I will not go back.  After 19 years and a series of bad health problems I was at quitting point.  In fact I am amazed I have picked up again!  Thanks to wfp.
I used to have the strength and confidence of Squeaky.  I was just the same.  I did a good job and my customers all liked me.  But first my knees went, then my heart went bang!
That did it for me.  Six months off work and poorer health made me think like never before.

Life is not a rehearsal...This is the real deal...I am still here, but not so arrogant

[P @ F]

Dave , got this type from VariTech , they have never popped off and they always shut off when disconnected , £5 each

 Rich   P @ F

 

[Moderator David@stives]

p& f

they are similar to gardiners but an all metal sleeve as opposed to Gardiners plastic sleeve type.

I got the first ones from Omni  and some from Window clean warehouse, both the same type more or less , i think the trouble is they are designed for air rather than water and i think a bit of grit gets in them rendering them next to useless.

The way i have cut my pole hose is very short so when i extend the pole the connector slides up the pole rather than dragging on the floor, it is better protected this way but i still have problems, the connector needs some coaxing to slide inside the pole sometimes but it works quite well that way.


P.s

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT AN ANTI WFP POST PLEASE DONT START THE DABATE HERE,

ALSO I AM NOT SHOUTING JUST HIGHLIGHTING A POINT

[Moderator David@stives]

p& f they look very similar , have you got a clearer picture, pretty please

[P @ F]

This is as clear as it gets , only a camera phone !

 Rich

 

[rosskesava]

What about decent connectors for garden type hose?

It really really bugs me that wfp makers don't make them?

Or decent hose that does not get kinks in it.

Or a decent method of rolling all the hose back up that doesn't cost a riddiculously insane price of £250 just for something to wind back garden hose?

Oh for some simple effective thinking as well as nice pretty glossy brochures. Now I'm going into one.

I could go on and on and on about...... GRRRRrrrrrrrrrr....

[rosskesava]

And me being just 5' 7" tall - have you tried to extend a well known wfp makers 35' pole?

Obviously in their minds every one who buys wfp is 5' 9" tall or over.

I cannot reach the top 2 clips and extend it when it is upright. How naff a design is that?

[P @ F]

Buy a stool shortie pants 

 Rich   P @ F

[Paul Coleman]

I have had the thumb thing, and the back thing also still got the tennis elbow thing.

My elbow has been a lot better recently but it's still not right.  My back has been more tender since starting WFP.  I'm ensuring that all lifting is done from the knees now.  I suppose they'll go next.  Mind you, my shoulder is fine since I all but stopped trad.

[jinky230]

david we have all went thru the same problems and for what it is worth


I loaded a pic recently of the connectors I have on my brushes for quick release

peter fogwill does a ball cock for the tank, when it reaches the level it stops the water, maybe have a look at this.

I guess all of your problems comes from domestic window cleaning, the same as the rest of us, trying to get this to work on domestic is a nightmare.I am not talking about mansions but basically run of the mill 3 bed semi and detached
house all in the one street.You need to rethink the domestic and seperate it from commercial when you come to plan for wfp, I have done this and I am now just about getting it together

we use backpacks with folding trolley with spare container and attached to the trolley is a 5 lt di resin vessel for topping up as you go.saves carrying piles of containers, just go around a back and top up the container as you clean with the backpack

the trolley is fiited for 2 containers and a backpack that you can lift out easily
2 holders for main pole and conservatory pole, hooks to the side for the backpack hose and fitted to the front a reel for doing backs as well, I am presently fiting a small 5 lt di-resin to this as well so i dont need to go and get containers all the time

all my poles are fitted with quick connectors at the brush heads and to the hoses which are on the outside
for quick changing from conservatory pole to large pole, the backpacks are fitted with on off valves and because I have the hoses outside I can now fit several valves on the bottom part of the large pole and connect quick for what ever height I am working with.

As I said in an early topic feed the monster, this is what I meant when does the tweaking stop to try and get this to work with domestic and get our numbers so happily as we did on traditional, I am now about there some lads say put your prices up this will help for the hassle , but remember you are still competing against the ladder brigade

as I said earlier you need to seperate the commercial thinking from the domestic thinking to get this to work on domestic

I have not taken pics of my setup but if it helps I could send you some
noticed you are on wannadoo, does this allow for several pics.

we are allways here to help and sometimes getting it off your chest can be a problem shared

hope this helps

jinky

[Ian_Giles]

I have been humming and ahhing about getting 100m of microbore to fit on my existing hoselock 50m hand wind reel....

Went for 100m of tricoflex and a 100m hand crank hose reel instead...boy, what a difference, ok, I know I lose the advantage of the lighter microbore when dragging it out, but winding it in is vastly easier, and the tricoflex doesn't kink, even when you have dragged out a pile of it and it is all lying on top of itself.

My pole hose is reinforced airline type hose, I have about 25-30m of this, its connected to the tricoflex via a step down connector and a standard plastic auto-shut off hoselock connector...these are 5 or 6 quid to buy, they do wear out but I have never, ever had a problem with the auto shut off failing.
My biggest complaint with them is that if I tug too hard on the pole hose it comes out of the connector.
But as I have 30 or so metres of the pole hose this gives me lots of scope.

I am still using the same brush (I only have the one at the moment still) as I had when I started, this is the Salmon one that came with the system I bought off Peter Fogwill, its over 2 years old now and the bristles (mono-filament) are still perfect, if a little worn on each end of the brush, I can't recommend the Salmon brushes high enough.

Snail trails.....god but I hate snail trails!!

Having said that, I hated them when doing just trad and I think WFP cleans them better actually, you see them instantly (and not after you have started to squeegee the glass) and also know when they have gone.

If I have done a load of large high buildings, my lower back can really ache...but in truth this wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't such a fat b****d

And I too hate the 6ft pole length, though as I use the Unger ones, I at least only need to have the section on that I will actually need...they may be the cheapest poles out there, but they are bloody versatile
And the little green bits that wear out in the clamp section are just pennies to replace too.

It's a big learning curve using WFP on standard semi's too, get it wrong and it is highly frustrating, the hose catches on everything, or jams under the customers car wheels!
So you have to be very organised, when you get it right you can really fly.

I should be at work, I've only got 2 jobs to do today though...both over a ton..who wants 30 semi's
2 big 3 storey Georgian offices that no one with ladders wants is just the ticket for me


Ian

[JM123]

I've used the garden type connectors from B&Q for months now and found them to be far better than hozelock, they don't pull out as easily.  I use microbore but it connects into garden hose for the last 2 inches then into the connector - haven't tried any of the airline type or any m/bore connetors so can't say how they compare.

As for backache I think using heavy poles causes it.  We use the lightest poles we can get away with and haven't had any probs with backache or sore arms etc, then again I'm a pretty big lad so if you're a smaller build I guess it will cause more problems.

[windows_chepstow]

David,

If it's domestic work you're complaining about; you shouldn't have sold those backpacks!

I've taken to wearing mine on my back for stuff with steps or anywhere where I'm not going to be there for long.

I only fill it three-quarters full mind, the big fanny I am, but I reckon; even with the re-filling I have to do, that it's quicker for this sort of work than a van-mounted system; simpler too.

I/we trad the bottoms; usually; which is probably why I/we have had so few complaints.

[jinky230]

same as tosh backpacks trolleys on domestic tops only trad bottoms

jinky

[rosskesava]

How heavy is a backpack and how much water does it carry?

What Dave posted about steps caught my attention.

Thanks