[chris turner]

For any one thinking of going hot, I wouldn't bother.
I have been using hot for 5 or 6 months now and for the extra money involved, brushes destroyed, window cracked and more importantly, quality of work, it is not worth it.
My old way of working was superior, cheaper and safer on the glass. That is good old fashioned cold water and chemicals.
I have been testing hot water vs cold and chemicals for a few weeks now and the chemicals wins hands down.
Hot may have its place the winter months purely to keep me working but other then that I do not see its benefits.
Also cold water on its own for me just doesn't quite cut it in terms of cleaning power, which is why I use chemicals.
I wanted to see what hot was like after all the rave reviews but I can now say for sure its definitely not worth it.
The method below beats hot in terms of price and cleaning power, where hot only wins slightly in terms of speed, but only slightly.
Using a high flow, I suggest a minimum of 60 on the flow controller, give the top frame a quick go over. This gets rid of the main culprit of spotting.
Turn water off ( very quick with univalve ) and using a spray bottle filled with NEAT chemical of your choice, spray each glass panel once.
Give the entire window a quick go over with water off, mixing that chemical with the water that had run down the window from when you cleaned the top frame.
Turn water back on and clean the window as normal.
Now I say as normal but it will be very quick as the chemical has already done most of the hard work for you, so you just need to give it a quick go over and rinse, job done.
This method uses less water as the chemical does the hard work so less scrubbing involved, meaning you can have a higher flow.
It cleans deeper, easily removes snail trails, fly poop, those annoying brown leaf marks etc. I found hot hardly touched these.
Is far cheaper, it works out as pennies per day.
No danger of cracking windows.
Brushes last longer and stay cleaner.
Windows always look super clean and shiny after.

The only few benefits of hot are that its very slightly quicker, but not worth the extra cost for seconds saved.
It is excellent for fascias and soffitts, especially when mixed with chemicals.
It keeps you working in the colder months.

I will only be using hot from now on for those last 2 reasons, not for day to day window cleaning.

[Richard Groves]

Interesting Chris. Most who've gone over to hot have a dogged refusal to accept it was not worth the investment.
I've always thought this was down to it either being because it does a considerably better job or having to convince themselves it does because of the money they've invested. What hot system have you been using ? and what is your chosen chemical ?
I'm a cold user but may have had an interest in going hot at some point.

[KS Cleaning]

I’ll second that Chris, on regular 4 weekly maintenance cleans hot doesn’t make any difference. If you are still expanding and taking on all manner of work, then yes it is quicker on filthy first cleans, green algae etc, but that’s about it.

[chris turner]

Interesting Chris. Most who've gone over to hot have a dogged refusal to accept it was not worth the investment.
I've always thought this was down to it either being because it does a considerably better job or having to convince themselves it does because of the money they've invested. What hot system have you been using ? and what is your chosen chemical ?
I'm a cold user but may have had an interest in going hot at some point.

Mines an insulated immersion system from toolcraft. Before NHW says its an immersion so its not hot enough, I have it set to 70c and the water is so hot coming from the brush that I can't even hold my hand there for a second. Temp from brush 2 days ago was 59c.
It was around £1500 to purchase the system and my electric bill is about £60 more a month to use it. So around £12.50 a week. Not much but when you consider that brushes only last a few weeks now before there mangled as well as I cracked a window a while back costing about £150,  it works out quite expensive.
If the benefits were truly great then I would say its worth the cost but as I said in my original post, cold and chemicals easily out perform it.
For chemicals I get them from a local supplier, the stuff is called Merlin extra heavy duty cleaner/degrease. Its the biz.

[Smudger]

I feel a long and highly opinionated thread coming.....

Darran

[chris turner]

I’ll second that Chris, on regular 4 weekly maintenance cleans hot doesn’t make any difference. If you are still expanding and taking on all manner of work, then yes it is quicker on filthy first cleans, green algae etc, but that’s about it.

 I work on an 8 weekly schedule so I find i need that bit extra that cold on its own doesn't give, which is why I use chemicals.

I also want to point out that on a purely hot vs cold water debate, I think hot is better. Edit ( but still not worth the extra costs ).
What I am saying in my original post is that there is a better way then either hot/cold on their own.
I worked for years this way, never got complaints, only compliments on how good a job I done. I was always just slightly intrigued by hot water and decided to give a try and can now say without a doubt my original way of working was superior.

[Jonny 87]

Interesting read. It’s each to their own isn’t it. I certainly think faffing around with chemicals all the time would do my head in.

One down side with an immersion as you found is the lack of ability to control the temp. You need piping hot water at the start of the day so it keeps warm, but piping hot water first thing on cold glsss isn’t good.

I can set mine to just warm, and then turn a dial up for hot hot.

I’ve got the Grippatank 9kw heater and love it. I’d buy a new one tomorrow. If I wasn’t full time though, I’d go for an immersion like you chris.

There’s no wrong opinion in this…… just use what works for you.

[tom20001]

Interesting Chris. Most who've gone over to hot have a dogged refusal to accept it was not worth the investment.
I've always thought this was down to it either being because it does a considerably better job or having to convince themselves it does because of the money they've invested. What hot system have you been using ? and what is your chosen chemical ?
I'm a cold user but may have had an interest in going hot at some point.

Same as so find this thread very interesting. I never use chems on windows tho thats why hot water was going to be attractive to me

[NWH]

Use cold and put chemicals on you’re brush and spread it all over the frames and glass it’ll take 3-4x longer to clean the window the time you’ve rinsed off all the suds etc and if you don’t rinse enough it’ll leave the window looking awful,I’ve done this with cold.
It’s a bit like saying an “S” is as good or better than an “RS” it’s no where near I’ve just purchased the latter,you could go round all your work with hot and then have 3 months with it switched off on those jobs because they’ll have had that deep clean especially on anything plastic.

[AuRavelling79]

How do you get the chemicals to the top windows? Or bottoms only?

How much do the chemicals cost on a daily usage basis?

How much time does it take to spray the chemicals on?

How much time on scrubbing does the use of chemicals save?

Is there an issue when the chemical-laden water falls on plants?

[NWH]

M8 if you put chemicals over the window and glass you’ll get spots and runs galore unless you stand there like a fool rinsing for an age,what gives you the same results as using chemicals for a superior clean with water only ,it’s hot water m8.

[motod]

Perfect for ground floor windows, to spray top windows more time is wasted spraying on the brush, or geting the back pack out of the van... Otherwise its perfect sytem and what I use for all 1st cleans. I wish someone invented an extra chems tank and mixer with a button on the pole for premix spray... so no time wasted changing poles etc 

[chris turner]

How do you get the chemicals to the top windows? Or bottoms only?

How much do the chemicals cost on a daily usage basis?

How much time does it take to spray the chemicals on?

How much time on scrubbing does the use of chemicals save?

Is there an issue when the chemical-laden water falls on plants?

Bottoms only.

£9.99 for a 5 litre bottle, go through about 1 litre a month so around £2 a month.

Seconds. I keep the bottle in a pouch so its close by. Water off, 2 or 3 squirts on glass, quick agitate, water on, another quick agitate, rinse. It makes cleaning feel easy peasy.

See above. Barely any scrubbing needed as the chemicals have done the hard bit. High flow is needed to quickly rinse away the suds. However water is only on half the time so saving water.

Before hot I worked this way for years, never any complaints about dead plants.

[chris turner]

M8 if you put chemicals over the window and glass you’ll get spots and runs galore unless you stand there like a fool rinsing for an age,what gives you the same results as using chemicals for a superior clean with water only ,it’s hot water m8.

I have worked this way for years, customers love it. They see the suds and it truly looks like the windows are getting a proper clean, which they are.
No spots or runs with a good flow, plus the chemicals have helped break down all the dirt and wash it away.
You can sing and dance all you want about hot but having now used it I can categorically say its overrated, overpriced and there are simpler and better ways.

[chris turner]

Use cold and put chemicals on you’re brush and spread it all over the frames and glass it’ll take 3-4x longer to clean the window the time you’ve rinsed off all the suds etc and if you don’t rinse enough it’ll leave the window looking awful,I’ve done this with cold.
It’s a bit like saying an “S” is as good or better than an “RS” it’s no where near I’ve just purchased the latter,you could go round all your work with hot and then have 3 months with it switched off on those jobs because they’ll have had that deep clean especially on anything plastic.

False.
Working on a 8 weekly schedule i have some windows and particularly frames and sills that get very dirty. I can scrub and scrub with hot and some of the marks just don't shift. One squirt of chems and in literally seconds those marks are melting away, quick scrub and rinse and I'm off.
I have tested this so many times especially on windows sills and the chemicals win every time, unless the sill is pretty clean to start with.

[Leroy Wright]

  What do you use as a spayer / squirter to apply the merlin solution Chris ?  This post reminded me of this you tube video. I think personally a right faff for regular cleans on upstairs windows  but like you have said for downstairs windows only a sprayer is alright


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWxD_6rtVT0

[Bungle]

I've been using degreaser on a few bottom windows recently. The amount of snail trails on some windows is barmy. Quick spray, water off, agitate, water on, agitate and rinse. Fortunately snails don't often get up to the bedroom windows. But when they do it's a proper ball ache.

[Dry Clean]

Some of you guys need to give your heads a wobble, if cold wasn't up to the job then we would all still be working from ladders, its a lack of faith in the method that drives certain people to waste money on nonsense.

[Smudger]

Fair play to you Chris - we use chemical for first cleans - with or without hot - its the ultimate combo - but I would feel its to time consuming as a regular window cleaning service

I agree customers love it, it was the same when using vision - those few extra bubbles really got customers on side - sham it clogged everything up.

I think we need to remember we all work in different ways and areas - for me we use a different technique on the sea front to when cleaning in Norwich - same applies whether its 4 or 8 weekly clean - you can have a pretty solid style but there are always little tweaks for certain jobs

Darran

[tom20001]

How do you get the chemicals to the top windows? Or bottoms only?

How much do the chemicals cost on a daily usage basis?

How much time does it take to spray the chemicals on?

How much time on scrubbing does the use of chemicals save?

Is there an issue when the chemical-laden water falls on plants?

Bottoms only.

£9.99 for a 5 litre bottle, go through about 1 litre a month so around £2 a month.

Seconds. I keep the bottle in a pouch so its close by. Water off, 2 or 3 squirts on glass, quick agitate, water on, another quick agitate, rinse. It makes cleaning feel easy peasy.

See above. Barely any scrubbing needed as the chemicals have done the hard bit. High flow is needed to quickly rinse away the suds. However water is only on half the time so saving water.

Before hot I worked this way for years, never any complaints about dead plants.

. What chem you using Chris?