[Village Gleam]

I'm right you're wrong macmac.

One of the things about coming into window cleaning from something else is you think differently. There are some great people on this site and I won't name them but they suffer from under investment, such as not buying a van.

I was/am in retail and the investment is massive compared to the amount of money I make. Honestly, no really honestly, the amount we have to invest in window cleaning in business terms is pennies- even for an ionics system with a brand new van attached. What's that 30k tops, and you have yourself a fabulous business.

You give me other examples of a good business you can fund for less.

The amounts we are talking about,2.5-8k to be a first wave early adopter of a cutting edge hot system is a no brainer. The argument is done and dusted. The money follows the new technology, progress trends, and change.

[NWH]

I'm right you're wrong macmac.

One of the things about coming into window cleaning from something else is you think differently. There are some great people on this site and I won't name them but they suffer from under investment, such as not buying a van.

I was/am in retail and the investment is massive compared to the amount of money I make. Honestly, no really honestly, the amount we have to invest in window cleaning in business terms is pennies- even for an ionics system with a brand new van attached. What's that 30k tops, and you have yourself a fabulous business.

You give me other examples of a good business you can fund for less.

The amounts we are talking about,2.5-8k to be a first wave early adopter of a cutting edge hot system is a no brainer. The argument is done and dusted. The money follows the new technology, progress trends, and change.

I agree with that,for the amount of return if you have the work investing in a hot system is really a no brainer,i`m still researching and deciding what van to switch to lol.

[edd]

well heres mines abit cusomised since it came from Ionics ie the thermostatic valve
its all very untidy and needs re plumbing but it works and saves me time and effort

[Village Gleam]

I wanted to ask you edd. I cracked a window, small wooded framed, frosted as it was to a downstairs toilet. Is this type of glass high risk. It wasn't cold, and my water wasn't that hot.
What are your thoughts?

Your systems brilliant by the way, but you already know that.

[NWH]

Did it have mesh in the glass.

[Village Gleam]

nope. I just wondered if it might not have been hardened, toughened or just a cheaper type.
What i'm really asking is, does the glass that cracks tend to have anything in common, or is it just luck and random?

[stevekennedy]

Often it is the frame that warps. Not a problem with UPV because the rubber edges flex. If the windows are puttied in you will be fine. If they are held in with a wooden bead and the joiner has nailed them too tight you could be in trouble.

What we do, if we hear a creaking sound then stop straight away. Switch to cold supply, let the water run a bit and then clean it.

I would then make a note of the job on our worklists.

Other cracking risk is the cold. Single glazing is usually OK because the building will be usually be centrally heated and this will heat the glass. Modern double glazing usually ok (I think this might be because the glass is thicker). Single glazed conservatorys or garage windows, we use warm or cold on these on frosty days.

[stevekennedy]

If they are held in with a wooden bead and the joiner has nailed them too tight you could be in trouble

I have been thinking again. I think it may be the nails that expand with the heat. I say this because it also has been windows that were badly in need of repainting that cracked on me. I am thinking that the paint would provide some insulation and spread the heat expansion over the whole bead and not just concentrated on one spot.

[Village Gleam]

Thanks for that. I was a bit wary of asking because i've been so big headed about my hotness that this is a bit humilating.This is the sort of info we should be able to ask about on the forum though.

[macmac]

I was/am in retail and the investment is massive compared to the amount of money I make. Honestly, no really honestly, the amount we have to invest in window cleaning in business terms is pennies- even for an ionics system with a brand new van attached. What's that 30k tops, and you have yourself a fabulous business.
   

How will you pay back 30k with no income?
What fabulous business will a 30k ionics van bring that a 5k set up couldn't?
You would have to earn 30k of extra business solely from the hot system, this could only be 30k that you had gained on the sole basis of having a hot system over a cold one, JUST TO BREAK EVEN!
You are at a disadvantage with the competition regarding pricing as you now have a 30k debt.
Just MO
The list goes on

Tony

[edd]

well i just use the thermostic valve to adjust the temp 20 ish on really cold days and 40 ish on days like today  and 50 ish in summer hope this helps Edd
  : : :

[frames to panes]

30K does not give you a business at all! What it does give you is an expensive tool then you go and get the work to build a business.

If you already have a thriving business and want to expand or branch out into lucrative commercial work then yes, it's a sound investment perhaps, but not the other way around.
 I'm with Macmac on this one.

[Nathanael Jones]

I wanted to ask you edd. I cracked a window, small wooded framed, frosted as it was to a downstairs toilet. Is this type of glass high risk. It wasn't cold, and my water wasn't that hot.
What are your thoughts?

Your systems brilliant by the way, but you already know that.

Thermal shock affects older glass more,.. and the thicker the glass the more likely it is to crack. Modern glass is thinner and more uniform, which makes it much more resilient to temp changes.

[Nathanael Jones]

V8edd,.. i'm trying to figure out how you're setup works,.... and it looks real good. Is one of the pumps just used to circulate around the heat exchanger???
Do you have "on demand" hot water, or do you have to heat the whole tank?

[Wayne Thomas]

I agree with Steve Kennedy, listen out for the creaky/pinging noise the glass makes on unsuitable windows.

[Village Gleam]

it's never happened to me, and I never thought it would. I didn't know if edd was joking with his I cracked another one today comments.

I didn't get any warning, it just went. Have you done one yet?

[Wayne Thomas]

Not yet, touchwood. I've noted which windows to clean cold or luke warm. Basically on very cold days, luke warm water on dodgy windows. Watch out on wooden framed windows, especially if they have wooden strips with nails instead of putty, old, very thin glass and ceiling (fan-over front doors) windows as they are normally very tightly fitted with no room for expansion. On bottom windows you can hear the glass expanding-if you do hear it pinging like mad, stop and use cold water.

[edd]

Nathen one side is cold and heated by whats in the tank say by 11 oclock we turn the heater off if its up to temp
the other is heated and regulated by the thermostatic valve , we could have both hot or both cold or one of each
if we are doing a con roof both hot as poss if doing old stuff it might be cold!!hope this helps Edd

All I will say since we got the van set up wether its new or old it just gotto look right , just my repayments are more then some we had to ditch all the work under 12 quid because we could not cope with all the new stuff coming in like con roofs gutters high stuff so we had to make a choice do the estates at 6 qiud each and most of them were not at home or do the big stuff and what we do is get the custy to leave us a cheque in a jam jar hidden somewhere so we get paid !! and it works very well