[mr D]

well as some on here are awere i'm a 100% trad w/c. well up till now!

after buying my 1st van 6 weeks ago ive now saved hopefull enough for my 1st dip in to the pool that is wfp. ive got £1000 to play with and limmited knollage of the nuts and bolts of it all. because i've only a grand its gonna be the diy route i take.

i'm thinking of starting a website with a blog documenting what i'm doing mistakes and all for other new to wfp guys to follow and hopefully learn from and also for you 'ol sweats' to have a chuckle at. and no doubt critasize to bits!

what do you think to this idea? this site be a waste of my time clearly but i'm hoping it will help others to avoid the mistakes i'm bound to make.

[mr D]

also i'd like advise as to where and what parts i will need. heres where i curently stand...

ive got a renault kangoo with 800kg pay load. the space is limited because ive got a factory fitted racking system in the back which takes the rear of the van up(photos to follow). the space ive alacated for a tank is 800mm x 800mm and 800mm high. there is prob a little room for manover but i mean little.

i'm not going to be trying to convert all my work to wfp just those i feel need to be so dont need a huge tank i've seen a 350ltr up right that should fit nicely.

also am i right in saying sureflow 100psi is the best way to go pump wise. if so wheres best to buy?

i live on the costa del bournemouth so my h2o is as hard as learning hebrew!!
will i need a water softener and what RO do you guys surgest?

[DASERVICES]

MR D,

I would say best option is speak to Alex Gardiner near your way as he is fluent in hebrew

Or give us a bell and will advise

Doug

[mr D]

thank you very much. ive got a mate local who set up his own and has offered to help me but i would be a fool to work soley from  one guys recomendations.

[mark dew]

You will want a static system at home and transfer when needed for the van.
This is a cheaper way and more convenient than doing it all from the van.
Ro-man for the ro and booster pump if needed.
www.ro-man.com/shop/index.php/cPath/22

A water butt from b&q is around £30.

Submersible pump + hose and shut off valve approx £80 from gardiners.

For the van:
A tank around £140.
Flojet pumps seem to have less posts on here about problems than shurflo. I have used flojet for nearly 2 1/2 years with no problems. Approx £80
Hosereel (metal) + microbore. approx £110.
17ft xtel is a handy cheap pole for most domestic windows. £80
Hose + clips £10.
That's it.

Approx £420 to kit the van out. £110 for the water storage at home.

di resin for a sack that will last ages with a ro is around £67.
700 ml di vessel around £25.
tds meter around £15.

All you need is a RO and you are away.
For £1K you could buy the above and get a 300gpd RO with booster pump.
Sorted! 

[matt]

Mr D

pop over to the DIY WFP site / forum

loads of info and i would guess your problems would have allready been fixed by some1 else in the past

<------------- e.mail for a link

[elite mike]

Mr D

pop over to the DIY WFP site / forum

loads of info and i would guess your problems would have allready been fixed by some1 else in the past

<------------- e.mail for a link

thanks matt

[mr D]

cheers guys

ive looked at your site in the past matt. its a good site but what i was thinking of doing is a bit diffrent, more like a diary. i started last nite and will post the link once its got some content. i'd be very glad of feedback espeshealy yours matt.

Mark,
        what a diamond you are. just the sort of reply i was after. i thank you very much. would you be o.k for me to qoute you on my new site?

[Clive McDonald]

I agree with everything Mark Dew said. Everything, even the bit's i didn't fully get.

There is DIY and there is DIY.

I do not believe in DIY. I am totally against it.

What you intend to do- if you follow Mark's advice- is to mix and match proprietory products. This is by far the best route.

For instance the 17'xtel is the best pole. It is lighter and more usable than any other, even the much talked about harris and SLX poles.

There are cheaper options than static water production at home, but again this is the best.

It maybe that where you live is not suitable, but the one big advantage is you can fill your van in a few minutes and do not need it tethered to a hosepipe outside your house for several hours.

The 17'xtel has the best closed length because it has four sections (as opposed to three). It has good clamps (not twistlock) and is not cold to hold even in very cold weather.

People say I am a hypocrite because I talk against DIY and I have a self installed
hot system, and an electric reel driven off a drill and a cobbled together dog leg clutch.But all I do is use other peoples already brilliant products.

[mark dew]

cheers guys
Mark,
        what a diamond you are. just the sort of reply i was after. i thank you very much. would you be o.k for me to qoute you on my new site?

Use it for your site?? Yeah of course. 
Just to clarify the post, i only looked at a couple of sites for comparisons to the cheapest price for same products.
There are many suppliers out there who do a top notch service and may have single items cheaper than i've put. So it will pay to have a look. Most suppliers seem to sell only shurflo pumps so a look on google or ebay is a good place to go as well.

I agree with everything Mark Dew said. Everything, even the bit's i didn't fully get.

Correct Mark.
As soon as they approached him over this he would have known, these things usually come about because they have been given information. (make a note never to divorced or confide in anyone over a drink).

 
Discount, what is going on?? People might start talking. 

[mr D]

discount,
              you mentioning the electric real made me remember yho you are. thank you for the reply and backing up the advice mark gave, also thank you for the reasoning for the pole choice. just what i needed, there are loads of people that will say 'buy this' because every one else seems to but having a reason to go for one product over another is ideal. i know you have had some stick on here form other w/c's for some of your ideas/views and of course the ledgendry electric reel but so have i and i am greatful of the advise.

cheers again matt.

[mr D]

ive looked on Alex Gardiners site at the pole list found the one youmentioned and hit another problem for the total beginner,

the options!

now i know yousurgested the 17 ft glass fiber pole at £52 but which brush would i be wanting? i'm guessing because the oval vikian brush is the top of the list its the most popula?

also which goose neck if any and what hose connector will i be needing? man i sound like a nag but this might as well be in swarhealy. if the parts were all layed out in front of me i could prob put them all together no prob or even if there were clear pics but...... nd ez-snap tail protecta-ball and G-fit  type 2?
what the fook are they?

[windowwashers]

ive looked on Alex Gardiners site at the pole list found the one youmentioned and hit another problem for the total beginner,

the options!

now i know yousurgested the 17 ft glass fiber pole at £52 but which brush would i be wanting? i'm guessing because the oval vikian brush is the top of the list its the most popula?

also which goose neck if any and what hose connector will i be needing? man i sound like a nag but this might as well be in swarhealy. if the parts were all layed out in front of me i could prob put them all together no prob or even if there were clear pics but...... nd ez-snap tail protecta-ball and G-fit  type 2?
what the fook are they?

go for a 17ft xtel, will clean 99% 2s houses plastic gooseneck, I have on all poles vikan rect mono's they work and get in all corners, I have a few other brushes but start oof with that you will do ok, do not go for a bentley brush (superlite) IMO they are not up to the job on cleaning bird muck and hold dirt only imo.

connections depends on your hose fittings you have Alex G pure freedom, wintecs all help on the phone, I have rectus 21 fittings on my pole hose females, others have males. I went for females as the pole hose gets more stick than the hose from reel, I dont really see the point of cat balls on pole hose as they seem to get in the way think they are also called protecta balls not sure but my dad sells them or should I say looks the same to me, in his pet shops.

I dont mind helping you out i'll have a chat, give me a bell 07788732 789 or 01234 870 225.

Ian

[mr D]

cheers Ian i might just do that. its good to see an exspertnation y to go for particula items rather than just 'buy this one!'

ive made a start on my new site/diary if any one is at all intrested?

http: // www. freewebs.com/ waterfedpole/

just fill the spaces.

[Clive McDonald]

Agree with Ian too. Plastic angle adapter( I believe is already fitted on the 17' xtel). Do not buy a goose neck.

Cleantech is a good supplier you haven't mentioned- their site is clear and Mike gives good advice. You are fairly lucky because you can trust all of the suppliers.As far as I know there are no bad ones.

Cleantech sell a pump board. This has a varistream, filter and a pump already assembled. All you need to do is connect a black wire and a red wire to a leisure battery, and this has male hoselocks both sides to take water from your tank to your reel.

Cleantech give the dimensions of tanks on their site. Go for the biggest you can fit. Consider ripping out that racking you mentioned.

As regards differing opinions over best poles, the slx is the best but at £400 it is dearer and has a longer closed lenght because it is 25' (25' divided by four). The DIy harris is the cheapest and very robust but you will have to spend time biulding it (putting a hose through it that you will have to buy seperatly and a brush on the end). How much is your time worth? How much are you saving?

One hole in our advice though is that I/we keep harping on about the closed lengh of a pole.This is because we all use them for ground floor cleaning. You mentioned you will not be doing this in which case closed lenght is not such an issue.

It's only my opinion but I think total wfp is better. (I mean do ups and downs for business and practical reasons)

I like a reel fixed inside the van because lifting it in and out at every job is wasted effort.

A harness that fits over your head (Ian Giles idea) is the best way to attach the end of the hose to yourself- you walk away and the hose comes too! I have a unger pouch on my waist belt and in this I have a scraper, green scourer, and microfibre.This has to do with speed, wfp will get any stain off, but a scraper can be quicker and a walk back to the van for a tool wastes time.

Look back at Jeff1's posts when he was planning and then switching to wfp. The difference is stark for someone who already has, as opposed to someone who is biulding a round. He had been going for nine years, and then towards the end of his first WFP fortnight he had his best earning day ever. Imagine that, try and get your head round it. You are very good at what you do, you work hard, and then you make a change and even on an easy day when you finish earlier you still wipe the floor with all of your previous best earnings. Should you be happy? Or cry at all those wasted years?

One critisism I would make of his switch is that in deciding which were the best tools, preparing his work, and informing his customers too much time was wasted. Just get on with it.

[dd]

I would not use hozelocks fittings for connections on van as IMO they may leak.

You may start off intending to use wfp only for upstairs windows but may soon change your mind, so going for a pole with relatively short closed length is still a good idea.

[Clive McDonald]

They are all hoselock fittings. Do you mean you would use a different make?

You have a short lenght of garden hose from the tank, and then another from the pump to the reel.These are always hoselock (type).

The only choices you have are with the reel. Here you can decide the fittings. For speed shrader are best- called ez by gardiners.
Your other choice is mini or microbore hose on the reel. I'm minibore100m, but that's all I know.

[mr D]

wow discount what a wonderful block of advice. all will be taken on board and applyed hopefully.

i'm not to keen on ripping out my racking as its is sooo bloody handy. when it stops raining and the baby wakes up i'll pop out side and take a few pics to post on her so you can see the diamentions and layout i'm on about. i'm quite conferdent i'll safely fit a 350ltr tank in the back keping the beloved racking.

i hear you all scream 350ltr?? thats not gonna be enough!! but as i said i niavely built my round off the back of being a great trad window cleaner and boasted that i dont/wont use wfp 70% of my customas have me because i dont use a wfp. admittedly i wish i'd not been quite so anti wfp in my early days but i'd probaly not picked up as much work without being that way so its swings and round abouts!

if the time comes when i find i'm wfping more than trad and need more storage then so be it but untill then if need be i very rearly work further than 3 miles from home so it wont kill me to pop home kess the wife and baby and top up with H2o.

i'm very greatfull of the help and advise guys, my dad built his own wfp tight git he could of easyly aforeded a top of the range gucci model but thought he would do it him self. he got very little advice got a 1200ltr water bowser on a traler because he uses mitizbushi L200's so cant hold water on board, a fooking pucker long heavy as hell alli pole, and all the purifing gear and put it togerther and made an awful lot of windows look awful! his since cleaned up his act buying an all singing all dancing system to go in the back of his vivaro LWB crew cab but it put me off wfp because i was sic of the complantes we got. we only used it on jobs that they wouldnt let up use trusted ladders like the ministry ect so they couldnt say much but i did feel some times that we were taking the mick!

also i'm well aware that i probly live in the hardest water area in the country so pufifacation wont be easy but if others localy can do it then so can I!!

[macmac]

the slx is the best but at £400 it is dearer and has a longer closed lenght because it is 25' (25' divided by four).

SL-X- It's 25 divided by five actualy (5ft sections, not 6ft), it may be too expensive for you just now but with this pole you have just one tool to (easily, quickly & effectively) do ALL your work from ground floor up to 28/29/30 feet. Fit it with a pinned swivel + plastic angle adaptor (can get both for a fiver) & it will serve you well for any situation from bottom to top.
IMO you will struggle with a 17ft pole- town houses, over conservatories, velux windows, larger houses etc. You could end up standing on step ladders, tip-toes etc. neither of which will be easy or help make a good job.

Just my oppinion.

Tony

[mr D]

cheers mac taken on board!

your right the slx will be to rich for my blood at pressent but def will keep that in mind for future.

if the 17ft is gonna be akward to use over conservatrys and on 2nd story then its not for me. one of wfp's biggest apills to me is i'll not have to carry my BIG ladder on the van day in day out. ive got a few jobs that my muched loved point just dont quite reach there for cayyly my (precously refered to 'harpoon') every day. i want to ditch this praptice and only pop it on when i'm doing 3rd story ladder work. using the pole for those odd windows that i currently carry it for i,e dormers, skylites, above conservatrys.