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Window Cleaning Issues - Canvassing, pole systems, pricing, problems, etc.

Poles, Poles, Poles!!!!!

Posted by D.Salkeld_Ltd (D.Salkeld_Ltd), 5 March 2004
UndecidedO.K I'm temted and my trusted scrim is pleading me to resist!!

Can someone please exlain the basic Idea.
Is this right?

You use an extending waterfed pole and brush to wash the windows and frames with purified water.
The water is purified either by filtre christals or a reverse osmosis machien?

David
D.Salkeld Ltd

Posted by replacement (Justin R), 5 March 2004
Here i posted this on the other fourm so might as well post here as well as both have helped me and its time i put that back into the fourms.

Let me tell you about myself first, i sold my internet cafe in December 2003 and wanted to do something new. One day i was sitting at home and the window cleaner called i sat there watching him missing the corners missing windows not doing the frames and 5-8 mins later knocking on the door and asking for £5.50. I then look at it and thought 10 house's an hr his doing and if he charged them the same his on £55 an hr not bad i thought, so off i went looking into it all.

I read as much info on all forums about it and thought the Water Feed Pole is the best way as its safe and is new anyone can go up an ladder, but this was different i could do frames and charge more for as well as the pure water i would be using instead of the same dirty water each house. Anyway.......

What you also need to take into account is storage for the water, its very well having an trolley system but you will need more water through out the day so storage is important.

As its raining here and i cant do nothing ill explain what i have got and what i do i will tell you now i am no expert but i have had no problems or complaints yet, and as i am new i can give you an honset feedback what i have found as i work not none of these WFP compaines.

First off i was like any other person confused and did'nt now what supply to use as they where all bickering between themselves which really put me off, i found when every i spoke to any off them the 1st thing would they would do is slag the other company off which made me not got with 3 compaines and nearly the one i went with in the end. ( Please take note of that you WFP companies )

Anyway I have an RO unit as i am in an hard water area this need's to be good enought to produce enough water each day for what you need i went for an 300 Gallon per day system which gives me just over 1000 litres every 24 hrs.



This system must be inside somewhere and not outside where it can cause damage to the filters etc. I have mine in an out house which is dry and away from the elements i am getting TDS readings of 000 and have no issuse with this system.

Secondly i needed somewhere to store the water so i brougth an 1000 litre storage tank. I was told you could use water butts from B&Q but i though how do i change the water over all the time when one butt is full, do i get up half way though the night to do this? plus the water butts where like £40 each nearly where this take was £200 worth the spend ill say, and save's me hassle's. One problem is transfer the water from the main tank to the water holders i use an hose pipe and suck, i must say i need to look into an pump for this just to make it faster really.



Now the trolley yeah i went with an OminoTrolley due to the fact it looks pro. Now my idea was as i was new i could bluff it abit with all this great new pro looking equiment and i have. I had to spend extra on the charger for the trolley and found it to be an excellent asset. Now i do have one moan about it you cant pick it up with water in the tank and put it into the back of the car/van as its too heavy, but saying that so will all trolleys so think about that. I did make an small ramp to roll it into and out the car but find its easy to have hardly no water and just pick it up. Plus you can easy remove the wheels and handle within seconds with the quick release pins on there.



Next thing was how to i transport the water when i am out, I found the small 25 liter water holders and brought 10 for £54 ish this have come in very handy and i find atm them 10 are ok for me and are about just right if i need more i can just buy some more water holders for under £5 each.



Now this whole system cost me a very reasonable price i feel, yeah some where cheaper but  for a smaller RO Unit No Storage tank and others really did'nt look the part nor looked strong enough.

Now i am still getting use to the system and the pole but i find the results i am getting are very very good, on the 1st clean you must not rush it and you must use alot of water on the 1st clean. I am using approx 60-100 litres on the 1st clean but the respones i am getting is very very good just buy word and mouth i have had loads of new customers.

There is an process i use which i posted on the other site which i could go into but i fingers are hurting now just go look.

Anyway here is the system in use as an before and after where the old window cleaner never did nothing really missed some windows to me doing them spot the differnet.



There old window cleaner.



There new window cleaner ME !!!

I help that helps in some way.

Thanks

Justin




Work safer earn more look pro.

Posted by WavieDavie (WavieDavie), 5 March 2004
Hi David,

Yes, that's the basic idea.  

Soft water areas only need a De-Ionising unit to bring the water down to zero Parts Per Million - you check this with a Total Dissolved Solids meter.

Water in hard water areas needs to go through a Reverse Osmosis unit too.

That's the terms explained.  A good unbiased site for further information is http://www.window-tools.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl  

Just because that's where I bought my system should have no bearing on your decision at all  

Are there any window cleaners using WFP in your area you could ask?

All the best - Davie
Posted by poleman (PoleMan), 5 March 2004
good photos if i wonted to add one or two my self, how would i go about it Huh if need be



andy

dorset fed member
Posted by replacement (Justin R), 5 March 2004
Well to upload pictures is very easy. But ideally your need some web space to store them on in the 1st place, as i sold my old company i kept the rights on all my domain names and i kept the web space as well, so i just upload them to that space and link them through to here.

There's alot of places that do free web space and with an easy FTP programe you can access this space and then upload the pictures you take sometimes your need to re size the pictures other wise there be too large on the forums.

Once upload theres and easy button you can press on YABB tags section just above your Msg. Or just type it normal.

Example..

I have a picture i want to display here i 1st upload this onto my own web space, so i have the following webspace and urls.

http://www.lan4play.com
http://www.2v2.org.uk
http://www.battlelan.co.uk
http://www.squeakyclean4u.com

Plus a lot more domains and sub domains linked though on same space. I have 1.5gb of space and over 120,000 gb of bandwith per month.

Anyway after i have uploaded to that space i would click the button about which would look like this.

[img][/img]

Then in between that i would add the url and the name of the file so that would be.

..http://www.2v2.org.uk/work.jpg..

I would then get the result as you see above on my 1st post.

If you have not got any web space and wish to have a link for a picture then please let me now i can host the picture for you.

thanks

Justin
Posted by sw_windows (sw_windows), 5 March 2004
considering poles for commercial work and maybe some domestic , how long did it take you to do that window in your photo and do you charge the same as when you used the squeege?
Posted by replacement (Justin R), 5 March 2004
Hi,
  yeah it took approx 2-3 min's just to do that window now i am new to all this and i take my time on all 1st cleans i want to do an qauilty job for an reasonable price, i dont want to rush round and do as many jobs as i can for the max amount of money cos the end of the day ill end up looking for customers and forevery having an bad name.

Yes i charge no more for frames this is want i belive to be a winner for me as no one every does them with a pole it takes no time what so every.

Thanks

Justin
Posted by poleman (PoleMan), 5 March 2004



hope you lot dont mind just trying to add a photo and hoping it works, if so one of me on a new contract


Andy

dorset

fed member
Posted by D.Salkeld_Ltd (D.Salkeld_Ltd), 6 March 2004
Justin

Thanks for the comprehensive information and well done in setting out your stall from the start.

I am now going to clear out the garage to accomodate the RO kit (Our water is that hard we have to CHEW it!)

I already have a cheap WFP and am getting a DIY DI filtre to try pole method for a month or so to see how us and my customers like it first.

David

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