[Clear Vision]

Hi guys,

May sound like a silly question but what do you do with the hose when you pull up to a house with a van mount?

Do you pull out the hose to the furthest away window and work from there and back to the van?

Clear Vision

[Moderator David@stives]

I start nearest the van

[Morph]

same here.

[Clear Vision]

Right then.

Why??

[Moderator David@stives]

Its just habit, i have always started house at the front when i was trad , so have kept things the same.
I use microbore so dont have much trouble pulling it aroung,If i am doing bottoms as well i  start front to back then return back to the front then work to the back doing bottoms.

To sum up , no reason really

[pjulk]

I start nearest the van also otherwise you have hose everywhere.

Paul

[Paul Coleman]

Hi guys,

May sound like a silly question but what do you do with the hose when you pull up to a house with a van mount?

Do you pull out the hose to the furthest away window and work from there and back to the van?

Clear Vision

Just to be awkward  , I usually start furthest away - though not always.  One reason is that I would rather be pulling the hose without the pole attached - though I often disconnect it anyway if there is a lot of clutter around.  Another reason is that it gives me the chance to check the garden gate.  If the customer has started locking up, at least I haven't done half the house first before I realise that there is no access.  OK, so I could check the gate before I get the hose out I suppose.  However, sometimes there may be a situation where the back windows are all above a tiled roof and the front are all on a flush wall.  Then I would do upstairs front first, followed by all the back ones (up and down), then the front ground floor.  This is to maximise the "dripping time" - not so critical on a hot day as it can dry fast anyway.
On a hot day it can help because on a larger place I can do one side at a time up and down.  It saves moving the hose as much.

Also, if I have unreeled all the hose I need at the start of a job, I know that any hose pulling will usually be easier if it's normally already unravelled.  Of course, that doesn't always work out - especially if there are a lot of obstructuons.

[Morph]

I prefer to pull all the hose back and put everything away when I'm done.
I've tried starting from the furthest point and working back towards the van, but can't be bothered getting to technical.  Just get to the nearest window and start, keep going till I'm done.  I usually do 1 side at a time, tops then bottoms, so on.
If I extend hose to furthest point first, more likely to tangle in obstacles.

[Clear Vision]

Thanks guys.

So in what order do you do everthing from the moment you pull up if you are doing upstairs and downstairs.

Do you pull out the hose first then go back to the van for your pole.

Would you then do the upstairs windows of the front first then lover the pole and do the downstairs or would you just do all the upstairs windows first from front to back then come back to the front and do all downstairs?

Do you guys use two poles? One for upstairs & one for downstairs?  Also do you just use one brush and swap it from pole to pole? or do you ave a brush fixed to each pole?

Clear Vision

[Paul Coleman]

Thanks guys.

So in what order do you do everthing from the moment you pull up if you are doing upstairs and downstairs.

Do you pull out the hose first then go back to the van for your pole.

Would you then do the upstairs windows of the front first then lover the pole and do the downstairs or would you just do all the upstairs windows first from front to back then come back to the front and do all downstairs?

Do you guys use two poles? One for upstairs & one for downstairs?  Also do you just use one brush and swap it from pole to pole? or do you ave a brush fixed to each pole?

Clear Vision

Depends.  Sometimes I just take the pole and come back for the hose.  Sometimes I do both together.  Depends on gates/other obstructions really.  Depends if it's windy too as I may take hose first to avoid laying pole down.  Depends on size of job, window layout, type of window (e.g. sash) etc.
I use a 24 foot pole as standard.  Brushes can be easily changed if needed as its an Omnipole.
I use a short 2 x 2 foot pole for downstairs or sometimes a 2 x 3 ft.  A bit more effort needed to change brushes on these.  Generally, I don't change brush heads unless I'm cleaning cladding, facia, soffit etc.

[Clear Vision]

Shiner,

You say say you use a 24 ft pole and a 2x2 ft pole. Does the hose run up the inside of these poles and do you have a brush on each pole?

Are the poles light? What are they made from?

The poles you have are exactly the same lengths of poles I would like!

I use a unger 5 section pole which weighs a ton

Clear Vision

[Alex Gardiner]

Hi There all,

we have found that it is always quicker to pull out the full amount of hose you need first, so we will pull the hose to the furthest point, even if we will not be starting there.

Makes it easier to move around the property whilst working.

Alex

[Paul Coleman]

Shiner,

You say say you use a 24 ft pole and a 2x2 ft pole. Does the hose run up the inside of these poles and do you have a brush on each pole?

Are the poles light? What are they made from?

The poles you have are exactly the same lengths of poles I would like!

I use a unger 5 section pole which weighs a ton

Clear Vision

Both poles have the hoses running up the inside of them.  I've never used a pole with an external pipe.  I do have a brush on each pole.  I have several brushes for the Omnipole as they are quick and easy to change - though I do have two of my normal brushes for them (in case of problems).  The Omnipole is made of aluminium I think and other metal I suppose (I'm sure someone at Omnipole would give you a more accurate answer).  I'm told that there are lighter poles but at least you can push windows closed with them due to their rigidity.  I use the 24 foot as my standard because 18 ft often isn't enough if you need to bridge over a conservatory or a flat roof.  I also have a 36 ft Omnipole that I need for a few jobs.
The short poles in my arsenal are a 2x2ft Ionics pole and a 2x3ft Omnipole.  I started with the Ionics pole and it's fine except that Ionics seem a bit tight on the amount of spare pole hose they give you and their standard jets are a bit bigger than I would like.  I went for the 2x3ft in the end because the extra reach helped me avoid getting spiked by bushes on some jobs.
A lot of it is not so much about one pole being better than another as which pole is more suitable for the jobs that you have.
Other people would answer you differently and their answers would be just as valid as mine.

[Morph]

I vary the order I do things.  Not so much to shave nano-seconds off the job, more to break the monotony

[dai]

I drag the hose to the furthest point before starting. Once your reel is turning, it's easier because you have the momentum going. If you are pulling off hose and cleaning, then trying to pull off more there is more chance of it jamming on the reel.
Your hose is also lifting off the ground each time you pull on it and this increases the risk of tangling. I would rather get all the pulling Done in one go and then drag slack hose back towards the reel. Dai