paul mather

  • Posts: 528
Commercial work & WFP
« on: August 15, 2006, 08:43:03 pm »
Went to price up a new job & the company gave me strict instructions they didn't want them WFPed.

Apparently they had a bunch of cowboys do the windows with WFP & left the windows in a right mess. Tried to convince them that it wasn't the system that was at fault but the operators but they were having none of it, so I have had to quote to do the job trad which I wanted to get away from. Maybe if I get it after a while I could convert them.

Any of you guys got commercial work where WFP isn't welcome?
Use the wand of power !!


Warrington, Cheshire

Chris Cottrell

  • Posts: 3162
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2006, 08:54:53 pm »
For your own sake and the customers please explain the Wahl , its not their place to tell you how to do a job, if you employed a person to tile your bathroom you wouldnt tell him to cut the tiles by hand instead of using a till cutter would you?

Chris

pjulk

Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #2 on: August 15, 2006, 08:57:00 pm »
Have you offered to do a window for them (FOC) so they can see the results that way they can see the wfp systems work.

If i price up any job and they didn't like the way that i clean them i would walk away from the job there are plenty more about.

Paul


Extremeclean

  • Posts: 173
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2006, 09:06:33 pm »
Does this company have any idea about their responsibilities re H&S?

The question to be asked is does a ladder HAVE to be used to do the job?

The HAVE to abide by H&S regs.  They dont have any choice.

My advice is to educate them about the WAHD and if they still insist on ladders being used wish them a cheery goodbye. If they dont care about H&S then dont work for them. After all a bad job can be done from ladders as well as WFP.


D woods

Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2006, 09:14:06 pm »
We had a customer today ask us if we use ladders and not wfp for there next clean because of the water shortage.

We said no we cant, due to health and safety etc. after a 5 mins chat
they was ok. Any one else had this yet?

Pat Purcell

  • Posts: 568
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2006, 08:27:40 pm »
Started a 7 floor bldg yesterday that the super tells me was washed last year by a co, using a long pole, they were extremely unhappy with the results as the windows were all spotted with a film on them We use rope access so we got to the first few windows and noticed the spots and tried to scrub them off but could not, called the manufacturer to see what we could use to remove them and were informwd that because this was "architectural glass" that no scrapers steel wool or any other abrasive substances could be used It seems that with Architectural glass you can only use soap and water and a little distilled white vinegar which we tried and we tried pretty hard but the windows are still covered in the spots as of today the building owners are trying to contact the window cleaning co to discuss this.this bldg has about $1m worth of glass so a word to the wise to wfpers if you muck one up fix it.  Before the wfp folks start bashing me i would like to add that this guy does not seem to have had a clue what he was doing and while i dont know much about WFP if i was to guess i would say that this bldg would be a good bldg to wfp if done properly
Boston USA    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   Cork Ireland

Jeff Brimble

  • Posts: 4347
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2006, 09:02:28 pm »
Pat most wfp "spots" should wash off with a wfp after a soak, but maybe they have added building lime and calcium in them from building run off when used initially with too much water ? I would agree with you that they may not have known how to wfp. Not sure about a "film" or where it could have come from unless thats also "run off"- the vinegar should sort it. Keep us informed.

DASERVICES

Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2006, 09:11:16 pm »

  I agree with Jeff that are more and likely to have come from the building,
  the main cause for this is the adhesive used to attach the small stones to
  the building. The water then runs under the top sill and then onto the window,
  this is either bad building design or wear and tear on the building. The water
  should run down without running down on to the next window below.

  WFP would not be the main cause for this, it happens when the rain hits
  the building and then runs down the building. On many a new estates that
  I clean some windows have been contaminated with these spots, you
  cannot get them off. It is down to poor building design and poor builders.

 Doug

P®oPole™

  • Posts: 985
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2006, 09:12:35 pm »
Hi pat,

Am I right in saying that alot of wfp users in the U.S dont need to purify there water as alot of the states has soft water.

it could be that there was still calcium in the water?

Pat Purcell

  • Posts: 568
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2006, 09:27:14 pm »
Im prett sur that given the chance with oilflo or some other product to remove hard water marks i could get the spots off after 20 years of window cleaning i have a large bag of tricks the problem is that the manufacturer will not condone it so right now washing with soap and vinegar is the only option as the problem is not my doing but if i do something outside of ythe specified then it becomes my problem ,I agree that it is most likely run off from the walls but we have a care and custody rule here which means that the wFper will have to prove that.dont know much about hard and soft water PROPOLE but have had to remove alot of hard water stains over the years so im guessing the water around here is hard My main point was that if you are going to WFP a bldg and it doesnt work have a back up plan or do what I did when you spot a problem bring it to somewones attention as if I had kept going then i would be the one in deep s%%t. D A service this is the second time the bldg has been cleaned since it was built 2 years ago I think its a combination of poor design poor quality and a bad wfp job but someone has to be the scapegoat and thats generally the last person to touch the glass
Boston USA    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   Cork Ireland

Richy L

  • Posts: 2257
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2006, 10:20:27 am »
I use WFP on all my commercial. No ladders - safer. Thats the angle i go in at.
I only had one of them because i was using wfp. Said he's never heard of it before and was very impressed.
Of course i clean the insides trad, not WFP, that would just be silly!!

JM123

  • Posts: 2095
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2006, 01:48:55 pm »
Of course i clean the insides trad, not WFP, that would just be silly!!
ahh thats what I was doing wrong!!

ooppss!! :D
Live life in the fast lane.......if you break down you'll freewheel further

Ballymena N.I

Sir Squeaky

  • Posts: 8341
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2006, 09:27:31 pm »
Went to price up a new job & the company gave me strict instructions they didn't want them WFPed.
I've had this happen quite a few times.

It's great. They're so pleased when I say I do them by hand. :)

paul mather

  • Posts: 528
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2006, 08:35:40 am »
Why does it not surprise me Squeaky to see a post from you on this subject ;) ;) ;)
Use the wand of power !!


Warrington, Cheshire

Moderator David@stives

  • Posts: 8829
Re: Commercial work & WFP
« Reply #14 on: August 21, 2006, 08:55:10 am »
wfp would of not caused any more damage than the rain would ,FACT unless they were being washed with impure water with a high tds reading.