Richard iSparkle

  • Posts: 2488
SkyVac pole sections breaking
« on: October 20, 2020, 06:52:06 pm »
hi,

we are having problems with our sky vac pole sections breaking when we are cleaning over large extensions. its when the poles are horizontal and pivoting on the end of the extension. they just collapse in the middle of the pole section.

it's happened to 4 or 5 poles over the past 12 months and its over £100 a pole.

i've just reordered 3 poles costing me just shy of £500

we used grippavac with gardiner carbon pole sections before this and it never happened.

does anyone else have this, and does anyone know how to avoid it?

thanks

R

iSparkle Window Cleaning

www.isparklewindowcleaning.uk

Shrek

  • Posts: 3931
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2020, 07:57:11 pm »
Yep , really pees me off. Iv had to use gorilla tape , wrapped it round the top , middle and bottom of the poles. I did order some new poles but they all seem crap

Smudger

  • Posts: 13215
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2020, 08:07:16 pm »
I don't think they are designed for horizontal use - I would say the stresses on them particularly when filled with gutter waste would cause a malfunction

I use carbonfobretubes - the max I use when horizontal without support is 3 - I believe these have a 2mm wall thickness what about the sky vac ones ?

Darran
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

www.oddbodscleaning.co.uk

Ched

  • Posts: 423
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2020, 08:16:04 pm »
Out of curiosity are aluminium poles and better when working more horizontally obviously the extra weight is a minus but are they stronger?

Splash & dash

  • Posts: 4364
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2020, 08:37:52 pm »
We have the skyvac elite poles and use them at very shallow angles and haven’t had any  problems at all I do know of a few that have snapped the bottom  pole with the release vac system but they break if you hold the pole below the vac release bit and then lift the pole up from the ground ,. We clean  thousands of meters of gutters per year without any problems so far .

Richard iSparkle

  • Posts: 2488
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2020, 09:44:18 pm »
yes this all makes sense.

the sky vac is a great kit and we hav no issues with straight up gutters at any height

not sure what we're supposed to do wth those horizontal cleans though?
iSparkle Window Cleaning

www.isparklewindowcleaning.uk

TomCrowther

  • Posts: 1965
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2020, 08:43:12 am »
I use the sky vac too. No problems so far but the sections don’t feel as strong as the previous carbon poles I have used. This is when working more horizontally. Max three sections as per previous post.

Rob.Hall

  • Posts: 1065
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2020, 11:48:59 am »
I have 'G Force', poles.
They are made differently and are so strong.
Made in uk as well.

Richard iSparkle

  • Posts: 2488
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2020, 01:21:30 pm »
I have 'G Force', poles.
They are made differently and are so strong.
Made in uk as well.

are they the same size as sky vac so interchangeable?

have you used sky vac so you can compare them?

also could you send me a link?
iSparkle Window Cleaning

www.isparklewindowcleaning.uk

Ched

  • Posts: 423
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2020, 02:00:50 pm »
If the GForce poles are from http://www.gforcesystems.co.uk then I would be concerned. They have owned the domain 6 years and according to web archive they have only ever shown a 'website coming soon' front page!
So after 6 years they haven't managed to get a website up and running!
Doesn't inspire me with confidence.

Smudger

  • Posts: 13215
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2020, 04:16:30 pm »
G force are near me - they are basically a cleaning company who have been doing gutter clearing the last few years, to my knowledge there 'stuff' is just sourced and branded to sell on

Darran
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

www.oddbodscleaning.co.uk

Rob.Hall

  • Posts: 1065
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2020, 05:53:06 pm »
Gutter force systems  have there own gutter/ cleaning service as well, which is great. As already mentioned by Darren.

Like Gardener pole systems used to, or still do, run a window cleaning service.

I love the poles and gear.
(Reserched a lot of systems before going with them).

Bellow is the details of why the poles are so strong. Taken from there @bay site.

Not all carbon fibre poles are the same, in fact there are vast differences in the quality of carbon fibre poles and the way they are made. G Force Professional Carbon Fibre Poles are manufactured in the UK to our exact specification using the highest grade carbon fibre resin available. They have been reinforced and have stronger walls than the standard poles on the market, many of which are flimsy imports. Our poles will out-perform any other poles on the market.

 

There are a number of features that set them apart from other carbon fibre poles. The 1mm wall thickness ensures that the poles do not split or break – they are rigid and extremely durable.  The 45mm diameter is the optimum size for comfortable use.  The Quick Cuff System allows for fast fitting and removal of poles.  It is an efficient and robust system that keeps the poles secure during use.

The band of glass fibre round the top of the pole provides additional reinforcement and is not found on mass produced imported poles. 

 

WHY G FORCE POLES ARE BETTER

There are two types of manufacturing processes for producing carbon fibre poles – pultrusion and roll wrapping. 

Pultrusion is a continuous moulding process whereby the fibres are saturated and pulled through a heated die to form the pole.  These poles are strong along their length (you can sit on them and they bend) but they are weak and susceptible to crushing, fracturing and splitting because the direction of the fibres is restricted and they all run in one direction along the pole.  Most imported poles are manufactured in this way. They are cheap to mass produce.

Roll wrapping uses resin coated material that is wrapped around the male tooling (mandrel), which determines the exact inside diameter of the tube. The tubes are then baked under pressure at high temperatures in electronically controlled ovens.  This is a much slower process but produces significantly stronger, higher quality poles because the fibres run at 90° and 45° and 180°, making the pole far more durable. The final part of the process is to machine the pole for a final time to ensure a high quality and exact finish. 

G Force Carbon Fibre Poles are manufactured to our unique specification using the roll wrapping technique.  They are strong, hard-wearing and rigid.  In fact, they are so strong we can stand on them.  Combined with the reinforced fibre glass top band our poles are head and shoulders above the others.  How do we know?  We have used the others!


KEY FEATURES

Base pole insulated outer layer – this is a unique featureQuick Cuff System for fast assembly and removal of polesAvailable in 4, 6 and 8 pole.

Richard iSparkle

  • Posts: 2488
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2020, 09:00:13 pm »
Gutter force systems  have there own gutter/ cleaning service as well, which is great. As already mentioned by Darren.

Like Gardener pole systems used to, or still do, run a window cleaning service.

I love the poles and gear.
(Reserched a lot of systems before going with them).

Bellow is the details of why the poles are so strong. Taken from there @bay site.

Not all carbon fibre poles are the same, in fact there are vast differences in the quality of carbon fibre poles and the way they are made. G Force Professional Carbon Fibre Poles are manufactured in the UK to our exact specification using the highest grade carbon fibre resin available. They have been reinforced and have stronger walls than the standard poles on the market, many of which are flimsy imports. Our poles will out-perform any other poles on the market.

 

There are a number of features that set them apart from other carbon fibre poles. The 1mm wall thickness ensures that the poles do not split or break – they are rigid and extremely durable.  The 45mm diameter is the optimum size for comfortable use.  The Quick Cuff System allows for fast fitting and removal of poles.  It is an efficient and robust system that keeps the poles secure during use.

The band of glass fibre round the top of the pole provides additional reinforcement and is not found on mass produced imported poles.

 

WHY G FORCE POLES ARE BETTER

There are two types of manufacturing processes for producing carbon fibre poles – pultrusion and roll wrapping.

Pultrusion is a continuous moulding process whereby the fibres are saturated and pulled through a heated die to form the pole.  These poles are strong along their length (you can sit on them and they bend) but they are weak and susceptible to crushing, fracturing and splitting because the direction of the fibres is restricted and they all run in one direction along the pole.  Most imported poles are manufactured in this way. They are cheap to mass produce.

Roll wrapping uses resin coated material that is wrapped around the male tooling (mandrel), which determines the exact inside diameter of the tube. The tubes are then baked under pressure at high temperatures in electronically controlled ovens.  This is a much slower process but produces significantly stronger, higher quality poles because the fibres run at 90° and 45° and 180°, making the pole far more durable. The final part of the process is to machine the pole for a final time to ensure a high quality and exact finish.

G Force Carbon Fibre Poles are manufactured to our unique specification using the roll wrapping technique.  They are strong, hard-wearing and rigid.  In fact, they are so strong we can stand on them.  Combined with the reinforced fibre glass top band our poles are head and shoulders above the others.  How do we know?  We have used the others!


KEY FEATURES

Base pole insulated outer layer – this is a unique featureQuick Cuff System for fast assembly and removal of polesAvailable in 4, 6 and 8 pole.

thanks for the info

do you know if their poles can be mix and matched with SkyVac's poles?
iSparkle Window Cleaning

www.isparklewindowcleaning.uk

Smudger

  • Posts: 13215
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2020, 08:50:09 am »
I doubt it Richard,  but buy one and see

Darran
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

www.oddbodscleaning.co.uk

Rob.Hall

  • Posts: 1065
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #14 on: October 22, 2020, 08:42:29 pm »
Hi Rich,
Smudger is correct. You cannot mix and match.

Slacky

  • Posts: 7630
Re: SkyVac pole sections breaking
« Reply #15 on: October 23, 2020, 12:11:53 pm »
yes this all makes sense.

the sky vac is a great kit and we hav no issues with straight up gutters at any height

not sure what we're supposed to do wth those horizontal cleans though?

Get a cherry picker.