jeff1

  • Posts: 5855
WFP in the winter
« on: May 07, 2006, 02:30:08 pm »
Hi Guys

I know its summer, but i was wondering how you manage with wfp in the winter? are there any problems i need to know about before i start wfp?

also if you clean near a customers footpath does it tend to freeze? and cause a hazzard, or do you carry something like salt just incase.

I know i am looking ahead a bit but they are just a few issues i need to know about. do you also carry signes to warn people of the hazzard of trailing pipes?

Thank you for any replys
Jeff
Reflections

macc

Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2006, 02:42:05 pm »
hi jeff, i carry rock salt, sorts that prob out, pipes frezing at night is the prob, ive a diesel heater that going in for this winter.

honestly, wfp is the best move i made, so many days ive worked but would have been at home trad. good luck mate.

macc

matt

Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2006, 03:23:19 pm »
Jeff, ive only had the water freeze on the floor ONCE in TWO years, though if its very cold i start at about 10 when the suns a little warmer

jeff1

  • Posts: 5855
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2006, 07:09:30 pm »
One of the main resons for asking is that I have a row of shops, and the pavement is narrow, and i have to do them early in the mornings I was concerned of the water freezing on the pavement, and some one going A over T, thats also why i asked about the salt? ???

Jeff Brimble

  • Posts: 4347
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2006, 07:10:46 pm »
You have to keep all your equipment from freezing overnight (and sometimes day)whether in a garage or in the van/car. Especially below -4C ish . Get some really good gloves with liners. Allow for shorter days, working later in the afternoons when its a bit warmer than 8am. Buy a ski suit. Bottle some summer sunshine  :)

jeff1

  • Posts: 5855
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2006, 07:54:38 pm »
Is it to much hasstle, to drain your pipes, and pump,if the pump can be run dry?

I am well covered in the winter, with good cloths, I have those unger gloves, and used them for the past three years, but i am not impressed with them also your hands stink with them even putting talcum powder in does'nt help
but i found them better than nothing.

rosskesava

Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2006, 08:29:31 pm »
We only had one morning this year when the pipes had frozen in the van. The weather during the night had been evil at -8C and 30mph plus winds from the north east but on that day we abandoned work because it was so blo*dy cold anyway.

Apart from that, nothing.

There was a few morning where the water started freezing on the pavement but ,as above, a few handfulls of rock salt solved it.

Also, those Unger gloves and the smell. One night I was banned from my own bed because of it. Nothing seemed to get the smell off my hands. After reading a topic on here about it I bought 'Seal Skin' gloves. They're made out of GorTex or something similar and they don't pong anywhere near as bad.

Cheers

pjulk

Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2006, 12:28:32 am »
I have had a few problem i have had is the brush freezing which happened a few times
And also the water freezing on the glass but this only happened once last winter as far a i know.
And my jets freeze a few times

But to be honest most of the time you get no problems

Paul

Trevor Knight

  • Posts: 1825
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2006, 07:51:01 am »
Had a few frozen days until I decided to go to our local Garden centre and by 2 x Submerged Water heaters. I put them inside my 650ltr tank overnight while refilling and never had a problem since. In fact the first hour is quite nice with warm ish water running through the pipe in my bloody cold hands :o)

Any local garden centre should be able to help, I paid £45 each.

Best wishes,  Trev
Covering Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Berkshire

gaza

  • Posts: 1642
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #9 on: May 08, 2006, 06:07:38 pm »
MACC: Iwas only looking at diesel heaters the other night on the web they use them on narrow boats,dont know anything about them till I get down my local and ask a few of the boat owners.keep you posted what Ifind out

  gaza
IM AT THAT AGE MY BACK GOES OUT MORE THAN I DO

jeff1

  • Posts: 5855
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #10 on: May 08, 2006, 07:53:15 pm »
I would be interested to know more on the diesel heaters.

Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2986
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #11 on: May 08, 2006, 08:07:05 pm »
I do a lot of shops first thing in the morning, and on several ocasions this year I had the water freezing on the pavement.
Easy to deal with though, I had a large storage box [like you can get from Ikea] full of road salt in the back of the van.
I filled it up at the beginning of the winter at one of the many roadside containers that are in every town.
And I was actually chatting to a local copper as I filled it up, he understood totally, its there to be thrown on the roads and pavements anyway....not too sure what his reaction might have been if I had told him I just wanted it for my driveway mind!!

For WFP the big, fur lined, thick rubber gloves that Omnipole supply are top notch, incredibly hard wearing and very warm.
I'm told the Sealskinz are really good too.

The Unger neoprene are fine for trad work, but tend to get shredded quickly because of raising and lowering your pole [no inuendo intended]

I'm lucky in that I can leave a power cable out to the van, so I simply put a small electric fan heater in the back of the van set on the frost stat setting so that it just stops the temperature dropping below freezing.

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

macc

Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2006, 10:33:42 pm »
Cheers Gaza. will keep my eyes open. macc ;D

jeff1

  • Posts: 5855
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2006, 01:01:55 am »
I do a lot of shops first thing in the morning, and on several ocasions this year I had the water freezing on the pavement.
Easy to deal with though, I had a large storage box [like you can get from Ikea] full of road salt in the back of the van.
I filled it up at the beginning of the winter at one of the many roadside containers that are in every town.
And I was actually chatting to a local copper as I filled it up, he understood totally, its there to be thrown on the roads and pavements anyway....not too sure what his reaction might have been if I had told him I just wanted it for my driveway mind!!

For WFP the big, fur lined, thick rubber gloves that Omnipole supply are top notch, incredibly hard wearing and very warm.
I'm told the Sealskinz are really good too.

The Unger neoprene are fine for trad work, but tend to get shredded quickly because of raising and lowering your pole [no inuendo intended]

I'm lucky in that I can leave a power cable out to the van, so I simply put a small electric fan heater in the back of the van set on the frost stat setting so that it just stops the temperature dropping below freezing.

Ian

Cheers Ian
Good idea about the road salt.

Trevor Knight

  • Posts: 1825
Re: WFP in the winter
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2006, 05:43:39 am »
I spenp about £50 last year on road salt! won't be doing that again, now where did I see those big yellow bins again  ;) Nice one Ian
Covering Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Berkshire