Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: dazmond on June 13, 2010, 05:46:25 am
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Quite a few of you guys are suggesting that i clean both tops and bottoms wfp so im not carrying bucket on a belt etc round my waist but it just wouldnt work on some parts of my round!
eg:
1.Above large kitchen extensions/large flat roofs(these will have to be cleaned using a ladder for access trad)
2.In confined spaces round the back of some of my custys houses it would be easier to just trad the bottoms i assure you! ;D ;D
3.The odd house with dodgy frames on bottom windows.
If my trad tools are on me at hand i can mix and match to suit the window/access etc.
with a bottle on my belt(no bucket to carry!)b.o.a.b/pouch/microfibre i can also run over the odd downstairs windows sills that can be hard to clean properly with the brush.
4.I also clean the odd bigger account with very old windows high up that i clean with the trad pole(which is the safest best method IMO)
5 If ive got trad gear on me i can blade/scrim front doors(esp those that are in a little porch way)
6.The up and over the garage jobs(that i hate!)again trad tools at the ready!
this way im saving a little water/doing the best job i can in the quickest time and keeping my custys happy!
i will be wfpoling all bigger houses with good frames and access and ill be looking at wfp friendly houses to add as new custys.
Its easy just to say to me "wfp everything" but its just not feasible on some work!but ive decided to use it on nearly everything!! ;) ;D ;D
what are your thoughts guys on this thread?
there will now be some problems created with using wfp mainly back gate access(which im addressing with phoning/texting the night before)and certain windows will have to be accessed using a ladder!!which is a pain now!! ::)
and of course now itll be a case of being patient with the hose/little niggling problems that hold you up!(air in the system stopping the pump from working properly!changing hose connectors etc,etc!) ::)
but all in all im looking forward to the new way ill be approaching my work! :D :D
best wishes
dazmond
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sounds about right daz
keep up the good work :)
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You'll learn, Daz, you'll learn ...
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that all make sense to me you have really thought this through im to looking to bring wfp more into my work
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Quite a few of you guys are suggesting that i clean both tops and bottoms wfp so im not carrying bucket on a belt etc round my waist but it just wouldnt work on some parts of my round!
eg:
1.Above large kitchen extensions/large flat roofs(these will have to be cleaned using a ladder for access trad)
2.In confined spaces round the back of some of my custys houses it would be easier to just trad the bottoms i assure you! ;D ;D
3.The odd house with dodgy frames on bottom windows.
If my trad tools are on me at hand i can mix and match to suit the window/access etc.
with a bottle on my belt(no bucket to carry!)b.o.a.b/pouch/microfibre i can also run over the odd downstairs windows sills that can be hard to clean properly with the brush.
4.I also clean the odd bigger account with very old windows high up that i clean with the trad pole(which is the safest best method IMO)
5 If ive got trad gear on me i can blade/scrim front doors(esp those that are in a little porch way)
6.The up and over the garage jobs(that i hate!)again trad tools at the ready!
this way im saving a little water/doing the best job i can in the quickest time and keeping my custys happy!
i will be wfpoling all bigger houses with good frames and access and ill be looking at wfp friendly houses to add as new custys.
Its easy just to say to me "wfp everything" but its just not feasible on some work!but ive decided to use it on nearly everything!! ;) ;D ;D
what are your thoughts guys on this thread?
there will now be some problems created with using wfp mainly back gate access(which im addressing with phoning/texting the night before)and certain windows will have to be accessed using a ladder!!which is a pain now!! ::)
and of course now itll be a case of being patient with the hose/little niggling problems that hold you up!(air in the system stopping the pump from working properly!changing hose connectors etc,etc!) ::)
but all in all im looking forward to the new way ill be approaching my work! :D :D
best wishes
dazmond
I do a little bit of trad due to numbers 3 and 5 but not any of the other issues listed. Number 5 particularly when the front door is not exposed to the weather or if there is danger of freeze-ups.
1. If I need to climb on a flat roof, I tend to take a small pole up with me.
2. For tight spaces I have a small 2x2ft pole if needed.
4. For such windows I would still use WFP - possibly with a much lower flow rate. Also, if very leaky, I would normally do glass and sill only. Maybe I would do the frame occasionally if notifying the customer so that they are ready to mop up around the window.
5. Yes I often do this. It does depend on the layout of the door and the danger of freezing.
6. I only have three up and over jobs left. One of them I trad at the back. The other two I take hose and pole over with me. I am not taking on any more of these types of jobs anyway because (a) they are a hassle (b) you can't totally assure yourself that the the ladder is going down onto a good surface.
None of the three jobs have decking where the ladder goes.
Additionally there are a few bungalows where I still clean the trad way. Just laziness on my part as I couldn't be bothered to explain WFP to a few more senior residents - especially a couple who struggle to remember who I am each time.
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i think personally it would waste time having to get a small pole out then the ladders for the odd flat roof i cant reach with the pole from the ground.also how safe is climbing up a ladder with a wfp in hand?? ;) ;D ;D ;D
i was thinking of getting a small step stool so i can stand on that with wfp to reach over extensions with sloping dodgy tiles!probably not h&s rules but better than standing on the roof! ::)
i know what you mean about the up and over jobs paul!they are a pain in the arse!i have about 20 overall!i was thinking of getting a backpack to carry through the house if their in and just doing the fronts if there out!! ;)
i will not change over gradually its all going to be wfpoled apart from the afore mentioned things.
oh and ive a block of granny flats with oxidised frames and i dont clean all the downstairs flats which ill be keeping trad.these flats earn me over 30quid an hour trad(2 hours work)so im keeping them the same.
regards
dazmond
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If you have a good cf pole you'll be amazed at the amount of windows above extentions and garages that you can easily get to, where a cheaper pole would just not reach. The time you save from having to get the ladders off will pay for the pole. Other than that sounds spot on. The way I see it wfp is a good tool but then so is trad and when your skilled in both you can use it to your advantage to work faster and better.
Simon
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6.The up and over the garage jobs(that i hate!)again trad tools at the ready!
I did my mum's today with a pole. No problem at all as long as there isn't a car blocking the drive that can't be moved.
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seddon i mean climbing over flat roof garage to access the back of the house!!not windows above garages!! ;) :) :)
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simon i good c/f pole is next on my list.the glassfibre will do for now until i get used to wfp.
its my first day tommorrow using wfp on my round!! :) :)
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I think your spot on Dazmond. If your making £30 p/h I really wouldn't risk the changeover unless you see obvious benefit to yourself. Don't get caught up in using it for the sake of it, use your head on each and every job.
Some customers/jobs, you know it might bring issues. Some jobs it just not beneficial to use.
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joe im sure ill get round the odd issue here and there.some windows i will trad as long as its downstairs within reach!
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Daz good luck on tomorrow you have done the research and unlike some others you can see where trad is just as easy and wfp will benefit you. on some work you may change your mind in the future and go all wfp etc or you may not.
my round is around 40% wfp 40% wfp trad bottoms and 20% trad and i dont see anything wrong with that
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thanks stu the nature of lots of my round will suit wfp without a shadow of a doubt.awkward windows above sloping roofs,2 windows on the side of houses(pain with 2 ladderclimbs!),bigger accounts and small commercial but i think the right tool for the job will be trad sometimes!much to the disgust of some on ere!! ;) ;) ;D ;D ;D
best wishes
dazmond
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So how did his first day go?
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i mixed the two meathods for a few months and then thought sod it and used wfp for everything. only trad now is internal work or bungalows ect
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still trad on certain jobs along with wfp
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a gud mix now daz wfp n trad i'll always keep a gud
few trad just cuz they r quicker lol bet yr knackered lol 8pm indeed lol ;D
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thanks stu the nature of lots of my round will suit wfp without a shadow of a doubt.awkward windows above sloping roofs,2 windows on the side of houses(pain with 2 ladderclimbs!),bigger accounts and small commercial but i think the right tool for the job will be trad sometimes!much to the disgust of some on ere!! ;) ;) ;D ;D ;D
best wishes
dazmond
It shouldn't be to peoples disgust, because there will always be something somewhere that needs hands on. But the issues you are pointing out are mainly the limitations of your pole, trolley and barrels (where a reel of hose will go anywhere). Others such as confined spaces and upstairs windows set back over extensions are overcome by using the best pole for the job. And standing sideways to the window instead of in front of it.
It's early days yet and you will find out what is the best pole, delivery system etc for your work. It will take you a good 6 months to begin to understand your work. How windows dry and which need less effort and the quirks of others.
After a year you will be much more productive with your effort.
I'm a big fan of both models of the freedom trolley and have used mine for 4 years. But what you need is a water tank and 100 metres of microbore. 1 Barrel and a 12v submersible pump (to refill barrel).
All this might be excessive expense to many, so you could dispense with the sub pump and use the trolley as a van mount. Taking it off when you need to.
Using only barrels all of the time is a very inefficient way of using your equipment and time. Microbore and water tank. Oh, and a carbon fibre pole, will change your working life for the better. It's these things that can only be learnt when we try other ways of doing things, instead of perservering with what we have and how we use it. And that takes time.
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thanks mark for that post. ;)
i will be using the trolley as a van mount for some work but a 100m hose just sounds like a total nightmare!! :o :o
a carbon pole is a must.these fibreglass ones should have a health warning on them!they bend all over the place at awkward angles!! ::) ::) ::)
best wishes
dazmond