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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Tom White on April 10, 2011, 11:42:15 pm

Title: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 10, 2011, 11:42:15 pm
I tried out my new system today; van mounted, microbore, SLX poles, and Aquadapter - very nice - but to be honest I wasn't that impressed with the Aquadapter and I'm thinking of taking mine off, and using an external pole hose which has an on-off switch everywhere you can grab and bend a bit of hose.

Wor Lass, whose pretty cack-handed 'cos she's brand new to WFP likes the aquadapter, since it gives her time to clean the sill and position herself at the next window without fumbling about and wasting 200 litres of water while she does it.

But the jury is out for myself.  I think the SLX would be a far nicer pole to use without one; and I'm happy to use an external pole hose.

What do you think?

Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: bumper on April 11, 2011, 06:02:05 am
I love it no thumbling around looking for cut of switch, no loop to trip over,tug on tug off,plus it only weighs about 220 g thats only half a pound i eat that much in sweets :o plus good customer service i droped mine on the floor and broke the nipple off ,they sent me a brand new aqua dapter ;)
  Bumper
 
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Ian Rochester on April 11, 2011, 06:04:08 am
Bought three of them at the cleaning show and put one in each van, so far they are working great and the water saving is excellent.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Smudger on April 11, 2011, 07:51:49 am
Tosh - i wouldn't be without the aqua-daptor - it saves so m uch water - i use high flow rate and fan jets
so no wasted water or spraying over the walls etc.  and like your mrs i clean the sills with the water off.

curious to know why the pole hose is external rather than through the pole?


Darran
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Spruce on April 11, 2011, 07:52:47 am
I tried out my new system today; van mounted, microbore, SLX poles, and Aquadapter - very nice - but to be honest I wasn't that impressed with the Aquadapter and I'm thinking of taking mine off, and using an external pole hose which has an on-off switch everywhere you can grab and bend a bit of hose.

Wor Lass, whose pretty cack-handed 'cos she's brand new to WFP likes the aquadapter, since it gives her time to clean the sill and position herself at the next window without fumbling about and wasting 200 litres of water while she does it.

But the jury is out for myself.  I think the SLX would be a far nicer pole to use without one; and I'm happy to use an external pole hose.

What do you think?



Tosh  ;D ;D ;D

You've got to used to your fishing poles. You need to give the hose on the inside a bit of time to get used to. No more spinning the pole around to take up the hose as I did.
Take the adqua-daptor off and put the Gardiner hose on the outside of the slx and then you will see what a pain having the hose on the outside is especially if you spin the pole around to coil the hose round it. You will see how the hose grips the pole and makes raising and lowing it a bit of a pain.

If you are having a problem with the hose coming out of the bottom of the pole hooking itself onto plants etc., then adjust the pole to be a little shorter.

The other thing is you must uncoil the Aqua-daptor hose first before opening the pole, because if you don't it will get knotted up at the base of the pole as it doesn't uncoil itself.

This is a whole new learning curve for you so its bound to feel uncomfortable. Just think how much more difficult it would be for you if still had to learn the wfp process, convince customers why it's better and then go through the process and pain of all those first cleans.

Edited.
Bumper is right. Its a pain looking for the hose tap and having to bend down every few moments to switch it on and off. If you put the tap on your belt then you can never be guaranteed that the hose couplings or tap are leak proof - a wet trouser leg is very uncomfortable. When I did drag the tap on the floor to the next window without switching the water off, I've lost count of the times the tap got hooked on some paving gap and switch itself of when giving it a tug. The tap handles were forever coming loose and if you didn't keep on top of it the screw comes out and gets lost.

Spruce
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 11, 2011, 08:41:42 am
I've read your comments, guys, I'll give it a chance, but this morning I did a shop, all the signage and paintwork and a large underneath porch area and I used a fishing pole with an external hose (it's lighter than the SLX) and I had no problem turning the water on and off just by nipping the pole hose.

As I say, I'll give it a chance, and it could be just a personal preference sort of thing.  We'll see.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Scrimble on April 11, 2011, 09:27:14 am
i was happy with my aquadapter which i bought at the cleaning show but it seized up a few weeks ago and is no completely useless,
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Richard 01903 on April 11, 2011, 10:09:29 am
Why not try a trigger I find them great 8)
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Aqua-dapter on April 11, 2011, 10:17:37 am
i was happy with my aquadapter which i bought at the cleaning show but it seized up a few weeks ago and is no completely useless,


Have you contacted our support department to report this problem? Fill in the contact form on our website with your details and we will organise a replacement for you.

Regards,
Duncan, Aqua-dapter
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Llaaww on April 11, 2011, 11:44:15 am
i was happy with my aquadapter which i bought at the cleaning show but it seized up a few weeks ago and is no completely useless,


Have you contacted our support department to report this problem? Fill in the contact form on our website with your details and we will organise a replacement for you.

Regards,
Duncan, Aqua-dapter

Duncan, can these be fitted to gardiner poles without sawing off the end of the pole. I have been liiking at them and saw a vid where the guy saws off the pole to fit it.

If they do fit easily I will probably have a go.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Aqua-dapter on April 11, 2011, 11:51:27 am
Duncan, can these be fitted to gardiner poles without sawing off the end of the pole. I have been liiking at them and saw a vid where the guy saws off the pole to fit it.

If they do fit easily I will probably have a go.

Hi,

The video you watched was for the Mk1 Aqua-dapter which needed to have the screw thread removed before fitting to any pole.

The Mk2, which has been on sale since November last year comes with a screw thread adapter, which allows you to fit without cutting, in just a couple of minutes.

Regards,
Duncan
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: simbag on April 11, 2011, 01:23:56 pm
Hi Tosh,

Can't comment on aquadaptor, but just wondering why you need hose to be external? If you've got an slx why not just run hose through the centre and nip the hose at the base? That's all I do with mine...
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Spruce on April 11, 2011, 02:13:33 pm
Hi Tosh,

Can't comment on aquadaptor, but just wondering why you need hose to be external? If you've got an slx why not just run hose through the centre and nip the hose at the base? That's all I do with mine...

Tosh has stepped up a few gears and has now got hose reels, macho pumps and controllers. I'm sure the pressure in his system will be greater than when he used his backpack, so squeezing the hose is more difficult to stop the flow - in my own experience.
We have set the flow and pressure higher to get a decent flow of water on the windows for quicker washing and rinsing- hence the aqua-dapter is the best thing since sliced bread.

Spruce
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 11, 2011, 03:05:52 pm
Actually, I do like the aquadapter; ignore my earlier comments.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Wc Solutions on April 11, 2011, 03:11:05 pm
good bit of kit.

built really well.

cost far too much tho
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Cleaningcaddy on April 11, 2011, 04:40:42 pm
I have just fiited mine to my slx and think its brilliant
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: bumper on April 11, 2011, 05:26:15 pm
good bit of kit.

built really well.

cost far too much tho
Well thats everybody on the forum fault saying im on  a million pound a day well im on 2 million pound so aqua dapter knows us humptys will fork the money out ;D
ohh ps that goes for gardeners aswell
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Paul Coleman on April 11, 2011, 07:59:36 pm
I've been using the SLX with external hose for at least a year.  It does pop off the y piece a bit more often and I suppose I get in more tangles than with internal hose.  However, it saves on taking it apart and cleaning it so often and probably saves on pole wear too as much less grit gets in.  I've come to prefer it.  N.B.  this is not with the Gardiner yellow pole hose.  This is the clear stuff.  I've never used the yellow one.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 11, 2011, 08:01:23 pm
With the right hose, turning your water on 'n' off is a doddle.

I've been using some old black Ionics hose for years; it's corking stuff.  It's a shame I can't source it now.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 12, 2011, 06:49:47 pm
Right, I've taken my aquadapter off; it was leaking all over me this morning.   >:(

I'm now working with an SLX with an external hose (not that rubbish yellow hose that comes with the SLX), and it's great.

The aquadapter just added too much weight at the end of the pole, and it leaked; I was soaking.  It's probably a faulty one.

But when I took it off, the SLX was noticeably much lighter; a real pleasure (almost) to use.

I'm not saying the aquadapter isn't a good bit of kit, just that I couldn't get on with it.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: paul saunders on April 12, 2011, 08:40:59 pm
I'll give you a tenner for it ............... seeing as it's faulty.  ;D
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 12, 2011, 08:49:59 pm
Sorry, I'm going to e-mail them and ask if they offer a refund on them both.  If not I'll get it fixed, and I'll flog 'em.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: paul saunders on April 12, 2011, 09:03:04 pm
If you get it fixed I'll give you 11 quid inc postage.  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: CLEANCARE WC on April 12, 2011, 09:22:17 pm
Im jumping in where angels fear to tread here but i wont be buying one unless the price comes down considerably. and i am not shy about spending money on kit. its just too pricey for a non essential piece of kit. pump, hose poles all essential and pays to have the best but thats not essential imo and too expensive for what it is and does. yes i know there are development costs etc but i cant see how they arrive at that price.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: DaveG on April 12, 2011, 09:26:18 pm
Tosh, Im pretty sure they will give a refund if your not happy

http://www.aqua-dapter.co.uk/pages/Satisfaction-Guaranteed.html
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 12, 2011, 09:36:13 pm
Cheers; thanks for that.

I was bollocked earlier by Wor Lass for spending our money on stuff 'we didn't need'.

I'm sure it's a good bit of kit, but I didn't like it.  It does turn the water on and off, but so does my external pole hose; you just need to use the right hose  - not the yellow stuff that Gardiner supply - and you've an on/off switch anywhere you can grab a bit of pole hose.

And when I took it off the pole, the SLX felt far lighter and easier to use - just like it should be.

I am used to using an external pole hose though; I prefer it external.  You can put the base of pole on the ground to open and close it; it's easier to do it that way.

Maybe the aquadapter would be better suited to poles longer than the 18 foot one I use for general use?
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 12, 2011, 09:38:49 pm
Tosh, Im pretty sure they will give a refund if your not happy

http://www.aqua-dapter.co.uk/pages/Satisfaction-Guaranteed.html

Actually, I think I bought mine from WCW; so I'm not sure if that guarantee applies?

I'll e-mail them and ask.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: boshravie on April 12, 2011, 10:39:36 pm
My second one which is the new  Mk 2 Aqua-dapter  is in faulty already and this is within five months of me buying it. I am sorry to say Paul  and dunken from Aqua-dapter but I wrote and texted you today and still no reply

Well disappointed.   :(
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: Tom White on April 12, 2011, 10:50:24 pm
My second one which is the new  Mk 2 Aqua-dapter  is in faulty already and this is within five months of me buying it. I am sorry to say Paul  and dunken from Aqua-dapter but I wrote and texted you today and still no reply

Well disappointed.   :(


Give 'em a chance.  They may have been busy.
Title: Re: Aquadapters! Are they any good or just a gimmick?
Post by: boshravie on April 12, 2011, 10:57:39 pm
My second one which is the new  Mk 2 Aqua-dapter  is in faulty already and this is within five months of me buying it. I am sorry to say Paul  and dunken from Aqua-dapter but I wrote and texted you today and still no reply

Well disappointed.   :(


Give 'em a chance.  They may have been busy.

Sure Tosh  :)