Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: W.booler on February 28, 2015, 12:22:23 pm
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Hi guys. I am a traditional window cleaner, but as I am 49 and have recently had a couple of slips on my ladder I am going to change to a wfp system. I hate not being in control and assume that a diy system is the best way to go without having to wait days for parts to be delivered ? I am based in North west England, is there anyone who has put together a Diy system that I could come and look at ? Many thanks, William
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Hello William,
do you want to spend £2600 for something that looks really good and will do the job great
Or
Do u want to spend less than £1000 and have something that may not look great but will do the exact same job.
At ur age I would have to say gardiners do the best poles and this is going to cost ??? Depending on what you want.
Where about in north west are you.
Matt
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Hi Matt. Thanks for your reply. The cost is not the issue, my concern would be that if anything went wrong with the system, I would be dependant on a company to send parts,which takes time and time is money! My hunch is that with a diy setup,I am in control and not dependant on anyone else. Thanks for the Gardners tip! :)
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Where r u William, I am in Liverpool and have a DIY set up
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Hi Booler. I have done a DIY Van set up with pics on another forum so can't really put a link up here. you can PM me for a link if you want.
Alternatively you can buy complete setups from sites like purefreedom, cleaning warehouse, Wintecs etc. and fit them your self. These sites also sell the spares if anything brakes down for you to fix yourself.
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Hi Matty. I am in Rossendale 20 miles north of Manchester, so only a 45 minute drive for me..
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Thanks Jimmy, but not the hottest on Internet so don't know how to PM!
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http://www.purefreedom.co.uk/pure-freedom-diy-water-fed-pole-kit-for-mediumhard-water-areas-p-295.html (http://www.purefreedom.co.uk/pure-freedom-diy-water-fed-pole-kit-for-mediumhard-water-areas-p-295.html)
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It's just so easy to diy it I can't see any advantage of buying a system.
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Depeneds on what company you use for your professional install.
Pure freedom is essentially a wydale tank in a frame. So for me that's no better than a DIY kit.
I researched my options and went for a Gripatank.co.uk system. Mainly for the crash tested design and how great vans drive with the system due to the baffling system. Ooooo two reasons why I went for a pro system ;)
If you intend working til your 60 or older I would invest in....
A decent crash tested system and extreme poles from Gardiner.
If you can justify a day off from your work. Come down to Bedfordshire. Come out with me for the day and see what you think to a professional system. Or you could spend half a day with me and maybe half a day with my father who is currently 64 and puts me to shame.
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Hello William,
if you ever want to come and have a play with my .........system 😄, and are prepared to come to Liverpool you are more than welcome to.
If u starting from scratch and want to make ur own water then u will need an ro first, then decide on size of tank, make sure it fits in van. Then ur pretty much on ur way, most items can be bought off eBay or off here.
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Thanks for the offers guys, I'm very grateful and will definitely take you up on them 😃. I'll be in touch when i work out how to send a PM!
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You can't send PMs on here.
FYI my first system can be seen here
http://youtu.be/ezuAm1NK1TI
I am just editing my video to show my latest van :)
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I bought a second hand tank and frame and fitted that myself. Then I used a pure freedom trolley for a while. Then I used the trolley as a van mount. Then the battery packed up so I stripped all the bits off the trolley and fitted them in my van. Also fitted the shelving, pole holders etc etc. I am glad I fitted it all myself because it is exactly how I want it. I am quite OCD! Having said that, I'd love to have the money to go and get a grippatank system fitted. Everyones different, it just depends how you want to do it.
At the end of the day it's just pure water coming out the end of a brush.
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If you want a reliable system without down time or hassle invest in a Concept 2 O system. Invest in your business and reap the rewards.
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Depeneds on what company you use for your professional install.
Pure freedom is essentially a wydale tank in a frame. So for me that's no better than a DIY kit.
I researched my options and went for a Gripatank.co.uk system. Mainly for the crash tested design and how great vans drive with the system due to the baffling system. Ooooo two reasons why I went for a pro system ;)
If you intend working til your 60 or older I would invest in....
A decent crash tested system and extreme poles from Gardiner.
If you can justify a day off from your work. Come down to Bedfordshire. Come out with me for the day and see what you think to a professional system. Or you could spend half a day with me and maybe half a day with my father who is currently 64 and puts me to shame.
Thanks for the mention.
Let us know if you would like a demonstration.
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Thanks for the offers guys, I'm very grateful and will definitely take you up on them 😃. I'll be in touch when i work out how to send a PM!
You can't PM. Click on a members name beside their post and you'll see their e-mail address, if they've chosen to display it.
Then e-mail them.
I use a DIY system; it cost a fraction of an 'off the shelf' one, and because I put it all together, should anything go wrong, I know how to put it right, straight away.
It really would be helpful for you to visit on the kind guys who offered to show you their system and also see how they purify their water.
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I bought a two man hot system from varitech / streamline three years ago.
They are ALWAYS on the end of the 'phone to sort any issue.
In three years I have never lost a days work due to issues with their systems.
Just make sure you have spare parts in stock and you'll be 'reet.
Having said that; I will go down the DIY route for the next van, so I can understand why you are thinking about it.
Good luck.
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They are ALWAYS on the end of the 'phone to sort any issue.
What kind of issues have you had?
I can only think of one real issue I had with my DIY set up and that was I'd positioned my pumps high up on the van wall and was getting airlocks.
I posted here and within an hour someone said, "You've got your pumps too high; stick 'em as close to the van floor as you can!" I did and it was job jobbed.
Never had an issue, apart from flow controllers breaking on me, and now I DIY those and don't have issues.
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Thanks for the help guys, diy it is.. I just need to know all the workings to be in control! 😃
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Thanks for the help guys, diy it is.. I just need to know all the workings to be in control! 😃
It's really very simple; I'm a Geordie and I can do it. Best have a look at one-or-two systems first.
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Have a look around the system you choose will depend on budget.
Most companies will give you a demo.if d.i.y is for you ask to look at any of the local window cleaners to you.
For me I went with grippatank.
I hate d.i.y and am not the greatest at it.so a professional install took away that stress.
The grippa system in my opinion is the best out there at the minute and with the products they have coming out will only get better.
There customer service is excellent.
My main reason for going with grippa is there crash tested and they handle very well in the van.being double baffled tanks you can not tell they're there.
It's all down to personal choice and budget.
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If you want a reliable system without down time or hassle invest in a Concept 2 O system. Invest in your business and reap the rewards.
My DIY van system is about 5 years old... I've never lost a working day because of any problems.
How much do you pay back a month for your Concept2o system?
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What I have done to help me things do break is fit two pumps which work independently of each other. If anything goes wrong with one pumping circuit. A unit comprises of a battery/ pump/ controller/ tank of water and hose. If this fails for any reason all I do is change to my second pump unit. So I am never out of working time.
All a system is a pump to pump water from a tank through a hose to the pole and all this is powered by a large battery. The way you mount it is what makes it pretty and that`s what you pay so much for. Which you can do yourself with a bit of planning. There is not dynamic engineering at all.All the parts are freely available. All you need is to see one and get a mental picture of it. I build my system and the best part once you build one you will be the master of repairing it, if things go wrong.
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Same as above ⬆️
A friend put one in a 350 set up in a van for me, after seeing it done, I then bout 500l tank in frame, took it to dealership and asked them to fit tank to back of van for me, up against bulk head, enough room round back of tank to fit 2 pumps to bottom of bulk head, just there as I open side door run hose round back of tank through Di bottle, up frame onto roof into hose reel which is mounted upside down on roof.
I had a shelf fitted to side of tank for merlin to sit in and I will have a water port fitted to van soon, so after merlin hose will run along top of bulk head and through 2 small Di bottles which will be fitted to bill head.
This way I have kept more than half my floor space free and all wfp is fitted around top end
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Hi mate I life in the South East have had two pure freedom van systems,the current one is just over three years old and not had any major issues,in my opinion you can't go wrong with pure freedom system
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Issues with Varitech system were all caused by me not having a clue tbh.
It flooded itself a couple of times and they showed me how to drain the diesel and re-start it.
It needed a second exhaust fitted because I didn't want to bother my neighbors (they never mentioned it tho') when it fires up on cold nights (frost stat fitted).
It sucks a lot of battery power. Problem solved by carrying two spare leisure batteries, fully charged on board.
That's about it.
Would anyone in the West Midlands area be so kind to have 10 mins to show me their DIY fitted system?
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Have a look around the system you choose will depend on budget.
Most companies will give you a demo.if d.i.y is for you ask to look at any of the local window cleaners to you.
For me I went with grippatank.
I hate d.i.y and am not the greatest at it.so a professional install took away that stress.
The grippa system in my opinion is the best out there at the minute and with the products they have coming out will only get better.
There customer service is excellent.
My main reason for going with grippa is there crash tested and they handle very well in the van.being double baffled tanks you can not tell they're there.
It's all down to personal choice and budget.
Thank you for your feedback - our customer service level is very important to us, as we believe this is one of the reasons why you would buy a pre-built system.
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Hi Matty. I am in Rossendale 20 miles north of Manchester, so only a 45 minute drive for me..
I am in Rossendale, give me a bell on 07793763352.