Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: johnny bravo on June 21, 2015, 05:29:39 pm
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well i tried today to set up for 2 men. what a balls up. got all gear ready, extra hose etc, hozelocks , sort of set-up but it seemed cr-p, took a few hours but after dinner i thought thats sh-t, took it all out and back to my 1 man set-up. need to get sorted to get my son out asap. kicked out of college too lazy,
i have a 350 tank against bulkhead on a citroen dispatch new shape. i have pump on front of water tank, tried to fix both onto front but seemed a bit tricky, both pumps feed from the left, .
any one any advice how best to set-up , any pics will be great to get an idea ???
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If no one else can get pics today I'll do some tomorrow
Basically from tank outlet you will need a tee piece ( or y ) so water splits to both pumps them from each pump hose to each reel, wire each controller to each pump
Cannot think of anything else
Darran
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Found one
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1434904925_image.jpg)
Darran
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smudger is this pic upside down
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ill have to think how best to setup my Y piece, my tap on my 350 tank is straight , not one with a bend on. maybe better securing hoses going to pumps with hose clips instead of hozelock pushfits, less bulk and more secure fitting, or place pumps elsewhere in van.
I think the main thing is getting the Y piece placed in the right place, its simple when you already have it setup.
maybe im thinking about it too much
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No mate that's how you mount the pumps so if they leak or fail you don't get the electrics wet
Darran
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i have mine as shown on the purefreedom website, pump+controller package. as most do ive noticed,, thats the only reason i ask.
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As you can see the pipe comes from the tank through a bulk head ( mdf board ) to a tee connector, water then goes to the right hand pump the pipe going left has another tee where it doubles back to the pump on the left, I also have a spur to the rear door so I can take off water for trad or draining the system
Darran
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Now you have confused me - the picture on the front page of the PF web site shows them mounted the same way as mine - my old PF system had pumps mounted this way - most systems I've looked at mount the pump this way for the reason I gave earlier
Darran
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this is how i have my pump,
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you have yours the other way up. it shouldnt make much difference as you have yours different setup.
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all feed from the left hand side. i could always turn it upside down to get feed coming from the right.
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???
They are mounted the exact same way
Darran
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check your pic again smudger, in your pic it has your terminals at the top, the purefreedom has there terminals at the bottom towards the floor . thats why i asked if your pic is upside down.
This is detracting away from 2 man vount setup.
if anyone has any pics showing how you have set 2 pumps up from your water tank tap, to the pump intake would be much appreciated, thanks.
smudger how and what have you atached to your watertank tap , going to feed your pumps.
as with most tank taps they have a fitting for a hozelock pushfit fitting
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Found one
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1434904925_image.jpg)
Darran
Sorry on mine the in/out ports are at the bottom, just as I they are in the van, and the pic is the correct way up on my screen
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I just have a hose lock y piece before my two pumps
Never had a problem....
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Most tank taps come with a hose lock fitting ???
I suppose that depends where you get your taps from, personally any system using hose lock push fit connectors before the pump will always have a chance of leaking or drawing in air.
All my van systems are put together with stainless steel bsp fittings then over to John guest fitting as shown, the in line ball valve taps come as standard 3/8 bsp threads
Hope this helps
Darran
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don key, where have you got your pumps placed. any pics showing this.
my idea was to have the hozelock Y piece coming from the rear of the tank , feed it through the gap in the tank in the middle, fit the Y piece onto hose coming from the tap.
with the Y piece showing then clip 2 hoses onto Y piece , then clip hoses onto pump inlets. then clip hose onto outlets going to reel,
i think im too use to a 1 man system, it just feels strange to setup for 2. i will prob only use my 110amp leisure battery as the 2nd pump will only be used once a week for now.
its placing the battery in a good place to keep room in van.
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thanks for helping smudger, i apreciate it. im ok once i can see a picture of what i need to do.i know it sounds simple to do. i will get it sorted,
i better as my son has no idea of what hes going to do.
like many teenagers he thought exams mean nothing.
he has now found out he would have been better doing well at school to get better grades.
if he comes out with me at least he can earn some well earned money.
this is why i need a 2 man setup putting in asap
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Just try not to overthink it.
From one man to two man set up as far as hose goes it's just a y or t piece. Where to place the extra pump, controller and reel are usually more problematic
Darran
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(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1434920354_Various 072a.jpg)
This was my previous van. I have exactly the same setup in my current van, but the Varistream controllers have now moved to nearer the back doors.
The clear PVC hose is from the tank and the yellow hose goes the the van ports. On this van I had the van posts on the off side rear, but on the current van they are mounted on the nearside.
I also have a drain which is closed by a ball valve.
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thats exellent spruce, gives me some ideas, just what i was after, ive always kept my pump nearer to the floor as poss. yes my controllers are placed behind each rear door,
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thats a handy tap also, very neatly done.
you can only get these t pieces off ebay for a decent price compared to b+q and the likes.
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spruce can you remember the link you got them from, what mm size would i need for garden hose, are they, are they 13mm
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I bought those from B & Q in Stockton as it was convenient. They were 1/2" male T pieces. They stocked these as well as joiners in a variety of sizes. I can remember the packaging was full of dust so it appears that they had them in stock for a long time.
They weren't with the hoses section, they were in a different place at the other end of the store - in the same isle as they sell rope and chain if my memory serves me. The reason I remember this is that at the time I thought its location was very odd and it just seemed to stick. Sadly for me though, the more important things in life tend to be forgotten ???
I think they generally refer to the metric equivalent as 12mm. I would imagine that 13mm would also be fine. Putting the hose into boiling water softens it so it can stretch a bit.
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(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1434962631_image.jpg)No leaks...
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thanks don, another great pic to work from, a lot of people will be viewing these and use them for refference,.
as i say thanks for your help and advice. as you can see so simple, if you setup correctly. ill keep them where i can check for leaks etc., as i say only to be used ocasionally.
ill firstly connect upto large leisure battery. ill get sorted now when i get time, ive got more know how now
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If you're only going to be a 2 man system occasionally, why don't you just run 2 reels off of one pump?
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i wouldnt want to place more pressure than normal on my pump, but that thought crossed my mind.
ive already got the gear to set up
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Ok Johnny, we've been using the 1 pump 2 reel way for years
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do you use a controller
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Yes mate varistream digital
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cant your son just trad ground floor windows,put chits through the door and help you with your reel hose when he works with you?
its sounds a lot of messing about esp as you only have a 350L tank.that wont last long with 2 of you on the poles.
if he s lazy in college he ll probably be lazy at window cleaning and you ll sack him in a few months! ;D
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or you could just get a backpack and get him to use that and put a couple of barrels in the back so you ve got a bit of extra water
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;D
or you could just get a backpack and get him to use that and put a couple of barrels in the back so you ve got a bit of extra water
I suppose doing this he will be knackered at the end of the day and he may think twice and do something he enjoys for a career
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We've had a 2 man set up for the past 7 years and we use a 650 litre flat bed tank, sitting over the back axle, held down with a couple of heavy duty ratchet straps which are bolted with 2 inch steel plates/washers to the floor.
I've got a hose going from the bottom of the tank to the pump which then feeds out where I've got a y-piece going to 2 hose reels. There's an on/off switch on the wall but I don't have a varistream controller or similar and I'm not sure we need one, unless I'm missing something? With the 2 reels going the water flow is good, when one stops (we manually unplug it from the reel) the water flow is a lot faster, but still manageable. Both reels would tend to finish around the same time anyway, as the guys work towards each other and finish together, give or take the last window or 2. One hassle I do have is that the male pole hose connectors which attach to the reel seem to have changed profile over the years and they're a nightmare to take on and off. I'm thinking of putting a small section of standard hose in between with a standard female and male hozelock fitting on either end, to make it a bit easier.
I've attached a pic - it's a very basic set up, but it works for us. We have 2 IBC's in our yard with a tonne of purified/deionised water sitting in each of them, ready to fill each of the vans. If we run out of water during the day and we have to fill up with tap water at a customers house, we just attach the DI tank in the van for the rest of the day and then at the end of the day we drain the left over tap water and re-fill back at yard with purified/deionised water.
One good thing for us with this set up is that we can take the tank out fairly easily meaning we can use the van for other jobs. The van pictured has 2 side doors so I found it easier to mount the poles on the roof inside guttering downpipes.
We're getting a new van soon, so I'm looking at what other guys have set up in their vans. No point re-creating the wheel!
Cheers
Rob
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theres a difference being lazy somewhere you are not getting any money for.
to some youngsters going to college is similar to going to school for them, as they have to as you all know it is a knightmare for youngsters looking for work. nothing going. unless you leave school and know what areas of work you would like to get into. this gives them the motivation to go to college.
Money helps laziness to disapear.
I know i would pay a young lad a good pay per day as long as they know what they have to do. the same pay as any aged person. wfp cleaning is a lot different from climbing ladders all day as i have done for the past 20 years+. my 22 year old son who does scaffolding says he wants to come out on a weekend , when i gave him a go of the pole on the glass he said ( thats so easy, is that all you do )
It is easy, that is why we do it. its just repetitive. but its still the best paid job in town without requiring quallifications from anywhere., no pressure from anyone.
Would i start out now from new, no. Theres too many out there now. you can still get work, but lucky to get it all togeather.
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good luck with your son johnny.im sure he ll work fine. :)