Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: trippyboy on December 24, 2015, 08:39:25 am
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Been giving hot some serious thought recently. This summer was a nightmare for bugs crap, scrub scrub scrub and more scrub, can't fit a scrapper to pole as I have a aqua tap fitted and there is no room.
So I have been pondering hot to use all year round and want to hear some feedback from you hot guys.
Manufactured unit?
L5 heater?
What's the running costs of both?
Anything I should be considering?
Cheers
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ive used hot on and off for a few years I can say it dose not remove insect poo but dose cut through the tree sap a bit more easy and realy manky windows. I tend to use it in winter months to make the hose more plyable
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ide just get a £100 gas set up then u can make ur mind up wether its wrth it or not £100 down the swany ant as bad at 2k on a deisel heater ;D
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£3-50-£4-00 a day to use hot water all day in LPG(13kg gas bottle)lasts 7 full days.
ive got an L10 eccotemp
i mainly use it for add ons and dirty first cleans and cold the rest of the time but ive been using it every day lately as its much nicer to use in the winter months.
hot water is a luxury and not needed IMO but i like a bit of comfort in the colder winter months.
i never use hot during the spring/summer months on regular maintenance window cleaning.cold works just fine.i have a gardiners scraper on my pole which comes in handy for birdmuck/bug crap etc.
what brushes do you use trippy?i find flocked brushes scrub better than mono ones
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Using hot & vision x is an awsome combination if you ask me.
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Get a cheap gas heater & try it out - I guarantee that hot is an advantage in winter,... but I used it all year round as I found even the simple things like more manageable hoses were more than worth the running costs. A bottle of gas used to last me 4 weeks working alone 3 days a week on the glass.
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ive had a cheap stainless 8ltr jobbie from ebay for 2 years now, i was happy if i got a year out of it and its still going strong.
i used it through last summer 2014 but 2015 i couldnt be bothered getting a new bottle then a few weeks ago we had a really cold day and i thought winter had finally come but its been very mild, i got a bottle anyway and after sorting a few leaks out im back on the hot and cant believe i stopped using it, just melts crap away and seems to do a better job somehow!!
i use the normal gardiner 8m yellow reel hose and all season pole hose, they get a bit soft and rubbery but i only run my water warmish rather than hot after a bad experience cracking a window when i first started using the system at boiling hot temps :-[
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Same here, only I haven't needed to use it since January or February and haven't bothered with it since. Once you've shattered your first window the novelty kind of vanishes. The guys with the £100 systems know it doesn't make a huge difference to cleaning speed. The numpties who've spent thousands have to say it's brilliant. ;)
Trippy, try the cheap route and dump the aquadapter in the summer - fit one of those univalve thingies and a scraper.
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Hot all year round had fogwash 3yrs now , on 4wkly cleans i just do one pass cleaning this easily pays for the cost being able to do more work in a day.
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Same here, only I haven't needed to use it since January or February and haven't bothered with it since. Once you've shattered your first window the novelty kind of vanishes. The guys with the £100 systems know it doesn't make a huge difference to cleaning speed. The numpties who've spent thousands have to say it's brilliant. ;)
Trippy, try the cheap route and dump the aquadapter in the summer - fit one of those univalve thingies and a scraper.
I'm going down the univalve and scraper route ;)
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Hot all year round had fogwash 3yrs now , on 4wkly cleans i just do one pass cleaning this easily pays for the cost being able to do more work in a day.
You would normally clean them twice?
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Same here, only I haven't needed to use it since January or February and haven't bothered with it since. Once you've shattered your first window the novelty kind of vanishes. The guys with the £100 systems know it doesn't make a huge difference to cleaning speed. The numpties who've spent thousands have to say it's brilliant. ;)
Trippy, try the cheap route and dump the aquadapter in the summer - fit one of those univalve thingies and a scraper.
I'm going down the univalve and scraper route ;)
i use the aquadapter and wat ive done is scrue the super scraper to the head of the plastic angle neck works a treat
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https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlf1/v/t1.0-9/1503972_1487990798129582_2249721518641756656_n.jpg?oh=88c08f6398bf7e8e0212b7a8b297ae73&oe=570C3C87
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not shore if my link works lol^^^ ;D
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Link works. STREWTH look at that top frame!
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Yes the Uni-valve will mean I can attach a scraper and bronze pad on .
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Same here, only I haven't needed to use it since January or February and haven't bothered with it since. Once you've shattered your first window the novelty kind of vanishes. The guys with the £100 systems know it doesn't make a huge difference to cleaning speed. The numpties who've spent thousands have to say it's brilliant. ;)
Trippy, try the cheap route and dump the aquadapter in the summer - fit one of those univalve thingies and a scraper.
lol how long do you need to earn back a few grand they cost,I don't honestly know why they bother selling cold systems.
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I have used both gas and diesel systems .... Although technically safer to go for a diesel system I have switched to a gas set up and find it far cheaper and less hassel compared to the diesel set up I had ..... Initially I had the Purefreedom hot box which was good but it kept running out the leisure batteries and then their was having to keep servicing it and the daily cost of the diesel , it started to get too dear for just hot water .... On one occasion I had to service it for about £250+ with changing the burner , plus need two new leisure batteries .... I was staring at about £500 a pop every time it needed doing and the daily diesel cost was about £6 a day using hot all day .....
The gas system now costs about £2.50 a day and no need to service it etc ...... It sometimes is a pain having to keep fetching gas bottles but I am going refillable in Jan so it will be easier and cheaper still with running costs being £1 a day .....
All in all hot is not essential and cold works fine but hot defo makes the working day a bit easier and it comes in for baked on dirt etc ... And at £1 a day I am happy using it everyday for that .....
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Link works. STREWTH look at that top frame!
that job was a new job hadent bin cleaned in over 8 years lol the pic was taken b for i cleaned it it must have bin a x trad job as top fraim was mank and even after i cleaned it it was a bit stained
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Hi 8wkly one pass cleaning has you will know means going over the glass once scrubbing and rinsing in one , i find hot water good for this although you can do this with cold water it is not as effective.
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I have used both gas and diesel systems .... Although technically safer to go for a diesel system I have switched to a gas set up and find it far cheaper and less hassel compared to the diesel set up I had ..... Initially I had the Purefreedom hot box which was good but it kept running out the leisure batteries and then their was having to keep servicing it and the daily cost of the diesel , it started to get too dear for just hot water .... On one occasion I had to service it for about £250+ with changing the burner , plus need two new leisure batteries .... I was staring at about £500 a pop every time it needed doing and the daily diesel cost was about £6 a day using hot all day .....
The gas system now costs about £2.50 a day and no need to service it etc ...... It sometimes is a pain having to keep fetching gas bottles but I am going refillable in Jan so it will be easier and cheaper still with running costs being £1 a day .....
All in all hot is not essential and cold works fine but hot defo makes the working day a bit easier and it comes in for baked on dirt etc ... And at £1 a day I am happy using it everyday for that .....
James what issue are you having with the battery with the diesel heater,mine works fine but I must admit it drains the battery from time to time.
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Because the heater kept having to fire up after it had restarted after the water had stopped ie dealing with a customer , disconnecting and reeling in hose this caused a massive drain on the batteries , I did charge them up daily and kept the water recycling back to tank like Purefreedom advised but the batteries ran out about every 9 months and I would have to buy 2 new ones each time and then also service the burner or replace it every year or 18months ...... It was a good heater and Purefreedom are the best company out their imo but I just couldn't face the continual periodic maintenance that was required ..... I paid £3400 for the heater and 4 years later after paying out on about 3 services and daily diesel usage of £6 a day and prob using about 7 new leisure batteries I ended up selling it for £500 and just started using a gas set up now which is just so much less of a headache ..... As I say though I am not slating Purefreedoms service but for me I just wish I had gone down the gas route earlier but I didn't as I was scare Mongered into believing it was too dangerous.... But used sensibly in the right way you are fine with a gas heater Imo.......