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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: mickeybok on February 04, 2021, 09:45:54 am

Title: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: mickeybok on February 04, 2021, 09:45:54 am
I've been a WC for 10 years and the weather this winter is about the worst I can remember. This week I worked Monday and its rained the rest of the week, last week I did 2 days and the week before 3. Other than a week of snow a few years ago I cant remember a worse period of weather.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: EandM on February 04, 2021, 11:25:12 am
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I've been a WC for 10 years and the weather this winter is about the worst I can remember. This week I worked Monday and its rained the rest of the week, last week I did 2 days and the week before 3. Other than a week of snow a few years ago I cant remember a worse period of weather.

We had a month in the nineties where it only stopped raining for 1.5 days. Everything was underwater and generally awful.

Last month, between homeschooling and other work I only managed three days window cleaning.
First week was sub-zero and most of the rest was storms and torrential rain.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Soupy on February 04, 2021, 11:34:47 am
2010.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Mike Halliday on February 04, 2021, 12:08:57 pm
It said on the news yesterday that January was the wettest on record.

(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1612440533_FB220C10-9DFD-4BA7-ACE1-19212386D8BC.jpeg)
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Mike Burd on February 04, 2021, 12:42:56 pm
2010.
Yes. The year I started. As I was just building up it wasn't an issue. I'm guessing what we had in 2010 here is probably just an average winter where you are though.  ;)
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: zesty on February 04, 2021, 01:21:31 pm
2010 stands out to me, and some of the years prior and after were very cold.

This winter has been a naff one for window cleaners,  it’s going to get very cold next week as well!
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Jay Le Huray on February 04, 2021, 01:30:20 pm
I did a full clean facias and gutters this morning in the pouring rain, just got home and now drying out.

A few years back just after Xmas I remember it snowed really bad here for about a week followed by 2 weeks  of torrential rain,
including the Xmas break it was off work for nearly 4 weeks.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: lee_dewing on February 04, 2021, 01:40:57 pm
There were 3 winters in a row.

Maybe 🤔 it was winter 2009-2010 and the next 2 winters on the trot
Snow snow ⛄️ ❄️ snow

One evening near Xmas it was -15 c
My 25 litre barrels froze solid in garage en bloc (no electric in there 🤦‍♂️)

Some day temperatures of -7c I think

One day it was so cold the flame 🔥 on my lighter froze 😜

Been doing this 17 years now feels like our climate is getting wetter.

I don’t like working in the rain ☔️
I do what I can window cleaning in light rain.

But now doing gutter clearing with sky vac Atom

I target 🎯 wetter days and Saturdays
Seems plenty of wet days  🤦‍♂️😁
More money made in shorter time

I have currently been effected worse by weather than pandemic 😷

If that and a recent wallop in van is my luck
I’ll think myself bruised but not battered

Hang in their Fella 👍
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: david mark on February 04, 2021, 02:26:48 pm
Can get to you this weather. Fed up to be honest. Global warming may be a factor
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: ֍Winp®oClean֍ on February 04, 2021, 02:58:18 pm
Worked Monday and been off since. Might just wright the week off and chill.👍😎🤟
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: zeusjazmin on February 04, 2021, 03:25:10 pm
yep 2010 was worst ever but last 4 weeks have been bad,worked monday then nothing since,forecast next week its bad as well
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: richard connett on February 04, 2021, 03:35:42 pm
I suppose it depends on where you live. I’m not denying it’s been a wet cold year but I’m up to date in Bedfordshire
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: dazmond on February 04, 2021, 04:01:49 pm
the worst weather in my 28 years of window cleaning was the winter of 2010...lots of snow and i ended up having 3 weeks off just after xmas......thats it....its never been as bad since..only the odd day or two off here and there...

i dont get why some of you lads are not working when its raining?...you must be losing out on thousands of pounds a year!

ive managed to complete all my work so far this year on schedule......but i only work part time these days.....5 or 6 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week....i have worked in some pretty horrible weather but its still been workable IMO....
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: S.A.J on February 04, 2021, 04:04:03 pm
Not really noticed lol we just crack on! This morning I’ve been working in a T-shirt until it started to rain about 1130 ish but just put my coat on and got on with it!

Not lost any days this winter  8)
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: dazmond on February 04, 2021, 04:11:04 pm
I've been a WC for 10 years and the weather this winter is about the worst I can remember. This week I worked Monday and its rained the rest of the week, last week I did 2 days and the week before 3. Other than a week of snow a few years ago I cant remember a worse period of weather.

A word of advice mate.....work in the rain...you d be happy and content now with a healthier bank balance if you had of done...... ;)
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Slacky on February 04, 2021, 04:17:47 pm
I haven’t noticed this winter being much wetter than any other year. It seems to have been more depressing, but that could be for other more obvious reasons. It’s not affected my income.

There was a winter a few years back, winter of 2014,  where so many roads, houses and fields were flooded. They’re still installing the flood prevention scheme as a result now. It started raining that year about November, I swear it rained every day til March that winter.  Houses were bing out for months after the rain stopped as they had cellars, the water would be pumped out but the water table was so high they were bound to keep filling.

Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: NWH on February 04, 2021, 04:19:07 pm
We have been lucky down south of London we’ve had rain but it’s been in the evening or during the nights,no snow at all yet just the odd bit of sleet we are supposed to get a little snow or sleet this weekend but nothing like they’ve had up North.
Been unable to work because it was just too wet probably a day since Christmas.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: dazmond on February 04, 2021, 04:19:17 pm
i remember a few years ago when it rained virtually every day for 6 weeks in the middle of summer!(july and august!)....i cracked on as usual and lost zero days work..... :)

Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: NWH on February 04, 2021, 04:50:59 pm
I’ve had the pre filter problem again due to the amount of rain though I changed them Monday production rate was almost halfed,back to normal since the carbon filter was changed but for how long the silt level goes sky high with prolonged rain.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Stoots on February 04, 2021, 05:56:37 pm
I've been a WC for 10 years and the weather this winter is about the worst I can remember. This week I worked Monday and its rained the rest of the week, last week I did 2 days and the week before 3. Other than a week of snow a few years ago I cant remember a worse period of weather.

Thats just crazy that you would have all that time off, i dont get it personally. Just work all week and if half a dozen skip a clean so what you are losing thousands a year. I mean i have the odd day off here and there when its heavy rain but if its forcast all week then just get on with it.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: james peters on February 04, 2021, 06:14:13 pm
you lot should try living in south wales.
its always raining.
when my parents moved here from canvey island back in the 60's they couldnt believe how wet it was lol
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Simon Trapani on February 04, 2021, 07:09:38 pm
It's been a wet few weeks that's for sure.

I hate working in the rain, even in waterproofs. It's miserable. I'd rather have the time off & take the financial hit. Get the employees to clean a few fascias & gutters instead, but not all day. It's rare it rains hard all day though. Comes a point in the day  when you get fed up dodging showers in & out of the van. I'd rather go home.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: dazmond on February 04, 2021, 07:15:51 pm
this business is not viable  these days unless you work in the rain IMO(and have the time off YOU want to have off and not dictated to by the weather)

apart from the odd day here and there the only time i have to move my work forward a week or two is when its xmas or holiday time.....
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: deeege on February 04, 2021, 07:27:43 pm
Remember the winter of 2010. Starting work at 8am doing the communals on a block of flats 14 floors up. Temperature was -18° 😬
Needless to say I gave up for the day. Had no fuel in the van so tried to fill up on the way home and the fuel cap was frozen solid. Tried getting home and ran out of fuel on the motorway. Nightmare of a day.

Haven't lost a single day to the weather this winter. Have had to put the heater in the van 4 nights so far.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: P @ F on February 04, 2021, 07:29:45 pm
I remember 2010 , SAJ rang me and said  “My brush has just frozen solid while I was using it “
Mine had too !
I put the phone down and went and picked up an L5 and a gas bottle , I froze whilst fitting it but it was worth it for the next day !
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: NWH on February 04, 2021, 08:07:05 pm
this business is not viable  these days unless you work in the rain IMO(and have the time off YOU want to have off and not dictated to by the weather)

apart from the odd day here and there the only time i have to move my work forward a week or two is when its xmas or holiday time.....

Like I’ve said before Daz certain jobs you can’t just dictate to the customer it’s viable as a business if you have work you can do 3-4 jobs the following day and make up for the day you had to have off money wise m8,I have work I can do in inclement weather but I have a load of stuff I wouldn’t take the P**S on by turning up when it’s ram rod straight rain,there’s plenty on here that know what I mean 😉.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Richard Groves on February 04, 2021, 08:08:33 pm
i remember a few years ago when it rained virtually every day for 6 weeks in the middle of summer!(july and august!)....i cracked on as usual and lost zero days work..... :)
Was that "the curse of Rihanna" ? the year "umbrella" topped the charts for weeks on end 🌧️🌧️🌧️😀
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: zesty on February 04, 2021, 08:10:32 pm
the worst weather in my 28 years of window cleaning was the winter of 2010...lots of snow and i ended up having 3 weeks off just after xmas......thats it....its never been as bad since..only the odd day or two off here and there...

i dont get why some of you lads are not working when its raining?...you must be losing out on thousands of pounds a year!

ive managed to complete all my work so far this year on schedule......but i only work part time these days.....5 or 6 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week....i have worked in some pretty horrible weather but its still been workable IMO....

I’m up to date as well Daz, but I don’t work in heavy rain.

I average about 5 hours a day window cleaning so can easily make up for lost days during the week...

This winter has been a naff one cos it’s been so cold and wet, doesn’t mean it’s been a naff one for carrying on though  ;)
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: dazmond on February 04, 2021, 08:16:03 pm
this business is not viable  these days unless you work in the rain IMO(and have the time off YOU want to have off and not dictated to by the weather)

apart from the odd day here and there the only time i have to move my work forward a week or two is when its xmas or holiday time.....

Like I’ve said before Daz certain jobs you can’t just dictate to the customer it’s viable as a business if you have work you can do 3-4 jobs the following day and make up for the day you had to have off money wise m8,I have work I can do in inclement weather but I have a load of stuff I wouldn’t take the P**S on by turning up when it’s ram rod straight rain,there’s plenty on here that know what I mean 😉.

i thought you must only work 3 hours a week as your always on here during the day....... ;D
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: S.A.J on February 04, 2021, 08:17:06 pm
I remember 2010 , SAJ rang me and said  “My brush has just frozen solid while I was using it “
Mine had too !
I put the phone down and went and picked up an L5 and a gas bottle , I froze whilst fitting it but it was worth it for the next day !

Glad I could help 😅
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: NWH on February 04, 2021, 08:20:18 pm
Daz I’m not having you speak to me like that I’ll get you band for a week m8,get your facts right off you want to slag me off it’s 4 hours a day I work pal 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: P @ F on February 04, 2021, 08:40:21 pm
Sorry mate bands are banned due to the pandemic, especially Daz’s band
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: mickeybok on February 05, 2021, 10:06:52 am
Thanks for the replies, interesting to hear that a few of you just continue in the rain, especially Dazmond. Just afraid of losing trust of customers if I was to clean in the rain, maybe I should just go for it and not worry.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Slacky on February 05, 2021, 10:30:35 am
 :-*Give them a rain guarantee if they moan. Tell them you’ll come back if it mucks your work up. It won’t so they can’t.


If you think it’s been bad so far the next fortnight looks decidedly unmediterranean.

Case of having to get out there.  Fact - sitting on your arse doesn’t pay the bills.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: ֍Winp®oClean֍ on February 05, 2021, 10:40:29 am
If my window cleaner turned up today I would sack him, end of!
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: NWH on February 05, 2021, 11:30:07 am
You get to know where you can go and get away with it and where you can’t,you could stand on the doorstep and say to some people it could be hosepipe type rain on the windows it won’t make any difference honest Madam,you just won’t convince some people they’ll stay clean if you say too much they’ll think ok off you go then I’ll let the rain clean them from now on.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Stoots on February 05, 2021, 07:00:13 pm
Forcast snow and ice for most of the country next mon, tue, wed.

Temps not getting much above freezing

sounds fun
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: NWH on February 05, 2021, 08:40:07 pm
Be crackin a few panes then by the sounds of it.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Jonny 87 on February 05, 2021, 10:02:32 pm
I’ve had about 3 or 4 days in the past 6 weeks that have been dry.

If I worked in an area that only had one day every few weeks of bad weather I’d avoid it.

Sadly up here it’s part of work. In a way it’s good though, customers expect you anyway, and then I can decide when I work and don’t work, instead of having to take days off only when the weather is rubbish and your stuck inside anyway.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Richard iSparkle on February 05, 2021, 10:32:26 pm
2010.

That was my first winter as a WC!

It was pretty full on
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: AuRavelling79 on February 05, 2021, 11:04:30 pm
I remember 2010 , SAJ rang me and said  “My brush has just frozen solid while I was using it “
Mine had too !
I put the phone down and went and picked up an L5 and a gas bottle , I froze whilst fitting it but it was worth it for the next day !

2010 was the year I put an immersion heater in my van tank for the first time.

Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: KS Cleaning on February 06, 2021, 12:12:05 am
The biggest problem in winter 2010 for me was the fact you couldn’t get parked up on most residential streets, the snow was banked up so high and wide that it covered a large part of the pavement and road.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Tristan R Clean on February 06, 2021, 12:11:27 pm
The biggest problem in winter 2010 for me was the fact you couldn’t get parked up on most residential streets, the snow was banked up so high and wide that it covered a large part of the pavement and road.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Tristan R Clean on February 06, 2021, 12:13:30 pm
I think this could be the problem next week
Actually being able to get to the work if there is snow on the roads / side roads, driveways. I have a few jobs next week where driveways are steep slopes :'(
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: dazmond on February 06, 2021, 12:17:19 pm
Forcast snow and ice for most of the country next mon, tue, wed.

Temps not getting much above freezing

sounds fun

its gonna be fine here in the north west....only -2 during the morning going up tp 1c in the afternoon for most of the week....hardly any rain or snow forecast at all.... :)
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Tristan R Clean on February 06, 2021, 12:22:34 pm
Will you actually work in it though Daz ;D
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: dazmond on February 06, 2021, 01:24:14 pm
Will you actually work in it though Daz ;D

of course...why not?
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: NWH on February 06, 2021, 02:14:06 pm
Still might get some down South I’ll see what the roads are like if you smash the van up you’ll be off the road for longer than a few days,insurance companies phones will be ringing off the hook next week with the snow and people thinking they can drive in it.
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: Stoots on February 06, 2021, 07:21:44 pm
Might just take a few days off to be honest if its snow and minus temps, but we shall see....i have an immersion in the van but ive never tried it to see if it works, might give that a whirl tomorrow....

Im only 3 weeks behind so at this point i give up, may as well make it a month  :D
Title: Re: Is this the worst weather ever?
Post by: jim bean on February 06, 2021, 11:26:08 pm
I've been a WC for 10 years and the weather this winter is about the worst I can remember. This week I worked Monday and its rained the rest of the week, last week I did 2 days and the week before 3. Other than a week of snow a few years ago I cant remember a worse period of weather.

Thats just crazy that you would have all that time off, i dont get it personally. Just work all week and if half a dozen skip a clean so what you are losing thousands a year. I mean i have the odd day off here and there when its heavy rain but if its forcast all week then just get on with it.

That’s the conclusion I’ve came to. Don’t stand and argue about it not making a difference as it gets you nowhere with 90% of folk. Majority of my customers say “rather you then me” and have a quiet chuckle on the way back in at you being wet through and cold! I’m bang on 4 weeks despite the weather.
You also have to know where you can go even if it is chucking it down and where you categorically can not as they’ll be out telling you to p off before you’ve got your brush on the first pane