Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Kev R on January 31, 2008, 04:49:29 pm
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Protecta balls are apparently design protected.
These exact size and colour balls can be bought from Tescos and Sports shops for £1.99 for six. Of course they are not drilled to accept a hose. Are protecta balls really design protected? After all its an existing invention and in nautical terms not a new concept either.
Comments please
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What do they do?
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protect your hose.
Didn't know you can buy them anywhere else. Perhaps they are made from a different material, I'm sure Alex will explain.
Question is, what can you use it for else? Tennis?
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What do they do?
http://www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/acatalog/EZ-Snap_Range.html
They are used to protect your hose connection.
They are sold in exactly the same colours as indoor practice golf balls also
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What do they do?
http://www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/acatalog/EZ-Snap_Range.html
They are used to protect your hose connection.
They are sold in exactly the same colours as indoor practice golf balls also
also cat play balls thats a keyword you missed Kev ;)
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also cat play balls thats a keyword you missed Kev ;)
Nice LOL ;D
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I suppose it means you can't market or use a similar idea in a similar way for this purpose.It's probably okay to do it for yourself, it might even be okay to do similar for another use.
I mean, the typex people never stopped anybody painting football pictches did they?
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They're bloody rubbish, utter waste of money, you might as well get a dog turd and pack that around the end of your hose for all the good it'll do.
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They're bloody rubbish, utter waste of money, you might as well get a dog turd and pack that around the end of your hose for all the good it'll do.
Have you used one ??
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That is quite funny rosy, but maybe a little hurtful. It might look to some like we're running a thread to have a go at him and I don't think he deserves that.
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They're bloody rubbish, utter waste of money, you might as well get a dog turd and pack that around the end of your hose for all the good it'll do.
Have you used one ??
I havent replaced my hose connection for 18 mths thanks to those little puppies. ;D
Well said Ian LOL ;)
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I suppose it means you can't market or use a similar idea in a similar way for this purpose.It's probably okay to do it for yourself, it might even be okay to do similar for another use.
I mean, the typex people never stopped anybody painting football pictches did they?
Alex mentioned this previously on another thread. You aren't legally restricted from going buying a couple from tesco's, drilling them and using them yourself,... but if you buy in 1000 of them and start marketing selling them yourself,... then you're in trouble!!!
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for the price they are I would go and get them from alex anyway, I have far better things to do than sit there drilling holes in balls.
good idea and if it pay him fair play IMO
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They're bloody rubbish, utter waste of money, you might as well get a dog turd and pack that around the end of your hose for all the good it'll do.
not having a go at alex or anyone but must say i am inclined to agree (up to a point i really dont like dog turds)i dont think they make much difference to the lifespan of fittings
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My protecta balls last longer than my mininbore connecters.
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My protecta balls last longer than my mininbore connecters.
;D ;D i am there on that, in fact i find that connectors and taps...or "flow controllers" (we all know they are taps) are the weakest link in my set up ,maybe i am just abit rough
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The material on the mini-micrbore connecters areto soft,look at the internal part of these connecters and you`ll find that they are or get chipped easily leading to the pole hose getting stuck or difficult to release,they should be made purley from stainless steel internally aswell as the outside therefore they would last ages,maybe that`s why the manufacturers don`t they want us to keep buying them.
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They're bloody rubbish, utter waste of money, you might as well get a dog turd and pack that around the end of your hose for all the good it'll do.
Have you used one ??
Yes, I have one, and it does nothing to protect anything except it's inner self. It's too far away from the delicate metal bit to make ANY difference.
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They're bloody rubbish, utter waste of money, you might as well get a dog turd and pack that around the end of your hose for all the good it'll do.
Have you used one ??
Yes, I have one, and it does nothing to protect anything except it's inner self. It's too far away from the delicate metal bit to make ANY difference.
;D ;D ;D
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I have one of thos nice tap things from cleantech and I have to change the bit on the end every couple of months as the end drops on the floor and somehow knackers the sliding sleeve thing.
This is WITH a protector ball, the one that looks like the planet Jupiter. Is this the fella?
Annoys me, but it does help to locate the end when I need to turn the tap off.
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I think its designed to protect the connection from damage when it is connected and its on the floor, not separated and dragged back to the van if you see what I mean ???
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So what's it protecting? The tap?
Like you say, its the dragging back to the van that's the problem, or morelikely the dropping on the floor, or letting it go when you are one side of a fence and you have to walk the long way around to pick it up, or you leave it hooked up on a rose bush and forget it until the last moment then drop the bloody thing, all in all it gets treated like dirt.
The END of the thing needs to be rubberised or something, not bare metal.
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I have one of thos nice tap things from cleantech and I have to change the bit on the end every couple of months as the end drops on the floor and somehow knackers the sliding sleeve thing.
This is WITH a protector ball, the one that looks like the planet Jupiter. Is this the fella?
Annoys me, but it does help to locate the end when I need to turn the tap off.
i have the same tap but with a MALE connector on i have FEMALES on the poles, i find the male on the tap is less delicate and stands up to reeling in better ,and the poles dont leak in the van, not every ones cup of tea but it works for me
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I have one of thos nice tap things from cleantech and I have to change the bit on the end every couple of months as the end drops on the floor and somehow knackers the sliding sleeve thing.
This is WITH a protector ball, the one that looks like the planet Jupiter. Is this the fella?
Annoys me, but it does help to locate the end when I need to turn the tap off.
i have the same tap but with a MALE connector on i have FEMALES on the poles, i find the male on the tap is less delicate and stands up to reeling in better ,and the poles dont leak in the van, not every ones cup of tea but it works for me
does any of you on here have the tap on your pole hose ?
I have tap on hose at the mo , that gets damaged is more expensive to replace just got 3 more and a few other things that were not what I wanted, but will comin in handy.
any ideas on this >?
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I use a tap in a holster. The microbore hose from the van plugs into the back of it and the pole hose plugs into the front. I pull the hoses to the farthest point connect up then when finished I walk back to the van and disconnect just before reeling in. No damage. I used to use just protecta ball connect up and drag the connection along. I still do from time to time if in a rush and not worried about water use.
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So what's it protecting? The tap?
Like you say, its the dragging back to the van that's the problem, or morelikely the dropping on the floor, or letting it go when you are one side of a fence and you have to walk the long way around to pick it up, or you leave it hooked up on a rose bush and forget it until the last moment then drop the bloody thing, all in all it gets treated like dirt.
The END of the thing needs to be rubberised or something, not bare metal.
thats why i have male on the tap if you get it covered in mud its easy to clean and i think it takes abuse better its the females that are really delicate ::)and because they are on the poles i tend to pick em up and not trail em along floor
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I have one on my hose and it hasn't protected the tap much. The tap has broken and has only one ear instead of two ( hope you know what i mean by ears, maybe i should have called it the wingnut)
I can still use it tho ;D
Bob
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So what's it protecting? The tap?
Like you say, its the dragging back to the van that's the problem, or morelikely the dropping on the floor, or letting it go when you are one side of a fence and you have to walk the long way around to pick it up, or you leave it hooked up on a rose bush and forget it until the last moment then drop the bloody thing, all in all it gets treated like dirt.
The END of the thing needs to be rubberised or something, not bare metal.
thats why i have male on the tap if you get it covered in mud its easy to clean and i think it takes abuse better its the females that are really delicate ::)and because they are on the poles i tend to pick em up and not trail em along floor
Same as
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So what's it protecting? The tap?
Like you say, its the dragging back to the van that's the problem, or morelikely the dropping on the floor, or letting it go when you are one side of a fence and you have to walk the long way around to pick it up, or you leave it hooked up on a rose bush and forget it until the last moment then drop the bloody thing, all in all it gets treated like dirt.
The END of the thing needs to be rubberised or something, not bare metal.
thats why i have male on the tap if you get it covered in mud its easy to clean and i think it takes abuse better its the females that are really delicate ::)and because they are on the poles i tend to pick em up and not trail em along floor
I've just learnt a big lesson here. Male on the tail end of the hose. Abashed, Rosy.
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After a couple of months without protection I lost 3 taps, I did this with mine and no trouble since.
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not really mate ithink the majority of people have males on pole and female on hose i think me and ian ww are in minority but i could be wrong.When i set my diy up the poles came with male connectors,it took me about 6 weeks to knacker the hose end and i switched it all then.Main reasons why are 1.the poles dont leak water in the van 2.the tap stands the abuse better 3. you can release the pressure in the hose before its disconnected from trolley
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How I have it with my ez ( shrader ) fittings :
hosepipe with female ( and tennis ball ) to my holser ( male-female ) to male pole hose
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Same as me Luke, I found this has been the best way to get long life from your connections.
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my holster was leaking today so everything was dragging on the floor and I noticed all the extra wear on the connectors, Luke
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I can't understand why anyone uses taps on their pole hose.
1] Use algarde silicon 6mm outside diameter pole hose, just like Jeff does to get to 82 ft
2]fold the hose to stop the flow, tie a small ring or piece of bigger hose to your pole and slip it over the folded hose.
It's as good as any tap, can't break and your folded hose is always exactly where you want it to be. Dai
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I use a waterproof window cleaners pouch on a belt placed below the holster, then this way If I do get a leak I dont get a wet leg!.
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I can't understand why anyone uses taps on their pole hose.
1] Use algarde silicon 6mm outside diameter pole hose, just like Jeff does to get to 82 ft
2]fold the hose to stop the flow, tie a small ring or piece of bigger hose to your pole and slip it over the folded hose.
It's as good as any tap, can't break and your folded hose is always exactly where you want it to be. Dai
I tried this approach but is a faff about. Once your connected a simple turn of the tap allows you to stop the flow or restart it one handed (holster method) There is no need to disconnect to the jobs done. Folding the hose carrying the pole and opening a gate or moving a bin is difficult and the hose slips out of the ring often. I prefer a tap. But you have to try both methods to see what suits you.
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I can't understand why anyone uses taps on their pole hose.
1] Use algarde silicon 6mm outside diameter pole hose, just like Jeff does to get to 82 ft
2]fold the hose to stop the flow, tie a small ring or piece of bigger hose to your pole and slip it over the folded hose.
It's as good as any tap, can't break and your folded hose is always exactly where you want it to be. Dai
Hi Dai, I use a tap not just for the on/off function but the inbetween!!! it acts as a very efficeint flow control ontop of the varistream, so I can constantly control the flow, good hey!! Luke
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Why not use a trigger valve?
(http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/a5/b4/aa54_2.JPG)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130126212792&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:UK:11
Microbore inc. protecta ball would plug straight in there.
Even though I haven't made the switch yet, I do got some stuff laying around, and reeling the hose in, with the protecta ball seems to do a pretty good job protecting it.
Also, I think the best way to use them, how Alex described it, is have one on the micro/minibore, and on the polehose. That way it should be protected the best.
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Why not use a trigger valve?
(http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/a5/b4/aa54_2.JPG)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130126212792&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:UK:11
Microbore inc. protecta ball would plug straight in there.
Even though I haven't made the switch yet, I do got some stuff laying around, and reeling the hose in, with the protecta ball seems to do a pretty good job protecting it.
Also, I think the best way to use them, how Alex described it, is have one on the micro/minibore, and on the polehose. That way it should be protected the best.
The trouble with these are that you have to compress them to operate them. Your hand has to stay in a fixed position to operate it. This leads to strain and pain. I took mine off after two days.
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True, but it only takes one finger doesn't it? From trying it out on the pole, it doesn't feel like a big deal? Might change after using it for a day I suppose. Haven't used it yet, but thought it would be very handy?
Commercial would be a pain, but with domestic, you'd have to stop the flow for every window?
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True, but it only takes one finger doesn't it? From trying it out on the pole, it doesn't feel like a big deal? Might change after using it for a day I suppose. Haven't used it yet, but thought it would be very handy?
Commercial would be a pain, but with domestic, you'd have to stop the flow for every window?
good luck, you'll see what I mean ;)
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It would be best if the trigger would be a click on, click off. So it stays on until you click it again....hm.....
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It would be best if the trigger would be a click on, click off. So it stays on until you click it again....hm.....
Thats a really good idea ;)