Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: jeff1 on June 15, 2008, 01:37:21 pm
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I'm trying to do away with my ladders completely and found myself having to take them just to get the ecover (or TFR for some guy's) up to the finials and trim of conservatory roofs, I have a spare Harris pole in the workshop and clicked on the idea to convert it for ecover applications.
once the conversion was complete I tested it and it worked a treat, I even tried it on my own guttering and was able to cover the guttering quite easily with ecover, the little rose you see on the end can quite easily be the longer arm that comes with the pressure applicator, I just preferred the little rose that came with mine.
One cable tie to hold the trigger down and another 2 to hold it to the pole.
At the barrel end, I held the tube and bent it to stop ecover coming out straight away and found it never worked properly to achieve the pressure, I just let go of it in the end and pumped the barrel and hey presto out squirts the ecover for easy application of your TFR to the roof of conservatories or guttering.
Here is a few pictures.
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFR004Small.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFR001Small.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFR003Small.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFR002Small.jpg)
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Jeff,
How have you adapted the bottle? Did youhave to add your own tubing and did it come with the nozzle/spray end?
How about the spray - is it fine enough or might you want to put a finer mesh over the end to achieve more of an atomised spray?
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Jeff,
How have you adapted the bottle? Did youhave to add your own tubing and did it come with the nozzle/spray end?
How about the spray - is it fine enough or might you want to put a finer mesh over the end to achieve more of an atomised spray?
I added my own tubing Mr T, the one supplied isn't long enough, I can now sit the bottle on the ground.
The little rose you see came with it, there is a little control you can see, if you turn it you can control the spray to a fine mist, I have mine set like a shower for a heavier application, the lance that comes with these spray bottles is good enough and there nozzles are also adjustable for heavy or fine mist.
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Great pictures.
Done the same myself.
Just thought that if you were able to use a simple valve near the base you could control it a bit more, it helps when moving from one area to another.
Again, great pictures. Everyone should be able to do the same.
Martin
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If you notice on my barrel there is a release valve, when I want it to stop I just lift it to release the pressure and the application stops.
I suppose it would be simple enough to add a trigger at the base end and will go out now and see if it works with one.
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Just added a trigger
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFR006Small.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFR005Small.jpg)
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Great work.
Only thing is I have yet to be convinced that spraying on tfr and then merely rinsing will clean gutters/fascia/soffits up in the way that can be achieved by scrubbing up close by hand.
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Great work.
Only thing is I have yet to be convinced that spraying on tfr and then merely rinsing will clean gutters/fascia/soffits up in the way that can be achieved by scrubbing up close by hand.
I'm with you on this one, Mr T.
My problem has been short bristles and deep crevices.
Here's my solution. It's simply a broom and a spray on the end of a pole.
(http://www.wally-the-window-washer.co.uk/brush-n-spray.jpg)
I've tested it using a VERY modest water flow resulting in a fine misty spray and turning the water:
on - to soak,
off - whilst scrubbing and then
on - again to rinse etc.
It's done a great job of cleaning up behind the gutter and up to the top of the gutter support brackets on my garage. The quality of the work appears to be as good as you'd get doing it up close and personal.
I'm going to put this idea together with Jeff1's idea and, hopefully eventually I'll come up with something of real merit and use to me and others like me.
It's not a high priority as of today, but will be when I get my next gutter job.
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Where did you get that bracket from Mr Wally? ;D
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This is a bodge job. The bracket is from a Halfords shackle lock. It's the bracket you attach to the frame to carry the lock while you're riding your bike!
This has been the problem for a few days - how to attach the spray to the tube.
I'm sure that there's a better way - I just haven't found it yet.
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Where did you get that bracket from Mr Wally? ;D
If it's what I fink it is, it's off a bicycle lock holding clamp.
I found one in the street one day and tried usng it to attach a garden hose to a pole to wash gutters out.
Google clamps/bike locks/etc.
Google 'plastic manufacturers' etc and see what you find.
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This is a bodge job. The bracket is from a Halfords shackle lock. It's the bracket you attach to the frame to carry the lock while you're riding your bike!
This has been the problem for a few days - how to attach the spray to the tube.
I'm sure that there's a better way - I just haven't found it yet.
Damn, beat me to it! Yes, it's a bike lock. They suit poles quite well, and usually have a thinnish rubber insert to pack things out.
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Jeff, was the pump botle you have a sort of standard jobbit you'd find in B&Q?
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Damn, beat me to it! Yes, it's a bike lock. They suit poles quite well, and usually have a thinnish rubber insert to pack things out.
Hey. Take it easy. We're colleagues, not rivals!
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Great work.
Only thing is I have yet to be convinced that spraying on tfr and then merely rinsing will clean gutters/fascia/soffits up in the way that can be achieved by scrubbing up close by hand.
I don't think it would work Mr T I built mine purely to get ecover (TRF) to the tops of the conservatory, then I just brush clean.
As for the guttering I just though it would be a better idea than trying to apply it with a brush, a lot of guy's just dip there brush into a bucket of tfr and brush it onto the guttering, this way will be so much quicker and easier for these guy's.
I personally won't be using it for guttering work because I use a low pressure jet to apply mine from my lance and then replace the jet with a high pressure one and blast it off.
The pressure bottle I bought from Focus, so it is an off the shelf range, I think it cost me around £10 because they were closing down but there available anywhere.
This is a bodge job. The bracket is from a Halfords shackle lock. It's the bracket you attach to the frame to carry the lock while you're riding your bike!
This has been the problem for a few days - how to attach the spray to the tube.
I'm sure that there's a better way - I just haven't found it yet.
Wally if it makes your Job just that little quicker and easier then its not so much a bodge job but becomes a necessity to your work.
Mine is just something I knocked up within half an hour.
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I think that your spray and my broom when combined in a sound and neat engineered package will be amazing!
Together they solve the problem of cleaning gutters, fascia and soffits from the ground.
I envisage the finished article being able to spray both TFR and 000 and brush the entire area to both agitate the tfr into the dirt and loosen it and then brush the 000 on to loosen the emulsion and then rinse it clean away.
On my last gutter job what I did was to use my regular wfp to reach what was possible and then used the broom on a pole to get the other out-of-reach bits. It was effective but time-consuming swapping from one pole to another and then back again.
Importantly, (i) the customer was delighted with the results and (ii) I stayed on the ground.
Together, we're onto something here.
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You only need to get under the guttering as far as the eye can see, cleaning behind it where you can't see is un-necessary in my mind, I can do it with the pressure washer and lance, so I don't have the problem.
Its just a case now then of finding the correct brush to add to the pole and use the pressure vessel as an overhead spray, or you could just clip it to the end of your wfp and remove again when its not needed.
I'll tell you what you could do??
The little lance that comes with the pressure vessel has fitted to the end a little adjustable Jet, Cut/saw a few inches of this tube section the Jet is fixed to. Add your own tubing and fix to your brush, you then have a discrete single over head Jet
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You only need to get under the guttering as far as the eye can see, cleaning behind it where you can't see is un-necessary in my mind, I can do it with the pressure washer and lance, so I don't have the problem.
Its just a case now then of finding the correct brush to add to the pole and use the pressure vessel as an overhead spray, or you could just clip it to the end of your wfp and remove again when its not needed.
I'll tell you what you could do??
The little lance that comes with the pressure vessel has fitted to the end a little adjustable Jet, Cut/saw a few inches of this tube section the Jet is fixed to. Add your own tubing and fix to your brush, you then have a discrete single over head Jet
You only need to get under the guttering as far as the eye can see,
That is true, you cannot see dirt from the ground and if people want to go up and look they can do it so no need for you.
Why over complicate things, clean it with a brush if wfp, of clothes if trad, I for one when trad would not stand there getting every bit of dirt from behnd a gutter, they customer cant see it. and to charge extra time just to do this is not IMO in the customers interested and is at the same time, wasting your own.
Many very well educated people on this forum sometimes a little to educated and lack in common sence. (thats was not aimed at anyone by the way)
I am not well educated but have alot of common sence and experience in window cleaning.
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nice ideas guys getting the tfr up to the top without using ladders.
Must say in the past I have dipped the brush into tfr if they were that bad.
Most of the time if its tops I just scrub with a brush then change heads on the pole I use 'powerpole from omnipole' to the jetwash spray attachment and blast it off.
Never had a complaint yet!
Hope I have not spoken too soon ::) ::)
Russ
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nice ideas guys getting the tfr up to the top without using ladders.
Must say in the past I have dipped the brush into tfr if they were that bad.
Most of the time if its tops I just scrub with a brush then change heads on the pole I use 'powerpole from omnipole' to the jetwash spray attachment and blast it off.
Never had a complaint yet!
Hope I have not spoken too soon ::) ::)
Russ
I use the gutter Lance from Northern tool to blast mine off, never had a complaint either.
Don't forget what I designed it for guy's and that was for the roof conservatories, so it will be a good all round tool.
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Jeff
Do you use a pressure washer attached to your gutter lance ??
had a look on northern tools site but could not find it?
Russ
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Jeff
Do you use a pressure washer attached to your gutter lance ??
had a look on northern tools site but could not find it?
Russ
Here is the link to the lance Russ.
www.northerntooluk.com/products.asp?partno=22824E
I first bought myself a cheap petrol PW then had the oppertunity to buy a bigger one, the pressure was a little to much on the bigger one, so now I use my cheapy with less pressure, there less than £200
The bigger one is fine if you want to do patio's and drives but that's not a field I want to get into.
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thanks for that Jeff will look into it
As I said I currently use my powerpole to blast
obviously with pump turned up max and it seems to work.
I like the belt bit as well
Cheers Russ
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I keep meaning to buy the belt but keep forgetting until I go out on my next guttering Job ::)
The gutter lance at full extent and fitted to a powerful PW, is like fighting with a whale on the end, Just another reason for a smaller petrol PW
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Being dumb what does trf stand for?
cheers Michelle x
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Being dumb what does trf stand for?
cheers Michelle x
We don't use this common TFR Shell (Traffic film remover) we use the ecover more friendly to the environment Not to mention we get it free from Pauline ;D ;D
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Wow!!!
A couple of hours ago I went up on the step ladders to inspect the quality of my cleaning the gutters on the garage using the broom and spray I cobbled together. It was at least as good as I could have done by hand and much better than I could have done with just a regular wfp and either my Vikan or the Bentley.
Because the broom has such long bristles, it can reach right up to the top of the fascia board behind the gutter and right into the nooks and crannies of the gutter brackets. I don't suppose it touches the bit of the fascia board above the brackets, but that part is quite out of sight from the ground. I couldn't even see it from the ladder!
It was much faster than faffing about with the wfp and then swopping over to the broom and then back again. Just one tool that does both jobs.
Oh, I just used regular tap water. The only problem I found was to get the flow rate low enough from the tap so that the spray wasn't too strong. That won't be a problem using the shurflo.
I'm looking forward to getting a gutter job quickly now so I can test it out on another property.
Like jeff1, I can imagine that this will be terrific for cleaning the ridge cappings on conservatories. My constant fear is that I'm going to damage these ridiculous bits of architectural rubbish. The broom will be much gentler s the long bristles can gently brush the surface ... (poetic, innit?)
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Wow!!!
A couple of hours ago I went up on the step ladders to inspect the quality of my cleaning the gutters on the garage using the broom and spray I cobbled together. It was at least as good as I could have done by hand and much better than I could have done with just a regular wfp and either my Vikan or the Bentley.
Because the broom has such long bristles, it can reach right up to the top of the fascia board behind the gutter and right into the nooks and crannies of the gutter brackets. I don't suppose it touches the bit of the fascia board above the brackets, but that part is quite out of sight from the ground. I couldn't even see it from the ladder!
It was much faster than faffing about with the wfp and then swopping over to the broom and then back again. Just one tool that does both jobs.
Oh, I just used regular tap water. The only problem I found was to get the flow rate low enough from the tap so that the spray wasn't too strong. That won't be a problem using the shurflo.
I'm looking forward to getting a gutter job quickly now so I can test it out on another property.
Like jeff1, I can imagine that this will be terrific for cleaning the ridge cappings on conservatories. My constant fear is that I'm going to damage these ridiculous bits of architectural rubbish. The broom will be much gentler s the long bristles can gently brush the surface ... (poetic, innit?)
Nice one Wally.
When I used to do guttering from ladders, all I ever used was a bucket of water with a drop of fairy and a few cloths.
Then onto wfp I dipped my brush into a bucket of ecover (tfr) and brushed it on all time consuming and hard work, I then bought the gutter lance and pressure washer and now do all my guttering with this.
The point I'm trying to make here? Is there is no need to use pure water to finish off the guttering, it can all be rinsed with tap water, the same as conservatory roofs with the plastic type sheets, they can be washed with Tap water, may be a different story with glass roofs, but they can still be washed with tfr and tap water and then given a final rinse with pure.
Once a decent brush is found for guttering work, I recon we can convert a few more guy's to do the guttering from the ground and cheaply.
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great ideas you guys have although i just use pure water on gutters fascia
soffits use my pole with an old winspray brush or a vikan oval always get
great results
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My car had to go to Hospital today, so I took the time out to show you that the original lance that comes with the pressure vessel can be adapted to fit your wfp to spray TFR, so now you have the benefit of applying TFR and washing with pure water.
If I was doing this for myself I would add a clip on the hose and a cable tie to the trigger.
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFRnew001Small.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFRnew002Small.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFRnew003Small.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k23/jeffo_01/HarrispoleTFRnew007Small.jpg)
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Is this brush any inspiration?
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It might be a wallpaper brush.
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That would be a good Brush Mr T
The bristles are certainly long enough, but can it be adapted to squirt pure water?
I only used my spare pole as a demonstration of what can be achieved with a mixed set-up of pure water and TRF.
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I doubt you could fit nozzles to it - its too thick.
As you might be able to tell from the angle adapter I tried to use it to clean the insides of gutters.
I gave up!
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Can you not fit over head ones then Mr T ?
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Yes, can be done, I just never had the reason to really.
I want to try applying tfs/ecover and see what t's like just spraying on and rinsing with pure before getting into brush work, that's all.
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Yes, can be done, I just never had the reason to really.
I want to try applying tfs/ecover and see what t's like just spraying on and rinsing with pure before getting into brush work, that's all.
It won't work 100% Mr T
It would need a couple of applications on the green muck and a decent pressure on the hose, even then it won't be 100%.
Now if its the white guttering that has gone black, that will defenetly need to be brushed.
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Yes, thought dso.
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if you buy a power pole from omni, what kind of pressure washer do you need to use with it for tfr purposes. i want to spay on sparingly as my supplier is very expensive.. also, how long of a hose can you get on these pressure washers and how much space do they take up in the van as i already have a 650 reach and wash system
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I know I built the sprayer to do conservatory roof's but today I had a caravan to do and what better way to apply the ecover (tfr) it took a couple of minutes to cover the whole caravan,
Stood there drank my cupa that the custy had brought out for me, Then washed the caravan, job done in 30 minutes, the custy was so pleased with the Job I had £5 tip ;D ;D
So the sprayer does speed thing up by double.
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some of the stuff people make in their spare time are top notch
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Great pics and ideas guys.
I am just started in the business and have just tackled a bleeding great house and conservatory about 8m x 10m with a shallow pitched roof. Bought loads of poles and bits etc from Unger but obviously found from this experience loads of snags that I need to iron out.
1) Getting a large volume of an ECO friendly product applied to the really grungy algae roof and finials etc via the Unger pole ( I have the 6m extending pole) but this can be a bit unwieldly on a Conservatory of this size.
2) Being able to control and stop the flow whilst also being able to extend and shorten the pole without haveing to get down from the ladder all the time.
3) Being able to the scrub the algae to bits and then go over with clean water with the same pole as the application of the TFR.
4) Being able to combine the ECO TFR with clean water in one pole would be good or do you use two adapted poles>
4) Squeege the roof panels down, do you bother? I am not Pure water. again issues here with the size of the roof and shallow roof pitch.
5) I am now considering buying the Unger Hiflo kit for about £100 but not sure if this will give me the results I will obviously need as I was not really proud of the job that I achieved but hey they want me back to do the inside. which again will be a nightmare as the inside of the roof has blinds with guide wires at approx 200mm centres.
The problem that I see with the Unger kit is that the shampoo reservoir and tap will be out of convenient reach when up the ladder.
Some great idea's in this post for me to investigate though.