Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: DavidX on August 06, 2008, 10:26:47 pm
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I have been cleaning windows for a while now... money wise I am just getting by.
I have been putting flyer out in cobham, surrey 20 min away from where i live for a while hoping to get some more work plus more money too but the phone is dead and it all starting to get me down.
All i am good at is cleaning windows so there is no point me packing in windows cleaning otherwise I will be in the Sxxt.
All I want in life is to earn 50k a year which i have got no chance in doing so in cleaning window.
Just wanted to get it off my chest.
:'(
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Stop whinning get out there and aim for your goal. Work hard pay well or 9am till 1pm your problem. i'm getting a bit fed with people saying i'm not earning this & i've no work coming in. Grow up the work was there before today, you have just lost work eaither because you have got to greedy or didn't turn up on time or couldn't be bothered with that £5 clean at the end of the day. Credit crunch my arse :-X
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50k is a big target to aim for although with the right work possible to do but it only comes with hard work and dedication maybe for now you should set yourself some lower targets to work towards as setting really high targets can be hard to attain and thats when the motivation starts to suffer whereas if you have some lower targets when you reach them it can give you the motivation to kick on to the next one and the next
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well said .its a cruel world out their .get stuck in .most of us have been though it. dont forget ur not on ur own .weve all been down that road .dont expect £50 grand in first coiuple of years .iv been going 15 yrs n im half way their
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I have been cleaning windows for a while now... money wise I am just getting by.
I have been putting flyer out in cobham, surrey 20 min away from where i live for a while hoping to get some more work plus more money too but the phone is dead and it all starting to get me down.
All i am good at is cleaning windows so there is no point me packing in windows cleaning otherwise I will be in the o
All I want in life is to earn 50k a year which i have got no chance in doing so in cleaning window.
Just wanted to get it off my chest.
:'(
ITS EASILY POSSINLE but your attitude stops you! :o ???
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I am getting out there putting the flyer out when i not working but the phone not ringing and if i knock on the door I get told to go away.
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Sounds like someone needs some PMA!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQVPR71QdHA
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I have been cleaning windows for a while now... money wise I am just getting by.
I have been putting flyer out in cobham, surrey 20 min away from where i live for a while hoping to get some more work plus more money too but the phone is dead and it all starting to get me down.
All i am good at is cleaning windows so there is no point me packing in windows cleaning otherwise I will be in the Sxxt.
All I want in life is to earn 50k a year which i have got no chance in doing so in cleaning window.
Just wanted to get it off my chest.
:'(
50k would be achievable if you put your mind to it and persevere. Hard graft mind you but achievable. I don't earn that myself but reckon I could in the fullness of time if I were to push myself harder. I just don't see the point of being too knackered to enjoy the money that I earn.
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I think for a 1 man band to earn 50k, you would have to have a business rather than work at window cleaning.
By that i mean a sign written van, website, professional stationary, conformance of h&s and investment in the right equipment.
Paperwork and certificates will help as well.
Read the posts on gutter vac and the like. There are many things a wc can do other than clean windows. Some things being more lucrative as well.
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Have you tried advertising?
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I think we would all like to earn 50k, if I wanted that much money then I would always be fed up. You've set your goal way up in the clouds
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Cobham is a bit rural. Where do you live and how many leaflets have you delivered? The simple facts are if you deliver enough leaflets and knock on enough doors the work will come.
Leaflets do work but you have to deliver thousands. It sounds to me like you are getting a bit demotivated and that is a downward slope.
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Yep this can be a boring job..totally agree...but what can you do?
My mate is up in court this morning...he has been a very silly boy and more than likely will be getting 8-10 ....has made me re-think about my up and coming pooey day....
Dave.
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if you were to work 5 days a week earning £200 a day...youve done it pretty much...now get out there and graft graft graft
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I don't know many people who enjoy their jobs - i know of very few who are on 50k a year and thats in a skilled trade. Surely the first post is a wind up?
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Sounds like someone needs some PMA!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQVPR71QdHA
very good...my new goal is £1.50/ week ;D ;D
bring it on :D
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i cant believe i just sat through that video, what a waste of time.
whoever posted that owes me 4mins and 36secs of life + VAT
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David
I know the feeling well, After 10 years now I well and truly hate window cleaning, I lie in bed for an hour every morning feeling really down about the day ahead.
If and when you reach £50k you will still feel the same way as it sounds you are in it for the money and not the job, just like me. £50k will never be enough, even £100k or more, you willl still have that horrible feeling.
The way I combat it now is with staff, I still have a little way to go as my specialist knowledge is needed on a few big jobs, and that does my head in.
Dave
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Stop whinning get out there and aim for your goal. Work hard pay well or 9am till 1pm your problem. i'm getting a bit fed with people saying i'm not earning this & i've no work coming in. Grow up the work was there before today, you have just lost work eaither because you have got to greedy or didn't turn up on time or couldn't be bothered with that £5 clean at the end of the day. Credit crunch my arse :-X
Can I nominate this as most arrogant unhelpful post of the week? ::)
David, I know where you're coming from, it's the same for me.
Stupid posts like the one above aren't going to help you feel any better.
Just read the friendly posts and let that sort of thing go over your head.
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Ive only got about £1000 a month as only been set up for a couple of months but all the work ive got from putting out leafles and a bit of door knocking, ive got professional leaflets and business cards, logo top, website, sign written van which i make sure is clean all the time, I always make sure im clean shaven hair tidy as i want to look easily approachible, i recieve cheques through post and this has gained me good work from customers who work away, I no im new but i believe your target for each year can be achieved, i know my targets are to build a business, employ and get more vans on the road and i have confidence in this.
Youll find door knocking will bring you more jobs then leaflets, youve obviously knocked on a couple of grumpy peoples homes but not everyone is like this nearly everyone will be polite, dont let it get you down just keep smiling as you move to the next house and youll find once you get 1 youll smile more and people will see this in you.
Good luck.
Chris
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I don't know many people who enjoy their jobs - i know of very few who are on 50k a year and thats in a skilled trade. Surely the first post is a wind up?
You may be right
"but don't worry I doing alright money wise so i can treat meself a new toy if i want one" posted on June 27th 2008 by guess who.
:)
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I don't know many people who enjoy their jobs - i know of very few who are on 50k a year and thats in a skilled trade. Surely the first post is a wind up?
Well I enjoy my job and I am sure many on here do! I am not earning 50k but still have some way to go yet! only problem you will get when you are a high earner! the govment take it back with the top rate of tax being 40%
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I don't know many people who enjoy their jobs - i know of very few who are on 50k a year and thats in a skilled trade. Surely the first post is a wind up?
You may be right
"but don't worry I doing alright money wise so i can treat meself a new toy if i want one" posted on June 27th 2008 by guess who.
:)
And not just any old toy.... A 4x4 Hummer no less :o
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Hi David
I am based in molesey,we do a lot of work in Esher,Oxshott,Cobham, i take it you are after the larger houses if you are leaflet dropping in cobham,we have found it very hard obtaining business around that way using leaflets,if you are serious i would advice you to advertise in the Elmbridge magazine which only goes out to the higher banded properties,this is where we achieved more success gaining clients,the other thing you could do is try to advertise at the American community school at cobham.
Hope this is some help.
Malcolm
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The most difficult thing which can really get you down is when there are so many other window cleaners in the area, that you struggle to get work.
It took me a long time to get where I want to, but I'm getting there, last two months were 2k, now I've got 1.3k month, I'm trying to canvass work, but it's not easy when your down.
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£50,000 a year = £25.00 an hour 8 hours a day x 5 days a week
probably hard if your average house is only £5.00 but its only two £12.50 houses an hour.
So you need to have a Monthly round of about 320 houses @ £12.50
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£50,000 a year = £25.00 an hour 8 hours a day x 5 days a week
probably hard if your average house is only £5.00 but its only two £12.50 houses an hour.
So you need to have a Monthly round of about 320 houses @ £12.50
Does that factor in time off for sickness, holidays (or at least time off; non of us are machines), bad weather, Christmas, vehicle servicing, vehicle mending, and unavoidable family stuff like kids sports days, school open days, weddings and funerals?
I reckon to earn 50K per year you've got to earn at least £50 an hour!
Is that achievable? Yes, for a couple of jobs; your best, but is it achieveable hour-on-hour, day-after-day, week-after-week, etc?
I doubt it!
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I would agree with that if your mainly cleaning residential and are a sole trader. I think some of the commercial boys could get that quite easily. I have some commercial work that pays £50 an hour but i'm only small fry and only have a few of these jobs. If you could fill your round with them then big money is achievable.
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£50,000 a year = £25.00 an hour 8 hours a day x 5 days a week
probably hard if your average house is only £5.00 but its only two £12.50 houses an hour.
So you need to have a Monthly round of about 320 houses @ £12.50
Does that factor in time off for sickness, holidays (or at least time off; non of us are machines), bad weather, Christmas, vehicle servicing, vehicle mending, and unavoidable family stuff like kids sports days, school open days, weddings and funerals?
I reckon to earn 50K per year you've got to earn at least £50 an hour!
Is that achievable? Yes, for a couple of jobs; your best, but is it achieveable hour-on-hour, day-after-day, week-after-week, etc?
I doubt it!
46wks times 40hrs times £30 equals £55,200.
Working backwards from £50,000 divide by £30 divide by 46wks equals 36.23 hours. There fore if you work 36 hours for 46 wks at £30 ph you will hit £50,000. Don't forget you can always do a bit sat and sun morning if you find yourself falling behind.
Glyn's calulations are quite good althought I feel at least a third of those jobs for a new starter would be every eight weeks, therefore a one and a third times 320 is 425. I think 425 is a more realistic number for 50k pa. (although the smaller number would still generate a lot of extra's such as gutters etc which aren't included)
425 with an average value of £12.50 I would class as a good round for one person.
I note from the other thread on this topic how few know much about their own rounds and that quite a few do not own george. Some of the comments are supposed to be funny but they have no idea what they are really saying about themselves.
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cobham might be worth doorknocking then guys if this guy is gonna give up cos cobham means money and that is the name of the game... dont give up yet mate start branching out of cobham there is still plenty of work out there u gotta go find it.. good luck......
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I don't know many people who enjoy their jobs - i know of very few who are on 50k a year and thats in a skilled trade. Surely the first post is a wind up?
You may be right
"but don't worry I doing alright money wise so i can treat meself a new toy if i want one" posted on June 27th 2008 by guess who.
:)
£40 to £60 an hour in March ???
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50k can be done in this trade, if you really want it, trad or wfp. I don't make 50k, but thats choice. I don't need to work that hard. I could do it with around a 42 hour week. In London it should be a piece of cake, 35 hours or less I would guess.
I really believe its just comes down to putting the effort in, its not rocket science. Just takes motivation and effort.
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50k can be done in this trade, if you really want it, trad or wfp. I don't make 50k, but thats choice. I don't need to work that hard. I could do it with around a 42 hour week. In London it should be a piece of cake, 35 hours or less I would guess.
I really believe its just comes down to putting the effort in, its not rocket science. Just takes motivation and effort.
Ive worked outdoors for 30 years just about and can't remember the last year where I was able to average 42 hours a week, week after week after week, whatever the weather.
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That probably because you get in a set routine Matt. You could do 12 hours a day, most days in the summer if you wanted to. Go out and do some commercial stuff early...
Work Saturdays also. Doing 60 hour weeks in the summer will soon make up for those 30 hour weeks in the winter. Its there if anyone wants it, just takes effort.
I used to do 12 hour days when I was saving for my first house. That was years ago, and I didn't have the quality of work I do now. You will soon get used to it, you'd be surprised how many people work 60 or 70 hour weeks.
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£50,000 a year = £25.00 an hour 8 hours a day x 5 days a week
probably hard if your average house is only £5.00 but its only two £12.50 houses an hour.
So you need to have a Monthly round of about 320 houses @ £12.50
Tosh wrote
[Is that achievable? Yes, for a couple of jobs; your best, but is it achieveable hour-on-hour, day-after-day, week-after-week, etc?
I doubt it!
No I made it up for a laugh our best paying job is £10.00 and our window cleaning staff get paid a full weeks wages for only working four or five hours a day when they feel like it and we dont work when its raining,windy, snowing or too hot or if we think it would be nice to sit in and watch the TV that day ;D
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Stop whinning get out there and aim for your goal. Work hard pay well or 9am till 1pm your problem. i'm getting a bit fed with people saying i'm not earning this & i've no work coming in. Grow up the work was there before today, you have just lost work eaither because you have got to greedy or didn't turn up on time or couldn't be bothered with that £5 clean at the end of the day. Credit crunch my arse :-X
Can I nominate this as most arrogant unhelpful post of the week? ::)
David, I know where you're coming from, it's the same for me.
Stupid posts like the one above aren't going to help you feel any better.
Just read the friendly posts and let that sort of thing go over your head.
Swap my problems for yours anyday, unhelpfull NO . if being honest is arrogant then yes .
Me lost an eye , one daughter died, one daughter dying wife hates me most of the time, i work hard for them up early work all day or looking for more work, up to my neck in work, family away for 3 weeks, me i'm still working.
Please don't feel sorry for me as this wasn't self made like the other sorry sods and there self pity stories on here , why am i telling you this, god only knows proberbly because i'm fed up with you whinning lazy -------------------------------
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I think you need to be working at a £1.00 per minute worked to be able to get up to 50k per year.
You won't be working at an hourly rate of £60 an hour though, as time is always lost through the day, and few will actually work a traditional 8 hour day, let alone a 40 hour week!
For 50k you have to be averaging £200 a day, and that takes some doing for most of us, for one thing it means you must have many days where you turn over way more than that, cos you are also going to have days when you do way less.
It can be done though, but usually takes several years of building and honing your round.
Ian
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That probably because you get in a set routine Matt.
No, I think my approach to it is far from that, if only to be honest (routine, is what I need and love, but have? nope,) just think Im possibly more realistic. Ian has summed up mostly what I think on this.
But.........
It can be done though, but usually takes several years of building and honing your round.
Ian
and a wish to have very little or anything else in your life. Me? I go away too many times a year diving to be able to play that much catch up anyway.
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I have been cleaning windows for a while now... money wise I am just getting by.
I have been putting flyer out in cobham, surrey 20 min away from where i live for a while hoping to get some more work plus more money too but the phone is dead and it all starting to get me down.
All i am good at is cleaning windows so there is no point me packing in windows cleaning otherwise I will be in the Sxxt.
All I want in life is to earn 50k a year which i have got no chance in doing so in cleaning window.
Just wanted to get it off my chest.
do you think work comes to you.
how high is your expectations.
i have no qualifications so what job would i get in the world.
the work is out there, so get out and find it. how do you expect to set big targets and do very little to reach them.
:'(
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cobham should be a gold mine , loads of big houses , you need to get on the knocker and go for it , personally i started in this business in february last year and i,m currently averaging £875.00 per week on domestic , now some will think i,m boasting but my point in posting is to show its acheivable in a relatively short time , when i first started i knock and knock and knocked the doors i now have someone i pay to do it and i,m starting another canvasser tomorow , my goals are high in this business and i will achieve them by the end of the year , by the way i thought the youtube clip was good , but then maybe thats the difference between some of us on here , the doers and the moaners comes to mind , positive mental attitude works every time regards alan
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Like your style prestige and pretty much agree. A couple of points though, I think a degree of modesty may now be called for because as the building industry collapses a lot of well motivated self starters are now looking at us for their next paycheck. Today I saw a window cleaner whose work vehicle was a new mercedes sport soft top with a small trailer behind with a pole on top.
If it startled me I wonder what customers must think, -or out of work bricklayers or plasterers looking to earn a living. There is a danger that we are turning into chav caricatures of ourselves like the Harry Enfield Loadsa money character from the eighties.
I drive a scudo and I am very proud of it because it is workmanlike and probably the best equiped single operator vehicle on this forum ;). My private car is a fiat bravo (and thats the wife's) so maybe I am a bit jealous of a mercedes sport but if I owned one I wouldn't use it for work.
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You have a point there Discount. I know a window cleaner who drives around in a BMW 5 Series with a roof-rack and a ladder on top.
Mind you he's been doing that for 5 years, I understand he's left the country now and gone to live in the Med.
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whats modesty lol
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Like your style prestige and pretty much agree. A couple of points though, I think a degree of modesty may now be called for because as the building industry collapses a lot of well motivated self starters are now looking at us for their next paycheck. Today I saw a window cleaner whose work vehicle was a new mercedes sport soft top with a small trailer behind with a pole on top.
If it startled me I wonder what customers must think, -or out of work bricklayers or plasterers looking to earn a living. There is a danger that we are turning into chav caricatures of ourselves like the Harry Enfield Loadsa money character from the eighties.
I drive a scudo and I am very proud of it because it is workmanlike and probably the best equiped single operator vehicle on this forum ;). My private car is a fiat bravo (and thats the wife's) so maybe I am a bit jealous of a mercedes sport but if I owned one I wouldn't use it for work.
Thats funny because there's a guy on here who wants to use a Hummer for work - i'll give you three guesses. ;)
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I drive a scudo and I am very proud of it because it is workmanlike and probably the best equiped single operator vehicle on this forum ;).
??? A Fiat? ;D
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I've been sneaped - by Squeaky- for driving a fiat. Okay, the main thing is that everyone agrees I've got the best equiped single operator van. Features;
Roof rack with rear roller- the £200 job
Split charge relay put in by auto electrician
12inche lap top george and sat nav hands free kit receiving call divert
650 hot system
Electric reel
two side doors
wfp and trad poles with scrubbing brush for getting frames clean
Hose tidy solution
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Sat Nav? you must have a big round - or Altzeimers?
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I've been sneaped - by Squeaky- for driving a fiat. Okay, the main thing is that everyone agrees I've got the best equiped single operator van. Features;
Roof rack with rear roller- the £200 job
Split charge relay put in by auto electrician
12inche lap top george and sat nav hands free kit receiving call divert
650 hot system
Electric reel
two side doors
wfp and trad poles with scrubbing brush for getting frames clean
Hose tidy solution
You missed out extremley messy.
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does everyone really agree that discount has the best system , sounds like your suffering from low self esteem to me lol
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Discount
Nothing like blowing your own trumpet, what makes that set up the best.
All my vans have a twin set up with various poles up to 60 ft , we can pull up at any job and tackle it straight away without complicated equipment, the key is simplicity, I know i can pull up and everything will work.
Hot water, electric reels split charge relays just give you more possibilities for breakdowns , not to mention the added costs
There are plenty of people on this forum with excellent vans who never even mention them.
Electric everything doesnt mean better
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Maybe hot and electric drill isn't necessary, but a split relay (providing you drive a bit between jobs) definitely is a must for me. :)
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Split relay , no point, I have proved it with 3 vans now, all 3 have twin pumps and are working for 8 hours a day with no problems at all.
All run straight from the vehicle battery.
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Straight from the vehicle battery ey, that's pretty good. Do you travel a lot between jobs?
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Not really, the ampeage is quite low so there isnt much drain.
I have run this way for over 2 years now
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I agree about simplicity, but wfp is a tool that takes some of the manual work out of window cleaning. I extend this concept as far as it will take me. This means that hot does some of the work, the electric reel does some of the work, george does some of the work, leaving envelopes and a well thought out note does some of the work, my business account does some of the work,having my phone on call divert does some of the work, and my advertising strategy does some of the work.
This thread began with poster saying he was fed up, worked hard, but fell short of the 50k he wanted and deserved. Well I think you gave a pretty good answer when you said that even though you were a couple of rungs up the ladder beyond this you were fed up too.
As a solo operator i think i've pretty much nailed this job technicaly but I still find the work physically hard and that's the part that I don't like. When I was only a puppy learning my trade on here stevek used to post a photo diary with times and prices. I used to think -wow- if only, now that i could probably put up similar, I think; now I know why he left to become a fireman!
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Says your still on line prestige lol, hope pole is ok for you.
Chris
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Gotta say Dave st ives is right , keep it simple, i run all day 85 amp , while im filling the tanks the battery is on charge for about an hour , chuck it back in the van and im ready for the next day , if it ever did go down i connect to the van
Rich
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does everyone really agree that discount has the best system , sounds like your suffering from low self esteem to me lol
LMAO!!!
I thought my van was the best???
;)
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If you award points for features, two points for hot, two points for electric reel, one point for a side door(two for two), one point for roof rack (two if it has a roller), one point for a split relay, etc
Then I have the most points Nathaneal.
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If you award points for simplicity and hassle free. I have got more points than you. ;D
All i have in my van is tank, pump,switch ,hose, pole. easy peasy :P
No filters , no heat, no pole tidies, nothing
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I'm with Dave on this one, i set my vans up to be the simplist of set ups. what i have found is that if an employee has less kit there is less to go wrong. all i have is tank, pump, reel, pole there is no need for anything else. when i had full kits in van before i would get allsorts of various phonecalls and work would stop. till i got out and sorted the problem.
i to don't run split relays. i have thought about it but never fitted it. i have a transit that has a dual battery pack under the drivers seat. it will give about 6-8 hours running problem free. I also have a vivaro that has main battery and a second battery that has a switch between. i just switch it on first thing in the morning for a few hours and it charges the battery enough to last most of the day. this way the second battery won't drag the main battery down. i know a split rely is to regulate it but this way works fine and was easier to fit ;)
unless you know what your doing (I.E yourself) i think the simpler the system is the safer option to getting full days of work done, trouble free!
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If you award points for simplicity and hassle free. I have got more points than you. ;D
All i have in my van is tank, pump,switch ,hose, pole. easy peasy :P
No filters , no heat, no pole tidies, nothing
me two, and what makes me have the edge on others, is that im working while their lovely posh systems are still in their drive.....
you have to go to work for your systems to start earning money....
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forgot to say , I have a full range of poles, Supalite 56ft , 60 ft extel, slx, a 40 ft , 2 @30 ft and about, dozen various between 12 and 25 ft.
This is what you should invest in , because if you cant reach or your sl-2 sections are blowing all over the place when its windy, or your 60ft carbon is too heavy for the angle , or anything else , you can carry on cleaning anything no matter what.
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How many points do you get if your working 100miles from home and can still produce pure water without having to drive home to fetch it ;D
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We all agree on simplicity then, and those who can take water making bits off the van have.
I do have a leisure battery, a tank, a pump box with varistream(and a spare so if it plays up I just swop), a heater, and a reel.
The heater can be bypassed, or I can just not turn it on. As for the electric reel should that give me problems- i just put the handle back on.(it's never given me problems and works great) I have a spare reel and hose back at base.
So what we disagree on is our defintions of simplicity itself- some say pencil and small notebook is simpler, but I think george is.Steve cm's text option 24hrs before is a good idea, but some might say that's not simple.
On some of my more boastfull posts I am joking.
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:(