Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Clive McDonald on May 22, 2009, 06:55:17 pm
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My Redash reel came today ready to undergoe it's electrification.Should it prove suitable i will be replacing all of my reels with it.Where the handle attaches there is a key way, so that looks fairly straightforward to apply motive force to.
The 'water in' on the side(pictured) and the 'water out' inside the reel have threads on. I normally use garden hose(actually car heater hose) from the pump to the reel and minibore on the reel.Can anybody tell me what bits i need to make this plumbing side of things work?
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As you can see i put the redash reel to use today. I am extremely impressed with it so far,it pulls out almost without effort and winds in easily.The hose can't become trapped down the side when it's wound on badly.If you notice the black tape in the picture that is where it got jammed down the side on the old reel and became snagged and torn by the small bolts.
I asked Alex for something that was both bomb proof and idiot proof and i think this fits the bill perfectly.They don't come anymore cack handed and clumsy than me, and then add employees and a punishing work schedule and down time isn't high on the list of things i need.
So I give the reel ten out of the ten.It says on the website "takes 100m minibore, just", so i was a bit worried, but pictured is a 100m and there were no problems whatsoever.
It did topple over while i was driving, but i'm sure it won't be hard to support, and i haven't put the electrical drive modification on yet (you can see the dog leg clutch attachment on the other reel, it will be very similar to that).
How you see the reels is how i use them- both exiting out of the drivers side side door with me doing the backs and my mate doing the fronts.Any comments on this or suggested improvements would be most helpfull.
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Slump, you must be very very close to your max weight surely?
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The good thing about that reel is that you can more than likely use John Guest fittings on it,male thread going into the reel and a push fit the other end.Do you know what size the input thread is cos if it will take John Guest i will buy 1 because it would be leak free with those fittings.
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What is a "dog leg clutch attachment?"
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It allows you to drive the reel with an electric motor without snatching, and if the power is turned off the reel can continue to turn without drag.
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It allows you to drive the reel with an electric motor without snatching, and if the power is turned off the reel can continue to turn without drag.
What do you mean with snatching? Is it like the function on a handheld drill? That when the load gets too high it clicks?
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It allows you to drive the reel with an electric motor without snatching, and if the power is turned off the reel can continue to turn without drag.
What do you mean with snatching? Is it like the function on a handheld drill? That when the load gets too high it clicks?
From his prior posts it is a hand held drill he uses.......
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clicking is when it won't go beyond a trorque setting- such as when you do not want to rip the head off a screw.Snatching in this context refers to the jerkiness that the reel can be exhibit when subject to a direct drive(as opposed to an indirect may be a belt pulley or chain driving the reel).The drving motor has to be secured in place to provide a counter force attempting to hand hold this could damage wrists.
But the thread is actually about the redash reel and how two reels should be operated for the best results.Doesn't anybody else use two reels or have an opinion on this?
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clicking is when it won't go beyond a trorque setting- such as when you do not want to rip the head off a screw.Snatching in this context refers to the jerkiness that the reel can be exhibit when subject to a direct drive(as opposed to an indirect may be a belt pulley or chain driving the reel).The drving motor has to be secured in place to provide a counter force attempting to hand hold this could damage wrists.
But the thread is actually about the redash reel and how two reels should be operated for the best results.Doesn't anybody else use two reels or have an opinion on this?
I have 2 reels in each van but use winding handles. I watch this with interest Clive..
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clicking is when it won't go beyond a trorque setting- such as when you do not want to rip the head off a screw.Snatching in this context refers to the jerkiness that the reel can be exhibit when subject to a direct drive(as opposed to an indirect may be a belt pulley or chain driving the reel).The drving motor has to be secured in place to provide a counter force attempting to hand hold this could damage wrists.
But the thread is actually about the redash reel and how two reels should be operated for the best results.Doesn't anybody else use two reels or have an opinion on this?
Yes you are a lazy git... ;D
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This thread doesn't seem to have captured peoples interest at all.What i am saying ,as a two reel user, is that both remain on the van all of the time- fixed, and both exit from the same door with one behind the other.With one man doing the fronts and the other the backs.There must be other ways of doing this, and some of you must use them, i was just seeking a wider range of opinions as to the optimum method.
One of the redash reels(not this one) had a stacking system where one can go on top of the other, but as i prefer to work at chest height, and with my tank as a base already giveing me this i don't think the height needed would be available in my van.
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couldnt they exit from different exits, thus i guess they wouldnt be on top of each other ( so to speak )
you could cut a small hole in the van floor ? ? ?
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It's about what's best. I'm saying this is, but some that have ports with rollers are good.One posted on here that was attached to the roof with a swing arm.
I'm losing interest in this topic myself because of the lack of interest from others and am going to lock it.
But let me give you one unrelated tip if you want to score a few brownie points with the wife.Now that i have help i can maybe start having a day off.I have worked every day for two years.(i have to do a lot-buying on sundays or at night for instance for the market business).
Anyway my wife works hard too and we have a child and quite a large house- slumpbuster hall- and she complains that she has to hover and wash the extensive flooring on her day off.A couple of times she's got me to do it.
Anyway after an item on the jonathan Ross show yesterday i bought a roomba 530 (john lewis don't stock the 560).
This is a robot that vacuums and cleans the whole house and returns to its docking station to recharge.
Absolutley fantastic results. Cheers guys end of thread
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My wife has christened it skivvy and i have never seen her in such a good mood. Mr's A ect if you are reading this tell alex to get the moths out of his wallet ;D ;D
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Having been part of a two man operation now for a couple weeks i thought i'd share my thoughts about the best working methods.
Exiting from the same door worked fine when both reels were electrically driven, but since being forced to switch one to manual operation this has led to some tangles between the two hoses.Also the redash seems to rock a bit on wind- in if not secured.
So at the moment we are exiting from seperate doors.The chap i have helping me has picked the job up very fast and has had no trouble in operating the electric reel, and since having to wind in manually while I use the electric one is in no doubt which is the better method and the least tireing.
The second redash has arrived and awaits modification.
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Electric reel? I didn't know you had an electric reel?
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My wife has christened it skivvy and i have never seen her in such a good mood. Mr's A ect if you are reading this tell alex to get the moths out of his wallet ;D ;D
My mrs won't let me buy one,.. she prefers to make me do it the hard way. :(
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I've got two, okay ones not working because the reel couldn't take the torque. This is the point of the thread that Alex pointed me at a more robust reel. I've been using electrically driven reels for over a year with great success. I believe a few others do so too.
Not everyone's a believer including Alex who quoted £850 plus for one with the proviso that the engine must be left running so as not to drain the battery.He felt this is not something a window cleaners needs.But he's wrong about that, on domestic there is nothing better.
At the moment the bits are being made to convert the redashes.I see this as a genuine advance, and can't for the life of me see why it attracts so much ridicule.
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since this last post the original reel has been repaired by putting a metal shaft into it and the two redash reels have been converted into electric reels. I now have four fully functioning electric reels.Here's a picture of the two redashe ones.
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i bought one because of your thread, was looking for a decent reel that wouldnt fall to pieces after a year or so
anyways when i got it, i was impressed very sterdy, larger and heavier than i was thinking,
I do like the large circumference of the reel thought, this means that reeling in is quicker and with less effort, i like how it doesnt leak, and you can use pro end fittings, and not rubbish hoselock.
all in all, a very good reel, bit heavy, bit unstable sideways, but i would buy another
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Nice reels Slumpbuster :)
I am not against electric reels, just I didn't feel that £850 for the currently available 'off-the-shelf' options were viable. I like the drive adpater that you have fitted to your reels.
The more I think about portable drills being used the more I think that it is a cost effective option. There are some very powerful flat professional drills on the market that would work very well and take up less space, perhaps even able to be attached to one of the support legs of the reel.
How long does a charge on the drill last?
I think the perfect combo would be your electric reel and Tim's roller set-up on the other thread.
With regards to the ROBO-VAC it looks far too expensive and Mrs.A would miss the fun of hoovering!!
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With regards to the ROBO-VAC it looks far too expensive and Mrs.A would miss the fun of hoovering!!
Well i might get my Mrs A one, its only a flat but gets so dirty all the time
alternatively a monkey with skills
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The roomba can be gotten on the internet for £220 delivered. I have convinced several people to get one since having mine and they are all glad i did.
I work very hard, as does my wife, this is an excellent option if you have a large house that is relatively clean.You are very lucky mr's a is so supportive, in biz, on the forum, and otherwise.
The electric drive works very well, my helper had no trouble at all learning to use it, and when my reel broke he hated the few days when he had to hand crank it.
Screw fix send me email offers and i bought a makita drill with three 1.3 ah batteries for £84(two speed and it has to be on the slower speed for the correct torque).They take about 20min to recharge and mostly i would use two batteries in a day.
When i got my helper and we had two electric reels in use off one drill i was borderline using all three. I wanted to buy another but screwfix no longer sell them.However, i had bought my dad one, so i purloined two of his batteries (giving me five).
I have now bought an hitachi £79.99 from screwfix with three 1.4ah batteries and a torch.Dad will have that and i will have a second makita and six batteries.
In everyday use i would expect me and my helper to get through one and a half batteries each, but it's nice to have a safety margin.
The bits took my dad a long time to machine, but it's possible that an engineering company could do the same thing in a simpler and more cost effective way.
The reel that broke has now been fixed by replacing the insides with metal parts.
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1.3 & 1.4ah batteries are not very long lasting, a bit old hat, that's why they're thrown in with the offers.
Erbuer (screwfix's own brand) 18v come with 2.0ah as standard, or even better, fork out for a Lion power pack. ;)
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It's a bit confusing for someone like me who doesn't know. Many drills are £250, so £80 always seems a cheaper option.Often these dearer ones only have one battery.
The makita has been hammered every day for over a year and is still good.
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It's a bit confusing for someone like me who doesn't know. Many drills are £250, so £80 always seems a cheaper option.Often these dearer ones only have one battery.
The makita has been hammered every day for over a year and is still good.
Very good drills don't get me wrong but it wouldn't be 80 quid with a better battery either. ;)
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the more expensive drills will have the newer type of battery which will last much longer
then again slumpy, i have told you how to get over the battery issue, you can then get a 85 aph battery that will last you ages till you have to charge again