Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Ste M on September 16, 2009, 08:42:42 pm
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Hi this is my first post on here so please be gentle ;D
Ive been cleaning windows now for the last 6 years, ive got a good round that i have built up over the years an all of my customers are very happy with the service i provide. I have always used the traditional cleaning methods with a ladder. The majority of my houses are link detached so i have to climb over a garage to get to the back of the houes. I clean 2,3 and 4 bedroom houses with and without conservatories and all are 2 story traditional houses.
I am continously asked to clean more houses but i simply dont have the time to do any more at the moment as i have also started cleaning some single story industrial units. What im after is if anyone has made the switch from traditional cleaning to the WFP system on houses like i do, if they have is there any benifit that can be obtained like speed and a better and easier clean? Also how much would a set up cost to get me started and what exactly would i need? i keep reading about the backpacks and i think this is what i may need as i have to jump over the back of some of my houses.
Any help would be appreciated.
cheers ste
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Why dont you get a system and start using it only on the new custy's. Explain to them all they need to know. If you loose any coz they dont like it then theres no prob as you have a full round.
But before you start on a paying custy, practise on your own house
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cheers for the reply steve,
what are the benifits though? are they genuinely better and quicker? what would a set up cost roughly?
The new estates that are popping up around my way have a lot of 3 story house on them so if i want to expand then the WFP i the way to go, plus if i do expand then i will need staff and i would feel better if the lads are on the floor rather than 30 ft up in the air if they have no real experiance of ladder work.
cheers ste
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Theres a minfield of answers to your questions.
Your best bet is to do a search on here for wfp startup and go from there.
Price will depend on if you want to buy all setup or build your own (theres loads on info on here and Matts the best one to ask) Or is it van mounted backpack or trolley system.
You need a good day to get your head around it all.
I have found to date that the most costly part of the system is the pole. In fact I have just today bought a 44ft supermax carbon pole and that has set me back £695 and that was cheap. But whatever you do you cannot scrimp on your pole. Due to having cheap ali and f/glass poles I have bad tennis elbow so I hope the new pole will help in my recovery
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I went over to water fed pole a bout three months ago. Its the best thing i have ever done.
The initial clean was a bit of a pain in the a*** as i had to clean all the frames as well to prevent any runs or smears. Generally i was doing about 15% less work than i would have been on the ladders.
However come the the second clean i would estimate i was doing about 30%more than i was on the ladders previously. Having to explain to every customer how the system works was a bit of a nuisance. Had i have started again i would have done a information sheet explaining how it works and what teethng problems there might be instead of repeating myself 25 times a day.
If you do a DIY system you can proably get started for about £1000. Iwill say dont buy any budget equipment as its just a waste of money. Buy good quality gear and you will not regret it.
As for your dilema about going over garages, i just have a 7ft set of points that fit in the back of the van that i use to get up on to a roof then carry them over with my pole. i have a ladder on the roof rack but i only use it maybe 5 times a week at the very most.
My only regret is that i did not move on to wfp sooner.
Hope this is of some help to you., Rich
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cheers for the replies
I have been watching some videos on the WFP system and it looks great, i understand totally about buying the best you can afford, that is also my attitude, you get what you pay for. Do you guys have a water filtration set up at home then? how do you go with your water bills? im on a meter so i can see things getting expensive, although my in laws live round the corner and they dont have a meter so maybe i could start filling up there ;)
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Definetly get comfy round the outlaws place. I would not evn like to guess what the bills would be like on a meter. I have to 20" pre filters, sediment and carbon followed by a hf5 ro membrane in a 4040champ housing. this system also has a clarke booster pump to sort out my cr*p water pressure. This gets my tds level down to about 4. Then i have a di resin vessel in the van to finish the water purifacation off. I found this was the best way as it freed up alot of space and weight in my van