[Neil Gornall]

I bought a dragonfly for a specific job; the idea was to do the entire building (internal) using it. Part of the job is about 45' high so I thought dragonfly was the best option, as no access with mechanical lift is possible and they won’t allow scaffolding, I tried poling it but there are too many steel joists in the way and the results were poor.

I started the job a few weeks ago, I can only work 5 hours at a time one day a week. The first day I worked for 2.5 hours thinking the results were great but as soon as the sun came out I was gutted.
All dragonfly had done was put the dirt and grime into solution and spread it evenly over the glass, I could write my name in it.
I had to re clean the entire office and have ended up cleaning the whole building by hand.
Now however I am on the final bit (the high stuff) and have to use the dragonfly, once again the results are terrible.

Anyone got any suggestions? I was thinking maybe of adding detergent to the water, cleaning, then re cleaning with just pure.
I have used easyshine in the past and find it great on maintenance cleans, but as a first time cleaning method IT SUCKS!!!

[trevor perry]

i know what you mean we did a simalar job about 40ft high no scaffold allowed and no access for cherrypicker, i cleaned them first with a wagtail squegee  on pole to remove most dirt ,using the wagtail also prevented dirty water dripping onto the sills after that i went over them with the easyshine head which is simply the dragonfly without the spray this removed the odd mark around steel fixings, it was very time consuming years ago it would have been a doddle using ladders

[Smudger]

thats pretty much how i found the easyshine, you either do 1st cleans twice for use applicator on pole and microfibre off then use easyshine..

good news tho..........




next time it will look good after the 1st try 

Darran

[Neil Gornall]

Thanks guys, I will try going over it first with applicator. its a pain though, I hate doing a job twice.

[Paul Coleman]

Thanks guys, I will try going over it first with applicator. its a pain though, I hate doing a job twice.

It is a pain.  Those pads are no good for first cleans.  They are OK for regular maintenance cleans though.
A mistake I used to make was using too much water with them.  Just a tiny spray is all that is needed.  Indeed, it;s better that way.

[Liam1990]

Can it not just be done with a wagtail on a pole instead of using a dragon fly or am I missing something about it ?

[Paul Coleman]

Can it not just be done with a wagtail on a pole instead of using a dragon fly or am I missing something about it ?

I doubt it's possible to get decent working angles all the time.  Especially when beams are in the way or a window is deeply recessed and you can't stand back far enough.

[bobby p]

i found using a damp scrim wrapped around a swivel applicater works great .the Unger 14 inch locks if you need to get a certain angle . you need a pile of scrim ready   so once ones dirty get a fresh one. i leave the original mop on ,dry ,and just fold the scrim on over it.   if the glass hasnt been touched in yonks id mop it first though with a wet applicater

[Neil Gornall]

Can it not just be done with a wagtail on a pole instead of using a dragon fly or am I missing something about it ?

I doubt it's possible to get decent working angles all the time.  Especially when beams are in the way or a window is deeply recessed and you can't stand back far enough.

yes that’s the reason I decided to use a dragonfly as there are steel beams in the way, not much angle and generally it’s just awkward.

I spoke to my supplier yesterday who in turn spoke to the distributors; they suggested an additive in the water for first cleans. He is sending me some this week and I will try it this Saturday.
I will let you know how I get on.

[Neil Gornall]

Well I am pleased to say it worked.
The additive they sent did the job of breaking down the dirt; I then just used a clean pad to polish it off. Hopefully from now on it will be a simple clean every 6 months.

I have been working on this particular job every weekend since Jan 4th so am glad it worked. Insides are now done so I can concentrate on the outsides now. 3 more weeks should do it. 

[Smudger]

C'mon them Neil whats the additive 

Darran

[scud]

  I think it is a chemical ammonia, product code P155.

[Neil Gornall]

C'mon them Neil whats the additive 

Darran

Sorry forgot to say what it was,

Evans High Class.  Nothing special but it did a good job, ideal for blade work too.

Scud, product code P155?  something I need to know about?