[buzzing]

Defintitely going to start to use wfp system. At the moment traditional. If I am doing it in a car, want to throw all this stuff on my back seat (which is covered with a plastic sheet. Isn't a backpack better for starting out? Are they heavy?  Or should I go for a trolley?

 I will get short poles, someone recommended phonenix poles as they are shorter and might fit on my backseat, good ones?

 What brush shall i get?

 TDS meter?

Was thinking of big boy backpack from windowcleaning warehouse

[Window Lickers]

Go for a trolley but also use a reel at the same time.

[gary999]

Forget a trolley for using with a car,  backpack is far easier to
handle from a car and far cheaper, you can always get a fold away
trolley from B&Q to put it on if it gets too much.

[Window Lickers]

Now there's a man who doesn't know what he's talking about.

[Don Kee]

How many barrels you going to put in your car?
Personally (having known someone to do this out of a picasso and tried it) mount a pump and controller on a board, with the inlet split into two so you can draw from 2 barrels
You can then use a hose reel, and you've made yourself a diy car mount!
Mates worked quite well, and got him started on wfp. Also meant he could take it all out and use as a family car


He diy'd a harris pole for his work which fit in the car easily, but if going to buy a wfp then obviously buy one with a short closed length

Yes you want a tds metre so you know whether you need a r.o or just D.I

[Pete Thompson]

Honest answer:

Sell your car and get a van.

Yes you may think that's drastic, but honestly that's what you need to do.

Working from a car with wfp is not the same as working from a car with trad.

Using a car with ladders is easy, but using a car with wfp is a right pain.

You can pick up a decent berlingo or partner for under £2k, and get a nice 300 litre system fully fitted by a pro company for under £3k.  So that's a total set up for only £5k.

Don't know how much your car is worth, but say it was an old banger only worth £500:

Sell Car: £500
Tesco loan: £4,500

= £5,000

The payments on a tesco loan for £4,500 over 3 years are only £148 per month, so about £34 per week, and you'll have a proper set up.  Or keep the car for the missus and pay £151 a month instead.

Say even on a bad day £34 is 2 hours work.  I guarantee you that having a van system will save you MUCH more time than 2 hours per week, simply in faffing about filling up barrels and carting them about.

Speaking as someone who knows, as I've been in the same position as you, forget messing about with barrels and backpacks etc.  a van system is really the only decent thing to have.

If you go down the backpack/trolley/barrel/car route, I guarantee that in less than a year you'll wish you hadn't waste your time and money on it, and just got a van and system in the first place.  Yes its a lot of money to spend, but it's what you need.  Take a deep breath and do it properly.

Just my advice.

Also, by the way, backpacks, barrels, and trolleys are heavy.  It is hard work doing wfp with them, I'd even say its harder work than trad.  In contrast working from a van, where all you have to lift is a hose reel and pole, is so easy its like cheating.

[SeanK]

Pete couldn't agree more, brilliant post.

[Plankton]

I would go for the backpack route first. You can always upgrade at some point and the backpack will always come in handy. I'd go for one from Gardiner and stick it on a barra from B&Q.
It's not easy for everyone to just get a van and fully fitted setup. You can waste money on this and that but a backpack won't be a waste of money.

[Clever Forum Name]

Honest answer:

Sell your car and get a van.

Yes you may think that's drastic, but honestly that's what you need to do.

Working from a car with wfp is not the same as working from a car with trad.

Using a car with ladders is easy, but using a car with wfp is a right pain.

You can pick up a decent berlingo or partner for under £2k, and get a nice 300 litre system fully fitted by a pro company for under £3k.  So that's a total set up for only £5k.

Don't know how much your car is worth, but say it was an old banger only worth £500:

Sell Car: £500
Tesco loan: £4,500

= £5,000

The payments on a tesco loan for £4,500 over 3 years are only £148 per month, so about £34 per week, and you'll have a proper set up.  Or keep the car for the missus and pay £151 a month instead.

Say even on a bad day £34 is 2 hours work.  I guarantee you that having a van system will save you MUCH more time than 2 hours per week, simply in faffing about filling up barrels and carting them about.

Speaking as someone who knows, as I've been in the same position as you, forget messing about with barrels and backpacks etc.  a van system is really the only decent thing to have.

If you go down the backpack/trolley/barrel/car route, I guarantee that in less than a year you'll wish you hadn't waste your time and money on it, and just got a van and system in the first place.  Yes its a lot of money to spend, but it's what you need.  Take a deep breath and do it properly.

Just my advice.

Also, by the way, backpacks, barrels, and trolleys are heavy.  It is hard work doing wfp with them, I'd even say its harder work than trad.  In contrast working from a van, where all you have to lift is a hose reel and pole, is so easy its like cheating.

Or Add a few zeros and get an ionics system and you only need to earn £340 a day

[Pete Thompson]

Or Add a few zeros and get an ionics system and you only need to earn £340 a day

The price I gave was for an ionics system.  Well, pure2o, which is ionics budget range.  Basic one with RO and DI is just under £3k including vat and fitting.

[Clever Forum Name]

Or Add a few zeros and get an ionics system and you only need to earn £340 a day

The price I gave was for an ionics system.  Well, pure2o, which is ionics budget range.  Basic one with RO and DI is just under £3k including vat and fitting.

Proper one not the budget version.

[gary999]

Now there's a man who doesn't know what he's talking about.

Funny I have worked quite happily from an estate car for a few years
if the chap wants something portable as in pick up take with him and
use his best option is a pack which is easier to handle than a trolley system.

When I had my freedom trolley years ago it was a ball ache dropping in
and out of the car I ended up using it with 50mts of microbore from the car
which made the expense of the trolley pointless

Why waste money on a trolley when he could buy a pack for next to nothing
and if need be buy a 12ah battery a cheap 70psi propump stick it on a board
and use with some microbore from his vehicle,got it all covered for a lot
less expense than what you would pay for a so called trolley system.

[gary999]

Honest answer:

Sell your car and get a van.

Yes you may think that's drastic, but honestly that's what you need to do.

Working from a car with wfp is not the same as working from a car with trad.

Using a car with ladders is easy, but using a car with wfp is a right pain.

You can pick up a decent berlingo or partner for under £2k, and get a nice 300 litre system fully fitted by a pro company for under £3k.  So that's a total set up for only £5k.

Don't know how much your car is worth, but say it was an old banger only worth £500:

Sell Car: £500
Tesco loan: £4,500

= £5,000

The payments on a tesco loan for £4,500 over 3 years are only £148 per month, so about £34 per week, and you'll have a proper set up.  Or keep the car for the missus and pay £151 a month instead.

Say even on a bad day £34 is 2 hours work.  I guarantee you that having a van system will save you MUCH more time than 2 hours per week, simply in faffing about filling up barrels and carting them about.

Speaking as someone who knows, as I've been in the same position as you, forget messing about with barrels and backpacks etc.  a van system is really the only decent thing to have.

If you go down the backpack/trolley/barrel/car route, I guarantee that in less than a year you'll wish you hadn't waste your time and money on it, and just got a van and system in the first place.  Yes its a lot of money to spend, but it's what you need.  Take a deep breath and do it properly.

Just my advice.

Also, by the way, backpacks, barrels, and trolleys are heavy.  It is hard work doing wfp with them, I'd even say its harder work than trad.  In contrast working from a van, where all you have to lift is a hose reel and pole, is so easy its like cheating.

Interesting post and in ideal world correct but the guy might have other things to consider
like transporting a family around and also not  be able to justify at this moment the extra cost for a second vehicle

If this is the case using his existing vehicle is a sensible option at this time.

[buzzing]

I have been traditional just doing bungalows for year and a half.  It is a p/t gig (just Saturdays)I work in a language school during the week, but the money is crap and I do this for extra money.   I love window cleaning, but not sure if I want to go full time yet.  I also do a bit of gardening and handyman stuff and hoping to try my hands at a trade perhaps. My car is old and was planning to run it into the ground.   I have thought about a van, but I currently live in shared house cant have own RO (will buy water from a guy).  Maybe should get van, but other thing is girlfriend will have a baby in four months, i don't know if u can transport a baby in a van ?   

I guess a backpack is better than a trolley reading these arguments!

[buzzing]

How many barrels you going to put in your car?
Personally (having known someone to do this out of a picasso and tried it) mount a pump and controller on a board, with the inlet split into two so you can draw from 2 barrels
You can then use a hose reel, and you've made yourself a diy car mount!
Mates worked quite well, and got him started on wfp. Also meant he could take it all out and use as a family car


He diy'd a harris pole for his work which fit in the car easily, but if going to buy a wfp then obviously buy one with a short closed length

Yes you want a tds metre so you know whether you need a r.o or just D.I

Not sure how many barrels - thought 4 to begin with?

When you say controller and pump mounted on a board, do you mean the board is a piece of wood which you can move in and out of back seat?

[rosskesava]

Not sure how many barrels - thought 4 to begin with?

When you say controller and pump mounted on a board, do you mean the board is a piece of wood which you can move in and out of back seat?

4 is a good number to start with untill you get used to it and work out by trial and error what's best.

It's easier to have the pump, battery and controller attached to one thing like a bit of wood. No need to screw them on, just use stick on velcro. Also, try to keep the distance from the pump to the barrels as short as possible.

You'll find as time goes on that you'll think up better ways of having things.

A wfp pole that closes down very short is the Ionics Grafter either 24ft or 28ft. It's a good cheap'ish pole to start with although this being a pro Gardiners forum that suggestion will get a real slagging off.

A Harris pole is ok to use as well. I used one for a few years. Dead cheap but very wobbly over about 10ft.

[paul13]

Defintitely going to start to use wfp system. At the moment traditional. If I am doing it in a car, want to throw all this stuff on my back seat (which is covered with a plastic sheet. Isn't a backpack better for starting out? Are they heavy?  Or should I go for a trolley?

 I will get short poles, someone recommended phonenix poles as they are shorter and might fit on my backseat, good ones?

 What brush shall i get?

 TDS meter?

Was thinking of big boy backpack from windowcleaning warehouse

Hi buzzing, good luck wfp. Peter (Broxburn cleaning products) has a micro trolley
out which is super light and very strong and i think its only about £250
it can also have a small di canister attached so you can fill up at custys tap.

[buzzing]

Defintitely going to start to use wfp system. At the moment traditional. If I am doing it in a car, want to throw all this stuff on my back seat (which is covered with a plastic sheet. Isn't a backpack better for starting out? Are they heavy?  Or should I go for a trolley?

 I will get short poles, someone recommended phonenix poles as they are shorter and might fit on my backseat, good ones?

 What brush shall i get?

 TDS meter?

Was thinking of big boy backpack from windowcleaning warehouse

Hi buzzing, good luck wfp. Peter (Broxburn cleaning products) has a micro trolley
out which is super light and very strong and i think its only about £250
it can also have a small di canister attached so you can fill up at custys tap.

Is it small enough to go on backseat?   

How heavy is the big boybackpack?

[paul13]

Defintitely going to start to use wfp system. At the moment traditional. If I am doing it in a car, want to throw all this stuff on my back seat (which is covered with a plastic sheet. Isn't a backpack better for starting out? Are they heavy?  Or should I go for a trolley?

 I will get short poles, someone recommended phonenix poles as they are shorter and might fit on my backseat, good ones?

 What brush shall i get?

 TDS meter?

Was thinking of big boy backpack from windowcleaning warehouse

Hi buzzing, good luck wfp. Peter (Broxburn cleaning products) has a micro trolley
out which is super light and very strong and i think its only about £250
it can also have a small di canister attached so you can fill up at custys tap.

Is it small enough to go on backseat?   

How heavy is the big boybackpack?

Defo will go on back seat handle comes off
and the weight will be similar to the big boy.

[rosskesava]

Forget made up trolleys.

Maplins trolley or similar, barrel, pump from ebay, either a controller (£50) or a voltage regulator (£5), hose, jubilee thingies, some wood and some thought about how to make the idea work, well under £100.