[jeff1]

I'm trying to do away with my ladders completely and found myself having to take them just to get the ecover (or TFR for some guy's) up to the finials and trim of conservatory roofs, I have a spare Harris pole in the workshop and clicked on the idea to convert it for ecover applications.

once the conversion was complete I tested it and it worked a treat, I even tried it on my own guttering and was able to cover the guttering quite easily with ecover, the little rose you see on the end can quite easily be the longer arm that comes with the pressure applicator, I just preferred the little rose that came with mine.

One cable tie to hold the trigger down and another 2 to hold it to the pole.
At the barrel end, I held the tube and bent it to stop ecover coming out straight away and found it never worked properly to achieve the pressure, I just let go of it in the end and pumped the barrel and hey presto out squirts the ecover for easy application of your TFR to the roof of conservatories or guttering.

Here is a few pictures.



 

[*Mr Tumble]

Jeff,

How have you adapted the bottle?  Did youhave to add your own tubing and did it come with the nozzle/spray end?

How about the spray - is it fine enough or might you want to put a finer mesh over the end to achieve more of an atomised spray?

[jeff1]

Jeff,

How have you adapted the bottle?  Did youhave to add your own tubing and did it come with the nozzle/spray end?

How about the spray - is it fine enough or might you want to put a finer mesh over the end to achieve more of an atomised spray?

I added my own tubing Mr T, the one supplied isn't long enough, I can now sit the bottle on the ground.

The little rose you see came with it, there is a little control you can see, if you turn it you can control the spray to a fine mist, I have mine set like a shower for a heavier application, the lance that comes with these spray bottles is good enough and there nozzles are also adjustable for heavy or fine mist.

[pure-water]

Great pictures.

Done the same myself.

Just thought that if you were able to use a simple valve near the base you could control it a bit more, it helps when moving from one area to another.

Again, great pictures. Everyone should be able to do the same.

Martin

[jeff1]

If you notice on my barrel there is a release valve, when I want it to stop I just lift it to release the pressure and the application stops.

I suppose it would be simple enough to add a trigger at the base end and will go out now and see  if it works with one.

[jeff1]

Just added a trigger

[*Mr Tumble]

Great work.

Only thing is I have yet to be convinced that spraying on tfr and then merely rinsing will clean gutters/fascia/soffits up in the way that can be achieved by scrubbing up close by hand.

[michael papworth]

Great work.

Only thing is I have yet to be convinced that spraying on tfr and then merely rinsing will clean gutters/fascia/soffits up in the way that can be achieved by scrubbing up close by hand.

I'm with you on this one, Mr T.

My problem has been short bristles and deep crevices.

Here's my solution. It's simply a broom and a spray on the end of a pole.



I've tested it using a VERY modest water flow resulting in a fine misty spray and turning the water:

on - to soak,
off - whilst scrubbing and then
on - again to rinse etc.

It's done a great job of cleaning up behind the gutter and up to the top of the gutter support brackets on my garage. The quality of the work appears to be as good as you'd get doing it up close and personal.

I'm going to put this idea together with Jeff1's idea and, hopefully eventually I'll come up with something of real merit and use to me and others like me.

It's not a high priority as of today, but will be when I get my next gutter job.

[xxmattyxx]

Where did you get that bracket from Mr Wally? 

[michael papworth]

This is a bodge job. The bracket is from a Halfords shackle lock. It's the bracket you attach to the frame to carry the lock while you're riding your bike!

This has been the problem for a few days - how to attach the spray to the tube.

I'm sure that there's a better way - I just haven't found it yet.

[*Mr Tumble]

Where did you get that bracket from Mr Wally? 

If it's what I fink it is, it's off a bicycle lock holding clamp.

I found one in the street one day and tried usng it to attach a garden hose to a pole to wash gutters out.

Google clamps/bike locks/etc.

Google 'plastic manufacturers' etc and see what you find.

[*Mr Tumble]

This is a bodge job. The bracket is from a Halfords shackle lock. It's the bracket you attach to the frame to carry the lock while you're riding your bike!

This has been the problem for a few days - how to attach the spray to the tube.

I'm sure that there's a better way - I just haven't found it yet.

Damn, beat me to it!  Yes, it's a bike lock.  They suit poles quite well, and usually have a thinnish rubber insert to pack things out.

[*Mr Tumble]

Jeff, was the pump botle you have a sort of standard jobbit you'd find in B&Q?

[michael papworth]

Damn, beat me to it!  Yes, it's a bike lock.  They suit poles quite well, and usually have a thinnish rubber insert to pack things out.

Hey. Take it easy. We're colleagues, not rivals!

[jeff1]

Great work.

Only thing is I have yet to be convinced that spraying on tfr and then merely rinsing will clean gutters/fascia/soffits up in the way that can be achieved by scrubbing up close by hand.

I don't think it would work Mr T I built mine purely to get ecover (TRF) to the tops of the conservatory, then I just brush clean.
As for the guttering I just though it would be a better idea than trying to apply it with a brush, a lot of guy's just dip there brush into a bucket of tfr and brush it onto the guttering, this way will be so much quicker and easier for these guy's.

I personally won't be using it for guttering work because I use a low pressure jet to apply mine from my lance and then replace the jet with a high pressure one and blast it off.

The pressure bottle I bought from Focus, so it is an off the shelf range, I think it cost me around £10 because they were closing down but there available anywhere.

This is a bodge job. The bracket is from a Halfords shackle lock. It's the bracket you attach to the frame to carry the lock while you're riding your bike!

This has been the problem for a few days - how to attach the spray to the tube.

I'm sure that there's a better way - I just haven't found it yet.

Wally if it makes your Job just that little quicker and easier then its not so much a bodge job but becomes a necessity to your work.
Mine is just something I knocked up within half an hour.

[michael papworth]

I think that your spray and my broom when combined in a sound and neat engineered package will be amazing!

Together they solve the problem of cleaning gutters, fascia and soffits from the ground.

I envisage the finished article being able to spray both TFR and 000 and brush the entire area to both agitate the tfr into the dirt and loosen it and then brush the 000 on to loosen the emulsion and then rinse it clean away.

On my last gutter job what I did was to use my regular wfp to reach what was possible and then used the broom on a pole to get the other out-of-reach bits. It was effective but time-consuming swapping from one pole to another and then back again.

Importantly, (i) the customer was delighted with the results and (ii) I stayed on the ground.

Together, we're onto something here.

[jeff1]

You only need to get under the guttering as far as the eye can see, cleaning behind it where you can't see is un-necessary in my mind, I can do it with the pressure washer and lance, so I don't have the problem.

Its just a case now then of finding the correct brush to add to the pole and use the pressure vessel as an overhead spray, or you could just clip it to the end of your wfp and remove again when its not needed.

I'll tell you what you could do??
The little lance that comes with the pressure vessel has fitted to the end a little adjustable Jet, Cut/saw a few inches of this tube section the Jet is fixed to. Add your own tubing and fix to your brush, you then have a discrete single over head Jet

[windowwashers]

You only need to get under the guttering as far as the eye can see, cleaning behind it where you can't see is un-necessary in my mind, I can do it with the pressure washer and lance, so I don't have the problem.

Its just a case now then of finding the correct brush to add to the pole and use the pressure vessel as an overhead spray, or you could just clip it to the end of your wfp and remove again when its not needed.

I'll tell you what you could do??
The little lance that comes with the pressure vessel has fitted to the end a little adjustable Jet, Cut/saw a few inches of this tube section the Jet is fixed to. Add your own tubing and fix to your brush, you then have a discrete single over head Jet

You only need to get under the guttering as far as the eye can see,

That is true, you cannot see dirt from the ground and if people want to go up and look they can do it so no need for you.

Why over complicate things, clean it with a brush if wfp, of clothes if trad, I for one when trad would not stand there getting every bit of dirt from behnd a gutter, they customer cant see it. and to charge extra time just to do this is not IMO in the customers interested and is at the same time, wasting your own.


Many very well educated people on this forum sometimes a little to educated and lack in common sence. (thats was not aimed at anyone by the way)
I am not well educated but have alot of common sence and experience in window cleaning.

[russ_clark]

nice ideas guys getting the tfr up to the top without using ladders.
Must say in the past I have dipped the brush into tfr if they were that bad.
Most of the time if its tops I just scrub with a brush then change heads on the pole I use 'powerpole from omnipole' to the jetwash spray attachment and blast it off.
Never had a complaint yet!
Hope I have not spoken too soon : :
Russ

[jeff1]

nice ideas guys getting the tfr up to the top without using ladders.
Must say in the past I have dipped the brush into tfr if they were that bad.
Most of the time if its tops I just scrub with a brush then change heads on the pole I use 'powerpole from omnipole' to the jetwash spray attachment and blast it off.
Never had a complaint yet!
Hope I have not spoken too soon : :
Russ

I use the gutter Lance from Northern tool to blast mine off, never had a complaint either.

Don't forget what I designed it for guy's and that was for the roof conservatories, so it will be a good all round tool.