[Fieldsy]

Having started like most with traditional we have now seen the advantages of wfp. We have a few customers who have had wfp in the past, didn't like it, "water everywhere, streaks etc...", so for those we have no problem if they really do insist on trad. I really don't mind going up and down the ladder a few times a day. Unfortunately we have a set of flats that have 8 windows each, 4 top flats and 4 bottom, so on these I am up and down the ladder 32 times !!!!!!!. They are not big windows, just one individual but spaced apart...........so for thsi alone wfp would be worth it.


Ok, here goes all the q's. Ideally we want a backpack as a starter, as one will probs do trad downstairs whilst wfp up top.
I'm not one to just ask outright and expect it handed on a plate, I like to do my research, get a bit of an understanding and then fill in the blanks. I have searched as much as possible on here with regards to requirements and tools etc..., and this is what I've established so far. So any advice, patience and............understanding will be appreciated...lol

Firstly, we are in a very hard water area, so my intial thoughts is to buy a TDS meter, found one on ebay for £15.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=320365198097

So, from this, I've established I am going to need an RO unit rather than a DI unit (although as yet not fully understanding how to set one up). Have seen a 125 gpd ro unit with DI on ebay for around £100. So I thought this would be ok.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REVERSE-OSMOSIS-RO-PURE-WATER-125-GPD-DI-UNIT_W0QQitemZ380077269778QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item587e5ee312&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1686|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

Next thing, backpack, having scrolled through all possibilities, decided on the wcw backpack for around £100.

http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/shop/index.php/Backpacks/Test/Detailed-product-flyer.html

I require 2x water butts (not sure why at the moment...lol), but I know one is to store the pure water.

5-6 25litre containers for storage on the van.


Ok, to the pole, read on here that a Gardiners would be a good choice, with a 5ft-21ft pole for around £90 with brush, so have gone to the site found the pole, but really not sure of the requirements I would need in the drop down boxes...i.e what type of brush??, gooseneck type G-FIT type 1, G-Fit type 2 etc..., and do I need the plastic adjustable neck for £2.50 and last drop down is connnection type??? Is the length of hose on the pole included on this type.

http://www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Glass_Fibre_X-Tel_Premium_Poles.html


What type of hose do I require connecting the bottom of the pole to the backpack, how long approx???, which type, and what  connection required on pole and backpack end.


Bored yet?..............sorry it goes on...lol

I think thats pretty much established what I need (if anything left out, please advise).
Ok, to the setting up.

What actually reduces the TDS to 000, by that I mean after putting tap water through the RO does it automatically reduce it to 000, or is it likely to be higher even after the RO and DI, and if it is, do you have to live with this level or can something be adjusted to get it down to 000. Sorry, hope that makes sense.

RO UNIT.
Am I right in thinking, the RO unit is connected to the tap, and basically filters the water into the water butt, and in the above unit the DI unit automatically does its job (will it need resin??). What is the second butt for??.


After setting up the RO, it is just a matter of testing the TDS in the butt and adjusting the RO accordingly to reach a 000 level.

Pump the pure water from the butt into the containers and good to go



Phew!!!, thats about it at the moment, really sorry for the long post, but I like to get all my facts correct and right equipment before I jump in the deep end. Anyone who answers this, thanks so much for your patience and it really will be appreciated.

I've estimated the little lot above will be about £350-£400, which would be great!!!

Thanks for your time

Fieldsy

[Craig 72]

I recently got a backpack mate and it's a good bit of kit.I'm new to window cleaning in general and this post I did a while ago is very similar to yours.As you can see I got fantastic help from everybody on here.

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=72273.0#msg633138

[Fieldsy]

Hi Craig,

yep, thats the post I got most of the info from, but just adapted mine slightly and searched a few other places for equipment. What did you get in the end craig?? and roughly cost??. Did you have the same sort of thoughts/questions I have posted. If so, your input would be appreciated.

thanks
Fieldsy

[Fieldsy]

whoops forgot link to gardiners pole 

[mark dew]

Your choices for what you need at the moment seem well picked.
You will only need 1 water butt though and not 2. As they hold over 220 litres so you will get 8 or 9 barrels of water from them.

I wouldn't bother getting an extended gooseneck if money is tight. Some windows are better reached with the g type but they are fixed and the free plastic gooseneck is easier to work with and is adjustable.

You will be able to do alot more earning windows if you buy a 25ft pole.  Velux windows and townhouses etc.
As for the pole to backpack connections, just tell alex the backpack you are buying and ask if they will supply the type of fittings you need. Easy.
The pole is supplied with hose that is as long as the pole extended plus around a metre extra.
You might want to ask for an extra length of pole hose, say 10 metres, or you will be moving the backpack around every 2nd window or so. Which adds up to alot of unnecessary wasted time over the course of the day.

The ro unit won't bring the tds to 0 on its own. If you use 1 without a booster pump and your tap water has a tds of say 400, it will bring the tds down to around 25.
A di canister filled with resing will bring the tds down to 0 or near.
A booster pump for the ro unit will almost double the efficiency of the ro.

[Fieldsy]

Mark, thanks ever so much m8, short and sweet, but excellent info.

So,

Only one butt (good..lol)

Go for a  25ft Pole

Will I need to buy 10m of the clear hosing Mark?? 8mm. If so, how would I connect this to the pole hosing (sorry for naive question).......and in turn the 10m to the backpack. I've looked at the wcw backpack and it has hoselock or microbore tap choice. I assume I would opt for the microbore tap, and then the appropriate connector to attach this to the 10m.

The RO unit I posted has a DI canister, will this in turn bring the TDS to 000, and I assume I need to buy resin??


Booster Pump???
I assume inline before the RO unit?  any Recommendations Mark.

From this link Mark, the 24ft pole (as there is no 25ft) what brush would you select?, only need the plastic angled adapter for £2.50, not a gooseneck, correct??, and which hose fitting, as the pole hose will only be connecting to 10m of similar hosing. Is that correct Mark

http://www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Glass_Fibre_X-Tel_Premium_Poles.html


Thanks Once again for your input.

Regards
Fieldsy

[mark dew]

You don't want to connect clear hose to your pole. The pole already comes with clear hose. You just want it 5 or 10 metres longer than the 1 provided.
 
get the backpack with microbore fittings. Then choose your pole and tell them it is for microbore fittings. And can you have an extra 10 metres of pole hose with the pole instead of the standard length.
I prefer using longer pole hose cos it is very small and light. And 10 metres of it will allow you to place the backpack down once or twice and work from there.

I dunno where to get a booster pump from. I got mine from gardiners when they sold them. But windowcleaning warehouse should sell them. Look on their site.

[mark dew]

Oh yeah, if you start doing wfp on more than just the upstairs windows then a 25ft glass fibre pole will be awkward to work with as an all round pole. The best cheapy out there is the glass fibre 17ft x-tel. Light and short lengths which is good for downstairs windows.

[Fieldsy]

Thanks Mark, just modified my thread before reading yours. So in effect, just one long hose from the brush to the backpack (all one piece in other words. So length of pole plus 10m extra. Are they happy to do this Mark, or something I would have to do by buying extra length. Obviously no probs to do it myself.

I was under the impression the 21ft xtel reduced to 5ft, so ok for downstairs??. I read it on here somewhere.


Information excellent Mark. Thanks very much for your time.


Pricing up,

Tds meter £15
R/0 Unit    £102
Backpack  £100
6x25l containers £36
Water Butt          £20 approx
Brush (not sure which one) £30
Adjustable Neck                  £2.50
Hose Connector                  £5.40
Booster Pump (not found one yet in stock), but I'm assuming about £80-£90.

Total Approx £400+pp

Sound about right???. Anything I may have missed??

Thanks Fieldsy

[mark dew]

Yes just 1 length from the brush to the backpack. Just ask the supplier of your pole for it.

[Fieldsy]

Nice one Mark, just priced up above, seem ok to you. Just not sure of brush type??, see my link above. That seems like everything m8. Was I correct about the 21ft x-tel??............and can't find a booster pump at the mo, get an error on wcw page.

cheers Mark, Fieldsy



Just found this RO100gpd  CO1  ro unit/booster pump/ DI unit and tds meter combined


http://www.johnhewitt.com/ro.htm   Would save me about £30, but not sure if an all in one system would be beneficial and its a 100gpd rather than 125gpd (I'm sure it wouldn't make much difference though)

[paul saunders]

Just found this RO100gpd  CO1  ro unit/booster pump/ DI unit and tds meter combined


http://www.johnhewitt.com/ro.htm   Would save me about £30, but not sure if an all in one system would be beneficial and its a 100gpd rather than 125gpd (I'm sure it wouldn't make much difference though)

I have one of these, I get about 350litre in 24hrs.
Good peice of kit. I didn't get a TDS meter though. :

[Fieldsy]

Hi, Did you get it from the site I posted??, or elsewhere. Reason I am a bit sceptical, they are a diving company  .......providing window cleaning equipment

thanks

Fieldsy

[paul saunders]

Yes, and if you order one, tell him I want my tds meter.

[Craig 72]

Hi Craig,

yep, thats the post I got most of the info from, but just adapted mine slightly and searched a few other places for equipment. What did you get in the end craig?? and roughly cost??. Did you have the same sort of thoughts/questions I have posted. If so, your input would be appreciated.

thanks
Fieldsy

I bought almost everything that was suggested by D B Services in that link I put up.The R/O unit was the one he suggested from e-bay not window cleaning warehouse though.Personally though,in hindsight I don't have enough customers at the moment to need a unit that makes an incredible amount of pure water a day so I could have made do with something cheaper.That pole I got is very good.Being an absolute beginner to wfp I thought the pole came seperate to the hose/brush etc and you had to connect them all together manually.It doesn't though,the hose is built into it,running down the inside of the pole so you just connect the pole to the backpack and away you go.I only bothered with one garden butt for now.Cost me 20 odd quid from Wickes.I got everything for about £450 (if memory serves).If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.I'm still very new to all this myself but a lot of the questions you're asking are the ones I was asking myself a few months ago so I might be able to assist.

[lee_dewing]

fieldsy,

I think everything's been covered here but i reccomend going to see someone's setup and also spending a bit of time working with someone on here.

I'm happy to do this i live waltham abbey essex m25 junction 26.

don't know where you are.
Must warn you i'm no wfp guru

But i found it helpful viewing ro system setup.

I have freedom trolley, 10 barrels in my ford escort 75, average 8 a day.

I have 625 ltr tank in my parents garage.

I decided against water butt idea not transparent can't see when full.

Also i'd go for 200gpd system, i think 100 gpd system with water butt is good starting block but it won't be long before you out grow it.

Thanks lee.

[EZclean]

i got RO from john hewitt, he is a window cleaner in selby, near york. very nice guy. very helpful, i had teething problems at first with the 400gpd twin pump RO, but its a perfect RO now for what i need. goes by Red Hat Diving/Beechcroft Diving on Ebay.
get the biggest producing RO you can afford, it wont be long before your doing all windows wfp. ive only been wfp 4/5 months

[Fieldsy]

Thanks once again for everyones input, great advice and information. Lee, thanks very much for the offer m8, may take you up on that 

@Lee, on average how many houses are you able to clean each day with your 8 barrels setup?? It will give me some idea of what can be achieved with this type of system.

@EZclean   Yes have mailed John and he has got back to me, and told me what is included in the 100gpd setup and how to go about it. He does state that the DI unit is small, so I am just wondering if it will be sufficient to bring TDS to 000 ??

@Craig, some good points there, as I am probs in exactly the same position as you were. Just one question Craig??, what fitment did you have at the end of the pole hose to connect to the backpack. WCW gives you choice of hozelock or microbore tap. Having been advised to get a longer pole hose (10m), I'm just wondering what connection you had at the end of the pole hose to connect to the backpack.   Ooops, one more q Craig, what ro unit did you decide on Craig as I can't see any links on your posts to the ebay item you said you purchased and did it have a built in  booster pump or did you buy a separate pump.

Sorry for all the q's people and thanks for your patience.

Thanks again for all the information. It really is a big help and certainly now giving me the knowledge of what I need to buy.

Cheers
Fieldsy

[mark dew]

Thanks once again for everyones input, great advice and information. Lee, thanks very much for the offer m8, may take you up on that 

@Lee, on average how many houses are you able to clean each day with your 8 barrels setup?? It will give me some idea of what can be achieved with this type of system.

@EZclean   Yes have mailed John and he has got back to me, and told me what is included in the 100gpd setup and how to go about it. He does state that the DI unit is small, so I am just wondering if it will be sufficient to bring TDS to 000 ??

You will probably only do 1 whole 3 bed semi with 25 litres of water in the beginning. But after awhile on maintenance cleans you should be able to do 2 X 3 bed semis with 1 barrel.
Obviously you can multiply this by 2 or 3 if you are only doing the tops.

You almost certainly won't achieve 0 tds with the small di canister unless you have a booster pump for your ro unit.
But it will be low enough to clean windows with.

[Fieldsy]

Thanks Mark,

Obviously a unit with combined DI doesn't sound as if it will do the business??, so what independant size would you reccommend. I've seen 10" DI units. Are these standard, and will they need a booster pump to still achieve the 000 tds.

Are Booster pumps essential in low pressure water systems or are they purely for the ro unit to work more efficiently??

For example would say a 100gpd work just as efficient with a pump as say a 200gpd without??

I'm trying to establish if the pump is only a requirement to produce the water quicker or is it a major component in getting the tds to a 0 level.


sorry more q's Mark...lol

thanks

Fieldsy