Traditional window cleaner using a pole

[Tony Hall]

Hi Gang,

Is there anyone here who uses a pole when cleaning the upper windows instead of a ladder, I'm not the most confident person on a ladder and I'm just wondering how hard it is with pole work ?

How do you get round the problem of cleaning the window frames when you just use the pole and not ladders ?

Any advice you could give me would be brill.:thumbsup:

 

[Jake]

You might as well go wfp mate?

It's not ideal doing trad without a ladder, it's time consuming and not the most accurate... Usually it's only for hard to access windows that people will use a trad pole...

 

[Dave B]

It is possible and i used to do it a lot

It takes a while to master

If you want to see how it's done get on utube and look at Christopher Dawber vids

Wfp is a better option though

 

[Dave B]

I must break mine out as i am missing it

May have a go trad pole on a few windows tomorrow

Been tradding bottoms today for a change up

Nice to do something different now and then to avoid boredom

I have a couple of houses i used to trad pole tomorrow so will put the scrubber back on the wag and have a play

I think it's important to keep the skills you learn in case of wfp breakdown etc

 

[armagh27]

I use a Harris pole with a unger visa versa then I have another pole with a big sponge end to mop the frames up with, like has been said not ideal but sometimes needs must.....

 

[sparkey74]

We personally, now a days, never use poles for top windows.

We used to (back in the day) & it is possible however it is very time consuming & sometimes nigh on in possible to clean the frames properly compared to a very good wfp system for the same window.

Your method of madness to clean them awkward windows you will find over time.

My advice would be, build your confidence on a ladder first (it will work), or needs be take a helping hand (if possible) for the days that are needed.

And any work too awkward at the moment leaves be.

 

[sambo]

don't want to highjack the thread but a customer of mine wants her big inside windows cleaning - I know how to trad clean but never done it on a pole - my question is what attaches my moerman squeegee handle to the end of the pole I already have which has an acme thread? I think moerman said it fits to a locking cone but not sure if there's any differences to different cones etc and dont want to waste moeny/time experimenting with the wrong bits and pieces.

 

[Dave B]

What pole do you have??

 

[sambo]

What pole do you have??

its just a non branded 2m pole that extends to 4m, the end is a part which has a spring loaded ball clip in (like the little button you press in on a kids scooter to make the handle higher!) which attaches to the pole and an acme thread to screw things to. the handle of the squeegee fits fairly snuggly tbh but i dont know if thats secure enough?

 

[Dave B]

Give it a go ..if it is no good put a moerman end cone on it as their squeegees will fit tight on that

May need some bodging though but is doable

 

[Dave B]

I use an unger optiloc cone on an unger adjustable crank on my harris pole as most squeegees fit well on that and the wagtail fits better than it does on a wagtail end

 

[Underdog]

to me upstairs windows on a pole is a no no. i watch vids on youtube of them doing straight pulls one after the other. i cannot see how the second pull doesnt streak. unless you wipe at least the blade or top of window before the second pull its in my opinion impossible to get it streak free. some will say theres no streaks but they are either blind or lying. its too time consuming to do it properly. just use ladder or wfp.

 

[Dave B]

I can do upstairs with a pole and have done quite successfully

Before going wfp i used to regularly do certain houses with no ladder due to awkwardness of getting them to the job

I use the fanning method with a wagtail

To avoid the top edge needing wiping

I used to do this with seperate applicator and 0° swiveloc also

It takes a while to learn the technique properly but is a handy skill to have if needed

I am not blind or lying

 

[Underdog]

fanning upstairs is a skill i dont have so i salute you sir. my comments were to those who straight pull. i just cant see how it works. i suppose i could be proved wrong but for me its always streaked and iv tried everything like wiggles before you pull down etc. nothing stops the streaks unless you wipe blade first and top edge. thats time consiming on a pole

 

[TolishAPurd]

Hi Gang,
Is there anyone here who uses a pole when cleaning the upper windows instead of a ladder, I'm not the most confident person on a ladder and I'm just wondering how hard it is with pole work ?

How do you get round the problem of cleaning the window frames when you just use the pole and not ladders ?

Any advice you could give me would be brill.:thumbsup:

I said the same in another thread like this. Trad pole work is like ******* in the wind. Great for the odd window, Ok for the odd house. But rubbish for using all the time. I can fan and straight pull trad pole just fine but if Isuddenly got a fear of ladders I would buy a wfp setup in a heartbeat.

 

[Dave B]

Before i went wfp i did it by pole but now i have discovered wfp i wouldn't bother..purely as i always scrub the frames well nowadays and can't do that with wag n pole

 

[DannyB]

BTW, many windows aren't (at least directly) easily accessible with a ladder because they are above bays. If it was possible to simply climb on those bays using a ladder, it would be a piece of cake to clean them while standing on the top of a bay. But not all bays are robust enough to support a guy with all his tools, and not all custies would allow you to climb on their bays.

Does anyone have experience regarding what sorts of bays are safe or unsafe and how to talk to custies about climbing on them?

How would you asses for instance this very ordinary type of bay?

http://media02.living4media.com/wmpreviews/MTQ3Nzc2NTUx/11367427.jpg

 

[Dave B]

I would stand on it or wfp it

Not fallen through one yet as they need to be built to a certain standard

 

[TolishAPurd]

@DannyB

Don't even mention it to them, its just how its done. The ones you have linked to are fine for standing on, or more like, in. As with any roofs or the like be careful when stepping from ladder to roof, and test your weight a little to make sure its not creaking/soft/rotten.

 

[DannyB]

@DannyB
Don't even mention it to them, its just how its done. The ones you have linked to are fine for standing on, or more like, in. As with any roofs or the like be careful when stepping from ladder to roof, and test your weight a little to make sure its not creaking/soft/rotten.

Cheers mate. It sounds like a real life of trad windie. And I may be doing it like that within few weeks. But now I'm still tempted a bit to occasionally use a trad pole on such windows and charge a couple quid more for it...

 

[sparkey74]

Traditional cleaning wise,

These types of roofs can leak & will leak with the wear & tear (unless there properly done).

Before you start the job, tell the customer this & ask whether they want them cleaned, if they say yes with the warning then it is there problem & not yours.

However, if you do start to clean without a customers consent then so be it & be on your head & expense.