Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

aqua-dapter

Best thing since Mr Hovis decided to make life easier for people with blunt knives.

Get spare springs though. I've not had a grommet problem.

Don't get their red hose for use with hot water (unless you use hot water), dreadful to work with - to stiff, won't uncoil properly.

 
Best thing since Mr Hovis decided to make life easier for people with blunt knives.
Get spare springs though. I've not had a grommet problem.

Don't get their red hose for use with hot water (unless you use hot water), dreadful to work with - to stiff, won't uncoil properly.
Oh I thought you always had to use the red on every pole

Cool

 
Don't like em, prefer taps you can alter the flow rate and they work every time, are cheaper, and last longer, ok got pole hose but so what doesn't bother me, oh and no weight at top of pole, pros 5 cons 1.

 
only problem is with Aquadaptor is is that when your in Bushes or awkward places or working down a high set of window its a strain reaching for the end of the pole to shut off the water . plus they have no AD for hose outside of poles or Modular poles ( saying that should not be too difficult to fix that ) , in a perfect world . i was thinking about velcro-ing a remote on / off switch on my left wrist and using my right hand to turn it off. like these below for example

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=wrist+held+remote+control&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=xXpEVYSZIIjhaJiZgDg&ved=0CEUQsAQ&tbm=isch

you could even place this on your pole where ever you want and quickly remove and place somewhere else at will

 
Best thing since Mr Hovis decided to make life easier for people with blunt knives.
Get spare springs though. I've not had a grommet problem.

Don't get their red hose for use with hot water (unless you use hot water), dreadful to work with - to stiff, won't uncoil properly.
I have a length of red on one of my poles and I think it's better that the orange. We do not use hot water.

I have not used the blue so don't know anything about that.

The trick with AD hose is to uncoil it first before extending the pole. It takes a couple of seconds but saves the tangle, cursing and swearing if you don't.

Yes, its a negative but the benefits of having no loop with a fixed tap to the base pole or dragging a tap around far outweighs these negatives IMHO

If you use those Ez Snap hose couplings or equivalent, then I would recommend ordering a couple of 360 Protectors as well. They really do work well protecting those couplings from damage when reeling your hose in and coiling the AD hose up as well.

 
Don't like em, prefer taps you can alter the flow rate and they work every time, are cheaper, and last longer, ok got pole hose but so what doesn't bother me, oh and no weight at top of pole, pros 5 cons 1.
I have found on the odd occasion I need a slower water flow, I can turn the tap wheel manually to the flow I want and then extend the pole. When I need the faster flow I just pull the hose and the flow I normally use is back.

 
Was using a tap till recently. Aquadapter is great, faster to use, use less water.
No problems at all
As with anything, there is no perfect solution - its all about compromise.

For me having to bend down to pick up a tap to switch the water off was killing my back - its wrecked TBH. Dragging a tap around causes damage to the shaft and I used to order 6 taps at a time.

Fixing a tap to my belt didn't work as the fittings do leak in time and I always had a wet leg. The loop drove me mad.

My son in law replaced his AD with a fixed tap from PureFreedom. The pole is much lighter and easier to use without the AD, but that pole hose loop was a big negative for me. I can understand why Alex dislikes the AD and AT so much as they do make the pole heavier, especially when used at difficult angles.

I can't do as Alex does and holds his tap in his hand. I've tried. I also tried to loop the hose around my neck with the tap on my chest.

So for me, the AD was a no brainer at the time. But my back is deteriorating so I might have to revert to another way in the future to lighten the front of the pole and make the job less tiring.

Some cleaners use a silicone hose which is easy to kink and shut the water flow off without using a tap, so I may have to look at this a little more closely.

 
Used a tap for ages, but having used the AD i prefer it.

Having said that the springs just gone in mine so i need to find a stronger one

Saves bending down to pick up a tap.

Saves the tap snagging on something.

Quicker than using a tap, even if you fix the tap to the pole base an loop hose its still quicker to tug the hose than locate the tap and turn it imo.

Use less water for sure, with the AD i turn off after every window, before with tap i left it on between as couldnt be bothered bending down.

It does technically add weight but i cant notice any difference

Going back to the tap after using the AD annoyed me, i need to order a spring...

 
how you finding the wfp Spruce with 63 ( respect mate !! )
My moto is that I retire when I expire.

I'm not looking for sympathy but I'm probably doing half the amount of work I did wfp now when compared to when I first started. If I take into consideration that I used Unger Teleplus ali poles and Vikan oval brushes then, and now I have an SLX22 with an Supreme brush and a CLX22 with an Extreme brush, I'm probably managing about a third of what I did.:sad: Its the reality of aging, and effects/will effect everyone in varying degrees, at sometime.

I had an op for Prostate Cancer in 2009 and have never regained my previous health level. I now have vasculitis in my legs, and fatigue is one of the symptoms. And my back's knackered, had to deal with that since childhood.

For me its not getting any easier. If I drive myself too hard today then I won't recover enough to put in a full day tomorrow, so its all about doing the best I can but pacing myself as well. There are some a good few years older than I am using wfp, so its not all over yet./emoticons/smile.png

For me its now what I can do to make the job easier. I'm finding that I'm spending less time on the windows using a Supreme soft hybrid. So I believe I am more efficient with it. I can't believe how much lighter that SLX22 is without the AD and an Extreme brush. But the question is whether removing the AD will be an energy saver.

Will buying an Extreme pole make life easier with a AD fitted? Will fixing and motorising a hose reel in the van help, or will it create more issues in application on my round? (At least several times a day I take the hose reel to the end point and unreel the hose out as I wheel the hose reel back to the van. This makes it much easier than trying to pull the hose out around numerous obstacles.)

Sooner or later I'm going to have to let some of the poorer paid more difficult work go and stick to the choice stuff.

My brother in law has cancer of the blood which has infected his kidneys with cancer tumours. 4 years ago he was given 6 months to live but is still hanging in here. If I compare myself to him, then I'm the epitome of health.

Now I can relate to why franchising is such a good idea. Ian Lancaster is a good example of how he has developed his franchise. He frequents another forum.

http://www.ianlancasterwindowcleaner.co.uk/franchise.php

Franchising allows him to take a guiding roll without being hands on and canvass for more work to grow his business. A good example to work toward when the time comes when you aren't able to physically do what you did when you were younger.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for that Spruce , sorry to hear about your Health problems ,i am always telling the younger guys in our firm about being effective , always think about later in life by doing things correctly now , we have a pretty damn good system going thats really helped a lot plus , here window open inwards 99 % of the time . albeit i have to use ladders for fixed windows conservatories , one thing i realise is , is that Uk Window cleaners ( i am British by the way ) have to get through lots of houses in a day . and i have this feeling many ( not all ) tend to be a bit hectic due to the workload.. but a wise man would take that extra 30 minutes and just work at a logical pace.. its that hectic stress in the mind and the body which is no good , i personally avoid drinking coffee because it just make me too hyper with all the cortisol in my blood from all the work and seriously find that sleeping and general relaxing is alot easier . lol some customers would offer coffee by the bucket load , had one italian who was working with us who so he said used to drink up to 20 Espressos a day when he was playing cards in his italian club into the late hours . so is topped coffee after averaging about 3 - 6 a day and fell much better for it myself .

Glad to hear the Soft Hybrid is making a small difference i was thinking of buying this myself ... what about the Medium hybrid they sell any good .? ( will it scratch metallic white and coloured sills and frames , lots of them hear as well as the normal UPVC )

 
I have never used an AD and don't forsee me buying one. Reason being that I think the added weight will be a pita. I use a tap which is protected by a rubber disc and PU hose so that I can kink it to stop the flow and bring the pole down at the same time. I find that I don't have to reach to turn the tap off until I have to drag the hose to another part of the building where I haven't managed to reach the tops.

 
i must admit ive used aquadapter for ages now and tryed the aquatap but never tryed tap conected to pole i bet its very good once u get used to it my only werry was the loop geting on my tits ?? i may try one soon for a week just to c wat its like

 
Back
Top