Backpack users, bit of advice please...

[Jake]

Need to get a backpack or a trolley as I have a bunch of flats to do, but the courtyard in the middle means I'm not aloud to drag hose through the lobby part, up the stairs then out the doors to the courtyard.

So I need a backpack, but how long does the water last? Best one to get?

 

[tench0771]

i can do a bunglow with a 18l back pack now prob with 10/12 windows easy thats on a high flow using aquadapter as long as there is no stubbern bird crxxxap on the glass an there not filfy

 

[cheapncheerful]

my backpack tops out at 20litres and can do a semi easy but may need a top up for a detached...

I usually take the backpack and pole in one hand and another half empty barrel in the other...

and usually carry mine by the lid as the wheels not so good..

one on ebay for £85 ish so only cheap..

but really wouldnt mind the extra like the big boy that carries 35 litres..

 

[SolarPanelCleaning]

I use a shurflo backpack on a sack trolley. Takes about 20litre. That'll do me about 15-20 mins with good flow.

 

[Posh]

Mines a wcw one & had it for over 2 years & just replaced the pump but has been brilliant. Reaches 3 story easy. I've also got a big boy but mines only 20 litres. Not seen the 35 litre one. I've also made 2 which cost me about £40.

 

[cheapncheerful]

or of course...if you a bit flush...theres always the ionics one...75 or even...95 litres...I got all excited til I saw the price..

close to £2000 for the smaller one

but...its probably very good..

 

[richard123456]

my backpack tops out at 20litres and can do a semi easy but may need a top up for a detached..
I usually take the backpack and pole in one hand and another half empty barrel in the other...

and usually carry mine by the lid as the wheels not so good..

one on ebay for £85 ish so only cheap..

but really wouldnt mind the extra like the big boy that carries 35 litres..

What kind of backpack are you using?

 

[Taxlossloz]

Need to get a backpack or a trolley as I have a bunch of flats to do, but the courtyard in the middle means I'm not aloud to drag hose through the lobby part, up the stairs then out the doors to the courtyard.
So I need a backpack, but how long does the water last? Best one to get?

For reliability - shurflo

Mine outlasted 3 WCW ones

Gardiner seems good value...

 

[spruce]

Upstairs! Rules out some of those large capacity units other posters have been talking about.

We have a backpack as well as a backpack like the latest Gardiner one. I would go for the Gardiner one TBH. Relatively easy to carry upstairs along with a couple of 25 litre plastic drums to top up with as you need.

 

[spruce]

my backpack tops out at 20litres and can do a semi easy but may need a top up for a detached...
I usually take the backpack and pole in one hand and another half empty barrel in the other...

and usually carry mine by the lid as the wheels not so good..

one on ebay for £85 ish so only cheap..

but really wouldnt mind the extra like the big boy that carries 35 litres..

I think if you got one you would regret it. They cease to become portable. They aren't easy to get up steps and refilling becomes difficult. The wheels tend to be thin and that makes difficult work on any soft ground/lawn etc. So you end up having to sort a hose reel with a length of hose anyway.

I saw one cleaner that ended up leaving his large trolley on the street using a length of hose to get around the backs. Haven't seen him for years now.

There is a windie on another forum that started off with a Brodex 50 liter unit. He found it a liability and quickly converted over to a van mount using the pump and controller from it. On occasion he found he still had 30 or 40 liters of water in his trolley and he couldn't lift that back into his van. Did he pour that water out into the street or waste time and pump the water from his trolley back into the tank in his van?

 

[cheapncheerful]

What kind of backpack are you using?

its the bright yellow kobold widely available on ebay

some great points sprucey as usual..

yeh er....25 litres should be the max any one wants to cart anywhere buggered if I could get it upstairs as well...

I did put the backpack bit on once to try it on my back....er once was enough..

I stuck to my kobold as it nicely fits in behind the drivers seat if I got a bigger one would it fit in...and yep you do have to make sure they are all really wedged in as if you do have an accident with that weight just loose....

of course....I am still hybrid and have no plans to change so van mount is a long way off for me...

and of course I would need the work to justify that ....my biggest job really only uses all 125 litres in one go and so I just trad the rest of the day..

oh and thanks for pointing out that in this case...bigger may not be better...

and yes I do remember the time frank rolled his backpack across a lawn in the dark days of winter and me having to scuff out the trail he made...some custys may not like these tracks across their pristine lawns..

 

[Pickingpaul]

My home made trolley is used with 25L containers, it lasts me around an hour, but im only doing upstairs with that and squeegeeing the bottoms.

If i was to just use trolley wfp and no squeegee it would probably last 20 mins

 

[cheapncheerful]

but dont know how you dont get hooked paul...I mean once that brush is in my hands Im off...

and okay I always swear when the water runs out..

and yes its a rule that it runs out with the smallest window left..

yes I was lazy yesterday and wfped all my bungalows...

it would have been probably faster to trad as I had to keep walking back to top up and...

kept getting caught by my ldy: who of course have all the time in the world to chat ...where as trad...I only come back for a nice dry sill cloth occasionally and I can duck and dive and hide away../emoticons/biggrin.png

but still ...you have to keep in with them as THEY PAY MY BILLS.....

funniest thing yesterday...was finding about three in a row fast asleep watching:specs wimbledon....scared to death they would wake and have heart attack seeing me checking the end results and wiping the sills...

good thing about winter is...they all have their patio doors shut....and so they dont tend to want to chat as much ...bless em

 

[Andy]

iv got the window cleaning warehouse bigboy 20lt one. i have it bungeed to a B&Q sack barrow. go 20 mins with a sensible flow

 

[spruce]

Mark Munro has a trolley system he made and put the step by step build instructions on YouTube for anyone to follow. What I liked about his was the sack truck he used, as it had wide pneumatic tyres.

 

[albootyerbaws]

ws18 here http://www.johnhewitt.com/backpacks.htm

 

[Diwrnach]

I have the same one as @cheapncheerful I find it great, can do a semi no problem without needing to refill and bigger if you get a shift on.

 

[Diwrnach]

I did consider getting a bigger trolley, but I think anything bigger would just be a pain in the ass, would be better to get van mount and hose instead.

 

[Jake]

Thanks guys, appreciate it,

I'm gonna need a lot more than 25littrs.. Perhaps I'll get the Gardiner one, then get a trolley to place it on with a couple of extra 25l barrels?

 

[Diwrnach]

Small back pack and a sack truck?

A bigger trolley imo would be nearly unusable.

 

[Jake]

Yeah that's what I mean, a sack trolley for the 2 barrels? Then backpack on back whilst waking through lobby and Up the lift...