Cheap Ground Floor WFP

[WWC]

I find it strange that this isn't really mentioned online with window cleaners, as it is an obvious thing to do. Maybe people do make these but don't mention it???

I have made a couple of these ground floor water fed poles, so I thought that I would take a few photos when I made my latest one. Personally, I find a ground floor water fed pole very useful as I really like using a short, light pole, especially when space is tight. It makes cleaning downstairs windows much faster than using my Gardiner SLX-30 (my normal pole for the rest of the residential windows).

NOTE: I use the Gardiner Quick-Loq system, and have used it here. So, if you use a Euro Thread, then you will obviously need to find a substitute for the Quick-Loq Insert I have used here.

You will need a pole that is long enough for downstairs windows. The last one of these I made, I used a cheap, short extension pole. This time I used a fixed length pole, as I ended up keeping the other pole to the same size all the time anyway.

STEP ONE

Buy yourself a cheap floor brush, you can pick one like this up for about £3 in one of the discount shops or even a supermarket.

STEP TWO

These brush all appear to have the same sort of threaded insert just pushed in and held by a couple of points in the metal dented in.

You only need the handle, and so need to remove the threaded insert. You can do this easily by gripping tightly and twisting out. I grabbed the pole with my grippy work gloves, and the threaded end with a pair of vice grips and it came out pretty easily.

STEP THREE

Now you need a Gardiner Quick Lock pole insert.

Or you could get a Quick Loq angle adaptor and add your own Quick Loq male end the way H Man has shown on here- http://windowcleaningforums.co.uk/threads/how-to-fit-diy-quick-loq-tip-onto-any-pole.11281/

The insert's external diameter is about 19mm and the internal diameter of the pole is about 20mm, so there is some play, but not too much. You have a choice on how you fix the insert to the pole:

Pop Rivet through both pole and pole insert

Self Tapping screw through both pole and pole insert

(Both of these have the advantage that removing the insert should you wish to would be reasonably easy. But the disadvantage of not being able to put the pole hose inside the pole if you want to)

Third option, and what I choose to do – epoxy resin and electrical tape.

I put a wrap of electrical tape around the insert part to take up the slack.

Then covered it in epoxy resin

Continued on next post due to limits on 7 images per post...

 

[WWC]

Then inserted it into the pole.

Then leave to cure for 24 hours. I am hoping that should I want to remove the insert for some reason in the future, I will be able to forceably twist out the insert as the epoxy resin is on the electrical tape and not the actual insert. Who knows it might work, or it might not.

That's it – you have a cheap ground floor Water Fed Pole!

I decided though, that I wanted the pole a bit thicker to be more comfortable in my grip. So, I found some padding material that was used as packaging in something or other, It looks like the stuff they put down under wooden floors as insulation.

I wrapped this around the pole a few times and taped it in place with Hockey Tape [1]

You could use any sort of suitable padding – neoprene would be great. But I had some of this sitting about so I used it. Anyway, it's not essential, It just feels better to me.

I also added a 1/4 turn tap to the pole. I just taped it to the end of the pole with the hose in it.

Obviously, I put my pole hose on the outside of the pole, but if you decide to put your down the inside, you may need to drill a hole in the plastic on the end of the brush handle to allow it to exit. At least one of the poles I had, already had a hole in the right place, so that wouldn't have been necessary

[1] Hockey Tape – This is a strong adhesive material tape – not Duck tape. It feels like a material on one side and has strong adhesive on the other. It is used for wrapping around hockey sticks, so is strong and gives good grip. I use it on a number of my window cleaning tools as it gives a good grip to your hand even when wet. You can get this in sports shops and eBay.

 

[Tuffers]

Excellent post, only just seen it.

 

[Smurf]

Nice one @WWC

 

[cheapncheerful]

yes nice job and well explained ...i think i have a few poles knocking around somewhere and it may be my first venture into wfp ...thanks.

 

[Bryan]

So making one of these /emoticons/smile.png