New to the business ...a few questions

[Welshyyyyy]

Can I pick someone's brain please...
I'm totally new to this cleaning business, currently I'm doing small plumbing jobs and general house and garden maintenance and doing okay, but recently lots of people are asking me "do you do pressure washing/can you clean the fascias etc" so I've decided to get some equipment and add these jobs, and might even do a lot of this as I'm getting far more enquiries for cleaning than the other things I do
I've watched some YouTube videos and looking to get a wfp..but have a few questions if that's okay

I have a medium van but I don't want a full van set up, I'd rather go down the more mobile route (due to the other equipment I have in the van, space is an issue)

I was looking at the Unger HydroPower DI Pure-Water Starter Kit on Screwfix, seems good but only comes with an 8ft pole which isn't much use, I need at least 20ft, can I use any pole/brush with this instead of what's in this starter kit?
If so, any recommendations?

The other option is to buy pure water, there's a place about 45 miles away (and another closer one opening soon apparently), I was thinking of this with the Gardiner backpack and getting a small tank in my van and topping up the backpack from this, could work out well after the initial pain to drive there to fill up the tank

I suppose either option is okay, probably my choice which way I decide to get the pure water, so my last question is where I'm really a little confused.. I'm mainly going to be doing fascias, gutters rather than windows so if I'm doing this should I spray the uPVC first with a cleaner then scrub and rinse with tap water... then follow up with a secondary light scrub and rinse with pure water for the nice finish (as opposed to doing the whole thing with pure water)...just a bit unsure about the process, and conscious of washing pure water if normal untreated tap water is fine for the initial wash

Sorry for the long-winded post, but hoping someone can point me in the right direction

Many thanks

 

[David K]

First of all you need to decide what you are, and not just doing whatever your customers think you should do, or else you could buy a 1000 diff. Bits of kit, you only use rarely and you will never be profitable if you dont choose a path , with Maybe 1 add-on. Personally i only do Windows , and the occasionally solarpanel clean. This is not negatively meant, but choose your way and you Will have a much more simple stressfree profitable workday. 

Been there , done that ..

 

[Part Timer]

You can clean fascia etc with tap and then rinse windows with pure. You really need to tell us your tap TDS for us to give advice about water purification 

 

[Wind o kleen]

cleaning fascias/gutters means windows have a good chance of getting dirty water splashed on them ,  so that means your going to be a window cleaner as well 

 

[Welshyyyyy]

You can clean fascia etc with tap and then rinse windows with pure. You really need to tell us your tap TDS for us to give advice about water purification 

Haven't got that far yet (getting a tds meter), if I get one and then post the reading is that just relevant for the backpack route? ie if I buy water then that's just the water that they sell? Slightly confused sorry

 

[Part Timer]

Haven't got that far yet (getting a tds meter), if I get one and then post the reading is that just relevant for the backpack route? ie if I buy water then that's just the water that they sell? Slightly confused sorry

This is essential for any water production. You might be able to produce using DI only, will be explained when we have the information. It might pay you to buy it in if your TDS is high and you don't need much water. Without knowing your TDS and water requirements we really can't advise best way. 

 

[Davy G]

No problem, if you don't know, you don't know. You'll get a lot of different opinions as we all have our way of doing things. 

My suggestion for starting out:

Get yourself the fittings and hoses to make up a couple of bridging hoses from a hozelock type female fitting to about 6 metres of pole hose and fit a rectus female on the other end. This will be a Hozelock type male with a 5mm spur to go inside the pole hose. 

Get a decent quality standard garden hose and reel. 

Get a couple of outside tap/hose fittings as not every customer has one. You can then use the customer's outside water supply to do the initial wash. For now you can use a mix of your choice sprayed on to the brush held upside down. I use diluted Chemex Superplus with a good portion of Fairy Liquid to give it body. Present the brush quickly to the gutter and fascia and spread it along, then down on the windows and doors. Then give a quick squirt of water. Stop the water and lather in, repeat this stage a couple of times. Now put the water on full flow and wash thoroughly from the top down. I suggest a Gardiners SLX22 if you can afford it, if not a CLX22. Fitted with a Superlight Medium Mixed Sill Brush and 100 degree fan jets. A Gardiner backpack on a trolley with pneumatic tyres could be used for the purefied water once you have decided how to carry that. You will need to finish the windows and doors with purified to get a proper, professional clean. 

Sorry Welshyyy, I tried to re-do my post but deleted your quote by accident. 

Feel free to call me on: 07473877870 and I can talk you through it if you like. ?

 

[Welshyyyyy]

Thanks DavyG, that's exactly what I was looking for, many thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. For now I will buy my water from Cardiff, it's 45 miles each way but will have to do for now, they're supposed to be opening a place in Swansea "soon". I've got a van today, a Renault Trafic, so will get a water tank installed in that asap, not sure what the max weight I can get but will look into that too

 

[Davy G]

Put some serious thought into all the kit you buy. It's very easy to get it wrong, and even easier to get sucked into unnecessarily wasting a lot of money. 

 

[Welshyyyyy]

Yes I guess it's very easy to over do it with all the pretty shiny new gadgets, I'll take a look at what you've suggested tomorrow and try and get my initial shopping list sorted from that

 

[Davy G]

Yes I guess it's very easy to over do it with all the pretty shiny new gadgets, I'll take a look at what you've suggested tomorrow and try and get my initial shopping list sorted from that. 

So, so easy to waste money. Our van is kitted out almost like a fire engine. All our own DIY, none of it perticularly difficult or expensive. There are very few jobs we come up against that we don't have the gear for with us. In fact I can't recall one off the top of my head. 

 

[Clisty1989]

Thanks DavyG, that's exactly what I was looking for, many thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. For now I will buy my water from Cardiff, it's 45 miles each way but will have to do for now, they're supposed to be opening a place in Swansea "soon". I've got a van today, a Renault Trafic, so will get a water tank installed in that asap, not sure what the max weight I can get but will look into that too

They been saying coming soon for ages (im in swansea) doubt it will happen. Right i can confidantly say that your tds will bee between 60 and 90, depending where in swansea you are (townhill is 76, cockett 82 etc) 11l di vessel is about £100 will last you ages before resin need changing. Where in swansea are you? May be able to meet up whilst im working for a 5 min chat and go through things with you, including probably the cheapest way to do it mate

 

[Part Timer]

Thanks DavyG, that's exactly what I was looking for, many thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. For now I will buy my water from Cardiff, it's 45 miles each way but will have to do for now, they're supposed to be opening a place in Swansea "soon". I've got a van today, a Renault Trafic, so will get a water tank installed in that asap, not sure what the max weight I can get but will look into that too

If it's a 2700, depending on if it's a 2 man system you should be able to carry at least 500l's. If it's a 2900 then 700 litres