Starting out would like to go the WFP

[Deleted member 7446]

Thats good to know about the seasons, we still get ours cleaned over winter when he does bother to turn up!

Would something like this work for delivering pure water?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VYAIR-4-Stage-Gallons-Aquariums-Cleaning/dp/B0862D81JZ/ref=sr_1_26?dchild=1&keywords=Reverse+Osmosis+Water+Filter&qid=1601538145&sr=8-26

Or would the fact i'm on a hard water area just kill the filters quick time

Stay away from amazon *****. Speak with @doug atkinsonand seek the best transparent advice from a trade professional 

 

[JEM]

Thanks for the breakdown Ched i never thought about the waste water side of things. i agree Apw  about not buying rubbish from Amazon just wondered how good those types of osmosis machines are.

I've been reading up on window cleaning superhero about producing pure water and it's a great read, i'm actually finding the science behind making PW really interesting. And i'm now starting to understand reverse osmosis and then using a DI, then checking the readings with a TDS meter. 

Even little things like when you first run the osmosis let it run for a few minutes before connecting it to the DI vessel

The pure water side of things i will invest in once i'm up and running.

I'm trying to get a list of what i need to get started.

I think investing in a good pole to start with would be wise

SLX 22 27ft is top of my list

Backpack the two i've seen are the Gardener one and the Bigboy 2 roughly the same price

I did read someone about using a Seaflo 20l 12v sprayer so could also be an option?

Brushes as i'd go with the Gardener SLX what brushes would you recommend to start with?

Then jets there are a few different types what would be good to start with just for windows as i'm just going to concentrate on leaning windows before i try and think about other types of cleaning.

Can you run a TDS inline with just a backpack system? i guess the inlines need a power source?

Anything else apart from wfp, brushes, backpack that i would need to get up and running

advertising wise i'd make some flyers and hand deliver them, also get some cards made up. I can build a website but not sure that's really important. I mean my window cleaner i just know as John i've never thought about asking if he had a website ect.

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Thanks for the breakdown Ched i never thought about the waste water side of things. i agree Apw  about not buying rubbish from Amazon just wondered how good those types of osmosis machines are.

I've been reading up on window cleaning superhero about producing pure water and it's a great read, i'm actually finding the science behind making PW really interesting. And i'm now starting to understand reverse osmosis and then using a DI, then checking the readings with a TDS meter. 

Even little things like when you first run the osmosis let it run for a few minutes before connecting it to the DI vessel

The pure water side of things i will invest in once i'm up and running.

I'm trying to get a list of what i need to get started.

I think investing in a good pole to start with would be wise

SLX 22 27ft is top of my list

Backpack the two i've seen are the Gardener one and the Bigboy 2 roughly the same price

I did read someone about using a Seaflo 20l 12v sprayer so could also be an option?

Brushes as i'd go with the Gardener SLX what brushes would you recommend to start with?

Then jets there are a few different types what would be good to start with just for windows as i'm just going to concentrate on leaning windows before i try and think about other types of cleaning.

Can you run a TDS inline with just a backpack system? i guess the inlines need a power source?

Anything else apart from wfp, brushes, backpack that i would need to get up and running

advertising wise i'd make some flyers and hand deliver them, also get some cards made up. I can build a website but not sure that's really important. I mean my window cleaner i just know as John i've never thought about asking if he had a website ect.

With a backpack you only fill it with pure water which you check the quality at production stages with a TDS meter. 

Why would you want an inline TDS meter with a backpack? 

Pure water in pure water out

With regards to flyer distribution, Don't just push one through the letterbox.

Ring the door bell introduce yourself with an honest smile and say good morning. I'm a local window cleaner and was wondering if you would like to invest in my local independent business

If they say yes clean their windows there and then. Customer service is key and making an impact is what creates a business 

Any flyers that come through my letterbox get binned 

 

[ched999uk]

Gardiner backpack has a good handle on it to carry it. Remember 20 liters of water is 20kg + the weight of backpack. 

A SLX22 is 22ft long. A SLX27 is 27ft long ? Remember that to reach a 22ft window you need more than a 22ft pole as you stand back from a window to clean it, but you also don't have the bottom of the pole on the ground.

Brush wise - it sort of depends and is personal choice ie. you might use 1 brush on windows, a different one on leaded glass, a 3rd  for conservatory roofs and a 4th for gutters and fascias. On gardiners web site there is a guide and on youtube gardiner has a guide to brushes. 

As for jets, again its a personal thing. A lot of people use 2 x 2mm pencil jets some like fan jets but they are not expensive and take 5 seconds to swap.

There are some great vids on youtube like AE Mackintosh, Squeeky Clean Dave, Green Pro Clean to name but a few.

 

[JEM]

Gardiner backpack has a good handle on it to carry it. Remember 20 liters of water is 20kg + the weight of backpack. 

A SLX22 is 22ft long. A SLX27 is 27ft long ? Remember that to reach a 22ft window you need more than a 22ft pole as you stand back from a window to clean it, but you also don't have the bottom of the pole on the ground.

Brush wise - it sort of depends and is personal choice ie. you might use 1 brush on windows, a different one on leaded glass, a 3rd  for conservatory roofs and a 4th for gutters and fascias. On gardiners web site there is a guide and on youtube gardiner has a guide to brushes. 

As for jets, again its a personal thing. A lot of people use 2 x 2mm pencil jets some like fan jets but they are not expensive and take 5 seconds to swap.

There are some great vids on youtube like AE Mackintosh, Squeeky Clean Dave, Green Pro Clean to name but a few.

Good point with the SLX22 i did wonder why its called 22 but says working range of 27ft i guess they are including the last pole you hold give or take a couple of ft to hold onto!

I don't want to be on the limit of the pole.. i'm going to throw some string out my skylight into the garden and measure it just to get an idea, as all the new build houses around here are pretty much the same height

I did also look at the genie backpack which comes on a caddy. As you say 20kg + is a lot of weight on your back plus holding a pole.

I will check out the other youtubers i've only watched trad man so far but will check out the others.

 

[Part Timer]

Good point with the SLX22 i did wonder why its called 22 but says working range of 27ft i guess they are including the last pole you hold give or take a couple of ft to hold onto!

I don't want to be on the limit of the pole.. i'm going to throw some string out my skylight into the garden and measure it just to get an idea, as all the new build houses around here are pretty much the same height

I did also look at the genie backpack which comes on a caddy. As you say 20kg + is a lot of weight on your back plus holding a pole.

I will check out the other youtubers i've only watched trad man so far but will check out the others.

Remember some gardens slope away as well, using a pole for any length of time above waist height is very tiring. Also if you have to use a pole like this it is highly unlikely you'll be able to see the skylight. 

 

[ched999uk]

Just to say we have a bungalow with a dorma and a velux. The bungalow has 2 steps up to it but level ground around it. To reach the dorma and the velux needs a 22ft pole as they are so far 'up' the roof. 

Pole size is a debatable one. Lots normally use an 18ft pole and have a longer one for hard to reach jobs.

Having a longer pole can be more tiring as you are carrying more weight all the time. Gardiner do sell extensions so you can buy say an 18ft pole if that does most of your work then have a couple of extensions to make the pole longer for odd jobs. It's a balancing game really between a light pole and reaching all your jobs. 

 

[Pjj]

Gardiner backpack has a good handle on it to carry it. Remember 20 liters of water is 20kg + the weight of backpack. 

A SLX22 is 22ft long. A SLX27 is 27ft long ? Remember that to reach a 22ft window you need more than a 22ft pole as you stand back from a window to clean it, but you also don't have the bottom of the pole on the ground.

Brush wise - it sort of depends and is personal choice ie. you might use 1 brush on windows, a different one on leaded glass, a 3rd  for conservatory roofs and a 4th for gutters and fascias. On gardiners web site there is a guide and on youtube gardiner has a guide to brushes. 

As for jets, again its a personal thing. A lot of people use 2 x 2mm pencil jets some like fan jets but they are not expensive and take 5 seconds to swap.

There are some great vids on youtube like AE Mackintosh, Squeeky Clean Dave, Green Pro Clean to name but a few.

A 22 foot pole will give you a working reach of approx 26-29 feet depending on your height , so will do most normal 3 storey stuff but on some jobs I agree a 25 foot pole is better ,just depends how many awkward windows you have higher ,as a 22 foot pole is easier and quicker to work with than most 25 foot poles . 

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Good point with the SLX22 i did wonder why its called 22 but says working range of 27ft i guess they are including the last pole you hold give or take a couple of ft to hold onto!

I don't want to be on the limit of the pole.. i'm going to throw some string out my skylight into the garden and measure it just to get an idea, as all the new build houses around here are pretty much the same height

I did also look at the genie backpack which comes on a caddy. As you say 20kg + is a lot of weight on your back plus holding a pole.

I will check out the other youtubers i've only watched trad man so far but will check out the others.

one insight one piece of valuable information for you,

The trade call them backpacks

No one ever wears them on their back 

99% of users have an affordable set of sack trucks and fasten them with a small ratchet strap or bungee 

 

[Deleted member 257]

I don't want to be on the limit of the pole.. i'm going to throw some string out my skylight into the garden and measure it just to get an idea, as all the new build houses around here are pretty much the same height

I did also look at the genie backpack which comes on a caddy. As you say 20kg + is a lot of weight on your back plus holding a pole.

If you want to be able to reach skylights you'll need a 35ft pole. my personal recommendation would be an slx35, you can always just use the top 3/4 sections to make it lighter. although some people dont like it because it means the pole isnt insulated against overhead electric cables, but its not something Ive ever encountered.

i highly reccomend THIS sacktruck to mount your backpack on, its robust enough for bounces up curbs and wonky garden paths. the more lightweight styles dont last very long in my experience.

 

[spruce]

At one time there were some not so reputable wfp suppliers who sold a 22' pole on reach rather than actual length. Gardiners always sold their poles to the actual extended length of the pole. An SLX22 was 22' when extended.

We once bought a couple of poles from another company before Gardiners started trading that were advertised as 22 footers. They were actually 18' in length.

 

[JEM]

I thought i'd just do a quick update.

I'm just about to order the following, so any tips on other items i will need. I was thinking for the lower windows and doors i can do them by hand. would you have any advice on what i'd need maybe a kit

so far i'm going with

SLX 30

QuicK-LoQ Gooseneck

1 x QuicK-LoQ Angle Adapter - Free £0.00

QuicK-LoQ Brush

1 x Super-Lite 26cm Brush Medium-Mixed £0.00

Brush Jets

1 x Standard 2mm Pencil Jets x2 £0.00

Pole Hose

1 x Reinforced Flexible Pole Hose - 15m Length for 30-44ft Poles £8.00

Pole Hose Connector Type

1 x EZ Snap Male Plug £4.50

Free Gift

1 x Gardiner 'Beanie' Winter Knitted Hat £0.00

EZ SNAP FEMALE END STOP COUPLING - MINIBORE - 8MM BARB

PUSH-FIT POLE CONTROL VALVE

The gardener V3 backpack is out of stock at the moment

I'll be going with 8x 25 litre containers which i'll fill up with spotless water.

Liability insurance do you recommend anyone in particular?

I have a small van but i might have to use the roof rack for the pole maybe something like a 110mm soil pipe with a screw cap.

I'm doing some flyers/ google my business/ website for marketing.

How does that look for starters?

?

 

[ched999uk]

I thought i'd just do a quick update.

I'm just about to order the following, so any tips on other items i will need. I was thinking for the lower windows and doors i can do them by hand. would you have any advice on what i'd need maybe a kit

so far i'm going with

SLX 30

How does that look for starters?

?

All looks OK apart from pole. 30ft that is a big pole to be using all day. Most people go with 18ft or 22ft and if you have larger properties get an extension or 2. Also a 22ft or 18ft is significantly shorter so might fit in your van - much better for security.

I am assuming you are not used to working with a pole as you will need to build up strength and trying to use a 30ft all day is going to be very hard. Alternatively you could order an extra end cap of the appropriate size and remove 2 sections. That way you have a lighter pole for most use and the 2 extra sections when needed.  The only thing to be aware of is that the bottom section of gardiners poles and their extensions are electrically insulated the others are not. Basically if somehow you hit a live electric line with an insulated section you are OK otherwise carbon fiber is conductive and could give you an electric shock or worse! I am not sure how much of a risk an un-insulated pole is as some other companies don't do insulated sections at all!!

 

[JEM]

Ched, You know what i'm now starting to doubt going with a 30ft, it's just a lot of the new builds around here have skylights on the pitch of the roof. I've attached a photo of what i mean.

And I've never used a pole so really don't want the extra weight if it's not needed and i will take what you say about the last section being insulated which makes sense.

I'll double and triple check what height i really need worse case i'll have to buy some extensions just think its more cost effective to order the right length.

Good point about the closed lengths

SLX30 Closed Length - 1.72m

SLX22 Closed Length - 1.49m

 

[Davy G]

Ched has given you some very sound advice. Your first pole should be big enough to do the vast majority of your work. If that's going to be up to two stories, as most of my work is, then I'd strongly recommend SLX 22. The weight and price difference between that and an 18 won't be an awful lot but the usability will be much better. The collapsed length will be similar I think from memory. You will have a chance of reaching many more windows than with the 18.

The 30 would not be a pole I'd want to work with all day unless there was no choice. It's long, heavy and unwieldy by comparison even when closed. We have one. It gets used for very few of our 600 jobs and when it is used for those few it only just reaches.

My suggestion, 22 for sure. If you really find over time that you need a longer pole as well then I'd get a 35 ft.

 

[Skxawng]

The 30' slx might just reach the skylights but it won't be easy due to the angle you have to be at to even see them. 35' would be better, but that's a big pole for regular work. 

The 30' also has a longer collapsed length than some and can be a bit unwieldy. 

So basically, the 30' isn't great for skylights and isn't great for everyday work. 

In my opinion (for what it's worth) you should get a slx27 and forget about skylights. Nobody really cares about them anyway. 

The slx27' is a shorter collapsed pole so will be easier to use, has enough length to reach any 3rd level dormer Window you'll encounter, and is light enough to be a regular pole.

Edit: to anyone who says the slx27 is heavy, both me and my wife use the CLX27 every day which is heavier and less rigid and manage fine. 

 

[Pjj]

Ched, You know what i'm now starting to doubt going with a 30ft, it's just a lot of the new builds around here have skylights on the pitch of the roof. I've attached a photo of what i mean.

And I've never used a pole so really don't want the extra weight if it's not needed and i will take what you say about the last section being insulated which makes sense.

I'll double and triple check what height i really need worse case i'll have to buy some extensions just think its more cost effective to order the right length.

Good point about the closed lengths

SLX30 Closed Length - 1.72m

SLX22 Closed Length - 1.49m

View attachment 22031

We do several houses with v lux  like the one in the picture and use an extreame 35 fully extended to do them . 

 

[Skxawng]

Also while the slx22 gets recommended a lot and is a great pole, there will occasionally be 3rd level windows that you can't reach. It's at the limit really. 

I do mostly new estates with lots of 3 storey jobs and have to be at full extension with my 27' on a fair few jobs. You'd probably reach 90 - 95% with a 22' but there might be some that are just too high. 

 

[Davy G]

Also while the slx22 gets recommended a lot and is a great pole, there will occasionally be 3rd level windows that you can't reach. It's at the limit really. 

I do mostly new estates with lots of 3 storey jobs and have to be at full extension with my 27' on a fair few jobs. You'd probably reach 90 - 95% with a 22' but there might be some that are just too high. 

You're right that's the reason I suggest a 22 and later a 35.?

 

[Skxawng]

You're right that's the reason I suggest a 22 and later a 35.?

A good combination of poles to have. 

 

[Iron Giant]

We do several houses with v lux  like the one in the picture and use an extreame 35 fully extended to do them . 

You must be shrinking or standing in a hole, I use my 22ft Xtreme with two slx extensions #6 & #7 so a 32ft pole and can manage easy enough and I'm 5ft tall