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!

Fed Up

Yea I know it will take time to get used to it, just like it did with trad cleaning. I think the pole system is good, but for certain work. Was doing a few semis beside eachother today, really annoying having to drag a hose, especially around all the backs. Gets caught in tyres bushes gates, then it set pole down go and get hose loose then back to pole, put it up, set it down turn tap on, clean window, walk to next window, holding pole up water pishing everywhere like its raining... I just think I'd be better doing them trad. Especially on the big runs where there's 40-50 houses I wouldn't be able to keep calm with all that effing about. Was considering buying a back pack and also an aqua adapter ( posh the kink idea is useless, dosent stop water completely )

I bought the pole to try and save time on some work and the way I'm going it's going to take longer, it's hard to explain cos you don't know my run or the houses but I'm debating cutting my work way down and going for commercial where I will get my money's worth out of the pole and not be so friggin stressed.. And on top of it all I still got in mind are the windows even clean? Lol

 
I done a new house too this morning all by pole, and called back round there while getting the wee man from school, the windows were really bad before I started. Quite a few spots, and lines running down too.. Big sighs hope I win euro mills to***ht so I can burn the van out

 
BC i prefer trad cleaning to WFP i dont use it as often as i should, i very rarely get it out of the van.

the thing you need to remember mate is rinse rinse rinse and if your unsure give another rinse it can be a pain in the @ss but you will get to grips with it, i still get the unsre feeling have i rinsed enougth even tho ive been using wfp a long time.

H do you own a squeegee and applicator?

 
I understand mate, and I agree that you gotta use what suits your work.

Are you using a van mount? If so, I'd recommend a backpack, especially for the backs of houses.

I use wfp for commercial and for when I'm dotting around. But on mty stuff where I have say 40 houses over 1 or 2 streets, I use a backpack wfp for tops, and trad bottoms. I do about 5 tops with a backpack, then go back along the bottoms. This seems to work well.

Stick with it for a while, you will speed up. But also consider what would be best for your work, ignore what others think!

If you went wfp for safety reasons, then wfp tops & trad bottoms is a happy medium I find.

 
Yeah I kind of see what you are saying, I am trad and mostly residential and WFP wouldn't suite allot of my customers due to parking, and although there is a few I wish I had a WFP for, we get them done none the less. There is one guy in my town that uses WFP and he trads all his resi work and just uses the WFP for commercials.

It would be daft to ignore the resi work but mate to focus on coms, you can make just as much money there, as you can with coms and if you loss one or two its no big deal. You loss a couple of large commercials, you be taking pay cuts, until you can replace them. Also the only reason business focus on coms is not that they can make more money as such, but if they are over theshold for VAT they can charge them VAT, as the commercial client can claim it back so they are not worried about paying another 20% on top. Where as a resi customer cant claim it back, so would IMO not accept this, they would just get someone who is not VAT registered.

 
I thought exact same when I switched over to wfp but once you get used to it you'll be glad you changed mate

Completely agree every one is in the same boat when they first start we all wondered what all the fuss is about but give it a bit of time and you love it

 
I used to ave sleepless ***hts when I changed. Fact is there's a time and place for both, most of the time wfp isn't twice as fast, it is sometimes, but overall I'd say about a third faster, bu t that will depend on each person, I've seen some trad guys so slow I don't know how they make it pay but that's by the by. But at first you'll be lucky if you go at the same pace. Speed comes in time, you learn how to minimise hoses getting caught ( still happens plenty though grrrr!) and such like which plays a part. That extra third(ish) you gain might not feel much when wfp, but then when you do it trad, then you notice the difference. Nothing wrong with trad, I know I've had a fraction of the complaints compared with wfp, and know my round would be worth more if I'd stayed trad, but that's more down to psychology than wfp making a pigs ear, although a few times it has! stick with it, it will be a minor miracle if you're really happy within 3 months, it took me longer, and still have moments when I rue and lament it, but when it's done right wfp works and works well, and comes into its own on those hairy jobs, potentially a lifesaver at the end of the day, and it's progress.

Ps it takes something for me not to sleep!

 
i used to get fed up with wfp when i was working out of an estate & didn't do that many, even as i started to change more & more to wfp i was never entirely sure about it. but now i'm 99.9% wfp got a van & earn more & work less but i still fret that i'm gonna get complaints & cancellations but i never do at least not because of the quality of work, when i was trad though i never ever worried about quality etc , never had complaints & i never ever did frames lol but i hated wind,rain & climbing off roofs, all in all i'd never go back & i enjoy the 2/3 i still trad, but getting fed up is part of any job & reckon ours is better than most

 
BC i prefer trad cleaning to WFP i dont use it as often as i should, i very rarely get it out of the van.

the thing you need to remember mate is rinse rinse rinse and if your unsure give another rinse it can be a pain in the @ss but you will get to grips with it, i still get the unsre feeling have i rinsed enougth even tho ive been using wfp a long time.

H do you own a squeegee and applicator?
Same as you mate. Love trad. Only get the backpack out when need to. Thanks for letting me no about the kinking Belfast. Aqua adaptor it is. H one day you may have to trad. My advice learn it & how can you j

know its best without trying it?

 
With trad the disadvatage is that you cant do frames and sills very good... most of my customers love it when i clean their sills and frames...... A few of my customers are with me because their other window cleaner was trad and never cleaned sills and frames but i do. lol

On the other side some people hate WFP some people complain it leaves the windows wet... 1 women goes to me it looked like sum 1 squirted water on it !

i was like lmaoooo

 
Cheers for all comments guys. Forking battery died on me, have a split charge relay.. Have drive about 60 miles since last used pole and only got 25 mins out of it.. Swear to god I couldn't be assed with all this hassle lol

 
get that split relay sorted mate you will never have that problem again .You will look at this post next week and say what was i moaning at trust me it will get easier .

 
With trad the disadvatage is that you cant do frames and sills very good... most of my customers love it when i clean their sills and frames...... A few of my customers are with me because their other window cleaner was trad and never cleaned sills and frames but i do. lol

On the other side some people hate WFP some people complain it leaves the windows wet... 1 women goes to me it looked like sum 1 squirted water on it !

i was like lmaoooo
Get ya facts right H, I'm trad and clean frames and sills damn good mate. And 'MY' customers love the fact that I do them as well as I do.

 
Blood was bubbling, everything was going great and felt a bit better doing the windows with the pole, done a few trad then got the pole out for a triple that I missed last time cos I was waiting in the pole.. Done back, was on the last window on the side then the pencil jets just disappeared just said to myself what the whistle now!

Mark- I bought the pump box all ready, and he said just connect the wires to the van battery.. Took to auto spark, he connected the red, and earthed the black to the side of the van.. I checked all fuses and connections and all fine.. Do you think I need to connect black to van battery too?

It's not the varistream, the other thats blue on front.. It had been flashing battery n I never got instructions fs, bat was at 12. Something, then kept dropping, last I seen was 11.4?

 

Latest Posts

Back
Top