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Back pack trolley - water shortage hack

Tango

Well-known member
Messages
1,072
Location
Dirt. Planet Dirt.
Hi

I got the Gardiner back pack and while it carries an impressive 22L of water, It's been quite clear from the start that i can empty it on one side of a house and then need to top it up - requiring a barrel of water to be nearby / second trip to / from vehicle.

This has bugged me now for a while. Sure, you could say i'm a tad slow, my customers have all been first cleans too so that doesn't help either however slow, 1st or just too much glass, I needed to find a workaround for this water shortage problem that was workable easily, efficiently and reliable. I've given it some thought and come up with a hack!

So, here's the trolley in use, a simple folding aluminium sack truck:

screenshot_964.jpg

As many of you will know, it's quite a small truck and does flex a bit with weight on top. It's rated at 90kg and a quick google revealed 1L of water to be a smidgen over 1kg. Thus this trolley in theory can take roughly 85L of water max - but you'd have to be bloody strong!

So my first idea was simple - two barrels at the bottom, strapped together and the Gardiner BP sat on top also strapped to the trolley - 72L. Heavy! Sure it works but the barrels are a bit wide and it felt like they'd happily slip sideways and off the truck despite a bungee cord. In reality though, I've never needed two barrels, just one so hauling a 2nd one round is pointless.

Problem: Standing one barrel on another is fine - they're designed for that... stacking a back pack on a barrel doesn't feel or look right so that's not going to work either.

So I gave it a few more moments thought and came up with my moment of genius I figured many others would find useful. The BP is usually strapped onto the trolley by itself with the back facing the trolley. Today I've abandoned that after realising the BP was not as wide as a barrel and this is what i've come up with - carrying 48L:

screenshot_966.jpg  screenshot_967.jpg

Yes, you've got it, I've turned the BP SIDEWAYS and strapped it to a single barrel! Both are heavy, both will act as anchors, the BP has ridges under the yellow part that give it extra grip too! Also water is heavy! Two large containers strapped to each other will act as anchors and hold one against the other.

From the rear side, you can see that both do hang over the side of the trolley slightly however it's a couple of inches with the rest of the bulk on the trolley:

screenshot_968.jpg

Oh yeah and my pole holder is 50mm drain down pipe from B&Q - with a bend section at the bottom to hold it and also let water drain out - more on that in another topic soon to come. I like to get the most out of things I have so as you can see the hose is also cable tied to the trolley with a reusable cable tie and I've been mulling over plans for a shelf to put a small toolbox on for extras like gloves, paper work (quotes / receipts) and any other misc stuff i might need. I've worked this trolley like a dog many times over the years, it's not getting off the hook just yet lol.

From underneath the trolley, you can see that both have plenty of surface area on the trolley base - and i've not even tried the BP straps round the barrel yet.:

screenshot_969.jpg

Due to the orange hose on the BP I have the back pack slightly offset more than the barrel (the hose and pole holder clash). I've yet to try this out in the field but it seems stable enough wheeling it round at home. IF you try this yourself, the risk is yours - I'm just showing what I've come up with to solve the water shortage problem. Will update in due course as to how practical it actually is.

 
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Once you get more experience and speed up you will find that one back back will easily do most average size houses. 

Remember it's a false economy using a low flow rate. 

I have mine set to (think of the dial as a clock) about 11 o'clock. 

 
Backpack only ever on full for me with 4 jets in my brush and can still do 2 x 3 bed semis with 1 fill if maintenance cleans 

Just takes experience to get the speed 

 
@Tango you need some of these 1mm pencil jets they will cut your water usage down by around 1/3 also provides a more powerful rinse not everyone's cup of tea as they take some adjusting to, I have used them for around 10 years now and couldn't use anything else. 

 
Backpack only ever on full for me with 4 jets in my brush and can still do 2 x 3 bed semis with 1 fill if maintenance cleans 

Just takes experience to get the speed 
Makes you speed up if the backpack is going like the clappers ?

Funny you say that, i noticed a while back that when i turn up the volume it seemed to last longer than it did with it down low. Weird...
Cleans faster and so do you haha. Biggest saver would be a univalve mate, best £30odd I've spent.

 
Stops mine straight away 


Does the pump switch off? - only reason i ask is that with the stop valve fitted on mine, i could hear the high pitched whine from the pump when stopped - as if it was still trying to pump away and thus it would be draining the battery. I wasn't sure the pressure switch was actually working..

 
To save water... I always connect to customers external water tap for first cleans and deep cleans. Clean all frames and windows and back later to do glass again with pure. Strangely last extended 5 bed house cleaned with tap water didnt leave many spots. Only cleaned low levels windows trad way and didn't use back pack / pure water at all ?

 
I'm not trying to troll, but why can't people see that a van mount is quicker than these bloody backpacks? I've got a mate who uses a trolley all day, he looks so unprofessional pulling it round. Saying that he's a scruffy bleeder anyway ?

 
I'm not trying to troll, but why can't people see that a van mount is quicker than these bloody backpacks? I've got a mate who uses a trolley all day, he looks so unprofessional pulling it round. Saying that he's a scruffy bleeder anyway ?


I don't doubt the speed that someone can trip over that trailing hose from the van lol but what i do doubt is many windys ability to afford said van and equipment in the first place.

I certainly can't!

Anyway how should a windy look? suited with a tie? lol

 
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I'm not trying to troll, but why can't people see that a van mount is quicker than these bloody backpacks? I've got a mate who uses a trolley all day, he looks so unprofessional pulling it round. Saying that he's a scruffy bleeder anyway ?
They've got their place, hard to do an internal courtyard in a Nursing home without one. 

 
I don't think most customers give a monkeys what we use whether it be a trolley or a van mount.. Most of my customers are never home to see what is used... Maybe clued up commercial clients might pay a bit more attention.

 
I don't doubt the speed that someone can trip over that trailing hose from the van lol but what i do doubt is many windys ability to afford said van and equipment in the first place.

I certainly can't!

Anyway how should a windy look? suited with a tie? lol


When you get a van and van mount you'll realise what I'm saying. When you can afford a van mount I bet you won't want to use a backpack all day. Your earnings potential will go through the roof!

Oh and company logo T shirts and hoodie/sweatshirt. 

 
When you get a van and van mount you'll realise what I'm saying. When you can afford a van mount I bet you won't want to use a backpack all day. Your earnings potential will go through the roof!

Oh and company logo T shirts and hoodie/sweatshirt. 


I don't doubt any of what you are saying however the simple fact is that back packs are for the scurge of windys like me who can't afford the van mount setup. Comprende? lol

 
I don't doubt any of what you are saying however the simple fact is that back packs are for the scurge of windys like me who can't afford the van mount setup. Comprende? lol


When you get a van and van mount you'll realise what I'm saying. WHEN you can afford a van mount I bet you won't want to use a backpack all day. Your earnings potential will go through the roof!

Oh and company logo T shirts and hoodie/sweatshirt. 

 
I don't doubt the speed that someone can trip over that trailing hose from the van lol but what i do doubt is many windys ability to afford said van and equipment in the first place.

I certainly can't!
200.gif


Speculate to accumulate Rodders ?

 
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Speculate to accumulate Rodders ?
I always like that sketch where they're looking out to sea pondering over the sunken family fortune,   'The sea shall not have it' goes delboy haha, expecting rodders to get out there in that cumbersome antique diving gear lol. Might have to watch that later whilst supping a beer pre pub/club.

 
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