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!

Register Log in

Back to traditional

ECLM
WCF

Help Support WCF:

GF Window Cleaning

GF Window Cleaning

Active member
Messages
27
Location
Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Hi guys. Just wondering if any of you have went back to trad from wfp? 

I changed to wfp about a year ago but I enjoyed working trad a lot more and have been thinking about going back to it. Obviously it will be slower and the risk of ladders etc but all things considered I am strongly thinking about returning to it. 

 
Some days I feel like doing it myself , I don’t ever remember being as sore from traditional cleaning

 
Not a chance , why would you go back to trad ? Wfp is faster, safer , earn far more money ,do windows that cannot be done trad . 

I accept maybe some shop fronts or shopping malls might be better off trad but not houses .

 
I recently made an effort to introduce WFP to my customers. Using a backpack for a few weeks. But I was having too much back pain, and quickly abandoned it.

I was also seeing someone of the usual spotting on a few jobs despite thouroghly rinsing. 

Its tradittional for me.

 
laddergarder said:
I recently made an effort to introduce WFP to my customers. Using a backpack for a few weeks. But I was having too much back pain, and quickly abandoned it.

I was also seeing someone of the usual spotting on a few jobs despite thouroghly rinsing. 

Its tradittional for me.
Click to expand...
Were you carrying the backpack on your errrm back lol

If you were get a trolley bud. 

 
laddergarder said:
I recently made an effort to introduce WFP to my customers. Using a backpack for a few weeks. But I was having too much back pain, and quickly abandoned it.

I was also seeing someone of the usual spotting on a few jobs despite thouroghly rinsing. 

Its tradittional for me.
Click to expand...
You always get teething problems when changing owner spotting is down to poor technique and   Insufficient rinsing , only time and practice will sort that out ,stick with it once mastered you will never go back to trad .

I hope you weren’t carrying the back pack put it on a sack truck . A van mount is far better as you arnt having to keep filling up a backpack or getting it in and out of a vehicle  

 
Hi lads  - I strongly consider going back to trad 

I started about 11 years ago with a squeegee , bucket and a set of ladders on my little vw polo .. Surprisingly quickly I moved to wfp  ,  why ?  I don't know or i can't remember  ... 

Over the time I changed several vans and I ended up now with HR T350 Transit  with 2 tanks fitted one for wfp  second one for jet washing .   Wfp gave me the chance to earn good money and I do realise that very probably I won't be able to achieve that with a squeegee but here are my reasons why I consider going back 

#1 sold half of my round and now only working 2 weeks a month and is only local work within 3-6 miles 

#2  i don't do a lot of jet washing these days neither  i enjoy it

#3 some of the extra money your earn doing wfp  are drained later  on maintenance - pumps, ro , filters poles etc 

#4 hassle - winding the hose all day , charging the battery each evening , dealing with leaks , water transfer between tanks , tds  etc   

5# MPG  - a loaded transit gives me no more than 19mpg thats just over 2k a year for 5000 mile I do

Today I thought that hijacking  wife's FIAT  QUBO  might be the solution in my case,  as  I can certainly fit a small (150L) tank in there for those difficult to reach windows and  do the rest by hand

+ I can still do my round as before 

+ can save money on insurance ( £750 ) tax (£250) maintenance and mpg fuel  (£2k ?) 

any advice will be appreciated as I don't want to shoot myself in the foot :))

cheers

 
I would never go back to trad , get a decent electric reel that will make life a lot easier , don’t understand leaks we don’t have then on any of our vans , ?... fuel wise I spend £80 per week per van that’s running hot water as well though ,but what we earn extra using wfp to trad is at least 4x more it’s a no brainier .

get a proper charging system put in the van and just plug in the mains lead each night takes 5 seconds job done .

if you have a decent set up maintenance is minimal it takes me less than 5 muinits when I get home to put the charging lead in and connect hose to fill and leave it to it .

Then the safety aspect comes into play wfp feet on the ground is far safer than ladders ,

The customer gets a far better job done with wfp , extra money easily earned by add ons gfs, etc 

just my thoughts and experiences trad 7 years ,wfp 15+ 

 
Iurie said:
Hi lads  - I strongly consider going back to trad 

I started about 11 years ago with a squeegee , bucket and a set of ladders on my little vw polo .. Surprisingly quickly I moved to wfp  ,  why ?  I don't know or i can't remember  ... 

Over the time I changed several vans and I ended up now with HR T350 Transit  with 2 tanks fitted one for wfp  second one for jet washing .   Wfp gave me the chance to earn good money and I do realise that very probably I won't be able to achieve that with a squeegee but here are my reasons why I consider going back 

#1 sold half of my round and now only working 2 weeks a month and is only local work within 3-6 miles 

#2  i don't do a lot of jet washing these days neither  i enjoy it

#3 some of the extra money your earn doing wfp  are drained later  on maintenance - pumps, ro , filters poles etc 

#4 hassle - winding the hose all day , charging the battery each evening , dealing with leaks , water transfer between tanks , tds  etc   

5# MPG  - a loaded transit gives me no more than 19mpg thats just over 2k a year for 5000 mile I do

Today I thought that hijacking  wife's FIAT  QUBO  might be the solution in my case,  as  I can certainly fit a small (150L) tank in there for those difficult to reach windows and  do the rest by hand

+ I can still do my round as before 

+ can save money on insurance ( £750 ) tax (£250) maintenance and mpg fuel  (£2k ?) 

any advice will be appreciated as I don't want to shoot myself in the foot :))

cheers
Click to expand...
Electric van ?

 
I only do windows one week a month at moment but inundated with add-ons. I have a 650l tank and only use 200l a day. I wish now that I got a 350l tank up against my bulkhead. I could fill it every night if I needed too. Then I would have the extra weight to keep my PW, Gennie, Vac, Poles, Ladders and all my tools that I run with. Last week and this week I am painting a large conservatory so I don't need any pure. In the end its a learning game for the next stage in life and that's when I get a new van.

 
scottish cleaning service said:
I only do windows one week a month at moment but inundated with add-ons. I have a 650l tank and only use 200l a day. I wish now that I got a 350l tank up against my bulkhead. I could fill it every night if I needed too. Then I would have the extra weight to keep my PW, Gennie, Vac, Poles, Ladders and all my tools that I run with. Last week and this week I am painting a large conservatory so I don't need any pure. In the end its a learning game for the next stage in life and that's when I get a new van.
Click to expand...
talking of pressure washers, bloomin sods, had several custys this week where windows covered in splashed up muck where theyd had their paths/patios done. Till one of them told me I wondered what was going on ?. Thought they were mudding their windows up to test if I was cleaning them properly or something, two of them in a row ?

 
ks789 said:
talking of pressure washers, bloomin sods, had several custys this week where windows covered in splashed up muck where theyd had their paths/patios done. Till one of them told me I wondered what was going on ?. Thought they were mudding their windows up to test if I was cleaning them properly or something, two of them in a row ?
Click to expand...
Aye, makes some mess. I go over the customers windows and the neighbours with my wfp after I have finish so I don't get complaints.

 
scottish cleaning service said:
I only do windows one week a month at moment but inundated with add-ons. I have a 650l tank and only use 200l a day. I wish now that I got a 350l tank up against my bulkhead. I could fill it every night if I needed too. Then I would have the extra weight to keep my PW, Gennie, Vac, Poles, Ladders and all my tools that I run with. Last week and this week I am painting a large conservatory so I don't need any pure. In the end its a learning game for the next stage in life and that's when I get a new van.
Click to expand...
It's just a pity we are so far apart or we could swap tanks buddy but they are not that expensive really it's just the frame and fitting it

 
Last edited by a moderator:
GF Window Cleaning said:
It's just a pity we are so far apart or we could swap tanks buddy but they are not that expensive really it's just the frame and fitting it
Click to expand...
Probably change when I get a new van and sell my old van with the 650l tank in it. Learning all the time in this game and will eventually come up with right formula that suits my work.

 

Similar threads

O
Traditional percentage ?
Replies
20
Views
1,203
Nosey
N
D
Trad shop fronts help
Replies
13
Views
1,018
jaymwait
J
M
Back to work after Vasectomy
Replies
13
Views
751
BigFoot
BigFoot
K
Just starting my own round, but another window cleaner is in the area already any advice?
2
Replies
38
Views
2,634
Gadgetfox
G
G
best tank to get?
2
Replies
22
Views
674
Pjj
Pjj

Latest Posts

Back
Top