Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

TELESCOPIC  WATER FED POLES FOR WINDOW CLEANING

 TIP # ONE

BUY MORE THAN ONE LENGTH POLE ! - BUY A PULL-APART POLE !

By having the lightest pole possible for each job, you will be able to work endlessly.

If I am cleaning a 4 Storey Building, I will use the 15.9m pole for the 4th Storey... then swap to the 14.0m pole for 3rd Storey,  often the 6.4m for the 2nd Storey and finally, either a Squeegee or a 4.1m pole for the Ground Work.

In Summary, Your Kit should look like :

Single Storey / Ground Floor           4.1m fibreglass pole (can reach over ballustrades)

Double Story                                      6.4m fibreglass pole for close or an 11m pole

Three Storey                                      11m pole for close or 14m pole for reach

Four Storey pole                                15.9m pole or 19.5m carbonfibre pole

With a Pull-Apart Pole, you achieve all the benefits listed above with just one pole - either the Reach-iT PRO or Reach-iT PAP.  If you want to go higher than 4 Storeys, you must use the PRO.

TIP # TWO

INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL TUBING ?

We almost always recommend AGAINST the water tube in the middle of each pole !

Having the tube inside the pole means the tube is exiting from the base of the pole, thereby being at the  feet of the operator.  This is a significant OHS Risk to have hoses under foot of the operator.  in contrast, having the tube drop from the brush head means the tube is in front of you along the wall of the building.

Secondly, the tube running up and down inside the pole carries the dirt and dust from the ground into the inner mechanics of the pole, wearing down the pole surface and the clamp integrity as well as interfering with the smooth sliding motion.

Thirdly, from a Time & Motion perspective, we recommend one Tube, one Brush per operator, and interchanging the poles.  Having one tube per pole wastes time and space when working on Multi-Storey sites.  With the tube going straight to the brush, you can quickly disconnect and connect poles with the same tube / brush set ! ONE BRUSH / ONE TUBE per Operator.

Remember  - the 15.9m Carbon fibre Waterfed pole  weighs less than 5kg  and the 6.4m Fibreglass pole is only 1kg.  You can see it is better to operate the right pole at the right height.    Have a look at my photo again .. you can see the shorter pole against the building  - ready to do the lower windows.

TIP # THREE

USE THE SMALLEST WATERFED POLE POSSIBLE

By smaller, I mean in SMALLER IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE !!!

SMALLER # ONE :          Smaller girth of the handle - less fatigue on hands;

SMALLER # TWO :         Smaller compact length - reach all joins with arms;

SMALLER # THREE :     Smaller extended length - pole more manoeuvrable;

SMALLER # FOUR :       Smaller weight - you work longer with less fatigue.

So .. this explains why getting a range of window cleaning poles .. with a  compacted length of no more than 2.2m is ideal.

I have poles that are 2.6m  - this is the only way to get a 20m telescopic pole without the lower handle being too round !  But it is ONLY FOR PROFESSIONALS !

TIP # FOUR

BUY THE POLE WITH THE EASIEST CLIP SYSTEM

The Carbonfibre and Fibreglass poles that you buy from us have, in my opinion, the BEST CLAMP SYSTEM on the market.  This relates to 'ease-of-use'.  The clamps are TRANSVERSE - they clamp sideways across the pole for effective clamping.

With the Easy-Clamp Style Clip, you can raise and lower the pole by any amount with ABSOLUTE EASE !  This means you can change the length of your Waterfed Pole precisely as you need it.

Simply raise the clamp / clip lever to lower the grip on the pole section, and either push the pole up to extend, or allow gravity to pull the pole down to shorten.

So, VERY EASY ..... for both Carbonfibre Poles and Fibreglass Poles.

TIP # FIVE

The SECRET to USING a WATERFED POLE is :

 The Waterfed Brush must be at the right height, the right angle and all the flocked brush bristles must be square on the glass.

Whilst you could buy the longest water fed pole to clean ALL windows , it would be too heavy and cumbersome for lower windows.

 If you are cleaning 2 Storey buildings, a 6m window cleaning pole is perfect, but an 11m Carbonfibre pole is also as good.

Remember, in order for there to be agitation, the bristles must be square against the glass WITH PRESSURE ... No Pressure, you see straight bristle marks in the dirt (still) on the window !  If there are circle marks, you have not rinsed properly.  If the circles are at the top of the window, you either missed, or you overwet the frame. If the cicrcles are at the bottom of the window, the rinse has been applied from the top, but the window has not been properly rinsed all the way down ... leaving dirty water at the base.

The way to get pressure from a shorter pole (less than 10m) is to use a Fibreglass Pole ... it has plenty of flex in it and you can bend the pole slightly to increase the pressure of the brush against the glass.

The way to get pressure from a longer waterfed  pole (over 1om) is to use a more rigid pole like carbon fibre, move back from the glass, and let the gravity pull on your (heavier) pole ... PUSH the brush against the glass .. Now .. the window cleaning pole is not heavier because it is Carbonfibre ... it is heavier because it is longer.

TIP # SIX

THE FACTS ABOUT PURE WATER

FACT ONE :

All water is PURE !  it is the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) that is not.  All water evaporates without streak or spot .. it is the TDS (what is dissolved in the water) that forms the Streak or Spot !  TDS is measured in ‘parts per million molecules’.

So  .. the lower the TDS, the less the Streak or Spot !  But ‘Spot-Free’ does not require TDS‘000’ !  The human eye cannot see a spot left from a TDS of lower than 60 parts per million  - that is TDS60.

FACT TWO :

Water dries in circles ... all water evaporates and dries from the extremity to the centre.  As it dries, some of the TDS stays where it was, but most of it gravitates to the centre.

Then, as the water dries, the dissolved mineral has no option but to remain on the glass - no different to leaving coffee in the bottom of your coffee cup, and coming back 2 days later - all the water is gone, and the coffee solids remain !

FACT THREE :

If, when water dries, the level of TDS on the window is COMMERCIALLY ACCEPTABLE to your customer, you can operate up to TWICE AS FAST with TAP WATER than you can with PURE WATER !!!  That is potentially FOUR TIMES FASTER than traditional window cleaning and all you need is the right Waterfed Pole !!!  What’s more -  the water is free !

If you do not know the TDS of your water locally, the best home test is to wash your sliding door with a brush (no detergent) and tap water.  Agitate thoroughly all the dirt on the glass, then carefully rinse from the top to the bottom with a small flow of water, being careful not to wash dirt off the top frame.  Rinse from side to side, chasing the dirty water off the glass with the tap water.

Do this all the way to the bottom of the glass.  Then have a beer, wait for the window to dry .. and check the spots. This will tell you the customers’ experience from Tap Water used properly.  For Commercial Business Parks cleaned annually, this may be OK !

As the water is NOT PURE, the water will dry leaving marks equal to the amount of TDS in the rinse water !

TIP # SEVEN

TIP # SEVEN

The 'DO NOT's' !

DO NOT # ONE

Do not use twist tight mechanisms that need a tool at each join (eg the Tucker Pole) .. you lose ALL the flexibility of getting the pole the right length, and accordingly, you lose the ability to easily keep the Brush Bristles Square against the glass !  Also you lose your most valuable asset - TIME  - each adjustment takes time with a Tucker Pole.

DO NOT # TWO

Do not use a Fibreglass Poles over 8m extended - they are too flexible and bow towards the glass too early.  AND THEY ARE TOO HEAVY !!!

DO NOT # THREE

Do not use Aluminium Poles - they conduct electricity, and they are too heavy.

DO NOT # FOUR

Do not use Modular Section Poles  -  the sales pitch is great -  you only need one pole, but you lose all efficiency ... Get 3 poles, one of each length and use the right pole at the right height - you will power through the work and not even be tired !  If someone developed a ‘Modularscopic’ pole - that could work !  3 storey telescopic and then modular extensions to any height you want  - hmmm ..... let me work on that !!

Phew .. that is enough ... don't forget - a little frank advice could save you money, or give you better value for your budget.