Water fed pole systems

S

Slim Pickens

Guest
Hey All

Just wondering if anyone has tried or ownes the water fed pole system and do you like it? thinking of maybe trying it out this summer.I watched it demo
at a window washing show looks good for commercial not so good for res.


Thanks jim
Quality Cleaning Contractors
P.o. Box 741 Lincroft, NJ 07738
 

ClassicalGlas

New Member
From my limited experience it's definately something you can make good money off of, but the only thing is that the pole gets pretty heavy throughout the course of the day. You'll need 2 people to operate it, and each person will have to share pole time (try 15 min shifts).

Also, the deionized water doesn't make the windows completely spotless... but as you said, for commercial it's ok.
 

Micah

New Member
Jim,

If you havn't already, try to find out what the TDS is in your area. That's the Total Desolved Solids. You can find this number by calling your water company I beleive, or your local Culligan company. The lower the number, the longer your DI tanks will last. That will impact your price greatly, and quality somewhat. I know there are some wc'ers that use a wfp a lot on resi. Carbon fiber poles help with weight slightly, but are expensive.

Micah Kommers
We Wash Windows www.we-wash-windows.com
South Carolina
 
S

Slim Pickens

Guest
water fed pole

Micah
I think that with Di water you won't get the same results as you would with
Ro water.Do you have a Di system ?.
 

Micah

New Member
Slim,

I don't have either, but I have done a lot of research. I may be wrong, but I believe a RO and a DI filter are supposed to do the same thing; provide PURE water. Some set ups include both a Reverse Osmosis filter with a Deionizer. This set up is needed in some locations to add a longer life span to your DI tank. (locations where there is a high TDS count) With a RO system, you need to replace cartrides. With a DI, the resin is "regenerated" using a salt and acid flush. I have found that several of the main manufactors of these systems have been very helpful with answering any questions. Hope this helps.

Micah Kommers
We Wash Windows www.we-wash-windows.com
South Carolina

P.S. The only reason why I don't own a system is because most of my work is ground work. If I did residential, or a lot of pole work, I would def. own one.
 

drivewaysonly

New Member
Hey guys (and gals) new to the forum but not w/c. WFP's are a real way to clean windows. One needs to know the hardness of the local water and that has been covered here. The difference between R/O water and DI water is the final outcome...how clean is the water for our purposes. A typicall ro unit will reduce TDS to around 8 to 20. wherein a di unit will reduce TDS to zero.

Now, one can get excellent results using DI water...it does take experince however. Not much but enough to learn that wfp work is a bad idea on very windy days or on the sunny side of the glass. The water dose NOT spot....what happens is that the dirt or dust or whatever is ON the glass will re-adhere and THAT will spot. Or...the dust in the air will mix with the water and spot. There are ways around all of this and, if needed, I can help.
 
S

Slim Pickens

Guest
Waterfed poles

Hey Drivewaysonly

Just getty into the waterfed poles know a litttle about them and going to build one myself I live in nj the tds is'nt a high as the water in florida I have heard mixed results on using di or ro water systems.what system do you use and why any responce would be helpful.
 

DrWhipIt

New Member
I use DI but only on true divided light windows (many small panes). I purchased a TDS meter (about $60 from Grainger) to measure output from my Winspray unit. The problem with DI is if the windows have heavy grime or paint overspray you still have to scrub with steel wool or scrape. If you're looking for a spot free rinse, DI is the only way to go.
 

drivewaysonly

New Member
RO (reverse osmosis) typically goes up-stream from a DI unit. The reason, an ro unit will drastically reduce contamination levels of any water by around 95 percent. Once the levels have been reduced, the DI resin will last so much longer. If your water is not very hard..say under 75 tds, then an ro unit wont ad much life to a DI unit so money would be wasted. Find out how hard your water is and proceed accordingly.

Now, the problem with pure water and windows is technique not water. Cut-ups or french windows require more work period...no matter how you clean them BUT with DI water, less detail work is required after cleaning. The reason one would go to DI water is for less ladder work, not less work. If you putz around with DI water and some different window situations you can truly get a feel for when to use and when not to. For example, try not to do window with Di water in the direct sun...water wont get a chance to sheet off and will spot. High wind days..also, be carfeul not to get the area above the glass very wet, it will carry contaminants from the edge onto the glass and casue spotting. again, it is NOT the water that spots...it is what the water has carried away from other areas on the glass that spots. Hope this helps.
 

drivewaysonly

New Member
DrWhipIt said:
I use DI but only on true divided light windows (many small panes). I purchased a TDS meter (about $60 from Grainger) to measure output from my Winspray unit. The problem with DI is if the windows have heavy grime or paint overspray you still have to scrub with steel wool or scrape. If you're looking for a spot free rinse, DI is the only way to go.


Drwhipit is right...curious if the Dr knows winspray has gone belly up?
 

Micah

New Member
You may have to clean the windows the traditional way the first time. Then, on a regular basis, use the WFP. I know many WC'ers are doing houses more then once a year now that they have the WFP. As with any WC method, if you clean the windows regularly, the easier they are to clean the next time.

Micah Kommers
We Wash Windows micah@we-wash-windows.com
Greenville, SC www.we-wash-windows.com
 

DrWhipIt

New Member
Winspray is OOB eh? Looks like I've got to purchase filters for my unit. It's light weight, small and filters down to <1ppm for at least 500 gals.
I agree with everything Drivewaysonly posted; technique is everything.
 

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