So, we’re bidding on a job with 3,000+ windows, the highest being 60 ft high from the ground. I would say 12%, 60 ft high, 13% 50 ft high, 17% 40 ft high, 18% 30 ft high, 20% 20 ft high, 20% ground level. The TDS around my area is about 350 PPM. I am getting myself a XERO Pure (unrelated to this job). How would I tackle the 40-60 ft high windows?
1. Pure Water System
Would a gas-powered pump available for ~$400 help me to utilize the RO/DI system to bring the water up to 60 ft? Electrical outlets are not readily available, and we may be pulling the water from the irrigation line which is usually around 40 psi around here.
Or, would I be better off using the DI Only option of the XERO Pure? Would it be enough to bring the water up to 60 ft? For 30 ft and lower, I can switch to RO/DI. How often would I be replacing the DI resin for the 1/4 cubit foot XERO Pure DI filter? Good enough for one day? Two days? 1 cubit foot of DI Resin is around $100 here at WCR.
Some guys use the DI Resin Tank around here, either the 30x8 or 44x7. Would these be good enough for 60 ft with incoming water flow of 40 psi? Would I need a battery-powered or gas-powered pump? How much DI resin do these tanks go through at 350 TDS?
2. Water-Fed Pole
It’s two of us, and we are not tall guys, right around 5’ 8" or so. I have a Gardiner SLX 22 with a SLX 27 extension for up to 30 ft work, but I am looking at two options for 40-60 ft. Which one would be most cost effective for this job? I don’t see doing more of these high window work after two months of working on this job, half the time worked on the 40-60 ft windows
Gardiner 3K Carbon Fiber Super Max 63, 63 ft Max, 6 ft 3 Collapsed, 10.7 lb, $2200.
Unger nLite Carbon Fiber 60’, 60 ft Max, 6 ft 6 Collapsed, 9.9 lb, $2350
Unger nLite HiMod CF 65’, 65 ft Max, 6 ft 6 Collapsed, 9.3 lb, $4600
3. Alternative Options
The facility mentioned the last guys using the boom lift which is around $260/day + operator. Neither of us knows how to use it. Would this be worth the consideration? I feel a lot more comfortable with the WFP route.
Any helpful comments would be really appreciated. I’ve been doing research on this for two days now, and I am in need of some help…
Do you have a generator? I bought this pump for a low water pressure situation and used my Yamaha Generator to power it. Just put it inline between the source and the DI/RO system.
I have several buildings we do 2 times a year that sound similar. I think your best option is to go with a RODI tank based system and hook up to the water on site and make water while you are working. You can run 2 poles off the one system and reach the 60 ft windows with no problem. Looks like you have used our comparison chat to see the poles but I did not see the Tucker pole as and option.
Tucker 60 ft 11.5 lbs 79 inches closed 2399.00
Ettore 65 ft 10.5 lbs 97 inches closed 2597.00
I personally have only used the Nlite at 65 feet but I have held in my hands the Ettore and Tucker in AZ in Feb and they both look amazing quality. The Tucker clamps are sturdy and easy to use and the Ettore has the same clamps as Unger which I have never replaced a Unger clamp on my 4 year old Nlite. So you would be ok going with any of the choices you listed. One thing to consider does it pull apart so you can use it for lower windows in the future when your business adds another truck. The ones that do that are Unger Tucker and Tucker has end defenders on every section. Not sure about Ettore or Gardner.
April sale on tucker https://waterfed.equipment/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Tucker_Free_Univaleve_Marb-1.png
As for tank system this is a great one and I have seen it in operation in AZ. The nice thing about this system is the easy change filters and they can be bought local or online.
I wouldn’t recommend using a boom lift without any experience or training. There are a lot of ways that can go bad.
As far as water pressure goes, if the building pressure is good, you might not need a pump at all. We have a plug-in pump and a long extension cord that works great for low pressure situations. The RO/DI will work great. You could do the 30x8 DI, but it’s a lot more expensive to regenerate the resins. At 350ppm, you should get at least a week of work from DI.
Thanks for the detailed reply, John. You mean use a booster pump with Xero Pure to reach 60 ft, right? As for your 60 ft Unger Nlite, is that the Carbon Fiber, or the HiMod?
The Nlite is Carbon fiber base pole with 2 Himod extensions and one carbon fiber extension and a prolongation gooseneck and with a tank system you can reach 75 ft with the RHG delivery system
A nice, quiet generator isn’t cheap. You can get cheaper gens but they are loud, but it probably isn’t something you would need very often. Look on Craigslist. A lot of campers upgrade their pepboys gens after a season or two.
You will not need a generator to run a booster pump. The one we have is 12V and will give you all the flow you need. Also the RHG Delivery system will work with 12v and give you more than enough flow at 75 ft.
Thanks for the great info, everyone. We decided not to pursue the job due to the boom lift requirements, but we feel confident about the next similar job thanks to all the info we have now. Really appreciate it!
