Insight Needed...Thoughts Appreciated

Residential
1

Hi all. I have done extensive research and searches both on this forum and elsewhere, but would still appreciate current/updated thoughts on a few things I have really been looking into.

I currently have a small, mainly residential, window/gutter/house washing business. As of now, we do everything traditional, however, looking at safety of self/employees and longevity, I am wanting to move to a water fed set-up on all 2nd+ stories. So, for being at entry level for pure water setup, here is what I have put together this far:

WATER-FED SETUP

  1. 40 foot pole needed to reach 3 stories.
  2. 200 feet of hosing to reach around homes…but, does this cause pressure issues?
  3. Looking at starting with a DI only setup before moving to RO/DI…thoughts on renting from Sullivan?
  4. I am in the northern USA, so freezing temps happen relatively early. I would really like to use this technology in freezing temps… I have seen that using a backpack setup such as Hudson never pump with pre-made pure water mixed with ethanol allows for below freezing cleaning…thoughts on this?

Next thoughts are on house washing:

HOUSE WASHING SETUP
I have a Honda 4 GPM gas powered setup. I am wanting to be able to reach 3 stories without ladder use. I currently have a 16-foot wand and need to get on ladders at times. Main questions are:

  1. Shooter tip/x-jet for reaching 3rd stories…do these tips allow for applying soap and rinsing, and do they reach 3rd stories?

  2. With the proper tip, do I need a 16 foot wand, or should I be looking into a long lance instead?

  3. I utilize a pool shock/soap mix for house washing. Should I be adding in a surfactant, or is this not needed?

  4. I apply chemical bottom to top, let dwell for 5-10 minutes, then rinse top to bottom. Is this the proper technique?

Next question is on gutter cleaning:

GUTTER CLEANING

  1. Are people utilizing wand attachments to pressure washers to blast out gutter from the ground? If so, doesn’t this cause a large mess?

  2. We do gutters where a 32 foot ladder does not reach…again, I am looking for safety and longevity…is this just what I have to deal with, or is there a safer way for gutters to be cleaned? Gutter Vac I have looked into.

Last question is on interior window washing:

INTERIOR WINDOW WASHING

  1. Our service includes glass + screens + sills. I am thinking of moving to having sills be an add-on. How many people do you find that do add on sills? Do you find that most choose to have the sills wiped out?

  2. We bring buckets room to room at this point. Thinking spray/squirt bottle is the better move. Also thinking of having a bucket we bring around that holds spray bottle, applicators, squeegees, brushes, etc so that we are not attempting to get into tight spaces with our tool belts, causing more chances of knocking into things inside…does anyone do this, and what has been your experience with it?

  3. We have many homes that have high interior great room Windows. We bring in large step ladders to access these, and sometimes with poles too…I dislike having to bring ladders inside people’s homes, mostly for liability reasons. I know some use the Unger microswipe on pad holder to buff high interiors with no solution to avoid and streaking…experiences with this?

Thank you very much for any insight you can provide on the questions above… appreciate the help!!

2

Using a spray bottle for interiors works better for me than dragging around a bucket.

1 Like
3

Spray bottle seems the most logical.

4

Waterfed pole
There are different types of carbon fiber. At three stories and up, lower grade is a bit flimsy. I have a three story pole and I wish it was high modulus. Next pole will be, but I also don’t let anyone else use it. If I had employees using it, I don’t know if I’d want to because of the extreme expense of high mod.

I have 300 foot on one reel, and two one hundred foot sections on another reel. There have been times I needed 400 foot. Most of the time, 300 has worked fine for me,

DI tanks are not that expensive. I’d buy one before I rented one, personally. If you need the RO because your TDS in your area is high enough, I’d just buy it right off the bat.

In freezing weather, I’m done with WFP work. It’s all trad work from there.

As far as pressure goes, I am almost always on a well, so I use a booster pump on my RO/DI filter all the time. A Wayne PC4 has worked well for me for the past two years. Brush kits are cheap enough and I have never had to rebuild the pump, just replace brushes.

Can’t be of much help with house wash. I am in the process of getting set up for that for Spring 2019.
Only thing I would say is soap and surfactant are the same thing.

Interior windows
I do a quick wipe of the sills as part of the in/out package. However I do NOT include tracks, THAT is an add of for me. Most people do NOT add track cleaning, as most of my clients rarely, if ever, open their windows. I also charge separately for screens.

I use a squirt bottle. I don’t use spray bottles because I personally think it would make me look hackish. A squirt bottle wets your mop quickly and I don’t need to squirt water all over and worry about overspray or not getting the mop wet enough. I guess a bucket with other tools is ok, but I don’t do that because it’s a trip hazard for you and the client.

I use the Unger Speed Clean kit for interior/high interior windows. I don’t like using ladders inside homes either, but there are times when there isn’t another choice. Using the indoor speed clean kit though, cuts WAY down the number of times I have to bring in a ladder.

5

Big help!

6

Sim1Pole is 3.7 to 52 feet! build as you go! check it out here

  1. SimPoles | Water Fed Pole | WCR – WindowCleaner.com
    Get a water tank from Tractor Supply
  2. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-40-gallon-12-volt-21-gpm-pump-spot-sprayer?cm_vc=IOPDP1 get it local and save on shipping
    getan ro/di system and pump into the tank is the eastest way to wfp.
    3, XERO Pure | Pure Water System | WCR – WindowCleaner.com
    I did $125 an hour this Friday using the sim shorty at this two story home.
  3. Redirecting...
7

Thanks Phil. Does the 40 gallon sprayer have enough pressure to successfully travel through 200 feet of hose + up 3 stories through a pole?

8

Yes we go 200 feet every day and up to 60 feet!
https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/43337708_2008273482566519_5449734476902957056_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_eui2=AeEEBeUXbPJjnn6ahKY-Zow4rjTtEavUYCKxsz568eNH58lEpx2th74oGvPl-pYonODe-omg1s3AYZ3o6n4H94wPyxTFUtL1Q468Ixa9TF7qHA&_nc_pt=1&oh=ae5b6594bb2ac54c8e9dcd67b8315730&oe=5C62D1BD
Did this house on Friday from3-6 pm with my set up.