Water Fed Pole Tips from Australia

Since this blog has been posted - it has come to my attention that Perry Tait may have been involved in fraudulent activity - he currently runs the "future of cleaning" websites & "reach-it" products. However the information contained within is still worth a look.

Perry Tait from Sydney, Australia shows an example of a 5 storey extel pole at the Foxtel building in Melbourne. The 6.7 kg Carbon Fibre pole is sold by Perry on his water fed pole website. An example of this is shown in the video below. In the other video it shows Perrys rubbermaid trolley with space for both traditional tools or perhaps different brush heads. Perry also sells water fed pole equipment from his other website - pureH20.

The following tips are found on the waterfed pole site - Please note that these tips are from the website & are no way endorsed by this blog!

TIP # ONE:

BUY MORE THAN ONE LENGTH 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 (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.

TIP # TWO:

INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL TUBING ?

We recommend AGAINST running the water tube up 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

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, damaging the pole surface and 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 with the same tube !

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 maneuverable;

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 19.5m 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 CLIP SYSTEM on the market. This relates to 'ease-of-use'. With the 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. Simply raise the clamp / clip handle 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, so, so VERY EASY ..... for both Fibreblass Poles and Carbonfibre Poles.

TIP # FIVE:

The SECRET to USING a WATERFED POLE is:

The Waterfed Brush must be at the right height, the right angle and alll 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 that forms the Streak or Spot ! So .. the lower the TDS, the less the Streak or Spot !

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, it has no option but to remain on the glass - no different to leaving coffee in the bottom of your coffee cup !

FACT THREE : If, when it dries, the level of TDS on the window is COMMERCIALLY ACCEPTABLE to your customer, you can operate TWICE AS FAST with TAP WATER than you can with PURE WATER !!! That is FOUR TIMES FASTER THAN TRADITIONAL WINDOW CLEANING and all you need is the right WATERFED POLE !!!

If you do not know the TDS of your water locally, fill in the Enquiry Form and I will send you a professional TDS Meter (measures Temperature and TDS) for AUD$59.95 ....plus $5 P&H.

& STREAK FREE ! If the water is NOT PURE, the water will dry leaving marks equal to the amount of TDS in the water used to do the rinse !

TIP # SEVEN:

HOW does PURE WATER CLEAN WINDOWS ?

There are several types of Pure Water Window Cleaning Systems ... and to understand how they work, you need to remind yourself about WHAT IS WINDOW CLEANING....

Forgive me for stating the obvious here ! Traditional Window Cleaning involves :

STEP ONE : Agitate the dirt on the glass into solution in water with the Applicator;

STEP TWO : Remove the water (with the dirt in solution) completely with the Squeegee ! The use of detergent is mostly only to assist Step Two .. as a surfactant to assist the squeegee glide across the glass surface and remove the (dirty) water.

Water fed Pole Window Cleaning involves ;

STEP ONE : Agitate the dirt on the glass with the Brush on the Pole into solution (Pure Water) ;

STEP TWO : Remove the (dirty) water by rinsing ALL of it off the glass with Pure Water.

This leaves the glass clean, but wet. If the water is PURE, the water will dry SPOT & STREAK FREE ! If the water is NOT PURE, the water will dry leaving marks equal to the amount of TDS in the water used to do the rinse !

TIP # EIGHT:

SOME 'DO NOT's' !

DO NOT # ONE:

Do not use twisting mechanisms that need a tool at each join .. 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 !

DO NOT # TWO:

Do not use a Fibreglass Poles over 10m 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 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 ! Phew .. that is enough ... don't forget - a little frank advice could save you money, or give you better value for your budget.