Boars Hair vs Nylon

What is the difference between Boars Hair and Nylon Water Fed Pole Brushes? What’s best for you? It depends on what your cleaning and at what height. This shot video breaks down both types.

Check out more videos here:
Tucker Water Fed Brushes, Poles, and Systems
Window Cleaning Basics
Understanding Pure Water & WaterFed Pole Window Cleaning

Northern Lite Water Fed Pole

Alex takes a look at the new Northern Lite Water Fed Pole from our friends up North! The Northern Lite water fed pole is a great 2-3 story water fed pole for residential or commercial window cleaning. With a short collapsed length of only 63", a true length of 29' and a reach of 32'.  Weighing only 5.6lbs without the brush this is a very user friendly water fed pole. Comes complete with brush, tubing, angle adapter and fittings. More details in the video below!

Bang Tidy Windows Versus Reflections Window Cleaning

The trailer with waterfed pole system that caused 2 window cleaners to go to courtroom TV.

Darren Potter of Bang Tidy Windows Versus Jeff Brown of Refections Window Cleaning: Judge Rinder is a Studio courtroom show where criminal barrister Robert Rinder rules on real life cases. For those in the States - this show is very familar to "Judge Judy". Click the link & go to Series 2 Episode 18 to watch the hour long show in the UK.

Jeff Brown was happy to recount the whole courtroom TV drama for your reading pleasure in his own words...

I had my window cleaning business for around 15 years with a client base of around 300 at its height. I employed my wife and 3 daughters and a couple of others on a part time basis, we eventually changed over to waterfed in the last 5 years and it was the best business decision I ever made.

My wife Lynne was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis one of the worst of the MS’s you can get, things gradually got worse as the years past and I handed the bulk of the business to my eldest girl. She wasn’t keen on the idea of pulling my trailer system so we purchase a van and kitted it out with a new system. I still kept hold of my trailer and trolley system because I kept around 50 of the original customers for a bit of pocket money and to try and keep myself sane. My youngest would come and look after my wife a couple of days a week while I had a break from caring for my wife.

There came a time when my youngest couldn’t keep up giving me a break as she had 3 young girls of her own to look after, it was time for me to sadly give up my business completely and believe me, it was a sad moment on my very last day.. I needed to stay at home to look after my wife. Around 12-18 months later I decided to sell my trailer system as it was Just sat at the side of my house doing nothing and I decided I would use the money to take my wife on a holiday to Devon or somewhere else along the east coast.

I was sat in my conservatory one day and my neighbours son Darren, who you see on the Judge Rinder show was one of those loveable rouges like Arthur Daily. I’d helped him out in the past and he never let me down. He has a partner and 4 children and one of them being disabled, he asked me about the trailer system and we chatted and I decided to sell it to him for £1,500 and draw up a payment plan and contract listing the full system including the trailer. For those that have seen the show you could see why my trailer was worth a bit of money. Even though I built it myself from an old caravan chassis, I needed something with brakes on to stop quickly with all the weight of water.

I’d be carrying 250ltr tank, 100mtr hose, pump and controller along with a 25’ hybrid pole. I wanted payment of £50 and with a hamlet of customers I gave him, you could make £110 in 2.5hrs as once parked up you could do all but 2 of the houses without moving the van. He had more work passed to him by his father who is still a window cleaner today.

The first couple of weeks passed and I got my payment from him that I would mark in the book then he disappeared from the face of the earth! I popped around his house on a few occasions much like on collection night for a window cleaner in the UK. I had the curtain twitching, over the next 12 months & I managed to get a total of £250 from him. I was promised money more times than I care to remember that he would come around on a Friday to pay me & he never showed. I was very patient for far too long but apart from taking him to court it looked like I was going to lose £1,250 and I was almost about to write it off until....

Jeff in his heyday running his waterfed trailer system.

Sat at home one afternoon and a new TV program came on, it was the English version of Judge Judy. I sat and watched it to see what it was like and the Judge is a bit camp and comes out with some very funny remarks. Over the next few weeks I watched the program and I was sent a link on Facebook by my Youngest daughter. I liked the page and on one of the postings by the Judge (really the crew not the Judge as he can’t stand Facebook in real life) I commented by saying is the ruling made by the Judge legally binding? Or is it Just a ploy set up by actors and actors? If it’s legally binding then I may have a case for you, if it’s not then I won’t waste your time.

I never received a reply back from them and a few weeks passed. I logged onto Facebook one evening to find a private message from the Judge Rinder crew asking me for my phone number so they could call me back and chat about my case. At first I was a little apprehensive and dogged the request for my phone number but eventually I gave in & messaged them my number. Within minutes I was chatting to one of the producers of the show and she said I had a strong case.. hold your horses I haven’t agreed yet! She then went on to tell me that the Judge Rinder show like most shows are sponsored and the Judge Rinder show had sponsors coming out of it’s ears and if you win your case then the sponsors pay anything awarded. Now my ears pricked up because that means the full amount all at once.

Over the next 2 hrs I was contacted by the main Producer, and the travel department and the first producer. I must have been on the phone to different departments for around 2hrs. The final call came in around 11pm... Yes 11pm on that evening asking when I could come on the show? They said they had a spare slot for Tuesday, that was 2 days away.  I was asked if I thought the other guy Darren would appear on the show? I told them if someone was paying his bill then I’m sure he would. I shot around his house the next day and surprised him as he was working under his car, his face was a picture, like I caught him red handed and he couldn't run this time. I explained to him over a cuppa about the show and they would pay all expenses for him, his partner and all his children to get to and from his home. He chose to travel by Taxi and the fare there and back was just over £1,000. I chose to travel with my wife who they promised to look after and we travelled by train and the cost by train was around £400. We arrived in Manchester and was met at the station by a pre-booked Taxi that took us to our hotel and we were treated like royalty with all food paid for by the TV company (ITV).

Around evening lunch time the wife and I popped down for our meal, I had a nice steak, now come on who wouldn’t pick a nice steak that was free? During my meal I received a text message from the guy I was taking to court, he wasn’t happy with his family promised room, he was given 2 separate rooms which meant his family would be split. I gave him the contact number of the producer and told him to be up front and honest with her and I heard nothing back until around 1 hour later. He sounded really happy and told me that they had sent a taxi around immediately and took them all off to another hotel that gave him a apartment. I later saw the photographs he took when he posted them on Facebook...  I kid you not, the apartment was £400 per night. My hotel was around the £150 mark so still not cheap and we were happy.

The following morning around 8am we were picked up by Taxi and driven to the Studio in Manchester and the first thing my wife saw was the Coronation street set (Groan). We were greeted by security who scanned us and removed all our belongings, ie mobile phones including the wife’s handbag, our luggage, as we’d checked out of the hotel. We didn’t have to wait as one of the producers was there to greet us along with our own personnel runner for anything that we wanted. My wife likes a smoke and she was about to kick off because they removed her cigarettes but they said, don’t worry, your personnel runner will supply you with as many as you want. I'd never seen my wife smoke so much! We were shown to our dressing room where we were introduced to a young lady who sat with us telling us what would be happening while we waited, we filled in a bank transfer form with my bank details so they could pay the money if I won my case.

Next, a lady walked in who was in charge of making sure you were dressed properly for TV, she walked in and saw I was in my suit and she thanked me as she had nothing to do. 10 minutes later another woman walked in with security and asked me to follow them and in we went to the make-up dept, they slapped a bit of stuff on my baldy head to stop it blinding the camera’s no doubt and a bit more on my nose, everyone I met there were so kind and helpful and made our visit something to remember. I’m Ex Military and it was November 11 and I looked at my lapel and my poppy had gone, I asked my runner if I could have a poppy and off he ran to get me one. Next thing I knew the lady in charge of dressing came in and apologised but I won’t be able to wear one as the show is going out in January, I wasn’t pleased but I did understand.

My case was to be the first one heard and the court would start at 11am! Not 11am please I said, that’s when we have our 2 minutes silence in remembrance of the war (poppy day). I was assured that the Judge would respect my wishes and at one minute to 11am the court room doors opened and I could see the audience in their seats and the Judge already in his seat, he announced that at 11am we would be having a 2 minutes silence as he looked down the court room to me, I was extremely grateful.

The 2 minutes silence ended and I was ushered into court and took my place by the mark on the desk that I was shown on a dummy run half hour earlier. My head didn’t move much but in my Peripheral vision I could see the producer frantically trying to get my attention, I looked over towards him and I thought he wanted to play charades but what he was trying to say was open your evidence folder. I never was any good at charades! My old mate walked in full of tattoos dressed to kill.. more like road kill I would say. The Judge walked in and took his place and opened the court session. I won’t tell all as I can’t remember a lot.. well it is now February and this took place last November but catch the show and see for yourself.

The Judge was shown pictures of my trailer and he was very impressed with the build quality..lol. He asked if I had built it myself and I answered - yes (all this was in the evidence he had in front of him). He told me I could be the next 'James Dyson'... lol.. I wish I had his money! I went through my story and he then started on Darren - first comment was his tattoo’s. He then mentioned as you can see in the clip about the original name of the company 'Reflections' and asked if he changed the name and what to? - 'BANG TIDY WINDOWS' was his reply. I’m glad they haven’t cut the bit where the Judge creased up laughing, then tried to compose himself but started laughing again. It was a really funny moment in courtroom and the whole court room were in laughter. I did try to keep a straight face all the way through but failed on a few occasions! Eventually the ruling came and I won my case and was awarded the full £1,250 that was paid into my bank account yesterday (2nd February 2015). The show will be aired on the 4th February and by the time you read this, I’m sure the show would have been shown. Once we’d finished in the studio they gave us £30 cash in an envelope for a few snacks on the way home and our taxi from the home station to our home.

All in all we had a very busy couple of days but was it worth it. Would I do it again? I’d do it in a heartbeat.. but maybe next time I’d get a taxi and not a train. The whole crew involved in the show earned top marks from me and my full respect for the way they treated us. It was a funny and emotional show. The producer as promised phoned me after the show and asked my thoughts on it, the whole crew was in the office watching it and thought it was one of their best shows yet.

He owed me a balance of £1,250 of which he'd paid me a total of £250. But after - Darren went into hiding.. we made up in the court room entrance because he was debt free and ITV were paying his bill for him, so I finally got my money in my bank account yesterday! He avoided me for a long time and we did fall out.. but at the end of the show and on Camera - we made up and are now friends again.

AquaTap - A New WFP Controller

The AquaTap - will probably replace all existing methods of water control you have at the moment.

Peter Fogwill of AquaTec is on the verge of releasing a new AutoBrush (original AutoBrush here) to be named the AquaTap. An update on the new Aquatap: - The tooling has started and the Aquatap will be in full production & on sale by the end of July at the latest. It will be be available to buy widely in the UK & at WCR in the States. The buzz is on Peters forum here & will probably replace all existing methods of water control you have at the moment. Peter explains..

In a nutshell: "It's a simple device on top of the waterfed pole (before the angle joint) for water control weighing in at 2.5 ounces or 75 grams (75 grams feels like the same as a black plastic angle joint.)" "It fits on any pole in seconds, makes no difference if the hose is internal or external, makes no difference if the pole is telescopic, modular, or whatever." "It makes use of your own hose, your own brush, your own gooseneck or angle joint." "Controls water from a trickle to full blast as well as off and on." "A simple quarter turn on the bottom of the pole operates it." "No need to remove your hands from the pole, or even reposition a hand on the pole, or take your eyes off the brush." "It only takes seconds to fit." "Works as good with hot water as it does with cold." "Only one moving part, so very reliable." "You work the way you have always worked, with the equipment you have always worked with." "And for the unscrupulous among us Patent applied for."

Peter says, "there's been a delay due to me wondering which direction to take with it, however its full steam ahead now. Peter goes on to explain "it fits on any pole, with any brush." "1/4 turn to start the water, 1/4 turn to stop the water, and like a tap you may want anything in between." "This means no adapters are necessary & fits on to any pole in about the same time it takes to fit an angle joint," Peter says "it really is just plug and play." "The cost is another significant factor, and at around £35, it is priced to sell."

Peter explains how it works.. "The water passes in the top connector and when the valve is open passes down the tool and out the bottom connector." "When the valve is closed the water is held in the top part of the tool and not allowed to move down and out the bottom part." "The valve is opened and closed with a quarter turn, the brush being held against the window, and the bottom of the pole being turned" "The hose connections you see in the picture is for 4mm inside diameter hose, but they can be changed for any size of hose."

"Maybe this will help."  "Imagine just now you are holding the pole with your brush on the glass, you try and turn your pole a quarter turn and it won't move." " Now imagine putting the AquaTap on the top of the pole, it can turn a quarter turn, so now when you turn the pole the bottom of your pole will make a quarter turn, and when it does it turns the water on.""And when you turn it back a quarter turn it goes off again."  "If you hold the bottom and the top of the Aquatap it will turn and stop one way, then you can turn it back." "That turning back and forth is moving something inside the Aquatap that allows the water to pass through, or its stopped by passing through depending if its open or shut."

So it's pretty maintenance free?

"Yes there is only one moving part." "If you think of your household tap and how that works, it's much the same, and should be that reliable." "You turn the tap on water flows, you turn the tap off water stops." "You are doing the exact same thing with this except instead of turning a lever on the tap, you are turning the bottom of the pole." 

• Takes seconds to fit
• Variable flow control
• Water control on/off by 1/4 turn of WFP
• Lightweight, 2.5 ounces or 75 grams
• No need to remove your hands from the pole
• Only one moving part, so very reliable
• Fits any pole
• Any hose configuration (outside or in)
• Can take hot/cold water
• Safe operation, no need to take your hands off the WFP

Original video of the prototype below..

Whappening? Window Cleaners

Click me to go to webinar.

Free Webinar: The last Webinar on Water Fed Poles and pure water systems with John Lee went off so well Window Cleaning Resource decided to do another! So come ready with questions on pure water and water fed poles and John will be ready to answer them! Free participation, just register here. Wed, Mar 20, 2013 3:00 - 4:00 PM EDT (7 PM UK GMT).

Just 2 days left of the Cleaning Show is a showcase for all products and services used in the cleaning and support services industry. It is the UK’s only major event where companies can market, sell and promote their products and services to an international audience. The exhibition is organised every two years on behalf of the cleaning industry by BCCE Ltd, a company jointly owned by the British Cleaning Council and Quartz Publishing & Exhibitions. Each year it gets bigger and better, attracting thousands of visitors keen to see all that’s new in the cleaning sector. In 2009, the show welcomed over 8,000 people – that’s a huge captive audience willing to be sold to. The Cleaning Show is an unrivalled blend of industry knowledge and exhibition expertise as well as one that is working for the long term good of the cleaning industry.

Click the picture - go to the dark side.

Click Here. Blue cloths for traditional window cleaning. Seller claims of lasting 3 to 4 times longer than scrim. Super absorbent. No smears to bits after detailing (sic). Lee Burbidge demonstrates here. 

Want to see the new Facelift Phoenix Poles? Wonder what the improvements on the Mk3XL “eXtra Light” are? Meet Aqua-dapter and try them out for yourself! 

When? Wednesday April 3rd @ 6:30pm Where? Aqua-dapter Ltd, The Old Stables, 34 New Street, Wall Heath, DY6 0HA. 

Who will be there? Members of the team at Aqua-dapter, Mike Howard from Facelift and Lee Burbidge from the Window Cleaning Magazine. 

Mike will also be bringing some new stuff from Facelift too! Limited parking is available at Aqua-dapter but the Horse & Jockey pub directly behind have kindly allowed us to park there as well. A room at the pub is reserved for a chat afterwards too. 

Here's a reminder of the products and their features: The Aqua-dapter® Mk3XL... is very light, only approx 125g (lighter than an iPhone 4) has a new shorter & stronger, barbed, outlet pipe has all of the improvements in the Mk3/L and further strengthened components. 

The new Phoenix poles feature: Choice of Hybrid or Full Carbon poles up to 25ft (29ft reach) Short collapsed lengths New robust clamps and levers specifically designed for Water Fed Poles Anti-pinch clamps Compact vertical clamps for speed and left or right hand use Clamps designed to bounce over ledges, gutters etc. Easily adjustable clamps, Built in brake system, Light weight quick release threaded tip (german thread), Rubber base cap.

AeroGel - WFP Material Potential

Aerogel (also called 'frozen smoke' because of its hazy blue appearance), is a truly remarkable material. It is the lightest and lowest-density solid known to exist.

Do you remember this blog? I think Aerogel may have an edge! Being the world's lightest known solid, it weighs only three times that of air. Combined with a carbon fiber lattice & investment, I can see water fed poles getting lighter & higher. Already Dunlop has incorporated aerogel into the mold of its new series of tennis racquets, and has previously used it in squash racquets. The high aspect ratio of fibers such as fiberglass have been used to reinforce aerogel composites with significantly improved mechanical properties. This futuristic material may just be a leap in the direction of making all wfp's lighter & easier to control & if you feel up to it - you can just make your own. Just don't go out working in a strong wind!

A Solid That's Light as Air: Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory focused on aerogel -- an extremely lightweight, porous material that is chemically identical to glass, but weighs only a little more than air. Aerogel is the lightest solid known to science. It's also one of the most insulating materials on Earth, the most porous, and it's nearly transparent. Holding a piece of aerogel is an uncanny experience. It's so light it feels nearly weightless, like a chunk of solidified fog or smoke. It feels a bit like Styrofoam, and it squeaks when you rub your finger on it. It's strong enough to support many times its own weight if the load is distributed evenly. But bend it or squeeze it too hard, as one Wired News editor discovered, and a chunk of aerogel will shatter into tiny fragments.

Aerogel-impregnated fabrics from Aspen Aerogels are flexible enough to be rolled up or incorporated into clothing.

Back on Earth, that porousness (aerogel can be up to 99-percent air) makes aerogel an ideal thermal insulator. So it's no surprise that companies are investigating commercial uses for this material, ranging from windows to home insulation to clothing. Such a wealth of useful properties makes aerogel interesting not only to rocket scientists, but to entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, who sunk $50 million last year into Aspen Aerogels, a company devoted to commercializing aerogel. "As an insulator, aerogel is two to four times more efficient than anything else out there," said George Gould, the director of research for Aspen Aerogels.

Aspen Aerogels makes economical aerogel textiles by impregnating "blankets" of fabric with silica gel, then pressurizing the impregnated fabric and extracting the now-supercritical liquid. The result is a flexible fabric with aerogel integrated into its matrix. Prices for the material vary, but a typical price is a few dollars per square foot for quarter-inch thick material. When Aspen Aerogel's second factory is completed later this year, Gould said, the company will be able to produce 100 million square feet per year of its aerogel textiles, bringing costs even lower. Aspen's products have been used to to insulate the pipelines used in deep-sea oil drilling operations, in winter jackets by Burton Snowboards and even to make shoe inserts.

The Flower, the Mona Lisa of aerogel pictures, dramatically demonstrates the superinsulating properties of silica aerogel by insulating a delicate, moist flower from the raging heat of a Bunsen burner.

Other commercial producers of Aerogel include Aerogel Composite and a Swedish company, Airglass, which sells aerogel-based insulated windows. The problem these companies face is that, while aerogel is a vastly superior insulator, the alternatives (like fiberglass or plain glass windows) are dirt-cheap. The high pressure needed to create aerogel (around 800 pounds per square inch) means that producing even a tiny amount requires costly lab equipment. You can buy aerogel samples on eBay but they cost around $30 to $50 for small, nickel-sized chunks.

That means aerogel is unlikely to play a major role in construction or clothing unless its makers can bring the price down much further -- or capitalize on its space-age reputation enough to make customers willing to pay extra for cachet. "The costs are not necessarily prohibitive," said Gould. "Relative to something like fiberglass, the costs are certainly greater but a lot of it has to do with capacity."

Aerogel (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Aerogel is a synthetic porous ultralight material derived from a gel, in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. The result is a solid with extremely low density and thermal conductivity. It is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke, solid air or blue smoke owing to its translucent nature and the way light scatters in the material; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene (styrofoam) to the touch.

Aerogel was first created by Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931, as a result of a bet with Charles Learned over who could replace the liquid in "jellies" with gas without causing shrinkage. Aerogels are produced by extracting the liquid component of a gel through supercritical drying. This allows the liquid to be slowly dryed off without causing the solid matrix in the gel to collapse from capillary action, as would happen with conventional evaporation. The first aerogels were produced from silica gels. Kistler's later work involved aerogels based on alumina, chromia and tin dioxide. Carbon aerogels were first developed in the late 1980s.

Peter Tsou with a sample of aerogel at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.

Despite their name, aerogels are solid, rigid, and dry materials and do not resemble a gel in their physical properties; the name comes from the fact that they are derived(composed) from gels. Pressing softly on an aerogel typically does not leave even a minor mark; pressing more firmly will leave a permanent depression. Pressing extremely firmly enough will cause a catastrophic breakdown in the sparse structure, causing it to shatter like glass – a property known as friability; although more modern variations do not suffer from this. Despite the fact that it is prone to shattering, it is very strong structurally. Its impressive load bearing abilities are due to the dendritic microstructure, in which spherical particles of average size 2–5 nm are fused together into clusters. These clusters form a three-dimensional highly porous structure of almost fractal chains, with pores just under 100 nm. The average size and density of the pores can be controlled during the manufacturing process.

A 2.5 kg brick is supported by a piece of aerogel with a mass of only 2 grams.

Aerogels are good thermal insulators because they almost nullify the three methods of heat transfer (convection, conduction, and radiation). They are good conductive insulators because they are composed almost entirely from a gas, and gases are very poor heat conductors. Silica aerogel is especially good because silica is also a poor conductor of heat (a metallic aerogel, on the other hand, would be less effective). They are good convective inhibitors because air cannot circulate through the lattice. Owing to its hygroscopic nature, aerogel feels dry and acts as a strong desiccant. Persons handling aerogel for extended periods should wear gloves to prevent the appearance of dry brittle spots on their skin.

The slight color it does have is due to Rayleigh scattering of the shorter wavelengths of visible light by the nanosized dendritic structure. This causes it to appear smoky blue against dark backgrounds and yellowish against bright backgrounds. Aerogels by themselves are hydrophilic, but chemical treatment can make them hydrophobic. If they absorb moisture they usually suffer a structural change, such as contraction, and deteriorate, but degradation can be prevented by making them hydrophobic. Aerogels with hydrophobic interiors are less susceptible to degradation than aerogels with only an outer hydrophobic layer, even if a crack penetrates the surface. Hydrophobic treatment facilitates processing because it allows the use of a water jet cutter.

No Pay-Out For Window Cleaner

Jury: "SDG&E Not Liable For Window Washer's Injuries" - Jurors Wednesday ruled against a local man who sued San Diego Gas & Electric after losing parts of his arms in an accident. Shane Cahill was severely injured in 2008 while washing windows on top of a Mission Bay condominium. About 12,000 volts of electricity rushed through his body when the metal pole he was using touched an SDG&E power line. Cahill sued the utility for medical expenses that could range into the millions of dollars. After a nearly three-week trial, the jury sided with the utility, voting 10-2 that the company was not liable for Cahill's injuries. "This was not a safe condition," Cahill's attorney, Todd Macaluso, said Tuesday in closing arguments. "This was an accident waiting to happen." SDG&E's attorney, William Calders, countered, "It's a good story and it reads well, but it isn't supported by the facts."

Macaluso said the power company knew those lines were too low and still did nothing to fix them. He added the company did not meet a certain standard and called it "negligence." Calders argued Cahill was negligent because Cahill himself testified he never saw the power lines that were only feet away. Macaluso said at best his client is only 20 percent responsible for the accident, leaving SDG&E responsible for 80 percent of the injuries that left Cahill with two prosthetic forearms.

SDG&E issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon regarding the verdict: What happened to Mr. Cahill is a tragedy. SDG&E is deeply sympathetic for the injuries he suffered as a result of contact with our facilities. We appreciate the jury's thoughtful and thorough review of the facts and their conclusion that SDG&E was not negligent and that what happened to Mr. Cahill was an accident.

SDG&E cleared in window cleaner accident - A jury cleared San Diego Gas & Electric Co. of any liability in the case of a window washer who lost both arms in an electrocution accident in 2008, the worker's attorney said Wednesday. Shane Cahill was shocked by 12,000 volts while he cleaned windows at a Mission Bay condominium. He lost both of his arms and faces medical bills that could run into the millions of dollars, said his attorney, Carlsbad-based Todd Macaluso. In 2009, Cahill sued the utility for medical expenses.  Macaluso said he had great respect for the jury. "We believe the law needs to be changed," Macaluso said in a written statement. "What happened to Mr. Cahill is a tragedy," SDG&E said in a written statement. "SDG&E is deeply sympathetic for the injuries he suffered as a result of contact with our facilities. We appreciate the jury's thoughtful and thorough review of the facts and their conclusion that SDG&E was not negligent and that what happened to Mr. Cahill was an accident."

Trial For Window Cleaner Who Lost Arms Goes To Jury

Former Window Washer's Suit Against SDG&E Goes To Jury -Shane Cahill Lost Part Of Arms When Pole He Was Using To Wash Windows Hit 12,000 Volt Power Line: A jury will now decide who is responsible for the accident that left a San Diego man without part of his arms. Closing arguments wrapped up Tuesday afternoon in the case of Shane Cahill. He is suing San Diego Gas and Electric for medical expenses that could range into the millions of dollars. 

Cahill's attorney and SDG&E's attorney spoke one final time in front of the jury. "This was not a safe condition," said Cahill's attorney Todd Macaluso. "This was an accident waiting to happen." SDG&E's attorney, William Calders, said, "It's a good story and it reads well, but it isn't supported by the facts." Cahill lost part of his arms four years ago while washing windows on top of a Mission Bay condo. About 12,000 volts of electricity rushed through his body when the metal pole he was using touched an SDG&E power line.

Macaluso said the power company knew those lines were too low and still did nothing to fix them. "They should have met the 25-foot standard and they didn't," said Macaluso. "Ladies and gentlemen, that is negligence." Calders argued it was Cahill who was negligent because Cahill testified he never saw the power lines that were only feet away. "He had 16 opportunities in the three-hour period of time to see electrical lines," said Calders. "How many times did he see the lines? None."

Macaluso said at best his client is only 20 percent responsible for the accident, leaving SDG&E responsible for 80 percent of the injuries that left Cahill with two prosthetic forearms. "I think that's fair," said Macaluso. "I think that's reasonable."

Calders asked the jury to remove compassion from their minds and only focus on the facts. "You can't take concern for Mr. Cahill, who is a very nice gentleman, who has had a serious event, and I will agree to that," said Calders. "But you can't take that into your deliberations." The jury will begin deliberations Wednesday morning. 

Former Window Washer Testifies Against SDG&E: The local window washer who lost part of his arms in an accident testified Monday morning in his lawsuit against San Diego Gas & Electric. Shane Cahill spoke softly as he talked about the moments immediately after 12,000 volts of electricity shot through a metal pole and into his body. "My body just tensing up, tensing," he said. "It seemed to get tighter and tighter. I couldn't move much."

Four years ago, Cahill was cleaning the windows on top of a condo in Mission Bay. He was shocked when his equipment hit a power line. Cahill's attorneys argue that SDG&E's power lines were too close to the condo. Cahill said he could not remember how long it took for someone to come help him. "I was pretty stressed out, so I'm not really sure how long," he said. Cahill lost both of his hands and part of his forearms. Using prosthetics, he demonstrated for his attorney and the jury how the metal window washing pole was set up at the time of the accident.

On cross-examination, SDG&E's attorneys said the power lines were in compliance and tried painting a picture that Cahill himself was negligent. One attorney for SDG&E showed Cahill another version of the same metal pole and asked him what was written on the side of the pole. "Watch for wires," answered Cahill.

The defense also kept track of how many times Cahill walked in and out of the condo without noticing the power poles and power lines next to the condo. "Did you happen to notice that there were electrical lines, or guidelines or communications lines outside of the windows?" a defense attorney asked. "No," answered Cahill. "Never saw them?" asked the attorney. "No, I did not," Cahill said.

The tally got up to 14 times before the judge called it a day. Cahill's attorneys previously argued that those wires should have been at least 25 feet away. They were only 12 feet away from the condo when Cahill touched one with the metal pole. When asked if he thought he was going to die, Cahill said, "I thought I was, yes." Cahill will wrap up his testimony Tuesday morning. He is suing for unspecified damages that could total in the tens of millions of dollars.

Water Fed Pole User Sues For Loosing Both Arms

Shane Cahill Lost Both Arms When Pole He Was Using To Wash Windows Hit 12,000 Volt Power Line.

Former Window Washer Suing SDG&E For Damages (San Diego): Shane Cahill Lost Both Arms When Pole He Was Using To Wash Windows Hit 12,000 Volt Power Line. A former window washer who lost both of his arms when the pole he was using to wash windows hit a power line is now suing San Diego Gas & Electric. "It was an accident waiting to happen," attorney Todd Macaluso told a civil court jury Tuesday. Macaluso is representing Shane Cahill, a former window washer who lost both of his arms when the 7-foot pole he was using atop a Mission Bay condominium came into contact with a 12,000 volt power line.

"These wires should never have been there. Never," said Macaluso, who told the jury that by law SDG&E should have kept its lines at least 25 feet from the building where Cahill was injured in 2008. "Mr Cahill is standing there washing the windows," Macaluso told the jury. "All of the sudden he feels his body freeze up. He can't move. He is then thrown on the ground." The owner of the condominium, Mario Maio ran upstairs after hearing the commotion. "And sees Mr. Cahill on the ground with his hands curled, and he's smoldering," said Macaluso.

Cahill now has two prosthetic arms and is permanently disabled. His medical bills have topped the $9 million mark, according to Macaluso. "It's SDG&E that has exclusive control over these transmission lines," Macaluso said in closing. "It's SDG&E that has the exclusive right and obligation to maintain them, and it's SDG&E who we expect to comply with the law." SDG&E's lawyer told the jury Cahill should take personal responsibility for what happened. William Calders described how Cahill walked back and forth on the rooftop deck, carrying his equipment to the 3-foot tall glass railing he was hired to clean. Calders said Cahill should have seen the transmission lines.

"How can you miss these lines? Never saw them. Never knew they were there? Never was concerned for his own safety? He wanted somebody else to take care of it," Calders told jurors. Calders also said the property's owner should be held accountable for adding a rooftop deck, a railing and a Jacuzzi without the proper building permits, in violation of city code and California Coastal Commission rules. "If this railing isn't there, If this Jacuzzi isn't there, If Mr. Maio had followed the law, would Mr. Cahill be sitting here like he is today?" asked Calders. "The answer is very clear. If there's no railing, there's nobody on the roof cleaning that railing and there's no way this accident happens."

Calders said SDG&E was in full compliance with California law, and that the power lines were properly installed and maintained. Jurors are expected to hear testimony over the next two weeks, including a visit to the rooftop where Cahill was injured. Cahill is seeking damages for medical bills and lost wages, as well as punitive damages against the utility for what his lawyer calls the wrongful and negligent actions and inactions of SDG&E.

"We believe that these lines as they exist do not comply with the general order 95 which require certain clearances from residences and pools such as this deck."

Window Washer Gets High Voltage Shock. A routine job ended in tragedy when part of his equipment touched a power line. Now the man is suing SDG&E. A 3-story building in Mission Bay was Shane Cahill’s last window washing job of the day. On that Wednesday, September 3, 2008, Cahill started his routine like he did on every job, every day. He took his position on the building’s rooftop deck and started washing the home’s glass windows when suddenly he realized something was very wrong. "I pulled all my hose over, doing my daily routine… stuck the pole over the glass and all of a sudden I got a super strong grip on the pole and I realized I hit a power line," said Cahill.

An electric shock traveled through his body, destroying the veins in his arms. Cahill, 34, woke up from an induced coma 72 days later at the UCSD Burn Center and was surprised at his condition. "Waking up to no hands realizing that life's changed. That's probably the worst,” Cahill said. He has since filed a lawsuit against SDG&E. His attorney, Todd Macalusco believes the position of the power lines is too close to the home where Cahill was working. "We believe that these lines as they exist do not comply with the general order 95 which require certain clearances from residences and pools such as this deck," Macalusco.

SDG&E released this statement: “This was a terrible accident and we are deeply sorry to hear about Mr. Cahill's loss. We take seriously our responsibility to safely operate and maintain our power lines - it’s our top priority. It's unfortunate that the plaintiff's lawyer failed to contact us about this incident and listed the wrong address in the complaint he filed with the court. Now that we do know the address, we will begin an immediate investigation to determine what happened.” Meanwhile Cahill is learning how to move on. "So here I am living. I'm an active guy. I like rock climbing street bike racing - it's something I'll never be able to do again."

On September 3, 2008, Cahill, an employee of Lily's Window Cleaning (Employer) (excerpts), suffered severe burns and other injuries when his metal window-washing pole made contact with the SDGE 12,000-volt electrical line located in the alley, higher than and adjacent to Property's roof. At the time of the incident, Cahill was preparing to wash the glass railing on the southwest corner of the roof, while standing with one foot on a metal air conditioning unit and his other foot on the bottom of the glass railing. On November 13, 2008, Cahill filed a personal injury action against SDGE, alleging it was negligent per se for constructing and maintaining electrical lines too close to Property in violation of state law (i.e., Cal. Pub. Utilities Com. General Order No. 95).2 In December, SDGE filed an answer denying Cahill's allegations and asserting various affirmative defenses.
Defendant and cross-complainant San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDGE) appeals an order dismissing its cross-complaint for equitable indemnity against cross-defendants Maurice Maio, David Zeiger, and Nantasket Court Condominium Association (collectively Owners) after the trial court found that Owners' $25,000 settlement with plaintiff Shane Cahill was made in good faith within the meaning of Code of Civil Procedure section 877.6.1 On appeal, SDGE contends the trial court abused its discretion by granting Owners' section 877.6 motion and dismissing its cross-complaint because, applying the relevant factors set forth in Tech-Bilt, Inc. v. Woodward-Clyde & Associates (1985) 38 Cal.3d 488 (Tech-Bilt), no rational trial court could conclude the settlement was made in good faith and insufficient evidence supports the trial court's findings. SDGE also asserts the trial court erred by denying its separate motion for summary judgment against Cahill.

The Unger nLite videos

Alex of Window Cleaning Resource is quite 'nlightened with Ungers new water fed pole.

Unger is ushering in a new age of enlightenment with the launch of HiFlo™ nLite – a brand new water-fed pole system that is set to transform the market. Below is the new series of Unger nlite videos put out by Unger UK with details on getting the most out of your new waterfed pole. Dave Rogers explains the workings of the Unger nlite wfp from top to bottom. On sale here now in the UK. Pre-orders taken here in the USA.

 

Ungers Vital First Impressions

Façade maintenance - vital first impressions: Cleaning and maintaining the exteriors of buildings is an important way to improve company image. Dave Rogers (pictured below), European sales manager for Unger Germany, explains how legislation, technological advances and customer needs are shaping this part of the cleaning sector. First impressions count – it’s an accepted fact in all walks of life. If you want to sell your house, a tidy front garden and freshly painted front door will help; cordon bleu chefs will often say that we eat with our eyes, so go to great lengths to make their dishes look beautiful; and if you want to get that new job a smart suit will go down better than jeans and a scruffy T-shirt!

The same goes for your company or brand image – so keeping your premises pristine, both inside and out, is crucial. They are the public faces of your organisation, so if they look below par, chances are that both existing and potential new clients will be less than impressed and take their custom elsewhere. A smart, clean façade to your buildings – be they offices, manufacturing facilities, retail outlets or storage depots – presents a professional face to the world, stating that your business really does mean business. Making sure that effective and regular cleaning regimes are in place is therefore a must, but there are many different issues that need to be taken into consideration when cleaning the façades of buildings. Safety is arguably the most important and there have been significant changes in this area in the last few years.

Legislating for safety: Cleaning and maintaining the exteriors of buildings can often involve the need to work at height. Many older and modern business premises measure more than two storeys high, so jobs such as clearing gutters, bird proofing and roof repairs will require operatives to work at high levels. And wherever height is an issue, safety becomes a top priority.

According to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) falls from height accounted for 46 fatal accidents at work and around 3,350 major injuries in 2005/2006. One fatality or injury is one too many, and the implementation of safety measures introduced under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, amended by the Work at Height (Amendment) Regulations 2007, have transformed this area. These regulations consolidate previous legislation on working at height and implement European Council Directive 2001/45/EC concerning minimum safety and health requirements for the use of equipment for work at height (the Temporary Work at Height Directive).

One of the key legal requirements of the regulations is for competent, well-trained people to plan, organise, supervise and carry out work at height. The regulations ‘apply to all who work at height where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury’. They also set out a simple hierarchy for managing and selecting equipment for work at height, stating that duty holders (employers, the self-employed and anyone who supervises the work of others, such as facilities managers) must:

•Avoid work at height where they can

•Use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where they cannot avoid working at height

•Where they cannot eliminate the risk of a fall, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur.

It’s clear that if you do have jobs where working at height is the only option, specialist training will be needed. There are a number of companies that can provide this, and information and advice is also available from associations that promote a safe environment for the operation of specialist equipment. These include the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA), the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) for powered equipment, and PASMA, which represents the European mobile access tower industry.

Design and technology provide safe solutions: It’s true that new legislation will always influence how an industry sector evolves, but advances in technology also have a big part to play. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the most obvious and visual manifestation of façade maintenance – window cleaning. The traditional days of the cheeky chap with ladder, chamois leather and bucket are long gone – thanks to advances in design that have made window cleaning faster, safer and more efficient. Water-fed poles have become the equipment of choice for professional window cleaners, allowing them to clean high buildings and windows safely from the ground, alleviating the need to work

at height.

Pure water is used in this type of cleaning because it leaves glass and surfaces spot and streak free, without the need for chemicals. Pure water is, as the name suggests, water in its purest form. To get to this state the water is processed to remove the minerals and impurities that would otherwise dry and lead to spots and streaks. These impurities are known as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and are measured in parts per million (ppm) – water is considered pure when its TDS is measured at 0 ppm. The two water purification methods recognised by the cleaning industry are:

•Deionisation (DI) – where the water is filtered through ion exchange resin which attracts and removes 99 per cent or more of the minerals

•Reverse Osmosis (RI) – where the water is passed through a series of membranes and filters which retain and flush away most of the minerals and impurities.

Water-fed poles continue to evolve, incorporating new design features and materials that make these systems even easier to use, with the added bonus that they deliver even better quality results in a fraction of the time, saving companies money too. The ‘next generation’ water-fed poles provide a better balance between weight and rigidity. Because the poles are lighter it makes the cleaning operative’s job easier and more comfortable, but this reduction in weight does not compromise rigidity, meaning that the poles are still responsive and easy to control, allowing brushes to get right into every corner. Advances in brush head design, water delivery via multi-jets, angled adapters and pole extensions that allow operatives to clean to heights of up to 65 ft while keeping their feet firmly on the ground, all make this sector of the industry a fast-changing and exciting place to work in.

Assess the risks: As with any cleaning job, site surveys and risk assessments will help to establish the best equipment to deliver the results you require. It can also identify gaps in knowledge or training, and how frequently your façade needs to be cleaned. The different materials that need to be cleaned must also be taken into consideration. For instance, is it primarily glass (windows) that need to be cleaned, or are there other materials on the exterior of your building that will also need attention, such as metal signage? With an increasing awareness of environmental issues, companies are also thinking about incorporating energy saving into their business activities, and energy creation is also a hot topic.

Solar panels are becoming more and more popular – for residential and business premises – but they need regular cleaning. Exposure to rain water does help to wash off some dirt, but it also adds new dirt particles to the panel. A build up of dirt and soil can reduce the light absorption of solar panels, making them less efficient and effective. Water-fed pole technology is now stepping up to the mark to provide solutions to this particular problem by developing larger brushes with soft bristles specifically designed to clean and prevent damage to solar panels. With further developments in technology and training in response to market forces and customer needs, façade maintenance and cleaning can only continue to become easier, quicker and more professional.

"Testing The Waters" - A WFP Guide - Full series

Mark Strange with his latest series from Window Cleaning Resource takes you from the basics, showing you how to set-up your water fed pole system on a budget with his series "testing the waters." Mark, well known for his other tool-talk series guides you through the process to get yourself off the ground. Any experienced WFP user may also pick up a few little tips here & there! Mark is also the author of the "Window Cleaning Skills" DVD, this detailed 72 minute DVD is a must watch DVD for beginners from the basics up. You’ll discover detailed techniques & you’ll be working like a pro’ in no time. Priced to sell, this DVD even comes with a handy on the job guide. Marks’s no-nonsense approach will guarantee this will be one of the best selling DVD’s for window cleaners on the market.

Ionic Systems Unveils ZERO - Ultimate Pure Water System

The ZERO system is launched, with fully automated backwash and regen cycle, producing 18mohm water to zero parts
per billion quality.

Ionic Systems at ISSA Interclean, Amsterdam present the new  ZERO™ system - pure water anywhere. Vehicle and Trailer based systems offer the greatest amount of flexibility, allowing the window cleaner to take the supply of pure water wherever it is needed. With no need to access a water or power supply, mobile systems allow pure-water cleaning to be performed even in the most remote areas. 

The Zero Reach & Wash system represents a leap forward in pure-water cleaning. With several unique technologies, it is simply the most advanced system available. The Zero will make the working lives of everyday window cleaners more efficient and more productive. Replacing manual maintenance with fully automatic maintenance cycles, the Zero will keep the filters in the best possible working order. A high degree of control is available by means of the Zero’s new digital control panel, making the Zero easy to operate and simple to use.

• Automated flush & regen cycle: The Zero is designed to keep the RO membrane and other filters in the best condition possible by automatically flushing the RO membrane before each fill and regenerating the water-softener filter at the end. 
• Digital control: Auto-compensating digital flow control allows precise operation of the pumps. Simple operation and clear
  
  display makes setting and adjusting flow straightforward. When filling, the control panel also shows the status of the flush & regen' cycle.
• Zero parts per Million: Multi-stage water treatment with advanced recirculation system produces water with purity of less than 1 part per million of TDS. (The Zero PPB system has additional filtration which enables it to produce water a thousand times purer.
• Split-charge relay: As well as a mains charger, the Zero has a split-charge device. This maintains the system’s battery by actively monitoring and managing the charge available from the vehicle’s alternator. 
• Twin pumps: The Zero has, as standard, two independently controlled pumps allowing more than one pole to be used at the same time. This allows the option of several operators working from the same system. 
• Refillable filters: Completely redesigned filter housings allow the filter media to be replaced without the need to replace the whole unit. The new filter housings are extremely robust with non-leaking John Guest® fittings.

Pure water window cleaning systems fall into three categories; 

Only Just Zero: De-mineralising (DI) systems employ resins to purify tap water but have to work hard to achieve water at zero parts per million, consequently they have to be replaced frequently and are not recommended for use in hard water areas because of their short life and high operating costs.

Zero: Combining Reverse Osmosis (mechanical filtration) with DI usually supported by carbon, 5 micron and sometimes a water softener (recommended) can produce water at 0 parts per million (1mohm) quality water. Five stage systems deliver consistently better quality pure water in high volumes even in hard water areas, the annual running cost per litre is significantly lower than de-mineralising systems.

Completely redesigned filter housings allow the filter media to be replaced without the need to replace the whole unit.
The new filter housings are extremely robust with non-leaking John Guest® fittings.

Absolute Zero: Employing seven stages of filtration to remove all minerals, organics with 100% bacteria kill rate ensures the very purest water at zero parts per billion (also known as 18 Mohm water). 18Mohm water delivers the most spectacular cleaning results with less water needed for rinsing. These systems are fully automated ensuring both water quality as well as lower annual running costs.

Why Zero Parts Per Billion?
• Less Water Needed for Rinsing
• Spot-free Results Even
on First Cleans
• More Aggressive Cleaning
• Lower Running Costs

A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER: Window Cleaners who use Reach & Wash systems know that the purity of their water is of paramount importance. Even a relatively low TDS value can lead to spotting, as these dissolved solids are left behind after the water dries. But there is more to consider than the impurities in the water to begin with. A certain volume of water has the capacity to dissolve only so much before it becomes saturated. For example, a glass of water can only dissolve so much table salt. If any more is added after saturation, it simply sits in the bottom of the glass in solid form.
Similarly, the water used for cleaning can only dissolve a certain amount before it becomes saturated. If you have fewer impurities to begin with, then there is more dissolving capacity for cleaning. The purer the water used, the better it will be at dissolving dirt. This means less water is needed for rinsing, and a far greater certainty of spot-free results!

Optional Extra: The Zero’s Hot Water upgrade enables the system to heat the pure water (using a diesel burner) up to 80°C in minutes. Heated pure water gives fantastic cleaning results, powering through first cleans effortlessly and keeping your working even when the temperature drops. In Poland and Russia, Thermopure™ operators keep on working even in temperatures as low as -15°C. The diesel burner can be fed with diesel either from the vehicle’s own fuel tank, or a separate remote tank.

See the last time Ionic were at the ISSA Amsterdam Interclean show here. Interview with Ionic systems here.