Waterfed Pole Prohibited In Vancouver

The Men in Kilts gutter cleaning service use’s hand cleaning and vacuuming and therefore results in no wasted water!  They are also cleaning windows by hand & can clean up to 10 houses or 1,000 windows with a single bucket of water.

Vancouver businesses feel the pinch of drought: If you’re in the business of keeping things clean, stricter water restrictions are proving to be a challenge. Under level two restrictions that have been in effect since July 3, companies like Men in Kilts have not been able to offer pressure washing. As the drought continues and water levels in the region’s reservoirs continue to drop, Metro Vancouver now says that level three restrictions will go into effect starting the afternoon of July 20.

Pressure washing for cleaning, and washing windows and building exteriors with a water-fed pole, are both prohibited, said Nicholas Brand, CEO of Men in Kilts. Brand said his company is still offering services such as window washing by squeegee, gutter cleaning and pressure washing if it’s in preparation for painting.

But if the restrictions continue, or move into level four, the most stringent restrictions, the company may have to lay off summer students who are normally hired until the end of August. Brand has looked into trucking in water, but concluded it would be too expensive.

Other pressure washing companies are in the same boat, Brand said, and it’s difficult to predict how long the restrictions will continue. Summer is normally the busiest time of the year for pressure washers. “They say September 30, we’ve got a lot of customers that we’ve scheduled work into October for them, but we’re giving them the heads up that we might not be able to do it in October,” Brand said.  “If we have a long dry August and September, they’re not going to lift [the restrictions].”

Public and commercial water fountains and water parks not on a timer have already been shut off. Under stage three, other restrictions that come into effect  include no lawn watering at all and no outdoor washing of cars or boats. Commercial car washes, however, are allowed to continue operating in stage three, but would have to shut down in stage four.

Given the challenges pressure washers are facing, Brand said that was frustrating. “People are allowed to pay someone to keep your car clean, they’re not allowed to pay someone to keep their house clean,” he said. “And painters are allowed to prep for painting with pressure washing. From our industry, and speaking to others in our industry, it’s frustrating that we’re that far down on the totem pole.”

Commercial car washes are allowed to keep operating because they recycle much of the water they use, said Darrell Mussatto, mayor of the City of North Vancouver and chair of Metro Vancouver's utilities committee.

The previous stage two restrictions did result in water usage dropping, but didn't have enough of an effect, Mussatto said. Metro Vancouver has now started using some of the high alpine lakes it has access to to refill the Capilano reservoir. As a backup, the regional district also has access to BC Hydro's Coquitlam reservoir, which is currently not being used to produce electricity because of the drought conditions. Metro Vancouver has budgeted $862,000 to pay for up to 68 billion litres from that water source.

If current water restrictions don’t have the desired conservation effect, and if no rain falls to refill reservoirs, Metro Vancouver would move into stage four, said Greg Valou, a communications officer for the regional district.

Under stage four restrictions, municipal outdoor pools are closed, all outdoor cleaning with water is prohibited and vegetable gardens and plants cannot be watered with treated drinking water. The last time the region had level three water restrictions was during the summer of 2003. The region has never put in place stage four restrictions in response to a drought.

Crunch Time For UK Window Cleaners - July 2012

Unless legislation is changed; Anyone in areas controlled by Thames Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Anglian Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Water Central and Veolia Water Southeast will not be able to operate as window cleaners from July 4th.

Thousands of badges have been handed out reading 'proud to be dirty' - Psychological pressure like this on the British public could make it impossible for window cleaners to carry out their work.

Drought: Water companies say ‘Be proud of your dirty car’ - Thames Water has printed hundreds of bumper stickers with the slogan "Proud to be Dirty" in an attempt to encourage drivers to stop washing their vehicles over the summer. Restrictions brought in across the South East ban residents from using hosepipes to wash their cars, patios, and the outside of houses. Simon Evans, of Thames Water, said that as long as a car's windows and lights are clean the rest of the chassis should be filthy. “People should wear dirty cars like a badge of honour. You should be proud to have the dirtiest paintwork in Britain," he said. Mr Evans also said people should also be proud to have dusty patios and scorched lawns. "It's green to be brown!" he said. The recommendations hark back to the last serious drought in Britain in 1976 when people were told to share a bath.

Next to be banned: Car washes, window cleaners - and even your garden pond. Tougher new controls on water use are expected to be in force by July. A summer of brown lawns and dirty cars, buses, trains and planes beckons as firms are banned from using water for non-essential use. For the first time, commercial car washes, window-cleaning firms and gardeners hired to look after parks, gardens and lawns are also to be banned from using hosepipes and sprinklers.

The ban, which was introduced across swathes of the South of England last week, is now set to last for the whole summer, and may carry on into next year unless there are several weeks of heavy rain. Anyone caught using a hosepipe faces a fine of up to £1,000.

Ornamental ponds will dry up and garden water features will cease. Even public swimming pools face closure, although this would be a  last resort. From the east of England to London, through the Thames Valley to Oxfordshire, and  the whole of the South of England, every water company is preparing to ask the Government for a drought order that will outlaw  non-essential use of water. 

Work is under way now because it can take up to ten weeks to obtain such powers. Applications are made to Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman but she cannot make a decision until a public inquiry has taken place. Companies are also planning to apply for permits to allow them to extract more water from rivers that are already running low. The current hosepipe ban could also ruin plans by towns to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Councils fear that patriotic red, white and blue floral hanging baskets will shrivel and die because they can’t be watered.

A hosepipe ban comes into force across the Swindon area today. Thames Water, which serves the town, was one of seven water firms to announce the move as the Environment Agency warned of severe drought in the coming months. It said groundwater levels in the region were close to the lowest ever recorded, and many tributaries of the River Thames were running very low, particularly the River Pang, which is running at a third of average flows. The move makes it a criminal offence to use a hosepipe for most jobs, such as watering gardens, and washing the car, although using watering cans and buckets of tap water is still legal.

There are a number of exemptions, including fire service operations and the field of play at national and international sporting events. In this phase of the ban, there are also exemptions for certain businesses to carry out functions vital to their business, such as car washes, window cleaners and garden centres. Thames Water says anyone found breaching the ban could be prosecuted and face a maximum £11,000 fine, however, the company hopes people will comply out of goodwill.

Water companies are encouraging people to report neighbours breaking the ban.

Why has the hosepipe ban been imposed and who will it affect? Quite simply, there has not been enough rainfall in the affected parts of the UK. East Anglia saw just 426mm of rain during 2011, which is a third less than the annual average for the region. And recent months have done little to ease the problem. The Met Office's provisional rainfall figures for March suggest it was the driest on record in the UK, with just 39.1mm - just 41% of the average for the month, which is 95.9mm. Around 20 million people across southern and eastern England will be affected by the ban, with seven companies imposing the restrictions. They are; Thames Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Anglian Water, Sutton and East Surrey, Veolia Water Central and Veolia Water Southeast.

What are the restrictions? Under Section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (temporary hosepipe bans) (Flood and Water Management Act 2010) the ban prevents customers of the seven affected water companies from using a hosepipe to; water gardens, clean private motor-vehicles, water plants, clean private leisure boats, fill domestic swimming or paddling pools, drawing water for recreational use, filling garden ponds, filling or cleaning ornamental fountains, cleaning walls or windows of homes and cleaning paths or patios.

Are there exemptions to the ban? Disabled people who are members of the blue badge scheme are exempt from the ban, while hosepipe use is allowed 'on sports playing areas' if health and safety concerns exist - and if international or national sporting events are to be played there. Some business use is also permitted, including car washing or window cleaning operations at domestic premises.

What are the penalties for using a hosepipe during the ban? Domestic customers will be subject to a £1,000 fine if they are found to have flouted the ban.

Window Cleaning News

Window washer rescued from outside 5th floor: A window washer was stranded outside the fifth floor of a downtown Erie building Saturday evening. The man called 911 at 6:25 p.m. when he discovered he could not move the mechanized basket in which he stood to clean windows outside Northwest Savings Bank, 800 State St. It took fire crews about 20 minutes to rescue the window washer. His name was not released Saturday night.

Professional window cleaning and power washing firm Blue Bay Window Cleaning are to offer risk free trial offers to residential, commercial and high rise clients in the Houston Texas area, through the Blue Bay website.Blue Bay Window Cleaning are to offer risk free trial offer through their website to clients within its operational territories, in a bid to expand the Blue Bay brand even further throughout the region. Specializing in all aspects of building washing and exterior cleaning, Blue Bay Window Cleaning are to offer free trial offer to clients based in the Houston, Corpus Christi and Sugar Land areas of Texas, as it vies to expand its reputation as a leading national cleaning brand for residential, commercial and high-rise cleaning projects.
Carlos Rodriguez, a spokesperson for Blue Bay Window Cleaning, believes by offering free trial offers and estimates through the website, Blue Bay Window Cleaning will have the opportunity to deliver professional window cleaning and washing services to a wider range of business and consumer clients. “By offering free trial offers, I am confident we will be in a position to expand the Blue Bay Window Cleaning brand, to win even more customers in the Houston area to cement our position as the region’s leading window and exterior cleaning and pressure washing company.”
“At Blue Bay, we pride ourselves on doing a professional job at an affordable rate. No matter the scale of the project or the level of difficulty, our highly trained, expert staff are equipped to handle the most difficult cleaning needs, and we’re more than open to offering free quotes and free trial offers to clients within our key territories.” Blue Bay Window Cleaning handle a range of cleaning projects for a diverse portfolio of clients, including roof washing, gutter cleaning, pressure washing, and even specialized high rise cleaning projects.

Thai murder trial to open in death of Victoria native - Wife accused of hiring a hit man to kill 48-year-old oil-field worker. A Thai woman goes on trial in her home country today for allegedly orchestrating the murder of her Victoria-born husband, 48-year-old Dale Henry. The oil-field worker died Feb. 3, 2008, when he was shot point-blank in the head at his home in Thailand. Maneerat Nee Henry is accused of paying a hit man close to $2,000 Cdn so she could collect on a $1-million life-insurance policy. Two other men, allegedly the hit man and Nee's lover, are also on trial. It is scheduled to continue until Aug. 4. Richard Henry, the victim's brother and owner of a Victoria window-washing company, is in Thailand for the trial, but fears for his safety. "I really have to watch my back," he said in an e-mail. "My brother deserves justice, which I've promised since his murder. I don't feel it is safe at the moment to be showing my face around as all the accused are walking the streets," Henry wrote.

Window cleaner admits laptop theft: A window cleaner who burgled a neighbour has received a suspended jail sentence. Matthew Miller, 18, of Tag Croft, Ingol, admitted burgling a home in the same street, stealing a laptop. He was given a 32-week sentence, suspended for 18 months at Preston Crown Court. Miller was placed on a four-month curfew and was ordered to pay £500 compensation.

Window film manufacturer Huper Optik moved into a new facility recently. The newly renovated space triples the square footage available for Huper’s business operations and headquarters, amidst adding new training facilities and meeting spaces, as well as leaving 5,000 additional square feet for future expansion. But the company’s chief executive officer, Faisal Nazir, says it’s about more than simply expanding. In addition to adding the company’s mainstay—energy-efficient window film—Huper’s new facility is scheduled to add a number of new features, including: green power sources including wind energy; floors crafted with renewable resources; LED lighting and control systems which are based upon the frequency of daylight at any given time; and a cool roof system, to name a few. All will be provided and installed through Energy Efficient Systems (EES), a provider of what Nazir describes as “holistic energy solutions.”

Blame lawyers for killing firefighters' joy: Look no further than the charity fundraiser put on last month by Firefighters Without Borders, which prides itself on the good work it does and the fun it has doing it. Originally, the plan was to "drop" a banker off a tall building, in keeping with the anti-banker spirit of the times. And that banker was Jeffrey Moore of BMO Harris Private Banking, a fit 53-year-old and founding member of Firefighters Without Borders. Moore was to be lowered in a window-washer's platform from the 32-storey Bank of Montreal Tower in the Bentall Centre, then "rescued" by rappelling firefighters. "Normally, they would haul me up, that's the typical rescue, that's the shortest distance," he told me. "But for drama, they were going to lower me down." The firefighters were excited about this headline-grabbing scheme as it developed over a couple of months. At the last moment, though, the Vancouver city's legal department raised a red flag. So the June 5 stunt, at least in its original form, was a no-go.

If the outside of your property is a mess you won’t even get would-be buyers to enquire about the house if they spot the For Sale sign, and you won’t get interested parties through the door. No matter how lovely the house is on the inside, and no matter whether your back garden has the wow factor or not, if you have peeling paint on your front door, your windows are dirty, there are bins on the drive and an unmowed lawn at the front, your house will not sell – and if it does sell, your buyers will hammer you on the price. Sort out the front of your house, make it attractive, appealing and make it reflect the fact that you have cared for this property, therefore your buyers will benefit from your care when they buy this beautiful bargain pad!

A MEMORIAL on the top of Beachy Head has been damaged for the second time this year and the man who placed the cross at the scene has described the actions as 'sacrilege'. Keith Lane, of Whitley Road in Eastbourne, lost his wife Maggie in 2004 when she fell to her death from the cliff top. The 59-year-old, who is a semi-retired window cleaner, says he believes Maggie's memorial cross is now being damaged by someone who has a grievance against him as three other Beachy Head memorials have been left standing. Mr Lane said, "It is desecration. It really is the lowest of the low and an insult to my late wife." Mr Lane explained his wife's memorial cross had been pulled out of the ground five weeks ago and left on the grass. He subsequently cemented it back in to the ground before adding top soil and then grass. But on Sunday (July 26) he visited the site and found the cross had been snapped in two. A devastated Mr Lane said, "I am very, very upset and I would like the person or persons to come forward and talk to me.
"If they have a grievance they should speak to me about it instead of vandalising the memorial to my wife. "It is a very special place to me and the person or persons doing this do not realise how much it means to me. "They are wasting their time because I will keep replacing that cross and I will never remove it. The only way it will leave is if the cliff it stands on crumbles away in to the sea." Pastor Ross Hardy, director of the Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team which patrols the notorious suicide spot, said, "We are deeply saddened to hear of the wilful vandalism of Maggie's cross and the obvious stress this caused Keith. "We would ask anyone who has information on who may have done this to come forward." After Maggie's death, Mr Lane independently patrolled the area and prevented 29 distressed people from committing suicide. His rescue efforts won him prestigious bravery awards but in October 2007 he stepped down because of health and safety complaints. However, after the recent death of the grief-stricken Puttick couple, who jumped from Beachy Head with their dead young son in a rucksack, Mr Lane is considering returning to the life-saving role.

Two “terrified” British law graduates were locked up in the same cell in a Brazilian prison today over an alleged holiday insurance fraud. Backpackers Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner, both 23, are reported to have told police they had been robbed on a bus journey to Rio de Janeiro and had lost possessions including a camera and laptop, together worth £1,300. But police, suspicious that they did not report it for three days, took them back to their hostel and found their suitcases in lockers under their beds. Mrs Headley said her ex-husband, Alan Andrews, a window cleaner, has flown out to Brazil. He is thought to be carrying his daughter's law diploma to enable her legal team to use a local rule which gives special privileges to imprisoned lawyers.

Water woes nearing Stage 3: As Lake Palo Pinto nears 30 percent capacity, city departments are cutting back on water use and plans are progressing for buying Brazos River Water from Parker County to blend with Palo Pinto Lake water. “It's likely by the end of the week we will hit stage 3 [water shortage conditions],” Howerton said. What measures will be instituted at that point have not yet been finalized, but Howerton said he has suggested to council members that any additional water conservation be initiated in mid-August. “We still have some planning to do,” Howerton said. “We've made some tremendous progress … but we don't want to rush into this.” Though the current version of the drought contingency plan prohibits outdoor water use including vehicle washing, outside watering of lawns and window washing will also be prohibited after stage three is triggered when Lake Palo Pinto reaches 856 feet above mean sea level. Despite several recent rains, the lake was at 856.05 feet above mean sea level Tuesday morning.