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| Out of the bag - the box of parts & hose. |
So the kind people at
Aqua-dapter sent me the Mk 2 version of the water controller to play with. For those that don't know, the Aqua-dapter is a new water fed pole on/off flow controller, developed by window cleaners, for window cleaners. In development for over two years, the complete unit was tested rigorously 'in the field' for over 6 months before release while the individual components have had
numerous other tests too. For the wary ones - the Aqua-dapter comes with a 12 month warranty on all parts.
The new hose seems a lot more supple & the bright orange colour may help to stop those aircraft spotters from tripping over it. The polyurethane hose is based on the same hose used in pneumatic applications. The poly-ether compound makes the hose completely waterproof. The hose will lose it's coil, unlike the original yellow hose which seemed to have more coil memory & tangled more. For all those that want to match it to your couplings - the outside diameter of the hose is 8mm, inside Diameter is 5.5mm. Each unit comes as standard with 10m (approx 33') of high-quality low-stretch hose, which stays consistent in hot and cold weather.
Extra hose can be supplied to order, as can a tube strengthening insert.
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| Inside the box: The aqua-dapter & fittings with the paperwork. |
First impressions: the Aqua-dapter is light, seems strong & looks durable. It weighs 198g (approx 7oz) & for those of you like me - I had to have a play of pulling the metal tubing stem to see how it works when you take it out of the box. It comes with clamp and a gifted T push-fit connector. Aqua-dapter also offer a choice of push-fit connector sizes when ordering to account for different hose sizes. The screw thread adapter is new: This female End Screw Adapter (pictured left) allows you to use your Aqua-dapter (Mk2) on any pole with a metal or plastic end screw that has a hole in the center of it (to allow the aqua-dapter stem to pass through). It goes on the end of the pole before you fit the Aqua-dapter - for some users this won't be necessary. It doesn't require any modification to your pole and no tools are necessary when adding to your pole.
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| Click to enlarge |
The paperwork: Comes with a packing slip order with shipping details & a full list of contact papers to connect with Aqua-dapter & phone line/customer service info'. The instructions are very concise & really helps you with the order of putting it all together.
How does it work? It is quite a marvelous piece of engineering - The Aqua-dapter Mk2 can be fitted to your pole in less than 5 minutes. The Aqua-dapter is fitted to the end screw of your water fed pole, then your existing brush can be screwed on to the aluminium screw thread which is part of the Aqua-dapter. The hose goes down the inside of your water fed pole, allowing you to switch the water flow on or off by simply pulling on the hose at the bottom of the pole. The tap can also be turned manually if you are working on ground level windows. As you can see from my pictures - the whole process of putting it all together is captured.
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| The supplied female end screw adapter waiting to go on. |
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| Looking pretty - just screw on. so easy! |
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| Add the push fit connector. |
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| Straight out of the end of the pole at the brush head end, connect straight to the aqua-dapter unit pictured behind. |
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| Taking shape - the aqua-dapter goes straight on the collar (now hidden) & is waiting for the clamp. |
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| Collar fitted - as an after thought, probably best to slip on the collar primarily to the end of the aqua-dapter unit before connecting the push fit into the stem. Not that it is a problem - it just means unscrewing & re-screwing the collar. |
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| Brush head fitted on to the euro thread angle adapter. |
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| My brush head already has a T-piece, but one is provided in the box if you need it. Just need to connect the T-piece with the aqua-dapter (see the short plastic tube in the background following the line of the P). |
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| I used my own tubing, but if needed you can cut a small piece off the hose provided. You only need enough tube to link for the action of the aqua-dapter, if you have a long extension, you'll need to cut your hose taking into account the extra length. |
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| Add your choice of water connector to the end of the hose. |
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| All done, ready to rock 'n roll. |
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| All done & working...success! |
