A New WFP Controller From Flowtek

Quick Over View: Nathanael Jones from Ireland makes advanced pump controllers for forward thinking window cleaners. Well known through his window cleaning forum, & the creator of The Master Guild Of Window Cleaners - Nat' has been an innovator of mobile DIY hot water window cleaning & is well known in the UK window cleaning scene. Please support him in his latest endeavor to produce wfp flow controllers to the window cleaning masses.

The Story: The recent harsh winters had quite an effect on my window cleaning business. Even though I was lucky and none of my equipment got frost damaged, I found that clearing frozen hoses every morning wasn't just an annoyance - it cost me valuable time, and in business time is always money. I found the situation very frustrating especially when my hoses still froze despite placing electric heaters in my van so I wanted a better solution, I wanted a system that would keep my van & equipment safe from frost damage and ready for work at a moments notice, whatever the outside temperature - and so the idea for the new range of Flowtek controllers was born.

I originally thought an "add on" box to sit beside an existing flow controller and give frost protection functions would be the perfect solution, but because of the many different makes/models of flow controller currently in use, and the possibility of compatibility issues, I decided a single standalone unit would be sleeker, easier to install, easier to use & more reliable, so the design soon evolved into something completely new. Once I'd figured out the frost protection functions I got a bit carried away & ended up making a remote control version too! Since then, this project has gone through many revisions and prototypes, but after 2 years of hard work, I'm excited to say that it's finally ready for release with three versions of the new controller now available:

1) The basic flow controller unit
2) The flow control + frost protection unit
3) The flow control + remote control unit

Analogue Flow Control: The new Flowtek units feature quickly adjustable flow control to help you maximise the work you can do between re-fills. The flow control is suitable for all 12v pumps with a pressure switch (60psi or 100psi) with a maximum continuous draw of 7.5 amps (All standard WFP pumps). These flow controllers do NOT use the "dead end detection" that you might be familiar with. This is simply because I believe the tried & tested pump pressure switch is much more reliable, and doesn't require constant re-adjustment as ambient temperatures and battery charges vary during your working day.

Remote Control: The remote control feature works exactly as you would expect - no more running all the way back to the van/truck when you want to switch of your pump, simply press the button on your remote keyfob for instant pump control. Remote control units include a heavy duty magnet mount external aerial to maximise the control range of the remote. The remote control function can be disabled by flicking a switch on the main unit, handy if you're ever working near high voltage equipment or transmitters that may cause interference.

Frost Protection Functions: The frost protection system is simple: When active, it switches on your system pump when the ambient temperature drops below 3C, and switches it off again when the temperature rises above 4C again. Frost protection can be used on any system with a competently installed flow-activated heater  (with the hot water re-circulating back to the tank), or even on unheated systems that are filled with warm water the evening before - by circulating the warm water around the pump & hoses etc to keep everything frost free.

The frost protection function can be switched off when working in cold weather so it doesn't interfere with  normal working functions. Since most gas water heaters have an output of 9 -12kw, and an average 2kw electric heater is normally enough to keep a van frost free, I'd expect that even in the worst of conditions, the frost protection will only actively run your system for about 10 -12 minutes in every hour.

Installation: Installation of the Flowtek units is simple. There are 2 wires to your pump, 2 wires to your battery and 1 cord to the antennae (Remote control version only). Because of the extra electronics required, the controller is a little bigger than the size of the standard flowmaster/varistream units, but not too bulky:

118mm x 78mm x 55mm for the Standard Edition (SE) unit
158mm x 82mm x 55mm for the frost protect & remote control units

The New Aqua-dapter® Mk3 WFP Controller

The Aqua-dapter® Mk3 is here! Available for immediate despatch, the Aqua-dapter® Mk3…
is lighter, easier to fit, doesn’t need a Clamp & comes in a choice of colour (Silver, Blue, Red, Gold)

Click to enlarge.

We’ve continued to work on making the Aqua-dapter lighter, without sacrificing it’s durability and robustness.  Here’s more information about the main differences:

• Now 180g – 35g lighter than a Mk2 with End Screw Adapter and Push Fit Straight Connector
• The design no longer includes the Aluminium pipe, so the Aqua-dapter is faster and easier to fit… feed the hose through the pole and out of the top, push the hose into the connector, screw the No.1 section of the pole into the Aqua-dapter® – that’s it!
• The Aqua-dapter now has an integral screw thread so it fits directly onto most poles with the need for an End Screw Adapter or Clamp – no clamp to get caught on cills (or anything else) and  fitting is easier.
• A robust push-fit connector is now fitted  inside the body of the Aqua-dapter®; protected from any knocks or bangs when fitting or in use, so increasing durability (and no Aluminium pipe needed).
• Available in new anodized colours: Silver, Blue, Red and Gold.

Buy your Mk3 Aqua-dapter direct from www.aqua-dapter.co.uk or from your favourite Stockist. (USA here). see previous blogs on Aqua-adapter here.

Unboxing The Aqua-Dapter Mk 2

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.

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.

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.

The supplied female end screw adapter waiting to go on.

Looking pretty - just screw on. so easy!

Add the push fit connector.

Straight out of the end of the pole at the brush head end, connect straight to the aqua-dapter unit pictured behind.

Taking shape - the aqua-dapter goes straight on the collar (now hidden) & is waiting for the clamp.

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.

Brush head fitted on to the euro thread angle adapter.

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).

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.

Add your choice of water connector to the end of the hose.

All done, ready to rock 'n roll.

All done & working...success!

The Aqua-dapter Mk2 can be fitted to your pole in less than 5 minutes. Overall, with picture taking - it took me a little longer but I think the team at Aqua-dapter are right in their time scale. Pretty impressive piece of kit - saving you water while working, meaning less DI usage if you are in the US, allows you to do more jobs, and so earn more money. Thanks Aqua-dapter! The Dr Squeegees Sill Saver brush used was provided by the Window Cleaning Warehouse & the Assassin pole provided by Window Cleaning Resource or alternatively from Jeff Brimble in the UK. Back-pack by Omnipole.