I took on a large business park the other day. Upon doing the bid I figured I would be able to get all 5 bldgs in one day. Well…things didn’t quiet work out like I had thought and I got about half of the job done. I finally got into my groove and things began going a bit faster but I failed to complete the entire complex in a day.
I ordered a wagtail highflyer in hopes of speeding up pole work. I had some large panes of glass that were just drying out too fast for me in the heat. I was able to do the top half with pole then was finishing the bottom half with mop in hand.
Any tips aside from just more experience? The customer called me back and wanted a quote for another location, this location is a shopping center with storefronts. I feel I can get those knocked out much faster.
Have any of you ever bit off more than you can chew for a days work? Maybe I am being too meticulous?
The wagtail can help but there is a learning curve. You can also use two poles one for mop one for squeegee. Also use the largest squeegee you can handle.
If you’re drying out glass gleam 3 or 4 can help with that but you might consider a water fed pole. Depending on your tds you might get by with a di tank.
When I started I had a pretty big decent sized house I did with one of my friends and we took like an hour lunch and then sat around the couch for like 30 minutes
Never again. I had to go back a 2nd day to finish it up.
Yep cold drinks are a must here. I’m cleaning windows tonight and it just started pouring rain. grrr…only in texas
I want to take a cheap igloo cooler and mod it. I’ve heard of people using a can of spray foam to fill the lid and better insulate it. I go through lots of ice. I’ll take huck towels and dunk them in ice to stay cool on the hot days.
watch lots of you tube and pay attention to the moves people who seem efficient make. also pay attention to the wasted time on some like changing tools. practice lots (get work and do it) and pay attention to what seems to need improvement.
Well I made much better time tonite on a bank of windows…then the rain started pouring. grrrrr! This job has now become 3 trips…Just going to call this one a loss. I should have known better taking on work that was further than I want to drive. Rain was coming down sideways tonight. Spot free rinse!
I’ve been watching hella videos and thanks to all in this community I am learning some of the tricks of the trade. I figure once I get faster I’ll upgrade my xero 20 footer to a waterfed rig to make residential go a lil quicker in the heat.
I don’t understand this wagtail thing. Ya it might be good for somethings , but not when your doing lots of glass. Use a 26” squeegee to do all your pole work. Work in the shade like Genero says. When you pull all your tips drop down to a 24” squeegee for hand work, and the more you do the better you get. If your doing high pole work use 2 poles one with a squeegee the other with your strip washer. It’s nice to have two guys one guy wets anther pulls. You wet them I get them. When you get all tops done you spit up. One goes to the one end and you start at opposite end meet in the middle.
You can use a 24” that works too. It’s just you want to use something with good length the less pulls the better. Of your doing 3 pills with a 24” then you can get that down to 2 pulls per plate. Sometimes it don’t matter. If you understand what I’m saying. Bigger is sometimes better.
My sympathies, as much as I would love to support a fellow Aussie business. I just can’t wags are not well made, not precise. They are clumsily and whimsical, everyone that I have ever seen using them successfully has had to modify them to function as one would intend out of the box so to say.
Fortunately moermon( well polz and bladz) improved the concept and made it a workable tool.
I’ve seen a few guys using them on youtube and it looks like it would be worth a try. Hoping it works out for me. I have some low windows with shrubs directly in front and hoping the swivel action lets me get those easier.
One thing that I’ve noticed is once I do a job once, I’m always faster the second time. Each time you do the same job, you’ll find little tricks and shortcuts (not on quality, but speed) that help cut down your work time. You’ll know where the difficult spots are, what equipment is needed where, and learn to adjust your workflow.
One job might take 2 hours the first time. Next time you’re there, it might take 1.75 hours.
Always be mindful of how you approach each job, and pay attention while you’re working. You’ll be able to look back and think, “I should have done it this/that way.”
I think I’ve been too meticulous on the storefronts. I went back to finish that business park the other day and was much faster on my return. I’m still getting into my groove but I think I’m finding what works well for me. I like the excelurator handle for pole work! I got that wagtail high flyer 14" coming in today. I am hoping that might help me from having to charge my tools so much. I’ll prob grab a shorty pole too.
I just landed a ton of storefront work from a facilities maint company so I’m going to get on alot of glass. Thanks to everybody on these boards and the wcr cats on youtube it’s cut the learning curve down for me and I’m making some money.
I ran the wagtail 14" highflyer today on storefront all day and really liked it. I am going to try it for some pole work next with the angle arm and see what happens.
So far I like it more than the moermon fliq pad when using by hand. Very smooth.
Good thinking! I did a shit load of glass over the last two days… Did a big strip mall center with 2 levels. The moermon excelurator with 16" ettore brass channel is working real good for me. I clean the top half, then hit the bottom half with my highflyer by hand… I really like the wagtail for those low panes and for doing doors.
