I do rope work, and the answer to your question is efficiency.
I have buildings where I have to do both because of terrain, landscaping, and obstacles.
I get a lot more done with a 40-50 WFP if I’m able to utilize it.
Quality has never been an Issue with either method if done properly.
Chair work has a few disadvantages :
getting gear to the building
( with a WFP I can drop off my tank and hose at the easiest water source and I’m set,
run the hose to my starting point extend the pole and I’m good to go )
checking in with management
checking out a roof key
hauling the gear to the roof
lining up the drop
throwing ropes
setting out cones and signs
hanging the chair
( at this point I’m off and running with a WFP )
finishing the drop, slinging your chair
walking to the building entrance
getting to the elevator
walking down the hall to the roof stairs
walking across the roof to your start point
redirecting lines, adjusting dog ties, moving anchor points
hanging your chair for the next drop
repeat last seven steps
I guarantee you that I’m WAY AHEAD of you at this point and will continue to get further and further down the building while you’re walking your gear around the block, up elevators,
stairs, roofs and the rest of the “non-window cleaning” things that need to happen.
I get what you’re saying: 4-5 floor drops are fun, go by really quick and aren’t monotonous
like 28 floor drops can be.
anyway, there’s my answer.
cheers
~Jimmy~
( and… if you’re tying off to stink pipes or anything else that is not considered “ABSOLUTELY BULLET PROOF” by our somewhat unspoken standards…
you were not trained by the best in the industry. just sayin’. stay safe. )
Yeah after hearing everyone else’s thoughts I am clearly in the wrong frame of mind about WFP due to using a crappy system for too much work 10 years ago. I see your point for sure about rigging times for drops vs wfp and thank you for the insight.
In todays world you’ll have more than half the windows already cleaned with a WFP by the time you even get your roof rig and ropes set up. Back in the 90s when I did chair works we did both some ridiculous and sketchy roof rig and ladder set ups that would have been a breeze with a WFP, not too mention safety. Went over a parapet one time and happen to realized the counter weights weren’t in the tray because there were no roof anchors. Any experienced WFP owner will agree in many situations you can get far superior results with a WFP over traditional methods. If you are cleaning anything in that 2-3 story range, you have an unlimited supply of clean water for the frames and windows, can’t do that with a ladder or a chair. Can sometimes be impossible to squeegee hot windows in direct sunlight, no problem with a WFP if you have good technique. I was skeptical of my WFP when I first got it because I didn’t know what I was doing, now I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
That’s good to know that you went from skeptical then got convinced. And it’s good to get the opinion of another who has done sketchy and difficult stuff from a chair, I feel like that’s most of what I did when I was doing chair work. As I’ve said earlier, I have seen the error of my ways in this thread and clearly the technology and technique have gotten better in the 10 years since I used it. Personally I won’t be in a position to buy a rig ever. But I always enjoy having my mind opened and viewpoints changed.
So I guess the only thing I don’t understand is how it get’s greasy dirt off without dawn or some type of surfactant. Like grime like car exhaust and stuff. I’m not arguing that it can’t anymore, clearly it does. But i guess I’m just a trad guy. Mop dawn water squeegee and rags is all I know, with the exception of a malfunctioning homemade WFP system from a decade ago. Like if I just tried to mop the dirty windows I just did this weekend, with salt spray from the ocean and car exhaust and pollen and dirty sand and the dried bird guts from the pigeon that obviously flew into my nice clean window, with just straight up water without soap or anything, it would just leave a streaky mess. How does water without soap from a WFP dissolve grease?
Again I’m not arguing weather or not it works, I feel like I’ve made enough enemies in this post already. I just don’t understand how it works. I wouldn’t wash my dishes or my clothes without soap.
