After some use, I realized the ends of the aluminum rinse bar were leaving marks on some windows. It’s very easy to scrape the underside of the top sash on a double hung, especially when rinsing with the swivel-fanning action. (This appears to be one design flaw of the Alpha brush @RHG_Products)
So I swapped out the little set-screw plugs with plastic hex bolts. I trimmed the bolts shorter and wrapped them with PTFE tape a few times. A dab of silicone would probably be a little better. It appears that that’s what was used from the factory.
The bolts are standard 1/4-20 thread pattern. And the hex set-screw takes a 1/8” allen key.
The one my brother got had the original bar which we felt was too long. Ground a few mm off each end but care still has to be taken on deeper frames. Nice mod sir. Well done.
That’s genius Alex! I was going to plast-dip my bar this weekend because I already scratched a window pane with the metal rinse bar last week, but your idea is much simpler.
IMO, the design of the rinse bar needs work. Not just the end cap of the bar either. (I don’t own one, so take my opinion with a grain of salt).
I wash frames too, not just glass. And from the photos, that bar looks like it sits pretty high. So when you are washing a window frame, aren’t you also scraping the outer window (casing) frame? The bar also appears to come up short of getting a wall of water all the way to the outside of the brush bristles. If that’s the case, how do you rinse down glass leaving your bristles on the glass, without worry of spotting?
I don’t say this to crap on the OP. Your idea Alex, is a good one and a simple fix to a problem the design developer should have caught. Just seems like people are being used to be “beta testers” and not enough R&D was spent on the product. I remember another company having to redesign some of their products, to fix flaws and make improvements, and they were raked over the coals for it.
Along that thought, I have found the “counter-strike” attack posts by the other company you’re referencing to be hilariously hypocritical. But at the same time they have some validity.
I think the major difference between the two brands, is track record. Tucker/RHG has a reputation for making solid, well built products with limited issues. The other company has some brilliant concepts but a poor record of quality control and/or “finickyness” of their products.
So far my Alpha brush has been performing loads better than previous brushes with rinse bars. I used FoC’s Constrictor, an off-brand one from New Zealand, and even the Bissell rinse bar that some people were modding awhile back. I had that on a Tucker dual trim.
One issue that I would get with most of them was spotting along the sides of the glass. I’m not getting that with the Alpha.
I agree. It sits at least a quarter inch higher than it needs to.
While we’re picking at some nits here, @RHG_Products,
I think the rinse bar might perform a little better if the nozzles were about 30% larger and 30% further apart. I think it would assist with rinsing debris off the glass quicker. Right now the tiny streams of water have no weight to them to push loosened, but still clingy, gunk down the glass. Maybe for version 2.0?
Also, a question for the development team: what was the intended purpose for machining the bolt holes into the ends of the rinse bar? Just curious.
I don’t get spotting issues personally with the Constructor. I know their stuff isn’t for everyone, but I like it. I like being able to re bristle a brush, rather than tossing it and buying another one. With the redesigned rinse bar and end cap bars, I literally have had no issues with my equipment. I do a lot of double hungs with deep-ish frames, and never have had to worry about scratching paint (glad I don’t).
I’m not disputing that RGH has been around for some time. They have earned their place in the market. I guess I would just expect a company with such a history, to put lots of R&D into whatever they turn out.
As far as the back and forth between companies, I don’t get into it. I swore off social media a long time ago. Too many people puffing their chests and acting the fool. No one has any manners anymore, thanks to social media. No one acts real anymore either. So, I have no use for it and don’t participate in that idiocy.
The bolts have proved very convenient. If the jets get blocked or debris gets trapped in the bar and is fouling one or more jets, removing the bolts to flush out the bar is quick and easy.
Agreed. I noticed that things were getting a little loose after the first few hours of use, and had to retighten the screws.
I think stainless bolts with nylon locknuts recessed into the bristle-side of the block would be more robust. I might give a shot at doing that mod next.
I’m thinking I could drill out spots for the right size bolts, and then heat up a regular nut on a bolt with my torch, and press it into the block to make the recess.
I might forego the nylon locknuts for slim nuts and just go with lockwashers and locktite to secure.
Another mod I may try, is drilling out nozzles in my plastic bumper bolts. That’ll be a tricky couple of holes to drill, lol.
I get an adequate rinse the way it is. But it would be nice to have a little extra at the edges. It would be like fanning with a 12” instead of a 10” squeegee.
Also, I would be able to turn the flow on my pump controller up a little more, further improving rinse efficiency.
For the record, @RHG_Products, this is my favorite brush to date, by far. It just needs a few minor adjustments.
Brilliant mod Alex. I have been thinking about getting the Tucker rinse bar, but was nervous about the potential for scratching. Now that you have solved that problem I am going to pull the trigger. Thank you sir!
They should be viewed as a wear item. They get chewed up pretty quickly the way I’ve been using them. I think they tend to get caught in the vertical tracks when I’m cleaning the lower half of double hung windows.
So I will be picking up a bag of the nylon bolts, cutting them all to the correct length, and also getting some appropriately sized o-rings to use instead of the ptfe tape. That way I can swap them out as soon as they start to look rough.
At 17¢ a piece, I really don’t mind this solution at all. I just wish @RHG_Products would get on board and start selling all their rinse bars like this. They risk damaging their reputation over such a basic issue.
Nice mod with the plastic hex bolts. I have made some scratches on glass. It is definitely a design oversight perhaps they will start coming from the factory with these hex bolts…
