Please help me figure this out.
Say I get a small DI tank and pole, then need to walk around a $750,000 house that’s on a steep slope at a golf course. I’m picturing having to hook this tank up to every spigot I can find, which frankly isn’t much…maybe one in the back.
Now, are you guys running 200’ of thin hose off the tank and up a 30’ pole, hucking this thing and garden hose all around a house? Would I be better served with a backpack sprayer and fill at the van at the front of the house?
Do you have pics or dimensions around the home? I don’t know the effect of 200’ thin hose off the tank without a pump, as we have a pump and no issues with that length.
Back pack won’t last more than a few windows. Get a DI tank and hose reel with 220’ 3/8 id hose on it. Leave it all by the truck and go…
Here’s an example, though usually it’s got all kinds of landscaping and steep slopes to contend with.
So these houses you are bidding on do not have spigots on the front and back? With the Unger DI, hook a 50 foot or 100 foot garden hose to the spigot then to the DI tank, then a 100+ foot WF line from the DI to the pole and have at it.
Are you still thinking of only using the wfp for the hardest to reach windows?
You’re beginning to overthink this.
DI is not going to affect your flow like RODI. An RO filter is layers of special matting rolled up and cut. So the water has A LOT of surface area to travel through to get filtered, thus a reduction in flow.
DI does not create that same issue. So, you could run 300’ of xero hose if you wanted with no issues and no pump for 3 stories easily.
Secondly, hose management.
You should know this from pressure washing. Take the extra minute to lay out your hose in front of you as you turn each corner. You’ll never eliminate obstacle issues completely but doing that reduces them by 95%.
Third, tank management.
Get a 25’ 3/4" garden hose. Plant the tank by the spigot and just travel with the pole and Xero hose. If 3/8" hose make you feel better, then buy the Tucker Handy Reel with the Yellow hose and adapt down at the pole. Great setup!
when i was using my cart at the house i used 50 feet of flat hose from the tap to cart, 50’ of 1/4 air hose and 60" (total 110’) to brush. i could usually get very large homes with one connection and moving filter from one side to other.
@dcbrock if the water quality is adequate enough that all you need is a DI tank, it won’t be a hassle to connect to a single spigot. Wether you are connecting to the house or your own on-board tank (like myself) it’s not going to change anything about the process. I would recommend using Xero WFP hose, as it’s super light, easy to pull around a house through landscaping etc. I have 150’, 100’ and a 50’ reel I use, I’ll just connect another reel if I need a little extra length. I’ve never used a backpack sprayer, but the purpose of a WFP is to eliminate ladders and speed up the entire cleaning process. I would be willing to FaceTime you on a job to explain my system if that would help you out?
Yes, just the really high stuff. My customers won’t accept me doing WFP on the whole house, they call me because I do ‘traditional’ window cleaning with squeegee and scrubber.
Thanks a lot everyone! I have a better feel for how this works. I’ll try carrying the tank around with a 25’ Zero G style hose and longer pole line. Should work fine.
Learn how to understand pure water technology so you can make your customers feel comfortable and see the results of pure water cleaning done properly. Certainly it is not for every single job as there will still be some first cleans that just need nose to glass, but if you know how it works, and can confidently explain it your customers then you shouldn’t run into “my customers don’t want me to use it” situations.
I think what it is, there have been a few companies using WFP on my customer’s windows when they really should have used a ladder so they can scrape off all the hardened dirt, artillery fungus and screen deposits. I’ve had to ‘correct’ these guy’s skimped window cleaning a few times.
Then you have the elderly customers that are set in their ways, they insist on nose to glass. I even had a few ask why I wasn’t using newspaper and vinegar.
I can see this helping with the old part of town here, super big houses 8’ apart from each other. Set the brush 90 degrees, scrub vertically.
Fortunately the high stuff on newer houses won’t have these issues so I’m excited!
How do you hook up your power washer? Long hose on reel? If yes, the simple answer is fine a place for your tank, put in a valve to choose the tank instead of your pw. Add a reel for 250 feet of 3/8 flexzilla plus some wfp hose. Never have to move the tank and just reel it in when your done.
That would work if I took my PW trailer everywhere but I only take the van when window cleaning. I’ll keep that in mind though, my wife actually thought of that as well. I’d have to use a booster pump though.
I did recently make a 12v pump box, just need to add a regulator if I decide to use it for the pole.
That is the opportunity to explain the advent of the telephone. LOL
I do that all the time. With 250 ft of hose. I hook up to 1 spigot with 100ft of garden hose and then the 250ft is enough to get around most of the house
The feedback on this post have all been great help. I am putting this link on her for in the future a new comer looks this post up and needs information about pure water and wfp Understanding Pure Water & Water Fed Poles | WCR – WindowCleaner.com
If you don’t have a waterfed pole set up in your tool box you’re leaving so much money on the table. There is a learning curve, but once you’ve gotten past that there isn’t a better tool you can invest in.
i always laugh when i see
