Does anyone do residential window cleaning with high ladder work in the winter? I am in the Midwest and we get plenty of cold and snow. A recurring customer wants their outside windows to be cleaned all throughout the winter.
Any thoughts on this? Water fed pole with alcohol? I do not see going up 3 stories in snow / ice on a ladder as a viable option.
Any help or inisght appreciated!
Schedule it on a less crappy day… that is the best advice you’ll get… oh and be safe
Waterfed pole with isopropyl alcohol in a backpack has worked well for me. The water droplets freeze before they evaporate but that’s ok. They melt and evaporate spot free eventually.
PS
Show up on a warm day, in the mid 20’s. Like storefronts.
Just let them know it has to be above 30 to do it , with no snow on the ground.
That’s all !!!
Thanks for the help…is there a certain backpack you use? I notice many of the backpacks are not available in the U.S.
I have a Gardener. A Hudson was my second choice.
Also, get some of those cheap tent stakes and pound them into the ground in front of your ladder feet.
I have been thing about this the gardener, and was curious how high up you can get the water to go? I probobly would need it to send the water up 3 stories, but could it go say like 2?
Thirty feet no problem. A water fed pole designer and major retailer sells it. He sells 60 ft poles. He also cleans windows as a family business WFPing is his thing. He only sells gear he loves working with.
I was wondering if Gardiner Pole Systems is still number one in the world?
Does Gardiner have a pole they sell with the backpack that works hand in hand?
It works the same with all poles. I know it has more than enough power to go up three or four stories. My guess is that it could go even higher. Talk with a salesman here at WCR they would know for sure. Not sure if WCR carries Gardiner gear now but they can help you. I’m a big fan of Gardiner. The guys in the UK love Gardiner.
Thanks Mike! So any pole’s hosing attaches directly to the backpack?
You have to go to the hardware store and buy the connectors to set it up. The guys in the USA seem to like electric Hudson backpack sprayers. The hoses and fittings on garden sprayers DO NOT match any water fed pole hose. Way to big.
Perhaps I could take some pictures. We’ve talked about this topic on this forum before. Home Depot has all the fittings you need in the plumbing isle.
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Thank you for the pictures. That really helps! I like the idea of the manual backpack. Did you like it better because you cloud conserve water? And the manual has no problem going up 32+ feet?
No problems go up 35ft and yes it’s easier to use less water. No battery to worry about charging . Less hose to tangle on bushes. Lighter to carry, no battery. Less money to buy.
I have to admit it’s not for everyone. You might hate it. I use to talk about my backpack all the time on here so there’s more to read if you’re interested.
I’m a big guy. Six one. So it’s probably easier for me to carry. The guys on here complain about it being to heavy. I don’t get it. It’s not that heavy.
Thanks for all the help! The manual backpack seems like a good option for winter cleaning being that isopropyl would need to be used.
You’ll discovery that di water with isopropyl alcohol added actually cleans better than plain pure water
Amazon sells the backpack in the picture above.
Thanks again for all of the help. For winter cleaning, obviously a stronger alcohol/water mix. What kind of a ratio do you use of isopropyl/water for winter vs summer?
I’m to cheap to use it when it’s not cold. I add about half a quart to the 4 gallon backpack. I leave the Gerry Cans plain di.
You can figure out how much you need. I don’t like poling In really cold weather. Below 25* F
