Telescopic Poles

Telescopic poles have revolutionized the window cleaning industry and the safety standards that are associated with window cleaning. Now, it's possible with the aid of modern telescopic poles to reach 3rd/4th/5th and higher windows from the ground. All this means that ladders only need to be used where it's not possible to use poles. Sometimes we have to revert back to ladders on jobs, due to angles and positions of the windows make it very difficult or impossible to use poles. I will generally use ladders for skylights and roofs of conservatories in conjunction with a pole, with someone holding the ladder for me. The general rule that people abide by, if they're using poles is to use them as much as possible and work safely rather than risk going up a ladder again. After all that's why we've made the conversion to WFP.

It's important to choose the right kind of pole. Although, all telescopic poles available on the market today are made from lightweight materials, you still want to be aware that poles can be very heavy and you should avoid using them for extended periods of time. It's important to give your muscles a rest. Also, you don't want to carefully consider the average height of the windows on your round. Do you do mostly 2nd and 3rd storey work? If this is the case, selecting a 60ft pole to use all the time, isn't very practical and you could overstretch yourself and do some serious damage in window conditions if you loose control. There are two types of poles to choose from. Some people like to buy just one type, and then upgrade if they find themselves getting more work at a greater height. Whilst, others will start off with both pole types, to allow flexibility and ensure they're not caught out on a job:

• The first type is fibre-glass/glass-fibre poles, which most people will start out on. They start from 2ft poles and go up to about 35 foot. This poles are suitable for 2nd and 3rd storey work. The clamps and fittings vary, according to what brand you buy. You should buy poles with strong sturdy clamps, preferably anodized aluminium clamps.
• The second type is carbon fibre, which is used for heights above 35 foot. These poles are designed to reach higher storeys such as 4th/5th/6th etc. The ranges of carbon fibre are usually between 35' and 60'. It should be noted that once the poles are extended above 40' it can sometimes be a two-man job holding the pole and keeping it stable.

Gardiner Pole Systems do some great telescopic poles that are suitably designed for great heights as well as lower ones. Also worth checking out are Omnipoles poles (can be a bit pricey though), as well as Unger telescopic poles - where you can easily buy add-on sections and aluminium clamps to support them at very affordable prices.

DIY Water Fed Pole Sytems: The Trolley System

There are various ways you can go about doing it yourself, and on the cheap I might add for WFP.

First things first is that you need to collect your water, with a suitable rain water butt. Make sure its large enough to collect an adequate supply of water.

I'm going to run through a typical garage setup:

1st Stage:

• Now place this water butt on an elevated position, either make a stand for it, or have it on an elevated platform outside. This is important because you will recycle the waste water produced from your RO.
• Simply connect your hose pipe to your water supply, make sure you run the RO output tubing into the water butt. Depending on what output your RO is, you could find your water butt filling up in no time, so either downgrade to a lower output or make an overflow sytem by connecting up to a second water butt.
• If you haven't already buy a TDS meter, to make sure your water is pure enough to clean with.

2nd Stage:

1. Buy your water containers for transporting the water. 4-6 containters should be enough
2. Buy a sack truck and get it welded for carrying the containers, so you can fit 2 containers on it.
3. Then you need two buy two essential components a pump box , like the one available from Cleantech, which is around $500 and a power supply, something that can last you all.
4. For the poles, I'd recommend either Unger extendable poles. Go for the 3X3 sections extendable for up to 31', takes you up to 3 storey work if your round has higher windows. And go for something like the Vikan Brush. Also buy the unger cranked joints (metal) for supporting the pole sections. Or you may want to consider other telescopic poles, such as the ones from Varitech, omnipole or Gardiner
5. Get the necessary fixtures and fittings. I'd recommend Hozelock pipes and connectors.
   

Of course there are different permutations and combinations you might like to try. It's up to you what you eventually go for. But as long as it's practical and enables better mobility then it's doing the job right!