by Dean Dean

WATER FED POLE TDS

Water Fed Pole TDS

When using a water fed pole for window cleaning, it is important to know what the TDS is.  By this we mean the TDS of the water going into your Water Fed Pole.  Once the supply water from the house or building has gone through your filtration unit, you can then get another TDS reading. I call this reading the Water Fed Pole TDS.   If the supply water going into your filtration unit is real high, this will affect how long the resin in your filtration system will last.  How long the resin lasts determines how frequent you will need to change the resin. Once the TDS on your resin filter system reaches 9-10, you need to change the resin in it. This is when you will start noticing spotting of the windows.

What is TDS?

TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. This is basically all the stuff in the water that can affect the cleaning of windows using a water fed pole, as well as the taste, smell, and appearance of the supply water.  These dissolved solids come from a variety of places.  Old piping, fertilizers, salt run off from roads, and many other places will have an adverse affect on the TDS of the water supply.

How do I test the TDS?

There are a couple easy ways to test for TDS.  Most water fed pole systems will come with either a built in TDS meter, or a meter that is separate and can be added inline to your water fed pole hose, or use to test independently.  These are battery operated so you need to always make sure you have good strong battery in it to prevent misreadings of the TDS. There is also a site you can use to the TEST TDS of any area by zip code.  If the zip code does not come up with a reading, you can test yourself using a TDS meter and enter into your system.  It is important to note that the information on this site is only as good as the information it has been supplied with.  So, being able to test with your own meter on site is the best way.  At DougRuckerStore we sell a TDS METER if you need one.

How do I prevent frequent resin changes?

The best way is to know what the TDS of the water is coming out of the supply.  If its very high, you may need to consider using the old fashioned squeegee cleaning method.  There are other filtration systems you may want to consider to, dual stage filtration, RO filtration, and others.  Don’t waste water when cleaning.  Have a method to shut water off coming out of the brush when moving from window to window or anytime the brush is not touching the glass.

Are you starting a pressure washing business? Check out my Online Pressure Washing School that will help you drastically cut your learning curve. You can also get some great pressure washing tips and tricks at my YouTube Channel. As always, if you have any questions I can help you with, please use our CONTACT FORM.

by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

WINDOW CLEANING EQUIPMENT

WINDOW CLEANING EQUIPMENT

WINDOW CLEANING EQUIPMENT is an important consideration for pressure washing business professionals.  For the last three or four years,  this is what I have been teaching through my online school and my video school.  Window cleaning companies are now offering pressure washing services.  And companies like to have both pressure washing and window cleaning services in one company, rather than two.  For this reason, pressure washing businesses need to add window cleaning to the services that you offer.  If not, you will miss out on business that you would otherwise be able to win.  So in this video post, I provide in depth information for the window cleaning equipment we use and sell through my store.  It’s the “REACH IT” water fed pole window cleaning equipment.  We also have a system from Unger.

ADDITIONAL WINDOW CLEANING EQUIPMENT TRAINING

I recommend you get training from the Reach It founder and owner Perry Tait.  He has a YouTube channel and you can find it be searching from “Reach It’s Water Fed Window Cleaning.”  There are various window cleaning equipment packages that we sell.  And in this video, I cover what the various packages come with.  I explain that arrows are included on the equipment which helps when setting up to ensure correct water flow direction.  Some of the unique set up tips I cover include carrying the cannister in a five pound bucket and utilizing a banjo fitting.  I use this on the inlet side of the cannister so that we can hook up directly to the Kingslinger.  We have found this approach is more convenient than using a garden hose, which is not always readily available on commercial properties.

HOSE SET UP

At approximately 11:00 into the video, you will find detailed instructions on hose set up.  There are different ways you can connect the rhino hose to the pole, and it really boils down just to personal preferences.  It’s important to listen for the little “snap” to ensure hoses are securely connected.  You’ll have either the smaller 14 inch brush or an 18 brush to work with, depending on which package you purchase.  I also explain the TDS meter included, which gives a reading for total dissolved solids.  This reading helps determine when resin needs to be refreshed. This entire video is about 24:00 long and I hope all that I cover helps as you consider adding window cleaning equipment to your business.

by Doug Rucker Doug Rucker

COMMERCIAL POWER WASHING EQUIPMENT

COMMERCIAL POWER WASHING EQUIPMENT

The unique challenge for this COMMERCIAL POWER WASHING EQUIPMENT VIDEO is pine needles.  On this particular commercial building, there is a covered parking structure with pine trees overhead.  There was a large accumulation of pine needles both on top of the parking structure as well as three covered entry ways.  We were able to include the cost for removing and disposing these pine needles in the power washing proposal.  Normally, a landscaping or their lawn service would handle this.  However, some of these services are now also adding pressure washing to their service list.  So whenever possible, it’s best to provide the services they request so that you don’t lose the opportunity to another company.

TOOLS TO USE

The basic tools to use for this COMMERCIAL POWER WASHING EQUIPMENT video is a rake, a blower, and trash bags.  However, for the parking structure, a pool brush really can really save quite a bit of time.  Using a blower for this portion of the project would require more time and effort.  We were able to simply push all of the pine needles off of the parking structure to the ground below.  Then we went straight down line to rake and bag up all the pine needles by hand.  I was able to dispose of these pine needles at my house by burning them.  Be sure and watch the entire video for all the details!

ADD WINDOW CLEANING SERVICE

Another important part of this COMMERCIAL POWER WASHING EQUIPMENT video is window cleaning.  Most commercial buildings have windows and they desire window cleaning service along with power washing.  On this job, we use the REACH IT waterfed pole cleaning system.  Many window cleaning service companies are expanding their services to include power washing.  This is because most commercial property owners and managers want to complete the entire project with one contractor rather than two.

ANOTHER TIP

One more important component of this COMMERCIAL POWER WASHING EQUIPMENT video post is our KINGSLINGER soft wash system.  We can easily clean up to three stories with this soft wash system.  There was a lot of green and black organic staining.  But the Kingslinger gives us the ability to deliver a much stronger mix.  At time stamp 7:50 in this video, I also explain the various nozzles we use.