Tips For Winter
Winter pure water tips for the water fed pole window cleaner.
Is it that time of the year when you are scraping the ice from your car and van windows. Your doors are frozen shut and you think “how on earth am I going to use my pure water cleaning system in this temperature”?
What steps can you take so you can get the work done? That’s what we are going to look at now with some handy info!
Vehicle mounted system
The best way to be able to work in cold conditions is by using hot water, It’s important to note that your hoses and equipment must be suitable for it! A couple of ways of getting your water hot are:
- Having an immersion heater in the tank overnight to give you that hot water for most of the next working day, or…
- Installing a heating system for your tank (although this can be expensive).
By using hot water you’ll be able to work on those colder days and the additional fantastic bonus is that the water will melt snow and ice from your customers frames and panes. The water does not need to be scalding hot but just hot enough to get the job done.
While working during the day, avoid leaving the hose on the frozen ground for too long without hot water flowing through. Then you will most likely prevent issues with the water inside the hose freezing up. If you have a cold water system then you may only be able to work down to a couple of degrees below freezing before the water in your hose and brush starts to freeze up.
Overnight
Ok so you’ve got a water tank in the back of your vehicle with all those hoses, pumps and not to mention that tank with pure water in it, so, what about issues with everything freezing up overnight whilst not in use?
The first option is, if possible, having a small electric fan heater in the back of the vehicle overnight to stop any water freezing up. If you can park your vehicle next to your home or office and run an extension cable into the back, this will absolutely solve any issues with your equipment freezing overnight, and save you a lot of money as the frost can do serious damage to pumps, hoses and fittings. If that’s not an option the other way to avoid issues is to drain the system at the end of the working day. So make sure you are using up all the water from your tank and drain your pumps. If you install a quick release fitting to the pump, you can easily disconnect the feed and run the pump for a few seconds to get any water out of the pump. Don’t do this for too long as it can damage the pump! By draining the system at the end of the day, you will prevent any water in the system from freezing overnight.
Portable systems
With such things as backpacks, trolleys and systems that need a mains supply, it is much more of a challenge!
With units that carry water such as backpacks and trolley systems you can store hot water in barrels and use that to minimise the risk of your equipment freezing. Again though when not in use don’t leave hoses and other equipment out in the cold too long as the water will cool and if not flowing, freeze up!
If you use an R.O. or D.I. system that needs a mains supply then you are going to struggle the most I’m afraid. Unless you are very fortunate and the job you are at has a hot water supply you can connect to.
Again make sure your system can support hot water use. If you live in an area that gets very cold, I would not suggest the use of a mains supply water system. The upside to a portable system is you can take them inside overnight thus avoiding any issues with equipment freezing, so that’s rather handy!
Clothing
Ok your system might be all nice and cosy but what about you? Well make sure your working day is not consisted of frozen toes and blue fingers! Wear a good pair of warm waterproof gloves and nice thick socks as your hands and feet are normally first to feel the chill. Also wear multiple layers and a good winter hat as a lot of body heat is lost through exposed body parts!
Conclusion
Working in the cold can be a real struggle and a challenge, but if you can get your water hot for work during the day and keep your equipment warm overnight you can avoid loses. Stay warm and keep bringing the cash in!
Written by: Trad-Man
