What does WFPS stand for?

WFPS stands for Water Fed Pole Systems.

What are WFPS used for?

WFPS are used for cleaning windows, signage and even cladding ~ at heights up to 20m ~ without using ladders, scaffolding or expensive cherry pickers.

What are the advantages of using WFPS?

·         Safety – using WFPS allows the operator to work from the ground i.e. without using ladders, and so removes the risk of working at height completely.

·         Environmentally friendly – WFPS use only pure water and so there are no detergents or chemicals to pollute the environment.

·         Cleaner – windows cleaned using the system stay cleaner for longer, as the surface of the glass becomes sterile from the use of only pure water.

·         Faster – cleaning windows using a WFPS is usually 30 to 80% quicker than conventional window cleaning methods.

·         No damage to property – because WFPS do not require ladders or scaffolding, there is no exterior marking or damage to walls and windowsills, and no unsightly ladder marks or damage in lawns and borders.

How do Water Fed Pole Systems (WFPS) work?

Pure Water is pumped through a hose reel, up a telescopic Water Fed Pole and through jets in the brush at the top of the pole, where it is sprayed onto the glass. The brush contacts with the surface of the glass and frames, and lightly agitates the surface, loosening the dirt. Any dirt or dust particles are flushed away by the constant stream of pure water.

What would happen if normal tap water were used to wash a window?

The glass will appear milky white and/or streaky when it dries, and you will be able to write on the glass surface with your finger. This effect on the glass is due entirely to the mineral content of the tap water.

Water Fed Pole Systems work... because they use the equivalent of distilled water.

WFPS use Pure Water (i.e. water without any mineral content), so as it dries it leaves the windows perfectly clean. Pure water strives to return to its natural (dirty) state, and so when applied to the window, pure water automatically absorbs the dirt. 

All tap water contains a quantity of minerals. The quantity differs from one area to another because of the variety of environment and ground rock strata that rainwater passes through before it reaches our rivers and ground-water storage reservoirs.

If you were to buy bottled spring water from the supermarket and read the label you will notice that water contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chlorides, nitrates, sulphates, bi-carbonates, sodium, potassium and silica etc, that are dissolved in the water.

Totally Dissolved Solids (TDS)

A TDS meter is required to identify the total quantity of minerals that are dissolved in YOUR water. A hand held TDS meter will give a three-digit reading. If you were to test the water at your tap, the meter would probably show a reading of between 035 parts per million (035 ppm) and 600 parts per million (600 ppm). While this is OK for drinking, it is of NO use for window cleaning!

If you want to wash glass and end up with perfectly clean windows, all the minerals need to be filtered or extracted from the water, resulting in a TDS reading of 000 ppm (indicating zero mineral content or total demineralisation). This is called “Pure Water”.

The higher the initial TDS reading, the higher the costs and more involved the methods required in demineralising the water.

There are a number of different filtration methods used to produce demineralised water – but some methods are just too expensive to even consider. The most cost effective methods are: 

1.       A de-ionised resin vessel on its own. (Sometimes called a polisher)

2.       A de-ionised resin vessel and a reverse osmosis filter along with pre-filters.

3.       A de-ionised resin vessel, a reverse osmosis filter along with pre-filters and a water softener.

Which filtration system is best?

The answer depends on the initial TDS reading of your water. As a general guide, consider the following.

A)      If you have very soft water, option 1 would be cost effective in the short term.

B)      If your water is harder, you may need Options 2 or 3 depending on calcium and magnesium levels.

Which filtration system do you need?

If the water is hard (i.e. it has a high TDS reading), a 4 or 5 stage system is recommended. The last stage (DI vessel) should always be mounted in the vehicle as a final polisher before the water hits the window. It is also recommended that, if possible, the filtration system should be static (i.e. located in a garage or workshop) rather than mobile (i.e. mounted in the vehicle or trailer).

Of course there are many variables governing the choice of filtration system, such as quality of available water, type and proximity of work, number of operators, volume of water required and type and size of vehicle or trailer available.

If you have a static filtration system near to where you are working and you run out of water at midday, it is very convenient to drive to base and refill. Obviously if all your work is near to your static system, your business can operate with a smaller capacity tank and smaller vehicle.

If most of your work is far away from base, it is likely that you will require the filtration system fixed inside the vehicle, which usually means a larger vehicle with the biggest tank that the payload permits.

Static Filtration System (Garage or Workshop)

Mobile Filtration System (In vehicle or trailer)

Once the correct choice of filtration system has been made, the choice of vehicle or transport system must be determined.

Essentially the choices of mobile WFPS are:

·         Vehicle systems (Van or Bakkie)

·         Trailer systems

·         Trolley, Backpack and DI systems

Vehicle Systems

Experts in the Water Fed Pole System Industry all over the world recommend the use of a vehicle (van or bakkie) as the preferred solution whenever possible!

What size Vehicle?

Firstly - do you intend for one person to operate from the vehicle, or two or more?

The answer to this question will make a massive difference to your choice of vehicle because water weighs 1kg per litre (500 litres of water would weigh 500kg or half a tonne), and a Water Fed Pole can use up to 120 litres per hour or more unless you restrict the flow. A quick calculation tells you that 500 litres of water may last one person over 4 hours when used continuously, and a 1000 litre tank of water may last one person 8 hours when used continuously. (1000 litres of water weighs 1 tonne. (1000kg).

Continuous use is only normal on very large buildings. If you are constantly stopping the flow of water or moving on to other sites, or restricting the flow of water by means of a flow regulator, then the water will last longer than shown above.

A smaller vehicle with a payload around 650kg such as a Corsa Bakkie or a Renault Kangoo may carry about 400 litres of water maximum. That’s about 3.5 hours of continuous use for one operator.

A medium sized vehicle with a payload of 900 kg may carry about 600 litres of water, which represents around 5 hours of continuous use for one operator.

A larger vehicle such as a Hyundai Bakkie would have no problem carrying 1000 litres and more (depending on the payload specification), giving enough for an 8-hour day of continuous use for a single operator.

Remember however the option to install the filtration system in the vehicle and produce pure water on-site.

While the above suggestions are approximate ~ it remains the operator’s responsibility to ensure that the total weight of the water plus all other equipment does not exceed the designated payload of the vehicle.

Trailer Systems

A Trailer with a WFPS on board is an option to consider instead of or in addition to a Van system.

Types of Trailers

Typically there are braked and un-braked trailers. Braked trailers cost more to purchase, but there is a limit on the payload that the law allows to be un-braked. Typically un-braked trailers can carry loads up to a maximum of 500 litres of water or 500kg. Braked trailers are safer to tow and can also improve the braking performance of the towing vehicle. Braked trailers can be fitted with a range of tanks from 500 litres to 1500 litres. Single axle trailers can be difficult to control (when un-hitched) if not used with the aid of the jockey wheel. Double axle trailers are much safer to un-hitch because the fluid weight will be more stable between a pair of axles but they are more difficult to manoeuvre around bends by hand.

A box trailer is more desirable because the tank and system is protected and unseen, and there is room inside for the poles and other window cleaning equipment.  However - an open trailer can be one of the most cost effective ways to get started.

 Which water fed pole should you choose?

Once you have decided on the filtration system (static or mobile) and the type of transport system (vehicle, trailer or trolley) - it is time to decide which water fed pole is best for your business. The factors to be considered are how high is the work; and which of the following are most important to you – Lightness, Durability, Rigidity or flexibility, Serviceability and Cost. No one pole will have all of the above features and it should be understood that whatever pole you choose will be a compromise.

Most larger window cleaning companies use a combination of pole types for different reasons.

Fibreglass Poles

Fibreglass poles are the cheapest to buy and are generally robust in every day use, however the sections can wear very quickly. Although it is possible to get replacement sections, it is sometimes more cost effective to purchase a completely new pole.

Fibreglass poles are particularly heavy to use over 9m and also become very flexible.

Aluminium Poles

Aluminium poles are made with aircraft aluminium alloy and are one of the best poles available. (Not to be confused with squeegee poles that are made of low-grade aluminium.) They are very light and strong up to 14m, and are also very reasonably priced. Extremely hard wearing this pole should last many years if looked after and all parts are replaceable and cost effective to buy. A disadvantage to aluminium poles is that the sections can dent if treated carelessly. Over 14m they are too flexible.

Some aluminium poles, but not all, have slow clamping methods or threads that can easily jam.

Carbon Fibre Poles

Carbon fibre poles (like fibreglass) are robust, and very rigid and are often used to reach heights of 14 – 20m. The drawback with carbon fibre is that they are very heavy to use and expensive to buy.

Carbon Kevlar Poles

Carbon Kevlar poles are similar in weight to aluminium poles and are therefore good to use up to 20m and rigid. They are however the most expensive type of pole.

General info on Water Fed Poles

It is important to remember that poles are made in various length sections (1.8m, 2.4m and 3.6m) when you consider whether the pole may fit inside the vehicle or you may have to use a rack or pole tube. The length of the closed down pole will be longer when you take into account the telescopic sections, the gooseneck and brush.

Water Fed Poles utilise a variety of different types of brushes, some better than others.

Goosenecks come in a variety of lengths to enable you to get over wide sills and make contact with the bottom of the window.

Most Water Fed Poles have a single hose that connects to jets in the brush. The water is contained between the surface of the glass and within the bristles of the brush and you can control and contain the spray. To clean the window and leave it gleaming you will have to lift the brush off the surface of the window and rinse the glass with the jets of water.

This will, unfortunately, cause a spray/mist, take more time and be more difficult to accomplish.

We hope that this information helps you with the basic selection of your WFPS!

Please feel free to contact us should you require further information or assistance.