Uni-valve (Previously Aqua-dapter) was developed in 2009, It started in the mind of Steven Jones, a window cleaner of nearly ten years, and a user of water fed pole systems for the majority of those. Steve was unsatisfied with the lack of flow control options available for WFP, which subsequently led to designing and developing the device we are now producing.
So, we thought we would give you a little overview of the thinking behind the design.
In this article, we’re going to concentrate on the existing solutions for controlling the flow of water through your WFP system.
Perhaps the most common, and certainly the cheapest method, is that of kinking the hose. This certainly stops the water flow. But with it comes some issues; for instance, over time, it’s not going to do your hose any good. Also, when you need to move around, it means you have to keep one hand on the hose. The same goes for when you collapse your pole, you need both hands to do that, in which case, the water starts to flow again.
Another common method uses a trigger set-up. We have a couple of niggles with this. First of all, you need to have a large loop of hose between the trigger and the base of your pole. This causes a bit of a safety issue at the very least, creating a potential trip hazard for yourself, your customers and perhaps members of the public. Secondly, we are back to constantly having one hand off the pole. Depending of the model of the trigger, you need to hold it on to either make the water run, or to stop the flow. This method is an adaptation of a system used mainly for pressure washers; it is not a native creation for the WFP market.
A third method that we considered was remote control systems. While these offer a reliable way of controlling your water flow, they have their own share of set backs. Think about a big concern, an electrical system controlling water flow. So, what happens if they get wet? Another problem is that they rely on range, and line of sight. If you end up behind a building which puts you out of signal, you lose control of your flow, but how do you know? Shout to someone standing by the van? Wait to see if the water comes through (which can take a while depending on the distance)? Not to mention what happens when the batteries run out…
And so you are beginning to get the picture, the current solutions produce a few glitches that make them, on a whole, unproductive to work with. Think briefly about other flow control methods; taps on belts – again a loop of hose, not to mention wet trousers, and you end up being attached to the pole. How about another device you may have seen, a switch mounted on the brush? There are a couple of home made solutions being marketed on the internet, but they only work if conditions are ideal. For instance, you need to tap your brush on an overhang to turn your water off; if windows are recessed, fine, but what happens when they are not? Or when you are cleaning a recessed window, what about when you accidentally knock the switch?
Out of all the methods, solutions and workarounds we considered, we came to a definite conclusion: there wasn’t a product designed specifically for water fed poles. And so the concept of Aqua-dapter, now Uni-valve was created…
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