Challenge
Buildings three stories and higher without adequate roof anchor systems pose a real challenge for window cleaners. Roof access equipment cannot be used if there is a pitched roof. Ladders shouldn’t be used on uneven surfaces as they pose safety issues and unprotected falls to the ground are possible. Ladders can be more time consuming and costly for cleaning buildings this size, particularly when windows have small window panes. While lifts might be an option, their size and weight can cause severe damage to landscaped areas around buildings, including irrigation systems. At 910 Ridgebrook Road in Baltimore, part of a large corporate park, the pitched roof, extensive landscaping, and uneven surfaces provided Valcourt with many window cleaning challenges.
Solution
When evaluating the window cleaning needs at the three-story Ridgebrook Road campus-type property, Valcourt determined that water fed poles would provide the best solution. Valcourt’s window cleaners were able to safely access and clean all windows and frames on the property in spite of the plentiful landscaping and highly sloped areas around the buildings. They were careful not to damage any of the landscaping that included a large number of trees and bushes and substantial mulch. Ridgebrook’s cut-up style windows with small panes and crosspieces are more time consuming to wash than large panes, but with water fed poles they still were cleaned much more thoroughly and efficiently than if a traditional hand-washing method had been employed.
