Backache Prevention???

HighTide

HighTide

New member
There are several types of pressure cleaning jobs that give me a lower backache. Does anyone have a remedy to prevent this from occuring, such as using a certain type of back brace? I get it mostly by popping gum for long periods as I tend to bend down slightly. Maybe a longer lance for this type job? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hire someone to do the work while you supervise, I have been thru back surgery and now both shoulder's have to be done. It definitly catches up with you after years of abuse, alot of standing on concrete with rubber boots, and all the over the head wand work, plus all the reeling in of hoses.

Having a wand that fits your height is a plus, especially when your dealing with hours of burning gum all night. I would ice up my shoulders when i got home just to bring down the joint pain. A great pair of water proof boots with arch support are a must have and staying hydrated so not to strain your joints and muscles.
 
Here is what I did.

I use a dual lance wand so I got wand extensions from 12" to 4' long and I typically use one that is 2.5' or 3' long.

I have a linear gun (like what is on some surface cleaners or extandawands) on the back end of the dual lance.

On the inlet of the dual lance I have a 90 degree elbow so the hose hangs straight down instead of out (taking stress off the hose end fitting).

With all this connected and even though it is a little heavy, I rest the insulated part of the dual lance on my shoulder and control the flow with the side handle (I have a ball valve on the end of the hose to start /stop the flow and a tennis ball in the trigger to hold it open).

I start with the side handle open so when I open the ball valve slowly it does not kick hard then I put the dual lance on my shoulder and lower the wand to the ground and increase the pressure with the side handle until I have what I need for popping gum.

When I need to kill the gun, I just lower the pressure with the side handle and then take it off my shoulder and close the ball valve.

It really works great because you are not hunched over all day long for the big jobs and the pressure is kind of holding it up some so it does not feel that heavy.

I will take some pictures tomorrow or the next day to show you.

I have been doing this since the beginning because of all the gum we have in this area and sometimes you are popping gum all day long for several days on the bigger jobs.

Hope this helps.
 
I was running into that problem on a new construction clean. It was 12 3-story apartment buildings. The concrete breezeways on all three floors and the sidewalks had to be wanded.

I ended up using a six foot lance with a linear gun and running the hose over my shoulder.
I had to make a conscious effort at first not to bend over while cleaning. Worked great.
 
Kory said:
Yeah what he said! I use Muck Boots bought at Bass Pro shops and get a wand made to size a 4 footer works for me I am 5'11
Click to expand...
Me too, Mucks rule! Also something that helped me was the swap from a 36 inch to a 48 inch lance and for any grip problems I use a ball valve and an open wand (no trigger)
 
Oh, yeah. Forgot the boots part.
Buy some really good insoles to go in your rubber boots.
You're worth it!
 
Yep yep to the Muck boots. Thats all we wear!!
 
yup good boots with good insoles, a 48" dual lance,good excersise routine, and a good bed, i bought a memory foam bed and it does wonders.
 
Russ +1 on the open gun, I remembered you talking about an open gun at the Al RT and ordered one. After popping gum for six hours on Sun night, I looked for the open gun on Mon mourning. I only have a 36" lance for it, but its much easier on the body than a standard gun. I will be ordering a 48" lance today. Ball valves rock!
Memory foam helps but I am still sore in the AM
 
mike barrett said:
Russ +1 on the open gun, I remembered you talking about an open gun at the Al RT and ordered one. After popping gum for six hours on Sun night, I looked for the open gun on Mon mourning. I only have a 36" lance for it, but its much easier on the body than a standard gun. I will be ordering a 48" lance today. Ball valves rock!
Memory foam helps but I am still sore in the AM
Click to expand...

Been burning gum a long time, not a big fan of the open gun. I have seen what can happen when and if that gun drops or gets away from you. :shakehead: Your better off using a tennis ball.
 
I use a tennis ball so if the gun ever is dropped, the tennis ball will pop out and the trigger will close the flow. There is a ball there to lessen the fatigue of holding the trigger and there is a safety feature that the ball provides.


Select Comfort is the best bed I have ever had, I tried the memory foam mattress and did not like it too much. Once I got my number then life has been great with the number bed.
 
Have you tried the relaxed action trigger guns? Tennis balls and hand crank valves make OSHA nervous...
 
Our setup uses a 24" gun/wand, and this allows the user to stand up straight with no hunching over. I've had back issues for years, and believe me this works well on the back. Also, we used to use the stainless mini ball valves, but found that it created too much wrist and elbow strain. So, our gum removal setup is just hose to relaxed grip gun, and short lance (no ball valve). We do use the mini valve on ALL other wands and surfacers. The small size and light weight are just perfect. Also, they're stainless, and last at least twice as long as any other valve we've tried. Plus they reduce stress at the connections.
 
Thanks for all the advice. Night 4 of my gum cleaning project I switched to from a 36" to a 48" wand. WOW!!! What a difference when popping a lot of gum...I didn't have to bend over and my lower back never got crazy sore. I tried using a tennis ball but it wouldn't stay in the gun as the trigger kept shutting off.
 
we switched over to the 4ft lances early this year after going through the same problems your having now. It just got too harsh on the back cleaning hours on end with a shorter one. I have stayed away from the dual lance because of weight issues and thinking about switching to 1-wire hose to keep it as light as possible. The less strain and hassle a tech has the more productive he is.
 
I lost weight. I feel Better and My back seldom bothers me.
 
Stretching before will go along way to alleviating injuries.
 
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