[Phil J]

Hey guy's
Don't want to spend a fortune. Can't decide between emmersion or lpg. Also, can thermobore be used year round with cold/hot water or should I change to regular microbore the rest of the year? By the  way it would be a 2 man set - up,  650 litre.
Thanks, Phil

[AuRavelling79]

I use an immersion. But only to give me supple hoses and a bit of warmth in low and sub zero temperatures. If I did a lot of first cleans I might go lpg or diesel.

Don't need to change hose/connectors brushes at the 25 - 35 degree temps (in the tank) I run at.

[Smurf]

For a 2 man setup you would obviously need 2 lpg water heaters.
I just use standard minibore hose I bought from fleebay years ago that works well with hot

[Spruce]

Gardiner's also state that their microbore is suitable for warm water up to 60 degrees.

[dazmond]

Gardiner's also state that their microbore is suitable for warm water up to 60 degrees.

the new stuff is really good hose both for hot and cold and lighter than thermobore.

warm/hot water is a luxury and not needed really but its nicer to work with on a cold day and great for f/s/g,conny roofs and really dirty first cleans.hose is a lot more manageable and warm of course!

no experience of immersion elements but i think their probably good for stopping your stuff/water from freezing/hose manageability but wont make a difference on filthy add on jobs as you cant adjust the water temperature.i think you need to upgrade your electrics if your using an immersion in your tank to prevent risk of fire.

[Phil J]

Thanks lads,
Don't know if it's worth the hassle/ expense at this point, can't really work if the temp gets too low anyway.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

Hi Phil,
Once you're set up to run hot I don't think you will see it as too much hassle.
I ran cold all  the time for the first 2 or 3 years of being WFP. Winters were cold but not below freezing. The first winter things went below freezing and stayed like it all day was a real pain. It was dry but I couldn't work because everything froze up as soon as I started. So I took the plunge and purchased an L5 lpg heater. Since then I've used it for at least two months every winter. Trouble is, once I start using it I don't want to stop, even when it's not freezing. It beats working with cold in winter hands down. It keeps all your gear supple, your hands warmer and I find it cleans faster. I don't find the finish better but I can achieve it quicker. Usually by the end of Feb I've switched back to cold for the sake of economy but this year I'm still using it now as it's still very cold. When hot I use it at anywhere from 25-45 degrees. If you just want to keep your gear from freezing use it at the lower temp, if you want it to clean quicker use it hotter. That's my experience anyway

[Smurf]

Having the option to use hot/warm water whenever you need it on demand using an lpg water heater all year around I don't think you would want to go back to just cold somehow. I know I wouldn't as makes the types of jobs I do so much easier.

[NWH]

You wouldn't go back to cold water I use mine even on very hot days the Windows dry in minutes on really hot day they leave hardly any water on the Windows when you've finished a job with hot water,even on the weather we've had lately they dry off in far less time than they would with cold.

[Phil J]

Thanks Lads,
Do you need the LPG heater fitted by a gas engineer and does it affect your van insurance?

[Scrimble]

aplan insure the van with a gas heater,

any gas appliance needs to be signed off by a gas safe engineer, at a guess 99 percent of window cleaners using these gas heater don't bother

if your going to fit one you must fit a flue, don't think that leaving the back door open is adequate ventilation, and get it checked,

they work very well much better than a diesel heater for a fraction of the price, you don't have to use it everyday, I only use mine to stop the water from freezing so it hardly ever gets used

[Phil J]

Thanks Scrimble....

[Woody123]

So lpg is the way forward, how much do you folks pay on insurance roughly