My advice is to get a good, professional system from a reputable manufacturer. Some systems look cobbled together, that will give exactly the wrong impression.
Aftersales care is very important with WFP systems, as you will need to have your system serviced and also you'll need to buy consumables too. You will find you have a ongoing relationship with your supplier, especially as you grow and look to upgrade etc.
Look carefully at the reputation of a company, it will give you an indication of how they do business and ultimately how you as a customer will be treated. Get a system from a company that is about to go to the wall and you wont be able to get spare parts. Websites are not always a reliable guide to the size of a company, I have seen some excellently designed websites from very poor companies.
Its better to invest the money in a properly installed, professionally designed and manufactured system than to try and piece it together.
Things to look for when buying a system are:
1: CapacityUsually systems are available in 300, 600 and 1,000 litres. The brochures will give you an idea of how many hours each tank will last, but on average a 300 litre system will last 4-6 working hours (1 person)
You will be limited by the size of your vehicle. A responsible manufacturer will not install a system that will exceed a vehicles payload weight. To give you an example, an Escort 55 van will only cope with a 300 litre system.
This pure2o system is 650 Litres:
will be suitable for a Kangoo sized van.
2:Water TreatmentThere are 2 main types of water treatment available. RO (Reverse Osmosis) and DI (De-ionization).
RO is very good at removing a lot of water impurities without much wear on the membrane. If you live in a hard water area (and Mark, you do) then RO will be more economical. RO brings the purity down to about 12ppm which is then usually finished off with a small DI cell to bring it down to zero.
DI only systems are generally cheaper to buy, but running costs will be much higher if you live in a hard water area. DI is much faster filling however.
3: PolesSome suppliers use Aluminium poles (eg Omnipole) other use Fibre-glass and Carbon Fibre. All have their merits and it is possible to use poles from one manufacturer with a different system.
This is a
pure2o carbon fibre pole
Generally speaking, the best poles I have seen are Ionic's "Ergo-Lite" poles, but be warned they are quite expensive.
4: SafetyA contraversial subject, but that shouldn't mean it is ignored. The fact is that if you have more than 1,000kg of water behind you in the van and you have an accident, there is a real risk that it will break free and cause you and any passengers severe injury. Some systems are bolted to your van's floor - this will afford virtually no protection at all. Others have a more robust anchorage system.
The WFP industry leader,
Ionic Systems has conducted a program of crash tests for exactly this reason, and their systems have "FMVSS-208" certification. At present they are the only supplier (along with
pure2o) to have done this, but as this issue becomes more important (or, more likely when there eventually
is a serious accident) others may follow. I personally have seen the crash test videos, and even 30mph the results are not pretty.
5: PriceFor a good system, say 300 litre I'd budget about £4,000 Including installation but not including poles.
2. Would a fiesta van handle a trailer unit?
3. Am I right in thinking carrying 1000L is a days work?
A fiesta will
not cope with a 1000 litre trailer, no way way on earth. You'd need a land-rover type vehicle for that. 300 Litres is enough for one person for one day, but even that load will cause a fiesta to struggle.
-Philip