[gavinb]

I was working in -6 before Christmas and it was useless .

[james peters]

great thread... it,s just another tool that can go wrong and complicate things

days lost over this winter....0....although tomorrow will probably be the first, if the snow sticks...

[Mr.G]

I've also been bringing it in overnight and it stays warm enough to use all day, I'm a bit concerned about the puddles of ice that's forming on custie's doorsteps though!

[R.C Property]

I've also been bringing it in overnight and it stays warm enough to use all day, I'm a bit concerned about the puddles of ice that's forming on custie's doorsteps though!

simple way round is dont do them and just cloth over door, my customers understand that due to safety

[P @ F]

Two years ago myself and many cleaners got stopped in our tracks down here in Plymouth , i rang a fellow cleaner at the exact same time he was ringing me , when we got connected , i said "Alright Stuey , i bet your gonna ask me if my brush has just frozen to the window"
His reply was " Yes mate , exactly that "
We had a chuckle , packed up and went home .

He went home and waited it out , i went home and flashed up flea bay , just by chance i found a car and caravan dealer 5 miles from me who had a fair few L5's that he had imported , he sold me all the gubbins plus a 13kg bottle for £200 !

I went home and fitted the beast up , in a few hours i had hot water , i went out to work for the remainder of the week , others i have metioned did not get a lot if any done .

So hot has been good for me , we rarely see conditions like that down here in the southwest , in fact we have not to this day , but we could , simple as that !

So hot is not a waste of money , its a get out of jail card if needed .

Rich

  

[Smudger]

2 years ago i was working in minus 2 and 3 with cold water just used to get a build up of ice on the brush head
(esp in windy conditions ) so you can work if you want to but it's right on the edge depending if the properties
are heated and if there is windchill i aldo could not get out at 8.30 if below -3 had to wait for it to warm up

this year i have used 500 watt mini immersion heaters, these keep the van warm and produce 22 to 28 deg C water
at the brush head for under £10 £20 if yoiu include the aquarium pumps to circulate the water.

the biggest advantage to having hot in the cokd weather is the pipes are so supple and easy to use - no kinks in the
pole hose and no fighting the minibore hands tend not to get as cold either which for me leads to a quicker working
day

would i spend £150 for an on demand heater and carry propane for hot NO
pro system at £1000's - just no worth the extra expense IMO

Darran

[P @ F]

Feckin tightarse 

Rich

[Smudger]

 

[lee_dewing]

As Darran says windchill.

It's been cold but no wind so been getting away with cold water to a point.

I've been starting at 11am til 4,4pm.

Got around half a weeks money not great but better than nothing.

Looks like bad snow for fri-sat here waltham abbey so glad i did some this week as could be indoors for a few days now

[SPE]

best thing i brought is the L5, its made me money otherwise i would be sitting at home loosing it!

Do we live in Siberia or something ?
As others have said you can work with cold water at minus temps to a point.
Any colder I would'nt want to work anyway. I went self employed to pick and choose when and what I do. When it is too cold, how long does it last, a week ?
Is it worth the added investment for me ? NO
Are the jobs I could'nt do still there the following week ? YES
Would I be bothered by a few extra days off in January with my feet up in the warm ? NO
would I want extra equipment cluttering the back of my van up for those few days its needed each year ? NO

For those who employ staff and have that added responsibility I appreciate things may be different.

[Mike #1]

Just watched weather heavy Snow for south west of country all day ,

Looks like we will get 5-10 cm of snow maybe more throughout today in county Durham and North East might not get out today after delivery's .

But looks like less snow tomorrow so should get a full day , aquraium heater for me is helping as hose is easier to manage .

 I am going to insulate static tank while off today but not to much as it keeps the shed warm which means i can leave my DI vessel and pump in shed without risk of freezing .

But generally you can manage just fine with cold water i always have in the past . Mike

[DeLuce]

this year i have used 500 watt mini immersion heaters, these keep the van warm and produce 22 to 28 deg C water
at the brush head for under £10 £20 if yoiu include the aquarium pumps to circulate the water.

the biggest advantage to having hot in the cokd weather is the pipes are so supple and easy to use - no kinks in the
pole hose and no fighting the minibore hands tend not to get as cold either which for me leads to a quicker working
day

would i spend £150 for an on demand heater and carry propane for hot NO
pro system at £1000's - just no worth the extra expense Imo


I totally agree with the benefits here and also would not lay out big money on hot.

Is there any chance you could post a link to the aquarium pumps for the circulation please Darren?

Darran

[Smudger]

i use something like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Resun-Wave-Maker-Pump-for-all-Aquarium-3500L-Hour-/370146352586?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item562e711dca

my element and pump are now permament inside the tanks fed through 8mm holes in top of the tank and sealed
the pump base is glued to the inside tank wall.

Darran

[DeLuce]

Thanks for the link Darran. I remember you posted about this before but couldn't find the right thread, doh!   

[richard jagger]

I have had hot water for some time, and my water has broken down and in repaires . Its not just the cold weather it does clean beter than cold water, so I will need to get the heater in or buy another soon. But don`t be so short sighted as to disregard it out right. You are missing something.

[SB Cleaning]

I wouldnt waste my money on a hot system.....

I put an oil filled rad in the back of the van and 3 aquarium heaters dangling in the water tank overnight...
 
By morning everything in the back of the van is toasty and the aquarium heaters give me nice warm water to play with

[Dave Willis]

This time last year I posted what a load of crap the hot water idea was - hoses blowing off, reels crushing, tempermental heater, waste of friggin money and all the rest.
This winter it's been running perfect and to be honest I wouldn't be without it - warm hands, supple hoses and better cleaning.
So, no hot systems definitely aren't a waste of money. You don't have to have one but they are nice.

To some, carbon poles are a waste of money too.

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

Lol

[Darran Smith]

We did a largish gutter cleaning job yesterday.
Parts of the gutter had frozen water in - so the lads pumped hot water in from the van and then sucked out all the crap, £280 for a couple of hours work - or they could have stayed home!

They also picked up 2 more in the same business park in Maidstone.

[Frankybadboy]

This time last year I posted what a load of crap the hot water idea was - hoses blowing off, reels crushing, tempermental heater, waste of friggin money and all the rest.
This winter it's been running perfect and to be honest I wouldn't be without it - warm hands, supple hoses and better cleaning.
So, no hot systems definitely aren't a waste of money. You don't have to have one but they are nice.

To some, carbon poles are a waste of money too.

did you work on friday dave