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jimiwindows

  • Posts: 537
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #20 on: August 12, 2013, 04:28:10 pm »
Im getting one love it

andyM

  • Posts: 6100
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #21 on: August 12, 2013, 05:27:56 pm »
If that van was a supermodel it would be on the front cover of Vogue.  ;D
Top class.
One of the Plebs

ben M

  • Posts: 4720
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #22 on: August 12, 2013, 07:12:58 pm »
grippamax website still rubbish!!!!  >:(


robbo333

  • Posts: 2419
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #24 on: August 12, 2013, 07:24:12 pm »
Great post and thanks for sharing it with us. You've got a seriously good setup and I'd be proud of it too. Please keep us informed of how it's working, any problems, anything you'd do differently etc. Your vans look great. In the winter you'll find that the wording on the lower sill of the van will get covered in crap and not be as legible as it should be. Top job and loving it.
"Thank you for calling: if you have a 1st floor flat, mid terraced house, lots of dogs, no parking, no side access, or no sense of humour, please press hold!
For all other enquiries, please press1"

Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #25 on: August 12, 2013, 08:35:15 pm »
Hi Concept,

Great set up!

Is the Webasto temp fully adjustable.

Many thanks

Simon

concept

  • Posts: 1048
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #26 on: August 12, 2013, 08:43:08 pm »
Hi Concept,

Great set up!

Is the Webasto temp fully adjustable.

Many thanks

Simon

Yes it is.

sham33

Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #27 on: August 12, 2013, 09:05:19 pm »
I just don't get grippa great products unusable website gave up on it ages ago, shame.

Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #28 on: August 12, 2013, 09:25:34 pm »
I just don't get grippa great products unusable website gave up on it ages ago, shame.

I totally agree!!

It really doesn't do there brand any good at all!

Susan Dean (1stclean)

  • Posts: 2064
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #29 on: August 12, 2013, 10:16:33 pm »
and if your cleaver you could get a diffent tank fitted and run it on red diesel  ;D 

spudd

  • Posts: 380
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #30 on: August 12, 2013, 10:20:30 pm »
Thought I would share my review of our GrippaMax Hot System with you all.

Last year when sourcing a new van, I looked at many systems, on price and safety, and of course ease of use. We needed a delivery only system, crash tested. This ruled out most suppliers instantly.

Having looked at the usual suspects, and had lengthy discussions, I couldn't find anyone who would build the system to my specification, it was off the shelf (more or less), or nothing.

That was until I discussed things with Oliver at Grippa.

I run my business in a particular way, as I am sure a lot of you do, and I like things done the way I like things done, including the van set ups, as I believe the way we have them set up works well for us.

So, discussing things with Oliver, I immediately found him to be extremely knowledgeable about the products we discussed, and the industry and what the system would be doing. Great start.

For this new van, I wanted a hot system, as having had one previously, an L5 gas system, I could see the benefits, but this time I wanted something more reliable and without worrying about a gas bottle rattling about. The system also needed to be able to be left overnight in freezing conditions without the need of mains powered heating to stop freezing. Whats the point in a hot system if your connecting pipes and reels freeze up over night?!

So...Grippa didn't offer a hot system at this point, but were contemplating it, and between myself and Ollie, we bashed heads and ideas for quite some time to develop a system that would be up to the job. Essentially a hot system that required little or no maintenance in terms of winterising or changing gas bottles etc.

Having had the vehicle floor treated with Line-X, at  their dealership in Slough (superb flooring by the way, HIGHLY recommended!), the van was ready to go to Grippa.

Backwards and forwards we went, tweaking various design elements and plumbing, controllers and so on, until we got what I see as a fantastic system that does everything I want it to do.

So what do we have?

- 650l crash tested tank system - superb, cant feel any sloshing/momentum from water, this saves brakes and suspension, van is a dream to drive!
- Webasto based water heater
- Liquid Logic controllers with variable thermostat and recyling set up for freezing nights, simply plug reel into a return feed pipe, and it heats the water for a set period of time to stop freezing. Doesn't fire it up for hours at a time, leaving you with no fuel in the morning, just enough to ensure system doesnt freeze. Also control the temperature through these!
- Floor mounted Redashe reels, on a crash tested frame, often an element forgotten about, wouldn't fancy a reel to the head in an accident!
- 2 x 110a Batteries with intellegent split charge system, been in 6 months and never needed charging yet!!

Many other neat little touches we developed along the way, but it's a long enough review as it is!!

Remember this is a development system, so might not look as "polished" as production models!

A few pics for you:






looks to nice to work out of... Id be to scared to get it dirty lol ;D

Alex Wingrove

  • Posts: 1435
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #31 on: August 13, 2013, 03:46:27 pm »
Am I being stupid, I cant see the heater

concept

  • Posts: 1048

Alex Wingrove

  • Posts: 1435
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #33 on: August 13, 2013, 04:23:55 pm »
In the ply?

[GQC] Tim

  • Posts: 4536
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #34 on: August 13, 2013, 05:55:59 pm »
In the ply?

Looks like it's where my front plate is, instead of a plate it's like a cabinet. Fooled me as well.

Alex Wingrove

  • Posts: 1435
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #35 on: August 13, 2013, 07:01:43 pm »
Now I see it

Hiding in plane sight

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #36 on: August 13, 2013, 07:11:04 pm »
and if your cleaver you could get a diffent tank fitted and run it on red diesel  ;D 

I'm afraid that the Webasto heaters don't work well on red diesel. The long boat forums are full of problems with these coking up with carbon very quickly and needing a regular expensive service and decoke every year. Long boats are fueled with red diesel.
Ordinary road diesel is fine, so its either the dye or the poor quality of fuel that is to blame.

From what I've heard, Ionics are the only ones who have truely got to grips with the Webasto Diesel heater for window cleaning, although I believe the lastest Pure Freedom unit is much improved. It would be interesting to see a picture of the inards of this Grippamax unit.


Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

concept

  • Posts: 1048
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #37 on: August 13, 2013, 07:17:11 pm »
and if your cleaver you could get a diffent tank fitted and run it on red diesel  ;D 

I'm afraid that the Webasto heaters don't work well on red diesel. The long boat forums are full of problems with these coking up with carbon very quickly and needing a regular expensive service and decoke every year. Long boats are fueled with red diesel.
Ordinary road diesel is fine, so its either the dye or the poor quality of fuel that is to blame.

From what I've heard, Ionics are the only ones who have truely got to grips with the Webasto Diesel heater for window cleaning, although I believe the lastest Pure Freedom unit is much improved. It would be interesting to see a picture of the inards of this Grippamax unit.




What would you like to know Spruce?

Not that I know 100% of its workings, but I may be able to assist...

Indeed, red diesel causes issues with them, and invalidaties warranties also?

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #38 on: August 13, 2013, 09:18:09 pm »
and if your cleaver you could get a diffent tank fitted and run it on red diesel  ;D  

I'm afraid that the Webasto heaters don't work well on red diesel. The long boat forums are full of problems with these coking up with carbon very quickly and needing a regular expensive service and decoke every year. Long boats are fueled with red diesel.
Ordinary road diesel is fine, so its either the dye or the poor quality of fuel that is to blame.

From what I've heard, Ionics are the only ones who have truely got to grips with the Webasto Diesel heater for window cleaning, although I believe the lastest Pure Freedom unit is much improved. It would be interesting to see a picture of the inards of this Grippamax unit.





What would you like to know Spruce?

Not that I know 100% of its workings, but I may be able to assist...

Indeed, red diesel causes issues with them, and invalidaties warranties also?

The problem many users complain about is the battery going flat. This is due to the unit switching off when it has reached it's highest temperature. When a Webasto starts up it draws about 14 amps of current for a short period heating up the 'glow plug'. Once is it fired up it draws about 2 amps. Initially, as the unit is heating up, it runs at 'full throttle'. Once the temp of the heated water gets to a preset heat, say around 65 to 70 degrees, it will reduce the heater output and run at 'half throttle' and uses about 1.4 amps of current.

If you are standing talking to your customer, the water temperature will continue to increase until the unit switches itself off at around 90 degrees as you are not 'drawing any heat off.' Once you go back to cleaning, then the heater has got to restart and use that heavy current draw again. It will be in effect, cycling.

Ionic use a pressure relief valve from what I understand. If you, the operator switch your tap off, the pressure will build and the pressure relief valve redirect the hot water meant for your brush back to the main tank. But your pump will be running all the time.

The other issue is that a heater working in the 2nd heat phase (half throttle) will be supplying less heated water to the brush head as the temperature control valves will be adding more cold water to achieve your temperature requirement. So you need to find an ideal way of bleeding that extra heat off to keep the heater tickling over in that second phase with lower fuel costs.

A furnace (boiler) that keeps cycling on and off will coke up quickly, but one that runs efficiently will tend to remain carbon free for much longer. This cycling is another issue the long boat owners find a problem, especially when they are just heating up hot water and aren't using the central heating system. The internal heat exchangers in their calorifiers won't 'zap' the heat produced fast enough.

Added.

The primary use of these heaters are as block heaters; heating up and circulating freezing cold water in freezing engines, warming them up to normal operating temperatures to make starting easiler with less wear and tear. They then added an additional feature that switches on the vehicles internal heater fan to warm up the cabin and defrost the windscreen. In this application, they work very well and reliably. Using it as an on demand water heater in our business isn't what is is designed for.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Alex Wingrove

  • Posts: 1435
Re: GrippaMax - Hot Systems
« Reply #39 on: August 14, 2013, 01:49:57 pm »
Gas boilers are much less complicated