[Small but perfectley formed]

Hot water is quicker for me 

[benny donnelly]

A hot water system is something I get interested in from time to time, I imagine in winter even luke water would be  so good to work with but for me I keep thinking there would be more things just to go wrong and would it be that much of a benefit?

On top of that its another thing to be fitted in van along with all my other gear which is more weight and less room again, for me I think I look into a water preheater to work over night I see some on here talk about aquarium heaters and the like, if i got a tank full of lukeish warm water id be happy enough and then you could still sell the hot water benefits to the customers.

[roundbuilder]

I had a go with hot the other day and my god i was impressd, defl the way to go if you have many first cleans or a lot of 8 weekly jobs, it just eats through dirt and grime!.
I havnt got hot yet but after getting new pickup ill be kitting her out with hot!.

[steven ainger]

if you just want supple hoses in the winter, go with the immersion method, but this will have no cleaning benefit at all,.
if you want a fully heat controlable method, at low cost, go with the lpg method.
as for the extra space & weight, its minimal.
( refillable gas cylinder is to the side of the tank )
see the pic of my van.

[benny donnelly]

if you just want supple hoses in the winter, go with the immersion method, but this will have no cleaning benefit at all,.
if you want a fully heat controlable method, at low cost, go with the lpg method.
as for the extra space & weight, its minimal.
( refillable gas cylinder is to the side of the tank )
see the pic of my van.

Can I ask did the gas effect your insurance at all?

Also is that a little chimney you have going up to go through the roof? If it is how big an opening does it need? Im thinking it might go against when selling the van maybe

[steven ainger]

no, the gas didnt affect my insurance.

the flue is about 3 1/2 " and i have a mushroom vent on the roof, when i resell the van i can always leave the mushroom vent there or fit one of the spinning roof vents in its place.

[g.brookes]

if youre mainly commercial and do a lot of infrequent cleans and one offs then it makes a lot of sense.  If you do all the same customers every month then theres no point in my opinion

[Dave Willis]

Steven, have you got a bypass back to the tank?

[steven ainger]

No

[Dave Willis]

just asking 'cos I had the same reel and had problems with sorting the pressure in my hot hose. Wrecked the reel.

[steven ainger]

Dont know if you can see in the first pic, but ive got the spring analogue controller from Gardiners.
This controller allows you to adjust the DE easilly, ( has an external dial ) to stop excessive pressure build up.

[Dave Willis]

Yes, that's what I fitted in the end. The digital Varistreams are too slow to adjust.

[frankwii]

have tried both the element and gas route for heating the water ,
and have to conclude that the gas way is far more effeicint and present cutomers and new all go ooh , ahh watter is hot ,

over time the cost of running the element is far higher and you have to insulate the tank /s , plus the water looses heat over the time you carry it around .


on demand hot water make it quicker to clean fascias , soffits and conservatory rooves
as with everything , its how you present and sell the goods .
the van is clean and the inside is painted to look professional ,
and why go pay £1000's of pound when you can easily do one yourself for a fraction .

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

also i cant believe some window cleaners work with the van doors open as ventilation.surely your leaving yourself open to having stuff nicked out of your van?or even worse your van?

ive been carpet cleaning with van doors open for over 10 years with gear sit in the back worth 5 times any pole on the market , and not one thing as gone

[dazmond]

yeah but why take the chance susan?no thanks!!

i bet you get your van nicked tomorrow now after that comment!!

[Dave Willis]

I imagine carpet cleaning equipment might be a little bulkier than a £1000 extremely light pole?

I get worried someone might remove my tank.

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

yeah but why take the chance susan?no thanks!!

i bet you get your van nicked tomorrow now after that comment!!

 when you are a truck mounted c.c. you need the side door open at all times to keep things cool gets hot in there
most thieves are to busy looking in the cab for phones and stuff

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

I imagine carpet cleaning equipment might be a little bulkier than a £1000 extremely light pole?

I get worried someone might remove my tank.

were going hot wash just looking at someone to fit the heaters and lpg tank , cant be done with this bottle stuff , any good companys do this not going to mess around with it myself rather pay to get the job done right

[Archer]

Dazmond,

im with you on this one,


I defiantly wouldn't work from the van with it open.

Infact listening to some of the replies I think when I go on holiday for 2 weeks I will leave all the doors open in the house, because SURELY nobody nicks anything these days.

Infact, I might as well put banners and streamers outside the house with a BIG arrow pointing to my house saying HE"S away.

that's how daft it sounds

[Smudger]

These are similar to what I brought. But 1 kw

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRAVEL-HEATER-ELEMENT-WATER-COFFEE-MINI-BOILER-HOT-WATER-IMMERSION-500w-220V-NEW-/400472192783?pt=UK_TravelTickets_Accessories_RL&hash=item5d3e00b70f

They are fully water proof and it sits 1 inch from the bottom of the tank last year I used cheap aquarium pumps/wave makers to circulate water this year I hope to have a unit with the vans inside and I'm going get the pumps to circulate the water

How much hotter do you need than 30 degrees? Hoses were so soft at this and six hours later it was still around 20 degrees

By the way I use 2 as I have twin 500 ltr tanks in the van

While I think diesel is the best/most reliable/ safest way 4k is way to high a price to pay for 'comfort'   And I must be unlucky as none of my customers have ever wanted to look in the van in fact they look totally bored about anything to do with window cleaning other than to say ... "Well, as long as they look clean when your finished" they don't give a fig if I had the remains of the Roswell alien spacecraft stashed in the back.

Even at £200 for gas you still have running costs and these are very similar to the immersion elements

Darran