[ChumBucket]

You do not have to tell the insurance company about the tank if it is secured by straps to the manufactures lashing points as this method is not a "modification" to the vehicle. Unless they ask & unless you have modified your vehicle then you have nothing to declare- end of!!

If you have modified your van vis a permanent fixture & drilled through the floor/chassis etc then you do have to declare a modified vehicle.

[EandM]

You do not have to tell the insurance company about the tank if it is secured by straps to the manufactures lashing points as this method is not a "modification" to the vehicle. Unless they ask & unless you have modified your vehicle then you have nothing to declare- end of!!

If you have modified your van vis a permanent fixture & drilled through the floor/chassis etc then you do have to declare a modified vehicle.

Depends entirely on the standpoint of your individual Insurance Company.
Gladiator's standpoint with me was that a mod was something the vehicle has now that it didn't have when it left the factory - if it was bolted down it was a mod if it wasn't it was an insecure load and they wouldn't cover that either and they also refused to cover me to drive across my own field to get to my water supply - Adrian Flux, who I then insured with, didn't have a problem at all.

Other companies who viewed a non-fixed tank as a the end of life as we know it wouldn't accept the argument that it was simply payload and in that sense no different from a cement mixer.

Don't assume anything with any insurance company as they will check the fine print to bail on any pay out and leave you uninsured.

[Griffus]

You do have to tell them about the tank, it is basically a dead weight waiting to crush you, especially if not properly fit.

Many companies won't touch you as they are risk averse but Adrian Flux and More Than Van have both insured our WC van previously. 

I think how the tank is secured will have a bearing.

[dave0123]

if it is secured by straps to the manufactures lashing points as this method is not a "modification" to the vehicle.

And what idiot is going to strap it to there lashing point!?? most of the vehicle's can only hold about 50kg! i can pull mine up and see the floor of the van bend as i pull my finger under the Huck!! there not going to stop anything!

[ChumBucket]

if it is secured by straps to the manufactures lashing points as this method is not a "modification" to the vehicle.

And what idiot is going to strap it to there lashing point!?? most of the vehicle's can only hold about 50kg! i can pull mine up and see the floor of the van bend as i pull my finger under the Huck!! there not going to stop anything!

Me, an idiot of ten years wfp, never refused insurance, never had an issue!

Roll on boys, if you want to mod your vans, then don't moan about the increased premium. Some of the arguments here are ludicrous, even an insurance company wouldn't have a leg to stand on to refuse a claim.

[duncan h]

if it is secured by straps to the manufactures lashing points as this method is not a "modification" to the vehicle.

And what idiot is going to strap it to there lashing point!?? most of the vehicle's can only hold about 50kg! i can pull mine up and see the floor of the van bend as i pull my finger under the Huck!! there not going to stop anything!

Me, an idiot of ten years wfp, never refused insurance, never had an issue!

Roll on boys, if you want to mod your vans, then don't moan about the increased premium. Some of the arguments here are ludicrous, even an insurance company wouldn't have a leg to stand on to refuse a claim.

What do you drive a mini? I use straps and lashing points.. That's what they are for. All this about being a time bomb etc. My point was, you can carry say...a settee or a fridge and don't have to declare it !! savy

[ChumBucket]

if it is secured by straps to the manufactures lashing points as this method is not a "modification" to the vehicle.

And what idiot is going to strap it to there lashing point!?? most of the vehicle's can only hold about 50kg! i can pull mine up and see the floor of the van bend as i pull my finger under the Huck!! there not going to stop anything!

Me, an idiot of ten years wfp, never refused insurance, never had an issue!

Roll on boys, if you want to mod your vans, then don't moan about the increased premium. Some of the arguments here are ludicrous, even an insurance company wouldn't have a leg to stand on to refuse a claim.

What do you drive a mini? I use straps and lashing points.. That's what they are for. All this about being a time bomb etc. My point was, you can carry say...a settee or a fridge and don't have to declare it !! savy

You don't have to declare a tank if the vehicle has not been modified, that's the point. You are simply using the vehicle for the purpose it was designed & built for.

Some of you might be peeved at your high premiums- via modification but please don't make silly, unqualified points for those who have not. My 2010 1.6 hdi Dispatch 1000 is £165 per year fully comp!! yep, read it & weep!!

[Mike #1]

A sofa or a fridge does not weigh anywhere near 300kg and wont come crashing through the bulkhead and kill you

[martin hulstone]

It will be you who is weeping chum bucket if you cause an accident and you haven t notified them about carrying a permanent secured load. Cant understand how anybody would not disclose a fitting in their vehicle just to get a cheaper QUOTE! A friend of mine wrote off his vehicle but luckily no one else was involved, didn t get apenny for his van as he had failed to disclose the tank as a permanent fixture for his business. Cost him 6grand! I sleep easy knowing i am legally insured in the case of an accident.
It might be 500 quid, but its legally on the road

[ChumBucket]

It will be you who is weeping chum bucket if you cause an accident and you haven t notified them about carrying a permanent secured load. Cant understand how anybody would not disclose a fitting in their vehicle just to get a cheaper QUOTE! A friend of mine wrote off his vehicle but luckily no one else was involved, didn t get apenny for his van as he had failed to disclose the tank as a permanent fixture for his business. Cost him 6grand! I sleep easy knowing i am legally insured in the case of an accident.
It might be 500 quid, but its legally on the road

My tank is NOT a permanent fixture so there is nothing to be declared. Do you declare your shopping if you go in the van? surly even you can appreciate this as fact? I am fully covered, my insurer knows what my profession is, I have provided them correctly & truthfully with ALL the information which they request. Me AND my wife are on the policy for both private AND business use. I sleep very good also.

My mate wrote his berlingo off, with a strapped in tank. Tank didn't budge & he got paid out, in full without question.

[martin hulstone]

That suprises me, if it is used every day it is a permanent fixture, guess  every insurance company is different. I personnaly feel happier knowing it is disclosed. I should imagine the fact it is strapped/bolted down makes it a permanent fixture?

[ChumBucket]

That suprises me, if it is used every day it is a permanent fixture, guess  every insurance company is different. I personnaly feel happier knowing it is disclosed. I should imagine the fact it is strapped/bolted down makes it a permanent fixture?

If you bolt the tank down, in a metal frame then this would be viewed as permanent-  You have made it a "permanent" fixture & it would be very difficult to argue otherwise.

However, I can whip my tank out in approx 10 minutes & do just this now & then if I need to carry large items (IKEA etc.) So this isn't a "permanent" fixture. Any rational, normal human being would agree with this.

[Griffus]

Never mind the insurance, do it wrong and have anything slightly more than a minor shunt and you and anyone else up front is in a spot of bother.

Your passenger will be able to sue your ass, or his/her family will sue your estate.

Ignorance is bliss, until............

[Mike #1]

That suprises me, if it is used every day it is a permanent fixture, guess  every insurance company is different. I personnaly feel happier knowing it is disclosed. I should imagine the fact it is strapped/bolted down makes it a permanent fixture?

If you bolt the tank down, in a metal frame then this would be viewed as permanent-  You have made it a "permanent" fixture & it would be very difficult to argue otherwise.

However, I can whip my tank out in approx 10 minutes & do just this now & then if I need to carry large items (IKEA etc.) So this isn't a "permanent" fixture. Any rational, normal human being would agree with this.

So your tank is in your van almost 365 days of the year regardless if it can taken out at anytime so can a bolted in tank and it's connected to a delivery pump and battery etc but it's not a permanent fixture or mod

It's almost like saying your home is not a permanent residence because you go away on holiday 2 weeks a year

[PoleKing]

It will be you who is weeping chum bucket if you cause an accident and you haven t notified them about carrying a permanent secured load. Cant understand how anybody would not disclose a fitting in their vehicle just to get a cheaper QUOTE! A friend of mine wrote off his vehicle but luckily no one else was involved, didn t get apenny for his van as he had failed to disclose the tank as a permanent fixture for his business. Cost him 6grand! I sleep easy knowing i am legally insured in the case of an accident.
It might be 500 quid, but its legally on the road

This is interesting. You're the only person I've heard of where this is the case and I've been asking for a very long.
Exactly the same thing happened to Soupy, he crashed (I think-or his employee...) he hadn't declared any mods as he didn't need to as the tank was lashed down rather than modded and his company paid out.
Do you have any more details of the insurance not paying out on your mate.
It would seem strange that one paid out and one didn't when the situation was the same or at least similar.
Perhaps Soupy will fill in the gaps. It just seems your mates experience was completely different.

[martin hulstone]

I really find it difficult to understand why anyone would fail to disclose a water tank in their van to save a few hundred quid when the repercussions could be a prison sentence or refusal of insurance in future!

[ChumBucket]

That suprises me, if it is used every day it is a permanent fixture, guess  every insurance company is different. I personnaly feel happier knowing it is disclosed. I should imagine the fact it is strapped/bolted down makes it a permanent fixture?

If you bolt the tank down, in a metal frame then this would be viewed as permanent-  You have made it a "permanent" fixture & it would be very difficult to argue otherwise.

However, I can whip my tank out in approx 10 minutes & do just this now & then if I need to carry large items (IKEA etc.) So this isn't a "permanent" fixture. Any rational, normal human being would agree with this.

So your tank is in your van almost 365 days of the year regardless if it can taken out at anytime so can a bolted in tank and it's connected to a delivery pump and battery etc but it's not a permanent fixture or mod

It's almost like saying your home is not a permanent residence because you go away on holiday 2 weeks a year

Are you REALLY so stupid, or are you drunk?

[ChumBucket]

I really find it difficult to understand why anyone would fail to disclose a water tank in their van to save a few hundred quid when the repercussions could be a prison sentence or refusal of insurance in future!

And I completely agree if your tank is a "permanent" fixture & you have modified your vehicle to make it so- which you must declare.

So, what some are saying then is that virtually all HGV drivers are jail bait in the waiting? I just had a one tonne pallet of bio fuel delivered & guess how it was secured on this "National Companies" flatbed Vehicle?

[ChumBucket]

Further to that- in summer our local council drive round in a flat bed transit with a 1000ltr IBC tank on the back, full of (you guessed it) water. They go round watering the council's hanging baskets & planters in the towns & villages. Guess how the IBC tank is secured on the back.... go on.... you know you want to........yep, straps!! GEEEZE wonder if these guys are banged up now, eating porridge over xmas!!

Honestly, only on CIU!!

[martin hulstone]

He crashed his van(v vivaro swb) trying to avoid a badger in bolton. When the insurance company(Swinton) did an investigation they found he was carrying a 500 ltr non baffled tank which had been set up by himself. Because he had failed to notify them of modifications to his vehicle ie water tank, electrics in the rear on a split charge relay and the carrying of a gas cannister which they viewed as for daily work use they refused to pay out.
He seeked proffesional advise but was un succesfull in his appeal.