[jonny thompson]

My unreliable gas has been working fine for the past 6 years , or for a set up of £250 and £10 a week on gas

[Shrek]

My unreliable gas has been working fine for the past 6 years , or for a set up of £250 and £10 a week on gas

Bottom line is , you won’t get a decent plumber or corgi registered gas fitter to fit a gas canister in your van. That should tell you something

[dazmond]

I would like hot water
But I ain't paying thousands and then £80 a month running costs to get it
You can have a few extra holidays instead
Or an Italian suit or two
Or a home cinema system
The list is endless
They are all more exciting as well

insulate your tank and get an immersion heater...im sure nathan and a few other guys would give you some tips......it shouldnt cost you too much....

[jonboywalton75]

That sounds an option Daz
I can still have a nice holiday with the £££££', s I save 😁
(I'm not a carefree bachelor like you)

[dazmond]

I think there is a gap in the market for a more affordable hot water system than the diesel option both in product cost and runing cost.  I am having a prototype product built at the moment which I hope to see in the next month or so to test the idea. I hope to bring it to the market next year and make hot water easy and accessable to everyone here, including me. Somewhere in between cheap and unreliable gas and expensive complicated diesel lies the answer. I think my idea will be a winner. Fingers crossed the first version works for us.

you said the same last year.......

[dazmond]

My unreliable gas has been working fine for the past 6 years , or for a set up of £250 and £10 a week on gas

good for you...ive had various gas heaters over the years,their nowhere near as safe and reliable as a diesel heater though......also the flame used to go out 2 or 3 times  a day on a windy day!plus if you forget to unscrew the little drain screw on a freezing night you wake up to a broken heater.......oh and the risk of a gas leak and explosion.......no thanks..

if anything happens like a gas leak you wont be insured either if there is any damage to your van......

[Dry Clean]

My unreliable gas has been working fine for the past 6 years , or for a set up of £250 and £10 a week on gas

Bottom line is , you won’t get a decent plumber or corgi registered gas fitter to fit a gas canister in your van. That should tell you something

Who fits the gas heaters in the vans of mobile caterers/ dog groomers and so on ? if a  gas system is fitted right ( and going by Jonny's results his seems to be ) it  is every bit a safe and reliable as diesel.
Remember the guy on here who blew his eyebrows off with his diy gas system also wrecked his van engine because he didn't know it needed oil, (roll eyes) so he's hardly somebody to listen to on the safety of anything.

[dazmond]

My unreliable gas has been working fine for the past 6 years , or for a set up of £250 and £10 a week on gas

Bottom line is , you won’t get a decent plumber or corgi registered gas fitter to fit a gas canister in your van. That should tell you something

Who fits the gas heaters in the vans of mobile caterers/ dog groomers and so on ? if a  gas system is fitted right ( and going by Jonny's results his seems to be ) it  is every bit a safe and reliable as diesel.
Remember the guy on here who blew his eyebrows off with his diy gas system also wrecked his van engine because he didn't know it needed oil, (roll eyes) so he's hardly somebody to listen to on the safety of anything.

lots of oil  in my old van when i checked but the oil pump wasnt working! ...i wont make that mistake again thats for sure!

[Dave Willis]

I think you’ll find caterers have to operate with the cylinder outside of the van by law.

[Dry Clean]

I think you’ll find caterers have to operate with the cylinder outside of the van by law.

Not true just like in caravans its to save on space, it is recommended that if in the vehicle they be put in a vented locker which I would also recommend in a window cleaning van.

[Dave Willis]

Check it out. The cyclinder must be outside on a catering van whilst cooking. Unfortunately windowcleaners being the thickest people on the planet tend to put a gas cylinder, a boiler intended for outdoor use and a source of ignition all within a couple of feet of each other inside a van and kid themselves it’s safe whilst pretending they are insured. You couldn’t make it up!

[Jonny 87]

I think you’ll find caterers have to operate with the cylinder outside of the van by law.

Not true just like in caravans its to save on space, it is recommended that if in the vehicle they be put in a vented locker which I would also recommend in a window cleaning van.

For me, the bottom line is insurance.

I still am Yet to be shown someone’s insurance policy with it specified “lpg hot water system fitted for window cleaning use”.

Carrying a bottle is one thing, but having a naked flame, gas canister, battery terminals, all within 2 feet of each other..........while your 100 metres away round the back of a property. Tell
Your insurance company that and they will
Run a mile. Or if they don’t, they sure won’t give you all that in writing.

It’s got to be immersion, or diesel at the moment. Anything else is a disaster waiting to happen.

[Dry Clean]

Check it out. The cyclinder must be outside on a catering van whilst cooking. Unfortunately windowcleaners being the thickest people on the planet tend to put a gas cylinder, a boiler intended for outdoor use and a source of ignition all within a couple of feet of each other inside a van and kid themselves it’s safe whilst pretending they are insured. You couldn’t make it up!

Similar to what they do in caravans and motorhomes then ? gas bottle in a vented  locker, flu on heater,  job done, like I have said before you cant say gas is dangerous just because a few don't install it right.

[Dry Clean]

I think you’ll find caterers have to operate with the cylinder outside of the van by law.

Not true just like in caravans its to save on space, it is recommended that if in the vehicle they be put in a vented locker which I would also recommend in a window cleaning van.

For me, the bottom line is insurance.

I still am Yet to be shown someone’s insurance policy with it specified “lpg hot water system fitted for window cleaning use”.

Carrying a bottle is one thing, but having a naked flame, gas canister, battery terminals, all within 2 feet of each other..........while your 100 metres away round the back of a property. Tell
Your insurance company that and they will
Run a mile. Or if they don’t, they sure won’t give you all that in writing.

It’s got to be immersion, or diesel at the moment. Anything else is a disaster waiting to happen.

Iv reinstalled my gas heater as I have a few fairly bad cladding jobs to do and want to see if it will help remove the need for chemicals (not looking good) as before my insurance doesn't have a problem with it.

[Lee Pryor]

I think its safe to say I have had more gas heaters in my vans than anyone else on here. At least 20 plus over the last 7 years.

So let me be clear about what I mean by unreliable. First I didnt want to say unsafe as we never had a safety issue like a fire ect. Unreliable means, they break very easily in frost, they all cut out after 20min which is a real pain, gas runs out when you dont expect it, they blow out in wind, insurance issues and so on. These are the resons I got rid of them and went with chemicals instead which my team say they prefer.

Hot water is nicer to work with and makes harder cleans less effort. I dont believe it actually earns a person more money, rather makes the job feel easier. I never saw the benefit to such a level that would make me be happy to spend over £4000 per van to have hot water. Especialy as diesel will be only going up and up.

What I am trying to come up with is more aimed at a winter solution to both keeping the van defrosted over night and the hoses from freezing during the day. Summer time with first cleans, con roofs and fascias we prefer chemicals.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Would be interested to know if anyone successfully insured their van with gas installed on it.  When I was doing my research before I went hot I checked with a few insurance companies who said they won't cover the gas and would invalifldate the policy if its not declared.  All were fine with a deisel heaters.

I know it's been asked before but always  seems to gets ignored... But which insurance companies accept gas?

Or have you not told your insurance company?

[cleaniac]

Would be interested to know if anyone successfully insured their van with gas installed on it.  When I was doing my research before I went hot I checked with a few insurance companies who said they won't cover the gas and would invalifldate the policy if its not declared.  All were fine with a deisel heaters.

I know it's been asked before but always  seems to gets ignored... But which insurance companies accept gas?

Or have you not told your insurance company?

I have just fitted a Gas Boiler. There are no laws or regulations that its illegal or wrong to transport a gas canister in your van.

As far as insurance is concerned, we all know they will look to find any excuse not to cover you in the event of a payout, they could argue that because you were wearing a red jumper instead of a blue tee shirt at the time of the accident they wont insure you if it stated in the small print that you must wear red jumpers.  They could argue that you took some paracetamol and drove and had an incident, they wont pay out...insurance is a just big fraud and a  protection racket now..  

Check your small print, if it doesn't mention transport of gas canisters, then you will be covered, as long as you make sure the gas is turned off, and in a TRANSPORTABLE state at the time of driving. If for example you were using the gas, and heating the water whilst driving, that would be a different story, and well you are an idiot for using the gas whilst driving. Your insurance is valid to transport goods in accordance with the business activity, including gas canisters or petrol, or whatever you need to do your job, that's the point of commercial insurance cover. But it is also your responsibility to transport goods in your van in a safe manner, which the insurance you buy assumes that, and that's not just for gas, that's for anything.  For example you wouldn't put a ladder laid down in the cabin towards the windscreen would you? The insurance company would argue that you didn't transport it safely, but there isn't a ban on transporting ladders is there?? do you get what i am saying.

Use your common sense & get advice... I did from a local gas supply shop and they looked at my application and advised me the following...

Turn off the gas can when not in use, (at the tank) keep the gas canister as far away from the pump and electrical system on your WFP setup. My canister sits behind my driver seat on top of the water tank table as recommended by the gas shop that supplied me the gas and fittings, strapped down with ratchet straps so i can turn it off very quickly in an emergency. The driver window is always open, and when you are finished with the hot water, don't turn off the hot water at the boiler end, leave the boiler running and turn off at the canister end, that way all residue gas in the pipe will get burned off and wont sit there waiting for a spark to ignite it

[NWH]

They are not designed to be for WFP they are for a quick outdoor camping shower or are handy for washing the dog or horse after a muddy walk,I have 2 to a customer years ago for her horses still works I believe. The new 9kw I have now is completely hidden within the cabinet you’d never know it was there,I’ve spoken to numerous plumbers electricians and engineers when I was first looking to get it mounted properly,they all said the same thing don’t so it.
They work very well but they are toy  like,they have a safety cut off when you’ve used it for 20-25 minutes I I think  i remember rightly what does that tell you.
They would be better for a WC that has it installed at home and just uses it to fill barrels on cold days for a trolley or backpack in the morning before they set off to get him-her through the weather.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

https://www.flogas.co.uk/transport-of-lpg-cylinders

Who are you insured with?  Interested to know which ones have small print that says if its not mentioned then assume you're covered 

[Jonny 87]

https://www.flogas.co.uk/transport-of-lpg-cylinders

Who are you insured with?  Interested to know which ones have small print that says if its not mentioned then assume you're covered 

That’s not how any insurance company works is it.

It’s more like the other way...... “any thing not factory standard and not declared means your uninsured.”