[Spruce]

I went in today and had a chat, big garage full of motorhomes.

He tells I need a sealed unit with the gas bottle inside, that has a flue. I also need a flue in the van.I need a stopcock to switch the supply off when the van is in motion.

For £400 he can install me a tank that I fill from a port in the van like the fuel tank.

So all in if I supply the boilers he'll install everything to regulation and provide a certificate for £8-900 sounds ok to me.

I mentioned that some people were skeptical about it being safe, he just grinned and said he's been doing this for a living for years.

Is there a garage nearby that supplies gas?

Our nearest is 6 miles away. The one 'around the corner' stopped selling gas a while back "as there was no call for it." I asked at this garage 6 miles away what the demand for LPG was a while back. The fuel attendant said "not much." If that goes then the nearest supplier is 10 miles away.

With fewer and fewer old V8 petrol  4 x 4's around converted to gas I can understand the reduced demand for LPG gas tbh.
Also remember your refillable gas bottle has an expiry date of 10 years.

If you do find an insurance company to insure the van with gas then they will probably want to see an inspection certificate issued every year.

[Spotfree]

I live in Caravan city, the North Wales coast has one of the most densely populated areas for caravans. The local Morrison's do it he told me.

I was thinking it would be best to have some kind of yearly inspection/service, so a cert for that would be no bother.

Spruce, what boiler would be best, please? I want something reliable and safe, I don't mind too much about the price I just dont want anything unreliable or dangerous.

[dazmond]

Dazmond sang the virtues of a LPG heater to everyone before he had his little mishap.

Why did he have this "mishap" ?

Because he installed it incorrectly in his new leased van.

im so glad ive got a diesel heater now though rather than gas....its far more reliable and safer.....a lot less hassle too..........

[dd]

Can your guy not supply or recommend a good boiler?

[dazmond]

I went in today and had a chat, big garage full of motorhomes.

He tells I need a sealed unit with the gas bottle inside, that has a flue. I also need a flue in the van.I need a stopcock to switch the supply off when the van is in motion.

For £400 he can install me a tank that I fill from a port in the van like the fuel tank.

So all in if I supply the boilers he'll install everything to regulation and provide a certificate for £8-900 sounds ok to me.

I mentioned that some people were skeptical about it being safe, he just grinned and said he's been doing this for a living for years.

ok....it looks like you ve made up your mind paul...good luck with it......

id still recommend going for a webasto 9kw diesel heater though with 2 pumps for your 650L tank over a cheaper gas heater any day of the week.........

[Jonny 87]

I went in today and had a chat, big garage full of motorhomes.

He tells I need a sealed unit with the gas bottle inside, that has a flue. I also need a flue in the van.I need a stopcock to switch the supply off when the van is in motion.

For £400 he can install me a tank that I fill from a port in the van like the fuel tank.

So all in if I supply the boilers he'll install everything to regulation and provide a certificate for £8-900 sounds ok to me.

I mentioned that some people were skeptical about it being safe, he just grinned and said he's been doing this for a living for years.

Are you not missing a vital piece to this puzzle, the same piece that also put me off........ van insurance.

Get it in writing from your van insurance that you are covered for this and I’ll give you the £1000 myself.   

[Smudger]

Now thats tempting ! if I get it writing do I get the grand

personally I think LPG is unsuitable because of the job we do - unlike other trades mentioned we move and travel lots of times every day, the heater is shoe horned into a van with other equipment - frequently hung on a door where they are subject to even more movement and being knocked about  - then many (if not all) used an unsecured gas bottle - little wonder they leaked  and I haven't even started on dazmonds prowese at DIY 

Darran

[P @ F]

Let’s not forget  that a gas  on demand boiler  only gives hot water after fire up , each time you finish a job the water in the hose will cool , when you start again it will take a while for the hot water to get to the brush head, and more often than not you could already be half way through before any benefit is gotten.
That for me was the falling down point with LPG , it would have to be on all day to maintain a decent temperature, that would cost way more than diesel heating

[Jonny 87]

Now thats tempting ! if I get it writing do I get the grand

personally I think LPG is unsuitable because of the job we do - unlike other trades mentioned we move and travel lots of times every day, the heater is shoe horned into a van with other equipment - frequently hung on a door where they are subject to even more movement and being knocked about  - then many (if not all) used an unsecured gas bottle - little wonder they leaked  and I haven't even started on dazmonds prowese at DIY 

Darran

Terms and conditions apply. 

[Spotfree]

I had the immersion on yesterday for 11 hours, I thought I would test the temp and surprisingly it was 44 degrees coming out of the brush.

Using the online calculator the water inside the tank would have been around 50 degrees for 11 hours, a few more hours and I could have 65 degrees in the tank and around 55-60 at the brush.

At 15 pence per kilowatt, that's only 45 pence per hour or £5.40 for the night.

I suppose if I got some insulation for the tank it may get even hotter.

It all depends on how hot I actually need the water to be? I have left some particularly dirty dishes wrapped in tin foil on the side, I'm going to wash them with my pots brush and different temperature water today to see firstly how much difference hot makes and what temps are most effective.

[Spruce]

Now thats tempting ! if I get it writing do I get the grand

personally I think LPG is unsuitable because of the job we do - unlike other trades mentioned we move and travel lots of times every day, the heater is shoe horned into a van with other equipment - frequently hung on a door where they are subject to even more movement and being knocked about  - then many (if not all) used an unsecured gas bottle - little wonder they leaked  and I haven't even started on dazmonds prowese at DIY 

Darran

For me I see 2 major issues for you as an employer.

1. Insurance.
2. Duty of care. Its your moral and legal responsibility to ensure the well being and safety of your employees even if they act foolishly and disregard for their own safety.

As a sole trader you are accountable for your actions. When you employ you are accountable for your employees actions as well.

We have a friend who owns a stationery business with a delivery van and 2 part time delivery drivers. In the winter he fits winter tyres to the van to ensure the driver has the best grip available in cold, wet, icy weather. That's his duty of care. If the driver has an accident he can't blame the tyres.  On all their own cars they just use standard summer tyres in the winter as well because they are the only drivers.

[Spruce]

I live in Caravan city, the North Wales coast has one of the most densely populated areas for caravans. The local Morrison's do it he told me.

I was thinking it would be best to have some kind of yearly inspection/service, so a cert for that would be no bother.

Spruce, what boiler would be best, please? I want something reliable and safe, I don't mind too much about the price I just dont want anything unreliable or dangerous.

This is a difficult question to answer.

Someone put a link to a boiler somewhere on one of the posts. Many have used that boiler sucessfully. I know of one that has been in the van for the past 6 years and still works when needed.
There have been others than haven't managed to get the same reliability out of the same model. But as someone once said. at the price buy half a dozen and replace them if one fails.

A few years ago a poster ordered another make from the States for around £160. My guess was that the components were also made in the same Chinese factory. The boilers also didn't have the CE mark which again would be an insurance issue if things went wrong.

A fellow windie fitted one of these Ebay ones and it worked fine with a vent through the roof. Unfortunately the regulator started to leak and filled the van with gas whilst he was working. Thankfully he came back to the van and turned the gas off at the bottle. He removed the whole unit that evening and has gone back to cold water.

I would certainly ask your caravan guys what boilers they recommend. They have much more practical experience than we do.

In our application we need a boiler that will light up with a flow as low as 1 to 1.5lpm. Most tankless gas boilers don't fit this criteria as they are designed to heat water to fill a kitchen sink or bath quickly using a higher flow rate.

[Spotfree]

I live in Caravan city, the North Wales coast has one of the most densely populated areas for caravans. The local Morrison's do it he told me.

I was thinking it would be best to have some kind of yearly inspection/service, so a cert for that would be no bother.

Spruce, what boiler would be best, please? I want something reliable and safe, I don't mind too much about the price I just dont want anything unreliable or dangerous.

This is a difficult question to answer.

Someone put a link to a boiler somewhere on one of the posts. Many have used that boiler sucessfully. I know of one that has been in the van for the past 6 years and still works when needed.
There have been others than haven't managed to get the same reliability out of the same model. But as someone once said. at the price buy half a dozen and replace them if one fails.

A few years ago a poster ordered another make from the States for around £160. My guess was that the components were also made in the same Chinese factory. The boilers also didn't have the CE mark which again would be an insurance issue if things went wrong.

A fellow windie fitted one of these Ebay ones and it worked fine with a vent through the roof. Unfortunately the regulator started to leak and filled the van with gas whilst he was working. Thankfully he came back to the van and turned the gas off at the bottle. He removed the whole unit that evening and has gone back to cold water.

I would certainly ask your caravan guys what boilers they recommend. They have much more practical experience than we do.

In our application we need a boiler that will light up with a flow as low as 1 to 1.5lpm. Most tankless gas boilers don't fit this criteria as they are designed to heat water to fill a kitchen sink or bath quickly using a higher flow rate.

Thanks.

I am going to have a go at insulating the tank and giving the immersion a chance, I can get my water to around 60-65 degrees with around 13 hours of heating.

I think I am losing around 5-10 degrees by the time the water gets to the glass, so I'll be testing for a few weeks to see if 50-55 degree water is hot enough to make a noticeable difference.

I have heard people talking about 60-70 degrees being needed, I'll find out for myself as I imagine its a personal preference kind of thing.

[Splash & dash]

I live in Caravan city, the North Wales coast has one of the most densely populated areas for caravans. The local Morrison's do it he told me.

I was thinking it would be best to have some kind of yearly inspection/service, so a cert for that would be no bother.

Spruce, what boiler would be best, please? I want something reliable and safe, I don't mind too much about the price I just dont want anything unreliable or dangerous.

This is a difficult question to answer.

Someone put a link to a boiler somewhere on one of the posts. Many have used that boiler sucessfully. I know of one that has been in the van for the past 6 years and still works when needed.
There have been others than haven't managed to get the same reliability out of the same model. But as someone once said. at the price buy half a dozen and replace them if one fails.

A few years ago a poster ordered another make from the States for around £160. My guess was that the components were also made in the same Chinese factory. The boilers also didn't have the CE mark which again would be an insurance issue if things went wrong.

A fellow windie fitted one of these Ebay ones and it worked fine with a vent through the roof. Unfortunately the regulator started to leak and filled the van with gas whilst he was working. Thankfully he came back to the van and turned the gas off at the bottle. He removed the whole unit that evening and has gone back to cold water.

I would certainly ask your caravan guys what boilers they recommend. They have much more practical experience than we do.

In our application we need a boiler that will light up with a flow as low as 1 to 1.5lpm. Most tankless gas boilers don't fit this criteria as they are designed to heat water to fill a kitchen sink or bath quickly using a higher flow rate.

Thanks.

I am going to have a go at insulating the tank and giving the immersion a chance, I can get my water to around 60-65 degrees with around 13 hours of heating.

I think I am losing around 5-10 degrees by the time the water gets to the glass, so I'll be testing for a few weeks to see if 50-55 degree water is hot enough to make a noticeable difference.

I have heard people talking about 60-70 degrees being needed, I'll find out for myself as I imagine its a personal preference kind of thing.

I think it will cost you more than £5 something per  night to heat it up for 13 hours , if you have a night Tartuffe or what ever they call it it’s only cheaper between 1 am and 7 am the other hours will be a lot more . It wouldn’t cost any more to run a two man 9kw diesel system .and that will be piping hot all day not just Luke warm after lunch

[Spotfree]

Our leccy is 15p per kilowatt.
3kw element so 3kw per hour.
45p per hour.
13 x 45 = £5.85

Night rate tariff's are no good to me, have 2 kids and use a lot of electric during the day.

I would like a proper diesel heater but not willing to part with that amount of money for it, someone will be doing it cheaper soon, always happens.

[Spruce]

Our leccy is 15p per kilowatt.
3kw element so 3kw per hour.
45p per hour.
13 x 45 = £5.85

Night rate tariff's are no good to me, have 2 kids and use a lot of electric during the day.

I would like a proper diesel heater but not willing to part with that amount of money for it, someone will be doing it cheaper soon, always happens.

We've been saying that for years and it still hasn't happened.
There were some Chinese copies of the Thermo Top C diesel heaters advertised a while back but they seem to have disappeared without a trace.

The problem with the Pound/Euro value comparision atm will only mean they will cost more, not less.

[P @ F]

Well you have these now , might be a build waiting to happen !

[dazmond]

Our leccy is 15p per kilowatt.
3kw element so 3kw per hour.
45p per hour.
13 x 45 = £5.85

Night rate tariff's are no good to me, have 2 kids and use a lot of electric during the day.

I would like a proper diesel heater but not willing to part with that amount of money for it, someone will be doing it cheaper soon, always happens.

why would any WFP company professionally fit these heaters cheaper?in fact they ve got more expensive over the years(just like our customers window cleaning bill)....its a niche market so they can charge good prices.......the likes of grippa are stacked out with fitting systems in the winter months as it was a few months wait to book me in...

if your VAT registered then you can claim £750 back out of the £4.5k ....i had to take the hit.......so that takes it down to £3,750 including fitting,you could get it down even less if you have your own leisure batteries and smart split charge relay as these were included in the price of mine as well as controller,frost stat and cabinet,etc....

unfortunately theres no cutting corners when it comes to a decent hot water system(i know as ive tried!)

[P @ F]

Better view

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/33018892208.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail&fbclid=IwAR0jW3KaQDGLEqyOuYIpuaBEMr0ckNDoftz01yZfiRJparqwvgYdtE_Jo3c&tt=sns_none&aff_platform=default&cpt=1566649009647&sk=baAGFs0C&aff_trace_key=f82d94f21fc14bb7bbe91b82bd7cb917-1566649009647-08184-baAGFs0C&terminal_id=d8907decbca5443d9dceacf4d791b788

[Dry Clean]

Now thats tempting ! if I get it writing do I get the grand

personally I think LPG is unsuitable because of the job we do - unlike other trades mentioned we move and travel lots of times every day, the heater is shoe horned into a van with other equipment - frequently hung on a door where they are subject to even more movement and being knocked about  - then many (if not all) used an unsecured gas bottle - little wonder they leaked  and I haven't even started on dazmonds prowese at DIY 

Darran

For me I see 2 major issues for you as an employer.

1. Insurance.
2. Duty of care. Its your moral and legal responsibility to ensure the well being and safety of your employees even if they act foolishly and disregard for their own safety.

As a sole trader you are accountable for your actions. When you employ you are accountable for your employees actions as well.

We have a friend who owns a stationery business with a delivery van and 2 part time delivery drivers. In the winter he fits winter tyres to the van to ensure the driver has the best grip available in cold, wet, icy weather. That's his duty of care. If the driver has an accident he can't blame the tyres.  On all their own cars they just use standard summer tyres in the winter as well because they are the only drivers.

Above 8 degrees winter tyres are actually more dangerous than normal tyres which is why most if not all sensible people/ employers don't bother with them, ( Royal mail being one example) some people just cant see the wood for the trees.