[Jack Judd]

I have been in business for 12 years and after being made redundant due to the 2009 credit crunch i choose window cleaing as a stop gap.  Can't change now and wouldn't.  Love working outside and many of my customers are like friends.  I bought an old van with system when i started and went from there.  I now clean 12 retirement villages and a whole lot more.  Its taken me a while as when i started i could not get credit but fianlly I can buy a new heated system.  Currently I am set up with the outside horse shower unit and a bottle of propane which just looks so cowboyish.  But is has served me well for 6 years of heated window cleaning.  Any sugestions on a good make for heated systems.  I have toured the ionics factory years ago and they do seem to charge a lot.  Any advice welcome.     Have a good weekend y'all

[Smudger]

Very well Done !!
Be very proud of what you have achieved

Your story is very close to mine - September will be 13 Years

Started out with just a couple of hundred in the bank - the family car - 20 YO ladders (not even suitable for trade work)
bucket - squeegee - mop

Darran

[windowswashed]

I joined this job as a stop gap between welding. 25 years on and winding down, thank goodness

[Spruce]

I have been in business for 12 years and after being made redundant due to the 2009 credit crunch i choose window cleaing as a stop gap.  Can't change now and wouldn't.  Love working outside and many of my customers are like friends.  I bought an old van with system when i started and went from there.  I now clean 12 retirement villages and a whole lot more.  Its taken me a while as when i started i could not get credit but fianlly I can buy a new heated system.  Currently I am set up with the outside horse shower unit and a bottle of propane which just looks so cowboyish.  But is has served me well for 6 years of heated window cleaning.  Any sugestions on a good make for heated systems.  I have toured the ionics factory years ago and they do seem to charge a lot.  Any advice welcome.     Have a good weekend y'all

Well done!

Regarding heaters; this subject has been discussed many times before.

The majority of us use diesel heaters as we believe this is the safest heating system available. 

Most suppliers follow the same heating component configuration, bar Ionics. Yes, they are expensive. Most suppliers use Webasto furnaces in either 5.2kw or 9.1kw. Then, depending on whether it's a single or 2 man setup, they all fit the same water to water plate heat exchangers with temperature controller mixing valve control.

Then there is frost protection.

[AuRavelling79]

Well done!

If your propane horse shower works well and is safe then why change it?

Is it expensive to run? Are there insurance issues?

If not then if it ain't broke don't fix it!

[dazmond]

I have been in business for 12 years and after being made redundant due to the 2009 credit crunch i choose window cleaing as a stop gap.  Can't change now and wouldn't.  Love working outside and many of my customers are like friends.  I bought an old van with system when i started and went from there.  I now clean 12 retirement villages and a whole lot more.  Its taken me a while as when i started i could not get credit but fianlly I can buy a new heated system.  Currently I am set up with the outside horse shower unit and a bottle of propane which just looks so cowboyish.  But is has served me well for 6 years of heated window cleaning.  Any sugestions on a good make for heated systems.  I have toured the ionics factory years ago and they do seem to charge a lot.  Any advice welcome.     Have a good weekend y'all

Fantastic Jack!I've been window cleaning for 30 years but only started getting really successful when I switched to WFP in 2010.

I too bought an old cheap van,used barrels,trolleys,backpacks,shower gas heaters,etc,etc.

I got a grippatank 9kw diesel heater fitted in 2017 in a brand new van and got an electric reel fitted in 2018.they are really reliable with very few problems.

I've never ever regretted it.best thing I've done for ease of use and a low hassle working day.👍

[dazmond]

Well done!

If your propane horse shower works well and is safe then why change it?

Is it expensive to run? Are there insurance issues?

If not then if it ain't broke don't fix it!

They are a pain as they go out on a windy day plus I always seemed to run out of gas on a really dirty first clean or add on job and have to drive to get another one wasting time.

Oh and the small matter of a gas leak and explosion that could of set fire to my brand new van!

[dazmond]

Good equipment and a decent well maintained van is essential for me to enable me to have the easiest,stress free working days as possible.

Diesel heater
Electric reel
Xtreme poles
Sign written van with air con and heated windscreen/drivers seat.
Cleaner planner
Waterproof boots,jackets and nitrile gloves.
Logo d workwear.
Business cards/leaflets.
Decent smartphone.

[AuRavelling79]

Good equipment and a decent well maintained van is essential for me to enable me to have the easiest,stress free working days as possible.

Diesel heater
Electric reel
Xtreme poles
Sign written van with air con and heated windscreen/drivers seat.
Cleaner planner
Waterproof boots,jackets and nitrile gloves.
Logo d workwear.
Business cards/leaflets.
Decent smartphone.

A case of baked beans? (Heinz of course) 

[DJW]

How does logo’d work wear contribute to a stress free day? Or heated seats? 🙄

If I want a stress free day I take the day off.

[dazmond]

How does logo’d work wear contribute to a stress free day? Or heated seats? 🙄

If I want a stress free day I take the day off.

Logo workwear prevents me getting hassled off the police as a few times neighbours have called them thinking I was trying to break into a customers property and they ve paid me a visit.

Heated drivers seat in winter on a cold wet day is relaxing....

[Jack Judd]

Thanks Guys for the praise and support.  You are right, good equipment is everything.  I am not practical enough to build my own heated system.  If i dont spend the money it will go to the tax man so thought a good time to invest in a heated system.  If not Ionics are there any others out there.?   

[Splash & dash]

Thanks Guys for the praise and support.  You are right, good equipment is everything.  I am not practical enough to build my own heated system.  If i dont spend the money it will go to the tax man so thought a good time to invest in a heated system.  If not Ionics are there any others out there.?

Pure freedom do a heated set up

[dd]

I think most of the main companies will fit a diesel hot system. Grippa, Ionics, Pure Feedom, Xline etc.

[Spruce]

Thanks Guys for the praise and support.  You are right, good equipment is everything.  I am not practical enough to build my own heated system.  If i dont spend the money it will go to the tax man so thought a good time to invest in a heated system.  If not Ionics are there any others out there.?

The tax man doesn't do any of us any favours. If you are on a tax rate of 20% then all the tax man does at best is to allow you to save 20% of the purchase price of your heater by not paying tax on that. But you still have to pay the full price for the heater.

[dazmond]

Thanks Guys for the praise and support.  You are right, good equipment is everything.  I am not practical enough to build my own heated system.  If i dont spend the money it will go to the tax man so thought a good time to invest in a heated system.  If not Ionics are there any others out there.?

A diesel heater is not something that can be fitted DIY by most people.you need to drill 2 holes in the van floor for air inlet and exhaust pipes,integrate the fuel pipe into your van tank.then you need a decent charging system usually consisting of 2 batteries wired up to a smart charger/split charge relay going to your main van battery.

That's why these heaters are expensive. It's not just the components that make up the heater but the labour involved.its a bespoke service but they are very reliable.

[windowswashed]

It's a doddle to fit in a diesel heater and split charger

[Spruce]

It's a doddle to fit in a diesel heater and split charger

The difficult part is plumbing the heater into the van's tank, especially the newer ones. Some new regulation a few years back in the EU regarding plastic tanks, means that we have to fit vehicle specific standpipes, which usually involves dropping the fuel tank.

On my old 04 plate Citroen Relay, it was easy to plumb into the return to the tank fuel circuit with a tee piece as it ended at the bottom of the tank. On the next generation models, the return to tank fuel circuit ended at the top of the tank, hence why we have to fit an additional standpipe. I fitted the vehicle specific standpipe on my 62 plate Peugeot Boxer by integrating it into the fuel pump. I removed the fuel pump to do this, which was a lot easier than having to drop the tank.

Webasto also advised at around the same time that the universal standpipe they sold couldn't be used if the van's tank was plastic, only if it was metal.

When Grippatank fitted Daz's heater, they got caught with this on his Transit Connect. The heater would only run when his engine was running.