[Dave Turley]

hi guys. i'm keen to build a diy hot water system and would appreciate any ideas.

my current round is all close to home, so i don't think a calorifier would be of much use to me, as it wouldn't have time to heat the water.

i think propane heaters would work out expensive on gas, maybe red diesel would be better.

i have three specific questions as well.........

does hot water mean considerably less scrubbing? some months my windows take alot of scrubbing to remove dirt particles (the ones you can see on hydrophobic windows)

what temperatures do most hot systems run at?

is there a risk of cracking glass with hot water in the winter? if so, what is the maximum temperature which is considered to be safe

many thanks for all replies     

[choice.clean]

i bought a caravan water heater from local caravan store fairly easy to cobble together in back of van warm water for winter but cools down so fast i think it is just a gimmick makes hoses more flexible in icy weather nice to warm your kneck with too if you drap around yourself. i think that tucker stated problems if you heat deionised can't remember why. we used to run it for first couple of hours in cold because usually a cold start gets warm later in the day. we now run immersion on storage tank as a lot simpler and once its cooled down on van, weather for day warm hope that helps.

[NWH]

Certain maufacturers have said in the past that by heating pure water it can cause the tds in the water to rise,something to do with the oxygen in the water.

[EasyClean]

Heating water doesn't cause the TDS to rise but it can possibly change the water ph level to a slightly acidic level when it passes through D.I. resin. That's what 'Tucker' systems was on about.

[Jeff Brimble]

So if its more acidic is that better on hphopic glass or worse ?

[EasyClean]

If the water is slightly acidic then basically it will speed up the paint removal on some metal frames with a certain type of paint coating owing to oxidisation caused by a combination of the sun's UV rays and the di water. In all honesty it's so minimum it makes sweet F.Adams  difference. The water cleans the window no different to using cold water. The only difference using the hot water is that it removes debris so much quicker with minimum of scrubbing because the water is less dense and 'sheets' easier. I use warm, hot water simply because a lot of my work is on the coast where seagulls show their works of art and because of the salt carried in the wind.

[Dave Turley]

thanks for responses and apologies for delay.

can anyone offer any opinions on the 3 specific questions though as iim trying to weigh up if it's worth doing.

i'm struggling with scrubbing dirt particles off the glass following splells of rain

[NWH]

What brush are you using.

[macmac]

What brush are you using.

just what i was thinking, i cant see how you could possibly struggle to remove dirt particles only by which have been put there by rain
try a new brush & turn up your flow a little.

tony

[Dave Turley]

sorry for delay, been dead busy

i'm using a vikan 47552 flocked, and have also used the 47553 mona vikan from varitech.

the particles are easier to see the more aquaphobic the windows are. they are there on all of my windows accross my round.

there can be hardly any, then when it rains heavy, especially with some wind they are there again. it can honestly take me as much as twice as long as normal to clean a house some months!

the aspect of the side of the house makes a great difference.... some days all the windows on one side of a row of houses will be virtually clean, whilst the other side are filthy with particles which take a fair bit of scrubbing and sometimes gg3 to get the window sparkling!

i've tried just ignoring them but after a couple of cleans the windows look dirty when they've dried

hence me thinking maybe it's pollution or something and hot water would help

oh i don't live by the sea or a quarry. based in wolverhampton   

[macmac]

It's hard to picture what you are explaining dave, i cant think that i've ever come across this. its a long shot but is there any possibilty that the glass could be mineral stained?


tony

[Dave Turley]

no, i get rid of the particles every month, in the height of summer i may not see them for a few months, but if we have some wind and rain they are there again. this is on nearly all the windows on my round.

you know when you do a very hydrophobic window and the water all just jumps straight off the window when the window is very clean; well these particles show up as tiny dots of water. as you scrub the glass with the brush, you can see these tiny dots ofwater which are stuck to the glass becoing less and less prevelent, until after a bit more scrubbing they are gone.

i've tried turning my flow up to 4litres/min. this makes no difference at all, just makes them harder to see as you're scrubbing         

[EasyClean]

no, i get rid of the particles every month, in the height of summer i may not see them for a few months, but if we have some wind and rain they are there again. this is on nearly all the windows on my round.

you know when you do a very hydrophobic window and the water all just jumps straight off the window when the window is very clean; well these particles show up as tiny dots of water. as you scrub the glass with the brush, you can see these tiny dots ofwater which are stuck to the glass becoing less and less prevelent, until after a bit more scrubbing they are gone.

i've tried turning my flow up to 4litres/min. this makes no difference at all, just makes them harder to see as you're scrubbing         

Are you using a 'monofilament' brush because 'flocked' (i.e. the old 'Vikan' and Bentley) brush heads trap the dirt in the bristles. Tucker and Carbon Tec brushes are good monofilament brush heads that don't trap the dirt on the bristles.

If you decide to use hot water then the water will be less dense, dry much quicker and also shift stubborn marks much quicker than cold water.

If you go for gas Hot water system to heat your water then you have to make sure your gas bottle is secured well and truly whilst your van is on the move and your heater has to have adequate ventilation and more than likely a flue/ventilation fitted to your van. Also you have to display the appropiate hazmat sticker on your van in case of a fire.
It's better to go for a diesel heater like webasto or eberspacher as it is safer and less hassle.
I live in Devon and if you're ever down this way than you are welcome to have a look at how I have mine set up.

[jouk45]

 sorry dave, if i miss understand you,  if you clean these windows on a regular basis, why would you need gg3 to make them shine,   on your first cleans yes, but why use it after their done, could that not be the problem, using gg3 and maybe its not being rinsed enough, the whole point of wfp window cleaning is using nothing but  100% pure water,

[LWC]

is hot water all that good? i know in the cold weather when i was all frozen up it wouldve been handy, but i know a guy round here whos got the ionics setup and he hardly uses the hot water...

[EasyClean]

is hot water all that good? i know in the cold weather when i was all frozen up it wouldve been handy, but i know a guy round here whos got the ionics setup and he hardly uses the hot water...

He's a fool to himself then if he's got hot water and chooses to use cold!Much quicker, definitely! Also you can get away with hot water better in the rain/showers because it dries so much quicker.

[Kinver_Clean]

I recon its the rubbish from Bank's blowing about.

[Tim Rose]

Get some pure water.
Check the TDS is 000
Boil the water
Check the TDS
I bet it has risen to anywhere between 8-14 TDS
Hot water systems leave spots
End of story.

[Clear Vision]

Get some pure water.
Check the TDS is 000
Boil the water
Check the TDS
I bet it has risen to anywhere between 8-14 TDS
Hot water systems leave spots
End of story.

Don't doubt you! There is a metal element in a kettle. Maybe that's why it rises?

If it was 14ppm after heated could you not run it through di to take it back down to 000ppm?

[Tim Rose]

Boil it in a stainless steel pan - over gas.
I did this last night and some 'pure' water at 000TDS rose to 15TDS while heating up, and then cooled down read 008TDS.
It's not the stainless steel causing the rise - it has to be a chemical reaction of some sort.