Poxy weather every thing freezing

« **on:** December 20, 2007, 10:45:33 am »

My van systems been frozen for 2 days but luckily i also have a trolley.

So filled some water barrels up this morning did 2 jobs and my pole hose froze.

Just come home to dump the trolley off and grab my ladders.

I think if its this cold in future im not even going to try WFP just use my ladders

« **Reply #1 on:** December 20, 2007, 10:48:37 am »

Managed to thaw mine out but as soon as my pole hose touched the ground it instantly froze. Suppose i'll have to go Christmas shopping instead. :

« **Reply #2 on:** December 20, 2007, 12:25:09 pm »

have the rest of the week off, its allmost christmas

go on, you know you want to

« **Reply #3 on:** December 20, 2007, 01:59:19 pm »

Just got back from St Neots in Cambridge and it was -4 this morning took a hour to get everything going and then i t just frooze to the glass. Thought sod it its contract work and cracked on. phoned through to advise whats happened they said no probs you done ya best.

« **Reply #4 on:** December 20, 2007, 02:08:29 pm »

I had my first freeze-up today.

Defrosted main pipe from tank and through pump ok, because if I take it off the hose reel it flows fine.
My clear pole hose is fine, and so is the brush.

It's obviously right inside the hosereel somewhere.

Hopeless when it doesn't get above freezing all day.

Luckily I had plenty of bungalows to do which I always do by hand anyway.

Weatherman tells me it's up to 4c today.
Testicles!

My van and the mrs car both read -2c...at 1pm!

« **Reply #5 on:** December 20, 2007, 03:32:45 pm »

That's the same here, frost everywhere and the're saying 4 degrees. No chance, it took the heater an hour to defrost my stuff this morning, it was solid ice.

« **Reply #6 on:** December 20, 2007, 04:07:58 pm »

I've topped the van up again for tomorrow but i'm pretty worried about switching my ro unit on this weather.

« **Reply #7 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:11:32 pm »

Where is your RO? If it's outside, or in the van, you still run the risk of ruining your membranes, even if you don't switch it on. If it's in the shed a greenhouse heater with a frost stat will solve the problem.

« **Reply #8 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:14:44 pm »

It's in my garage covered in bubble wrap but it's on an outside wall.

« **Reply #9 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:17:57 pm »

i wouldnt dare get on ladders in this weather iv been slipping all over today.

« **Reply #10 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:20:41 pm »

Funny how some places ok - others completely frost bound just few miles apart - mid afternoon too!

« **Reply #11 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:25:20 pm »

Quote from: Davew on December 20, 2007, 05:14:44 pm

It's in my garage covered in bubble wrap but it's on an outside wall.

Just put a greenhouse heater under it, if the temperature falls below about 2-3 degrees the heater kicks in. It's just enought to stop the system freezing up, even if it is on an outside wall. Mines on the wall of my shed, just a single sheet of half inch ply but I don't get any problems.

« **Reply #12 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:26:32 pm »

the water froze on a customers conservatory so bad today i had to get the credit card out and scrape the ice off of every window too ages

« **Reply #13 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:28:55 pm »

ive been in and out most of the day, out to see school play, out for lunch and out to pick up some odd and ends, it hasnt risen about - 1 here

« **Reply #14 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:36:39 pm »

Looks like Narnia here...

« **Reply #15 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:46:29 pm »

Get a diesel heater fitted in the van, they are only about £1300 fitted, i go out to my van & turn her on 30 mins before i go & the van is like a oven. I could put her on the stat over night but i'm too tight to pay for the diesel.

« **Reply #16 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:49:41 pm »

I had some water leak out of the back of the truck last night and it made a pretty frozen waterfall effect.

Sorry no pictures, but imagine Niagra Falls frozen up.

« **Reply #17 on:** December 20, 2007, 05:52:42 pm »

Quote from: Rosy on December 20, 2007, 05:49:41 pm

I had some water leak out of the back of the truck last night and it made a pretty frozen waterfall effect.

Sorry no pictures, but imagine Niagra Falls frozen up.

Your truck is 1000ft high?

Wow!

« **Reply #18 on:** December 20, 2007, 06:00:57 pm »

I'm a big trucker.

« **Reply #19 on:** December 20, 2007, 06:22:19 pm »

just looked on metcheck.com weather looks much the same for tomorrow,in gloucester any way,my poles,hoses,reel etc are still frozen solid and looks like they will stay that way. looks like my xmas break will start early

ah sod it,i got a house full of beer ready for xmas so might as well start now

« **Reply #20 on:** December 20, 2007, 08:37:34 pm »

Hose froze, micro bore connectors froze. I did one job and only walked 30 yards and the pole hose was frozen again. Water dripping onto the pole froze so couldn't adjust my pole. I had a pee behind my van, and in 30 mins it had frozen. Sometimes you just have to call it a day. Dai

« **Reply #21 on:** December 20, 2007, 11:03:01 pm »

Got quite a bit done in the end today.
Did a couple of ladder jobs then went and done some bungalows.

Got home went out in my car and got a bloody puncture.
And i have one of those stupid space saver spare wheels.
So i won't get a lot done tomorrow now as need the car over xmas and i not driving it about on the spare.
So 1st thing tomorrow get the tyre done.
Then i may get a couple of jobs done then over to my son's college at 1pm as he has some presentation thing on.

Then off until the 3rd jan.
What does not get done can wait.

Paul

« **Reply #22 on:** December 20, 2007, 11:28:22 pm »

No problems for me

I was out working by 7am, cold of course and well below freezing, but didn't have any freeze up probs at all.

Fan heater in van overnight, set on frost stat setting...sorted, have had a really good week too

Did warn Squeaky a few days ago that he needed to get something to keep the back of the van above freezing, but he brushed my warnings aside...he knew better!
Today he was stuffed, his microbore was well frozen!

Hope he doesn't need water in the morning cos my transfer hose is froze solid!

Luckily I filled my tank to the brim, so I've enough water to last me another 2 full working days

Ian

« **Reply #23 on:** December 21, 2007, 12:12:05 am »

Ian what fan heater do you use in the van?

wayne

« **Reply #24 on:** December 21, 2007, 12:15:36 am »

Quote from: Ian_Giles on December 20, 2007, 11:28:22 pm

Hope he doesn't need water in the morning cos my transfer hose is froze solid!

It won't be in the morning.

I bloody crippled myself carrying my hosereel full of water in tonight to combat the problem, and guess what?
There's no frost.

« **Reply #25 on:** December 21, 2007, 03:23:03 am »

Quote from: Ian_Giles on December 20, 2007, 11:28:22 pm

Did warn Squeaky a few days ago that he needed to get something to keep the back of the van above freezing, but he brushed my warnings aside...he knew better!
Today he was stuffed, his microbore was well frozen!

lol. patience of a saint.

Nothing a detention and a hundred lines won't sort out.

Until next time!!

« **Reply #26 on:** December 21, 2007, 06:30:11 am »

Quote from: Pittmonkey on December 21, 2007, 12:12:05 am

Ian what fan heater do you use in the van?

wayne

I just use a cheapo 2 kilowatt fan heater from my local hardware store, about £15 or so.
It has a frost stat setting, so obviously only cuts in long enough to keep the back of the van above freezing.
I am lucky in that I can have an extension lead out to the van, so getting power out there to run the heater isn't a problem for me.

Ian

« **Reply #27 on:** December 21, 2007, 06:08:33 pm »

I put a defroster heater by the pump the evening before.

I use a hair drier for about an hour before I leave - in the back of the van - for the hoses not my hair!

« **Reply #28 on:** December 21, 2007, 06:24:19 pm »

Quote from: johnny_h on December 20, 2007, 05:26:32 pm

the water froze on a customers conservatory so bad today i had to get the credit card out and scrape the ice off of every window too ages

you should have left it and charged more for ice cleaning, people use hot so why not ice

« **Reply #29 on:** December 21, 2007, 07:15:15 pm »

Quote from: Macc on December 20, 2007, 05:46:29 pm

Get a diesel heater fitted in the van, they are only about £1300 fitted, i go out to my van & turn her on 30 mins before i go & the van is like a oven. I could put her on the stat over night but i'm too tight to pay for the diesel.

Too tight!!!??

I hope your running it on the red stuff. Its half the price

« **Reply #30 on:** December 21, 2007, 11:09:32 pm »

Quote from: Macc on December 20, 2007, 05:46:29 pm

Get a diesel heater fitted in the van, they are only about £1300 fitted, i go out to my van & turn her on 30 mins before i go & the van is like a oven. I could put her on the stat over night but i'm too tight to pay for the diesel.

ONLY £1,300 ? ? ?

Did he say only??

« **Reply #31 on:** December 22, 2007, 08:18:40 am »

it's 09.18 and -6.1 at the moment....jeeeeeeeeeeeees when will it stop??

« **Reply #32 on:** December 22, 2007, 08:38:56 am »

Blimey you'll be able to skate on the canals this afternoon.

« **Reply #33 on:** December 22, 2007, 09:17:49 am »

I have 2 x 500l vats which contain my water and have a water temp probe about about half way down and that is 0.8 deg and the air temp has now risen to -5.4 so it's getting better..

Dave.

« **Reply #34 on:** December 22, 2007, 10:08:21 pm »

It's not until I start work that things freeze up. I too use a small electric heater. The water was freezing as it dripped down the pole. I only stopped the water flow for 1 minute and the silicon hose was frozen, the brass micro bore connectors froze solid too. I run the hose up the outside of the pole so it's easy to dunk the whole lot into a bucket of warm water.
I think this has been a bit of a wake up call to us WFP users. It has serious short comings for working in sub zero temperatures. Even a hot water system would not prevent the water drips freezing as they run down the pole, and preventing you from making any adjustment for length.
After two years with WFP, I think I would pack it in before going back to trad. Dai