Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Rogue Trader on February 11, 2012, 07:59:19 pm
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I have 3 midi vans and a very big one and am currently using oil filled rads/fan heaters but the cost of keeping them thawed is ridiculous. I have never been happy with having a naked flame in the form of standard gas or space heaters for obvoious reasons.
Anybody got any more economical ideas that dont involve naked flames?
Everyone is talking about propex heaters at the mo , what would be the initial outlay and the ongoing running costs of these?
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Immersion heaters in the tanks, warms water to 60 degrees and acts like a radiator to keep van toasty all day....
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Immersion heaters in the tanks, warms water to 60 degrees and acts like a radiator to keep van toasty all day....
most immersion heaters are 3000w ish buy a 1500 watt heater and put it on a timer put it on for an hr then off for a few hours then bk on you only need to keep it above 0
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Having 4 vans surely could mean a heated business unit is needed , when you mention cost of fan heaters being pricey .... i have to laugh some ......stop being tight we all manage to do it with one van , or are you one of these big co's charging peanuts ?
Rich
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If you have 3 vans, consider say 500/800 sq ft industrial unit with roller shutters, park vans there in evening, job done.
Plus room for huge water storage.
Also handy as a base, plus will have toilet and office facilities.
Mr B
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in Canada and cold places like that they have a heater that sits on the ground below the car/van
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From what I have heard immersions cost 1.50 to 2 quid a night so I would have thought 6 to 8 quid a night to keep a 4 van operation on the road and working with warm water and supple hoses is a bargain....
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we just let ours freeze
we use squeegies on poles on shops anyway, so we just do them in the mornings.
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From what I have heard immersions cost 1.50 to 2 quid a night so I would have thought 6 to 8 quid a night to keep a 4 van operation on the road and working with warm water and supple hoses is a bargain....
to add to this does it really matter that much if it costs you £5 a night per van which it wont anyway,we only need these heaters for about 1 month of the year at the most
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we just let ours freeze
we use squeegies on poles on shops anyway, so we just do them in the mornings.
Dont this mess ypur pumps up Dave?
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£35 per week per van = £140 per week so yes to me it really does matter!
so please tell me more about immersion heaters , do they keep hoses between tank and van outlet frost free?
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I would consider 35 a week cheap to keep working if the only other choice was not working. They wouldnt cost 35 a week all year round though, just while it was really cold....
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4 propex heaters will doi the trick ;D ;D ;D
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No probs with any of it, not worth worrying about.
We used to spend hours in the morning defrosting everything, now we just let nature take its course,
As soon as its warm enough for wfp, your equipment will auto defrost anyway, its natures way of saying dont use yet as it will freeze and cause a slip hazard as soon as you use it anyway.
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You like those propex heaters gav lol
The immersion will keep the whole interior of the van frost free as one big radiator...
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well that is what it does cost and im looking for a cheaper alternative :)
dont do any trad though, i have 1 trad job in 2000 and that is a £12 monthly
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its a lot cheaper than replacemement
pumps di s hose reels etc
wfp equipment aint cheap
losing days due to ice is worse
if the heaters r 400 tax deductable
surely its cheaper and you can drive
with em running !!!
no ,ore knackered gear n yr still working
its that simple ;)
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and if they where running constanly
19kg of gas £27.00
lasts 96hrs ;)
again tax deductable
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£35 per week per van = £140 per week so yes to me it really does matter!
so please tell me more about immersion heaters , do they keep hoses between tank and van outlet frost free?
its going depend on the actual temp at nite and how long you have the immersion on through the night hoses/pumps that arnt close to the tank heater may still freeze,other lads who have had them fitted for couple of winter will no more than me,£140 per week is alot but yes but it wont cost that much i was just saying would it matter if it did, if you want to keep working its only 10-15 mins of your working day,other than that just chill at home until the system thaws
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jackal frozen systems cost money
because parts break m8
i lost two di s one yr cost
wiv resin bout 200 each
never again m8
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Try disconnecting from the tank and pumping screenwash/antifreeze through the system. In the morning pump it back into a bottle ready to be reused at night. Not much cost at all.
Screenwash won't harm your system but it only works to a certain temperature.
Steve Carpenter (http://www.scwindowcleaning.com)
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steve go back to sleep la ;)
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jackal frozen systems cost money
because parts break m8
i lost two di s one yr cost
wiv resin bout 200 each
never again m8
yeh iv read enough on here gav to no it costs you in the long run not to keep van above freezing,i dont understand some lads who can go on about how much they on an hour then dont want pay to save system
this aint a dig at anyone on this topic either ;)
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ROGUE , you strike me as a plank mate , 2000 jobs , 1 trad at 12 , if your living is wfp then pay what you need to pay to keep frost free or give up , you can claim the measly £140 back so whats the prob dude , this is why rich people are rich , soooo feckin tight ;D
Rich
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Try these, we have just had them fitted to all of our vans after trialing it on two they are great
http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/shop/new-products/facelift-pro-heat-van-heater.html?keyword=heater
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if your on a budget the cheapest option for sure is for you and the missus sleep in the van on the coldest nights as your body heat will help keep the system from freezing ;D
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These people are very good, all they do is payroll, they give free advice
Ask for Irene
www.amberpayrollservices.co.uk
Mr B
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Try these, we have just had them fitted to all of our vans after trialing it on two they are great
http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/shop/new-products/facelift-pro-heat-van-heater.html?keyword=heater
virtually same as propex ;)
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whats yr thoughts on em charlie ???
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p @ f thanks for your professional diagnosis if you think i am a plank then i had better give up!!
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Try these, we have just had them fitted to all of our vans after trialing it on two they are great
http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/shop/new-products/facelift-pro-heat-van-heater.html?keyword=heater
If he is worried about spending £5 a night on electric a don't think he is gonna be gettin these babies at nearly £500 a pop..........they do look the biz tho.
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Great
Well so I've been told buy the guys
whats yr thoughts on em charlie ???
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not true , i am always interested in a worthwhile long term investment
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not true , i am always interested in a worthwhile long term investment
rogue theres two propex heaters for sale on ere
one fr ian 1972
one fr chopsie
im telling you now theres heaters are superb
n once youve tried em your worrys
r over ;)
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Rogue , why should it have to be a long term investment ?
The freeze only comes for max of 4 weeks in a year tops , dont get why your whingin about running a poxy little fan heater , or 4 of them for that matter , get a grip man .
Rich
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i dont understand?i have a 1500w oil filled radiator and i leave it on for 10 hours on full blast and it only costs me £2 per night.so 4 vans would be £8 a night.
its forecast above freezing next week so surely £8 a night is ok to have all vans out working when sub zero?
the mind boggles...!!!! ??? ???
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we just let ours freeze
we use squeegies on poles on shops anyway, so we just do them in the mornings.
;D
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Having 4 vans surely could mean a heated business unit is needed , when you mention cost of fan heaters being pricey .... i have to laugh some ......stop being tight we all manage to do it with one van , or are you one of these big co's charging peanuts ?
Rich
why would you want to go to the expense of renting a business unit to house 4 vans just to heat them?, that I would say is a little overkill for 8/10 weeks of iffy weather, rent rates (depending on size) elec, water and blah blah blah.
on the other part about laughing at not paying to get a heater, thats got to be a joke from them surley :-\ or they didnt do any sums when expanding to 4 vans.
would like to know that answer to that and why running cabkles to a heater in van is a problem so can answer a little better
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NAs soon as its warm enough for wfp, your equipment will auto defrost anyway, its natures way of saying dont use yet as it will freeze and cause a slip hazard as soon as you use it anyway.
It might be like that in France, where you're at, but it's not like that in Wales, where I'm at! And I bet in Scotland it'd stay frozen for most of the day.
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not frozen wiv a propex heater
me old china ;)
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gav you got a side line business selling propex heaters ;D what deal can you do us???
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i wish me old m8
theres two for sale on ere
ones nr you la up in ashbourne ;)
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jackal r you sure i dont know you ???
im fr bucknall originally
n know the majority of windies in stoke ;)
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dont think so gav,you would of been living in wrexham area when i started up
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P @ F is keen on giving me a free business lesson it seems!! err thanks for the sentiment ???
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oh and apologies p@ F for my whinging about a poxy fan heater , i didnt mean to disturb you! I will however take your advice and concentrate next week on getting a grip! LOL
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we are all faced with the same issues, but whilst working last week on the days i could, due to the fact that despite keeping van and equipment warm through the night the equipment froze whilst in use cleaning it began me realising why do we all try to compete with nature and the weather, it doesn't matter how many heaters etc if its that cold outside maybe we should except it!!???? and not fight a losing battle??
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it never stops me la ;)