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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tompoole on December 04, 2012, 06:52:11 am

Title: Hot wash or not?
Post by: tompoole on December 04, 2012, 06:52:11 am
Ok I'm looking to invest in a hot system .
Ruled out immersion element on cost and safety
Fish tank heater is also a no no
Fog wash or similar ? Any info or advise welcome
Finally a purefreedom or similar but not keen as its £2k
Any advice welcome
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: SteTecs on December 04, 2012, 07:17:37 am
Ok I'm looking to invest in a hot system .
Ruled out immersion element on cost and safety
Fish tank heater is also a no no
Fog wash or similar ? Any info or advise welcome
Finally a purefreedom or similar but not keen as its £2k
Any advice welcome

I dont understand why you have ruled out immersion heater for cost and safety.
Ive just fitted mine yesterday total cost £40.
My mate {electrician] wired it to my fuse board 16 amp cable and trip switch
Had it on for 4 hours = lovely warm water.cost £3

surely carrying gas bottles around is far more dangerous and the extra cost to your insuranse.
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: Mike #1 on December 04, 2012, 07:34:21 am
Would love to try and get insured saying you are carrying a gas bottle in back of van .

Going to insulate static tank over the weekend and put a 1kw aquarium heater in then transfer water each morning .

Warm water is better than stone cold water . Mike
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: Lee GLS on December 04, 2012, 08:09:15 am
Would love to try and get insured saying you are carrying a gas bottle in back of van .

Going to insulate static tank over the weekend and put a 1kw aquarium heater in then transfer water each morning .

Warm water is better than stone cold water . Mike

Insurance isn't a problem as long as the gas bottle is secured correctly.

How do you think caravaners, and those with motet homes/ VW camper vans get insured?
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: dd on December 04, 2012, 08:45:09 am
Personally I would not recommend the PF Isothermal 1.

Water does not stay that hot and it eats batteries.
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: richard jagger on December 04, 2012, 01:35:47 pm
m & m put two heaters in your tank to get coverage  or else you find patches of hot and cold water. More so    your tank in up right.
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: keyser soze on December 04, 2012, 04:05:56 pm
Ok I'm looking to invest in a hot system .
Ruled out immersion element on cost and safety
Fish tank heater is also a no no
Fog wash or similar ? Any info or advise welcome
Finally a purefreedom or similar but not keen as its £2k
Any advice welcome

I dont understand why you have ruled out immersion heater for cost and safety.
Ive just fitted mine yesterday total cost £40.
My mate {electrician] wired it to my fuse board 16 amp cable and trip switch
Had it on for 4 hours = lovely warm water.cost £3

surely carrying gas bottles around is far more dangerous and the extra cost to your insuranse.
[/quot


is it more dangerous than cars with lpg or petrol tanks?.... i think they would be outlawed if the risk was that bad especially this day and age
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DMC Window Cleaners Ltd on December 05, 2012, 06:17:15 pm
aviva insure you with up to 33kg of flammables in the bank not a problem doesnt cost any more.
a un baffled tank not bolted to the chassis is more dangerous then a 13kg lpg bottle.

we run the fog wash it works perfect and it uses 13kg (£26) between 4-6 weeks using hot all day every day £180 to buy system.

Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: Lee GLS on December 05, 2012, 06:27:46 pm
aviva insure you with up to 33kg of flammables in the bank not a problem doesnt cost any more.
a un baffled tank not bolted to the chassis is more dangerous then a 13kg lpg bottle.

we run the fog wash it works perfect and it uses 13kg (£26) between 4-6 weeks using hot all day every day £180 to buy system.



Is that running 1or 2 pumps?
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: king marko on December 05, 2012, 06:35:15 pm
Can I ask why you are worried about the cost and safety of installing an immersion?
Even if you got a decent plumber it won't cost as much as other options.
Mine has been working fine for about 18mnts now
Cheers  :)
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DMC Window Cleaners Ltd on December 05, 2012, 07:30:11 pm
That's running one hot pump and one cold. Immersions only work while plugged in by the time it's travelled through 100meters of hose lying on cold ground it loses temperature Very quickly ideal to keep van warm over night etc but don't bank in them keeping hot water alday
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: king marko on December 05, 2012, 07:43:02 pm
Are you talking thru experience?
My tank held hot water for about 6hrs in the cold weather last year so - once you've got a tank of hot water it doesn't suddenly go cold
It does however keep the van from freezing overnight, hoses supple and hands warm thru the pole for most of the day
 :)
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: Smudger on December 05, 2012, 07:51:23 pm
I'm using 500 watt heaters (i have 2 500 ltr tanks in the van) and the water temp is 55 deg C in the morning
and at 3pm i've checked the temp and the remaining water is still at 32 deg C

more than ideal keeping the hoses soft ( and warm )   heaters cost 5.75 ea.

and i also added an aquarium power head to circulate the water so the temp is even all through the tank
these cost between 5 and 9 quid depending on LPH turnover

Darran

Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: SB Cleaning on December 05, 2012, 07:52:02 pm
Can I ask why you are worried about the cost and safety of installing an immersion?
Even if you got a decent plumber it won't cost as much as other options.
Mine has been working fine for about 18mnts now
Cheers  :)
Hi Mark

I'm interested in installing something similar what set up you use?

I know a couple of plumbers who would be happy to install it for me :)
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DMC Window Cleaners Ltd on December 05, 2012, 08:01:17 pm
Are you talking thru experience?
My tank held hot water for about 6hrs in the cold weather last year so - once you've got a tank of hot water it doesn't suddenly go cold
It does however keep the van from freezing overnight, hoses supple and hands warm thru the pole for most of the day
 :)

Yes we used to have a 650 in one of the vans with a 3kw immersion in it piping hot before we left in the morning and by the end of the day it was cold
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: steven ainger on December 05, 2012, 08:05:14 pm
I'm using 500 watt heaters (i have 2 500 ltr tanks in the van) and the water temp is 55 deg C in the morning
and at 3pm i've checked the temp and the remaining water is still at 32 deg C

more than ideal keeping the hoses soft ( and warm )   heaters cost 5.75 ea.
and i also added an aquarium power head to circulate the water so the temp is even all through the tank
these cost between 5 and 9 quid depending on LPH turnover

Darran

Arnt you worried that using 55 deg water on a freezing morning will break glass,
I use a lpg heater & would never use water at that temperature on a cold day.
Thats the biggest downside to ising an immersion heater imo



Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: SB Cleaning on December 05, 2012, 08:21:41 pm
I'm using 500 watt heaters (i have 2 500 ltr tanks in the van) and the water temp is 55 deg C in the morning
and at 3pm i've checked the temp and the remaining water is still at 32 deg C

more than ideal keeping the hoses soft ( and warm )   heaters cost 5.75 ea.

and i also added an aquarium power head to circulate the water so the temp is even all through the tank
these cost between 5 and 9 quid depending on LPH turnover

Darran



Hi Darran
How long does the tank take to heat up?

Do you use this all year round? Sounds like a simple solution to hot water to me :)
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DMC Window Cleaners Ltd on December 05, 2012, 08:24:31 pm
It takes hours to heat up and in the long run a lot more expensive then lpg
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: king marko on December 05, 2012, 08:47:25 pm
Can I ask why you are worried about the cost and safety of installing an immersion?
Even if you got a decent plumber it won't cost as much as other options.
Mine has been working fine for about 18mnts now
Cheers  :)
Hi Mark

I'm interested in installing something similar what set up you use?

I know a couple of plumbers who would be happy to install it for me :)
Whereabouts are you mate?
You're welcome to come and have a look

As for it getting cold later in the day - yes of Course it gets colder but its never freezing - and it's never froze - surely that's the point?
I have mine to come on at about 4 in the morning on a timer and the water is lovely and warm and van is nice too
It might take a couple of hours but its surely cheaper and a lot less hassle than LPG/diesel with less to go wrong
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DMC Window Cleaners Ltd on December 05, 2012, 08:53:47 pm
No not to keep it just from freezing to clean with hot water, you don't clean your dishes with cold water. LPG no hassle just switch pump on it works instantally replace bottle when empty a 13kg bottle lasts about 6 weeks at £26 a bottle that works out about 90p a day where immersion is about 4-5 depending what tariff your on
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: SB Cleaning on December 05, 2012, 08:54:44 pm
Can I ask why you are worried about the cost and safety of installing an immersion?
Even if you got a decent plumber it won't cost as much as other options.
Mine has been working fine for about 18mnts now
Cheers  :)
Hi Mark

I'm interested in installing something similar what set up you use?

I know a couple of plumbers who would be happy to install it for me :)
Whereabouts are you mate?
You're welcome to come and have a look

As for it getting cold later in the day - yes of Course it gets colder but its never freezing - and it's never froze - surely that's the point?
I have mine to come on at about 4 in the morning on a timer and the water is lovely and warm and van is nice too
It might take a couple of hours but its surely cheaper and a lot less hassle than LPG/diesel with less to go wrong
Worcester mate bit of a trek to you I'm afraid
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DeLuce on December 05, 2012, 09:27:35 pm
No not to keep it just from freezing to clean with hot water, you don't clean your dishes with cold water


Do you mean to say that those cleaning with unheated water don't do a proper job? The pure water wether hot or cold will do a good job surely?
The only reason I use an immersion heater is during the cooler weather so as to keep my hoses supple and stop them freezing when they're on the ground, it's a simple fix, efficient and cheap enough.
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DMC Window Cleaners Ltd on December 05, 2012, 09:37:13 pm
Hot water cleans better then cold water fact! Dissolves grease and grim a lot quicker and better.
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: richard jagger on December 06, 2012, 02:22:57 am
Out of gas just before I started my last job to day.I just wanted to pack up and go home as working with  stiff dead snake hoses is not easy.I don`t know how I worked cold water last year.
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: richard jagger on December 06, 2012, 03:39:41 pm
I have a 7 kg gas  bottle how do I change it for digger one. I have to fit a full bottle every 10/14 days
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: DMC Window Cleaners Ltd on December 06, 2012, 03:49:49 pm
I have a 7 kg gas  bottle how do I change it for digger one. I have to fit a full bottle every 10/14 days

when you buy one ask for a bigger one lol that easy
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: bobplum on December 06, 2012, 05:49:45 pm
I'm using 500 watt heaters (i have 2 500 ltr tanks in the van) and the water temp is 55 deg C in the morning
and at 3pm i've checked the temp and the remaining water is still at 32 deg C

more than ideal keeping the hoses soft ( and warm )   heaters cost 5.75 ea.

and i also added an aquarium power head to circulate the water so the temp is even all through the tank
these cost between 5 and 9 quid depending on LPH turnover

Darran

was talking to ian101 today and i mentioned something about the need to move the water around to get a good even spread of temperature---were did you get yours from for that price
bob


Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: Smudger on December 06, 2012, 08:00:41 pm
Sorry chaps - not been getting notification on this thread

Bob - i use this type - off ebay but there are no cheapies on offer at present, maybe because it's Christmas

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5000-lph-AQUARIUM-WAVE-MAKER-VIBRATION-PUMP-MARINE-MAGNETIC-FISH-TANK-POWERHEAD-/170954717728?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item27cdb1fa20

there are other styles available

No worries on the heat - in fact by all the chatter on here i was feeling very inferior as i assumed these heaters were pumping out water at 60 to 70 degrees  :-[

the tank is 55 degs but comes out at the brush head at around 32 deg  ( this may vary from day to day on the weather )
on a cold morning at about 1 deg C

Hot ( warm ) is excellent for keeping the hoses soft and it's a more pleasant working experience but would i pay out
for heater ( diy or professional ) NO - my biz just doesn't warrant it - it's a nice to have, not a NEED to have

Darran
Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: Smudger on December 06, 2012, 08:37:30 pm
SB - i usually have them on ( via timer ) from 11 pm thro to 7 am so most of the electric used is on 'cheap rate'  ::)
i've only used them the last 3 weeks since it's got below 10 degrees
yes it takes several hours to get to this temp but it's doing a dual job as it's stopping the van freezing up so saving
me putting in a heater for the night.

for me it's a great choice as things are not clear on the use of/having LPG in the van, 1 don't need to cut a hole in the
roof nor do i need to work with the doors open due to fumes being produced.

i could not go down the immersion route as the tanks are bolted into the van and no room to drill holes in the tank where
for access and i would worry about doing it badly and i think the less holes in a tank the better.

i currently just drop the heater and powerhead in through the lid - no mess no fuss takes around 1 minute to deploy and the same to retrieve in the morning  ;D

i would at some point splash out for a pro system ( pure freedom ) that is diesel but as i posted earlier my biz does not warrant that kind of luxury  ;)

Darran

Title: Re: Hot wash or not?
Post by: Smudger on December 06, 2012, 09:19:45 pm
just found a better link

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Marine-Plant-Fish-Tank-Wave-Maker-w-Suction-/320508843369?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item4a9fd0d569

Darran