[Spursboy1972]

Hi

I am in the process of changing over to wfp. At the moment our work is all trad and I have a nice signwritten 53 plate Vauxhall Combo with 45k. A good van.

Here lies my problem. I am quite certain through advice recieved that the way forward is an RO system as we live in a hard water area. But what size. I have been advised to start a little bigger and go in at 500ltr min. This of course means I have to change vans as even if that would fit in mine there will be no space for anything else. Besides which I am quite certain I would be way overweight.

So should I start smaller and change as things improve or bite the bullet and go for a bigger van which will mean me borrowing as at the moment I owe nothing on my van?
I really am  a bit stuck esp as my knowledge of wfp is very limited...

Any help greatly appreciated

Tony

[Biscute]

Id stick to the same van and a smaller system at first. and would also use a ro and di i system and full up from a storage tank, or do what i did and use portable backpack or trolly, tis will give you more room in your van and less stress on your van to.

[Jon T.C.]

Hi Tony,

How many people work out of the van?
What other equipment do you carry ? ( apart from w/c gear)
How many houses do you do a day and what size? ( thyis is to get an idea of what size tank you would need.

Once you have worked out how much weight you will be carrying, you can look for a van with a suitable payload.

Regards Jon

If you want to ring for a further chat , feel free 07779 085240 - but not today, as it's my birthday and i'm going for a little drink with my brothers  

[Biscute]

Happy birthday

[russ_clark]

As Jon says you can always upgrade with a bigger van when required.
I would stick with what you have and fit a 400 tank ,that should be plenty for one man.Even if there are two of you I would still fit the 400 and you would just not be able to fill it full.
Your biggest expense is setting this up with R/O's ,poles ,etc.
Once you have this one up and running it does not hurt so much if you want to put a second van on.
Russ

[Sir Squeaky]

I'd surprised if you got 400L in it.
More like 250.

I've got an Escort van and that's wider and longer than a Combo.
My 400L takes up almost the entire floor space.

[russ_clark]

Squeeks I have got a 400 lay flat in a berlingo
yes it does take up most of the floor space
but I still have areas I can keep stuff.
I also used the rubber load liner and cut it to fit on top of tank
I then use this for the hosereel, etc as it does not slide around
unless you are Schumaker
I will post a pic later if I can
Its out working at the mo

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

To begin with you'll be getting through a lot more water, if you are on you own in a 6hr day say 600-700 ltrs but once you've gone round all your work a few times it will drop to 300-400 ltrs.  If you have a big storage tank at home then ok it's a pain to get half way through the day and then go back home and fill up but you'll only have to do it for the first cleans if you have a smaller system in the van.

I have a 650 tank and there are 2 of us doing 5-6hrs and we always have about 100lts or more left over.  I have friends on there own with a 650 and it lasts them a full 2 days.

If you don't want to change your vehicle at the moment then a 400l tank would be fine if your on your own and the van can take the weight in fact 400l is probably all you need in the long run.

Simon

[Jon T.C.]

Happy birthday

Cheers 

[Jon T.C.]

As Jon says you can always upgrade with a bigger van when required.
I would stick with what you have and fit a 400 tank ,that should be plenty for one man.Even if there are two of you I would still fit the 400 and you would just not be able to fill it full.
Your biggest expense is setting this up with R/O's ,poles ,etc.
Once you have this one up and running it does not hurt so much if you want to put a second van on.
Russ

  I didn't say that. IMO Go for the biggest tank you can afford. I work on my own and use 500L a day. But have a 650 L tank.

[russ_clark]

Sorry Jon got my knickers twisted on that one
Happy Birthday too!You should be in the pub by now!
IMO 400 would be the biggest tank to safely fix in a combo sized van
due to payload of around 600.
Obviously if buying a bigger van then I would agree that the biggest tank possible
within payload.
You have to allow for weight of all other equipment,tank,fuel,1 man / 2 men,etc
Russ

[Lizzy]

HAPPY BIRFDAY!

[Spursboy1972]

Always nice to get good feedback.

Happy Birthday Jon and I will probably give you a call on Mon.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

[Jon T.C.]

Just back from the afternoon session (hic)  On my way back out 

[shaunjames]

I have a combo, an older one though. If your worried about space then think about doing what Iv'e done, get a 400 litre flat tank and build a floor over the top to store your gear.
shaun

[SHINING EXAMPLE]

Hi Tony,
I,ve only been wfp for 3-4 months, but here's what I think:
At some point, you'll want (and need) a bigger van. By building things around your present vehicle you may in the long run be costing yourself money.
If you have my experience, your customer base will now grow at an unprecedented rate.
E.G. 10 months ago (before I knew I was going to be a polestretcher) I bought myself a brand new peugeot expert. Thing is, something like a vivaro would now suit me better!
All I'm saying is BEWARE OF FALSE ECONOMY.
Hoping you have success in whatever you decide,
Gary.

[NWH]

That`s true for wfp the vivaro type van in my opinion is the best size to go for,i have a lwb connect but still feel sometimes i could do with a bit more space especially for poles and trad gear.There`s a fair bit of room but everything has to have it`s place all the time otherwise it tends to get cluttered.

[Old_Master]

We fit out more vivaros, traffics and primastars, than any other style of van and all in all they appear to be reliable and spacious, perfect for window cleaning.

The new shape Citreon Dispatch is also a great looking van with a good payload, it looks identical to the Mercedes Vito but is many thousands cheaper.

[Spursboy1972]

Thanks Glyn & everyone else

Common theme is go for something like a vivaro. I like the van and can get it serviced with a true Vauxhall stamp very cheaply (Uncle works for Vauxhall).

Next problem is what system. I have been advised to go for an RO 500 ltr (min).
Trouble is  as I understand this takesa ages to fill? Whereas a DI you can fill wherever you go? Am I right? How can I overcome this? I was hoping not to have to buy 2 systems 1 for the van and 1 for home (static).

Can I have more of the same expert/experienced advice please?

Tony

[Ian_Giles]

You only need ONE system to produce your water, unless you have very soft water indeed, the best route is to go for an R/O system.

A simple and straight forward system is to have a large static tank at your home or place of business, your R/O fills it with pure water, you have a transfer pump to fill up the tank in your van.

In the van you have your tank, a pump, a battery to power the pump, a hosereel and hose and your poles etc.
While you are out working, your R/O is refilling your static tank.

If you have the R/O in your van, then your van is tied up while you refill your tank, and depending on the system you get, that can be for several hours.

Your R/O system is of course a combination of a couple of pre-filters, the reverse osmosis membranes and a DI vessal of some description.

The more you are prepared to spend, the bigger and more powerful system you can get, meaning that you can have something that will fill a 1000l tank in a few hours.
It won't make your production system any better than a cheaper setup. it will just allow you to produce pure water more quickly is all.

What you need depends on the work you do, and whether or not you are a sole trader or work alongside others, either as a partner or your employees.

But get what you NEED not what you want!

For example; I am a sole trader working day in and day out with WFP, on a very busy day, and I mean a REALLY busy day I can use 500+ litres of water, but the average is around 300 litres or so.
I have a 200 gallon a day system, which is just 2 small membranes, and in 3 years I've not left myself short once.
Currently I have also started supplying Squeaky with water, and he will also be very soon using up to 300 litres a day.
Hopefully my small system will supply us both.

I'm sure at some point I shall have to upgrade to increase my capacity, I can certainly afford to do so, but will only do so if it becomes increasingly apparent that I'm going to need to do so...to many 'do so's' there

Keep asking questions on here and you will get the answers you need I am sure!

Ian