[Pope vader]

is 40 c  good enough for cleaning windows with or should i go 50 60 70?

[Cedaronics]

Are you starting the day at 40°C?  What will the temperature be after four+ hours?  As you use the water up, does it cool faster?

[H2GoKent]

Sorry to hijack a thread but if anyone has broken a pane with hot water do they know what temp they were using?

[Pope vader]

am not that bothered after 11am,  just to get everything going in the morning

[Cedaronics]

In that case, go for as hot as you can, BUT test on a sheet of glass first.  Maybe put a pane in the freezer, then apply hot pure (with a known temperature) and go from there?  I know it's a PITA doing tests like this, but it's the only safe(ish) way to try the ideas out.  And even then there might be other variables - size and thickness fo the glass.  I wouldn't dream of putting very hot water onto that old fashioned thin glass.  Modern should be stronger I think.

[Nameless Drudge]

I used an immersion to heat my water for appx. 6 weeks last year.I dont think i got anywhere near 40 degrees centigrade.Soon as it seemed nice and VERY WARM after i`d mixed it round by pumping it through the hose and back to tank plus giving it a few stirs with a beach spade and another 10- 20 mins heating i was happy enough.I`m pretty sure it was no more than about 30 degrees centigrade then,if that. 26 sticks in my mind being surprised at just how warm that felt.I was doing a lot of first cleans and it helped with bird muck etc.
  I`m not sure i`ll turn it on this year.

[AuRavelling79]

I'm just experimenting with this.

On Tuesday I filled my insulated trailer (200L) tank with warm (38 degrees) tap water straight from the house boiler to do a minging conny. (I used the cold pure water - about 15 degrees - in my van to finish off.)

It went in "warm" and measured 40 degrees C at the filler when I drove off at 8.30 am. I used it for the conny until 10 am and then a neighbour came out and asked if I could do her gutter and fascia outsides, so striking while the water was warm I did that job too and got home at 12.30 when the remaining 50 litres or so was at 27 degrees C and still tepid .

The hoses were so flexible and warm that I decided to bite the bullet and fit a 3kw immersion element which I used this morning set at 40 degrees C - but ....

... heating the water (200L) from 15 to a nominal 40 (on the thermostat) took an hour but only near the element. At the filler neck it was 25 degrees. When I drove to the first job (2 miles) the filler neck was reading 28 degrees so I guess the overall temp was about 30.

The hoses were fairly supple but at the jets the water was tepid. However I did six houses at £10 a pop and a small lean to roof totalling £90 by 11am when the heavens opened.

I may have been proving a point but things seemed "easier" - the most notable being the supple hoses.

I have reset the temperature on the thermostat to 50 degrees and expect to have about 35 degrees at the filler neck on Monday morning (depending on starting water temp being about 15 degrees).

I have already bought another element for the van (400L) and by using timers will avoid both being on at once and will allow more time for the van tank to warm up.

I might also T piece and tap off the hose to let the pump circulate the water to avoid cold/hot spots if driving to the job doesn't slosh it around enough.

I love this job!

BTW lest you think I am a bit leccy/mechanically minded - most of the above was done by my man Dan and my Bro. I get the ideas from here and they implement them safely!