[dazmond]

there are always varying views on this.lots of you recommend big transit style vans and 500-650L TANKS with all the added expense,repair bills,trouble parking,higher insurances etc.

i find a 350L-400L easily enough for a days work on domestic/commercial.with 100m of microbore,varistream,aqua-daptor and a high flow(60).tradding some ground floor windows/doors and i can even fit  a few conny roof/fascia jobs in on a long day in spring/summer.although i use outside taps if available.why waste pure water when you dont need to?

a kangoo,connect,berlingo,combo van is big enough for these tank sizes with room for your other gear as well.

cheaper insurance,easier to park on driveways,lower repair bills with a smaller van.


also i do think its a good idea to have a trolley hooked up to your tank instead of seperate pump/controller fixed in the van then you can take the trolley out on very cold nights,detach and use for some work or use in a car with a few barrels if vans off the road so still out earning.also i have some extension hose on the trolley so if parking is awkward for a certain job i can reel a bit off the trolley and point reel in any direction.comes in very handy sometimes.

if you ve no plans to employ there is no need to buy a big van and tank IMO.

thoughts guys please!!


dazmond

[Sean Dyer]

I have a short wheel base vivaro and short roof

I have no trouble parking / driving  and no problem with bills being more than small van

IMO a small van is same as a estate car , trouble for space

At least with a smaller medium van theres room for everything , saying that im constantly re organising mine as there isnt loads of space once you bung in a big tank

I have a 500 litre tank and most full wfp days run out in about 6 hours of solid poling so anything smaller for me would be no good

[bobby p]

i saw a wfp vehicle that was totally ridiculous last week. A mITSUBISHI L200  towing a bowser trailer  .this was on an ordinary private  housing estate and the only benefit i could see is that nobody could miss him as he must have been 30 foot long

[steven ainger]

Ive a 500ltr system in a dispatch hdi, medium size van for easy parking,
Twin sliding doors for good access to the rear, and 2.0 hdi engine, drives like a car even with 500 ltrs onboard.
I believe 500 ltrs is what you need as a sole trader, even though i dont usually use that much, but on the odd occasion on a large commercial or a really busy domestic day with a few unexpected con roof or gutter/ fascia cleans, the extra water is always there.

[Window Washers]

I have 500l tank in vans, thats enough for a single operator, if you run out using this you need to turn the flow down a little imo

[Sean Dyer]

I have 500l tank in vans, thats enough for a single operator, if you run out using this you need to turn the flow down a little imo

I can get through 500 litres easy

Maybe im doing something wrong

[Window Washers]

I have 500l tank in vans, thats enough for a single operator, if you run out using this you need to turn the flow down a little imo

I can get through 500 litres easy

Maybe im doing something wrong

you must be having a very high flow mate thats all I can say.
at the moment 2 of us arnt using 500l a day in 6/7 hours

[colin purewater]

morning dazmond,

i have a connect 2oolx with a 250l tank in, i also carry a50L omni  trolley with me plus trad gear,

it all fits in nice and i can park in the tightest of spots

i dont need anything bigger as its just me and 250L is more than enough for me and ive never ran out of water.  im always home by 2 or 3 so dont do that many hours on the glass as long as i earn my money im happy

many thanks

colin

[Sean Dyer]

Strange

Varistream is on about 7 usually

small leak from hose reel but not that bad

[Dave.]

I've got a 350l which is fine for most days, a few days a month I could use a 500l tank.
As I'm DI only, I've cultivated a few customers, without water meters, where I can top up (TDS 40 - 60ppm)

[Window Washers]

Strange

Varistream is on about 7 usually

small leak from hose reel but not that bad

Sean try it on 6, then 5 after a few days and see how much water you save just be mindful of the time also.

I used to have mine full wack as I just wanted the job done as fast as possible, then I started to test speed against water consumption.

I have digi eco flow on 64 and use less than 400 most days some days it can go up a little depending on the amounts.

Higher flow does allow you to clean and rinse faster, but there is a point where your just wasting water imo

Give it a try can't hurt

[Jonny D]

I have a Trafic with a 650l tank but normally on only fill it to 400l and at the end of the day i still have some left over.

I find it good to drive and park, it just took a little getting used to as i had never drove a van before.

Is it worth getting a Varistream or the other ones? I've never used one before but i have a hotwash and i think that has a bit to turn for water pressure.

How many houses does everyone get done with there tanks?

[clean]

I have a kangoo with a 800kg payload fitted with a 500L tank 100m 6mm microbore and a self made portable system 

[Lee Pryor]

for me its a question of money. I wonder how many guys with smaller tanks are actually doing a FULL days work?

My staff come in at 8am and work till 4.30pm mon-fri so we need 1000L tanks to last a full working day. Most days its empty at the end. for that they will do £600

Yes I know the question is about sole tradders, but what if that person wants to grow past that, earn more and do less of the labour? Suddenly you find smaller tanks and vans arnt up to the job. The re - investment could cost alot. better to spend once.

if someone starts at 10am and is done by 3pm then yes a smaller tank is fine.

Its a very different business when you have staff that have to work full time hours and cant simply decided to work a shorter day.

[Smudger]

I moved upto a bigger van from a combo with a 450 ltr tank - it got to the point i was running out with several jobs to go
and most days having the aggro of getting air locks as the water was so low..

now have 1000 ltrs of water and find the larger van flexible as i have more than enough for a 1 man day but now can
do 2 man days from 1 vehicle - so i have merged rounds/ compacted work and i still carry enough water

i wanted to get a SWB l/r but ended up with LWB h/r    but with gutter vac and other equipment i'm very happy
i got the extra space !

and on the plus side, if the Mrs kicks me out i have a mobile home already and waiting 

Darran

[Mike #1]

400ltr flat tank in the load area  a mitsubishi L200 and manage a full days work no probs . MIKE

[P @ F]

I run a 175 and a 250 from a T4 , the reason being i got small and needed more , ok , i bought twice but i did not waste , 425L lasts me all day no matter what im doing , in fact i normally get home with at least 100L .

Rich