[stuart2012]

hi guys, been doing trad now for 9 yrs, decided to get a mate on board and get a van and get a wfp system, i have not checked the tds reading in my area, but im in kent and understand that it is a hard water area so am i right that a ro system is the only way to go. ideally i would like this system built into the van. or is it best to not have a van based system, could i just have a tank on the van?

 can anyone advise on any good systems, what poles to get, what brushes, other parts etc

whats the best brushes to use for plastic cleans conservatory roofs?

do you change the brush while you do these jobs

look forward to the replies 

[Panorama]

Hi Stuart, buy a tds metre and check your reading, I live in a hard water area (458) so I needed a RO and a DI. I have a static ibc in my shed , I then transfer this to my tank in the van. The reason I do this is because I have poor water pressure. I got the DIY system from pure freedom, very easy to set up.

[stuart2012]

thanks for your reply panorama. i have a tds meter on order. what is a static ibc, and how do you transfer the water?

with it being a 2 man team, im thinking that we will need a big tank ro system built into the van.

wheres the best place to get a good system?

[Jackal]

look on ebay for ibc tanks they hold a 1000 litres of water so if you decided to have a setup in a shed or garage as alot of people do you can use outside tap and set your ro system and di vessel to this ibc tank,then you can have alot of water ready to use,then you will need a transfer pump and hose from ibc tank to a tank in your van

[Halfadaylee]

look on ebay for ibc tanks they hold a 1000 litres of water so if you decided to have a setup in a shed or garage as alot of people do you can use outside tap and set your ro system and di vessel to this ibc tank,then you can have alot of water ready to use,then you will need a transfer pump and hose from ibc tank to a tank in your van

How close are you to setting up now Jackal?

[Jackal]

look on ebay for ibc tanks they hold a 1000 litres of water so if you decided to have a setup in a shed or garage as alot of people do you can use outside tap and set your ro system and di vessel to this ibc tank,then you can have alot of water ready to use,then you will need a transfer pump and hose from ibc tank to a tank in your van

How close are you to setting up now Jackal?

going be after xmas, dont want start when its winter and not got all the money i need for the setup i want yet so 6 months and il be there im starting get sick of this ladder work now,il prob have the system before xmas but want learn it properly first on mine and familys houses

[Panorama]

As jackal said I have a transfer pump and I use lay flat hose to transfer the water. The best advice I could give is , get organized, it takes away a lot of headache

[stuart2012]

how long does it take to transfer to a full 1000 litre tank

[dave f]

may i say get a van system less hassel imo depending on how big your round is and your van get a 2man set up. i find its easy to protect against the harsh weather just lag your van and pipes when you get abit more competant thiers alsorts you can add to wfp set up  and dont for get to get a oil filled rad for the back of the van to keep it just above freezing ,some people have hot water heaters in. look at some old posts to give you an idea hope this helps

[johnny bravo]

hi panorama,  have you got a new van yet

[Panorama]

Hi johnny, I did, I tried to post pics of my set up but the computer said no..... How's it going with you? Back to the op, I have a 650lt tank in my shed and a 350 lt tank in my van. It's 40ft from shed to van and it takes 7 mins to fill

[Mike #1]

So no real advice yet hello stuart mate .

Once you have checked your tds you may need an RO and Di i got mine from www.purefreedom.co.uk they are well priced as well .

Next what size tank will you need i have a 400ltr flat tank which lasts me a good day if your van allows get a 500 ltr tank to make sure you will get a really good days work .  The size of tank will depend on your van payload and the size of your load area in the back of your van .

You could get your tank from Pure Freedom as well .

I have my ro and di in a shed at home and make pure water while out at work so when i get home i can fill my tank in my pickup truck for the next days work , I store my pure water at home in water butt as it is not under cover .

As for pole brush and hose reel go to www.gardinerpolesystems.co.uk   most lads use the Slx but a CLX will be very good first  pole based on other peoples reviews on here ,  the clx 22 will allow you to clean up to the top floor of a 3 storey townhouse ,

As for the brush i would recommend the super lite single trim standard as it will take more abuse than others ,

Hose reel i have the premium metal reel which is £54:00 with connection pack , Then put 100 mtrs of 6mm microbore on your reel .

To connect your pole to hose reel hose use the EZ-Snap fittings .

And last of all nearly forgot pumpbox and battery i use the Streambox from www.streamlinesystems.info  it is the one with the digital flow controller .

And transferring water from storage tank at home into tank in van i use a pond jet pump which pumps up to 75 ltrs a minute go to a local aquatics shop explain what you are going to use it for and they will sort you out with everything you need for about £30-40  ,

                                                Hope this helps Mike

[Mike #1]

Just to say the streambox is in power packs although looking they dont have one with a digital flow controller displayed on website if you give them a ring they are good lads at streamline ,

I belive they supply a lot of other window cleaning supply companys you may get a really good deal getting tank and filtration etc from streamline ,    

Also had a look on www,reac2cleanonline.co.uk  they have a streambox with controller for £239:00  might be without vat though not sure but their site looks really good.

[stuart2012]

thanks m & m some really great info. i have looked at the gardiners poles and have my eyes on a couple. its just the whole set up i want to get right from the start, there some great info there, i will look into  it over the weekend.

does it work out alot cheaper to have the ro system at home rather than a van based unit

[johnny bravo]

hi panorama, ive started using backpack on a aliminium trolley, got 2 clx poles,ro with added diaphram pump    which is a godsend to speed it all up.  got two canvassers lined up, see how they get on. if it dosent happen this year i will sell up.   i need to double my customer base   to make it proffitable  and to take some young lad on , not much work for the young ns.

[Mike #1]

stuart yes it does as you csn go down the diy route which is far cheaper than pro fitting . and in the winter you have the option of taking everthing inside if it gets that cold.

if you keep ur ro at home producing water you can fill your van tank in less than 10 mins .

with van in ro you need to connect to ur mains water and let ur van tank fill overnight . i am not able to park at the back of my house .

so i produce water at home while at work or overnight. mike

[stuart2012]

with a homebased ro di system, what effects will the cold weather bring. the system will be based in a garage, if we decided on a van unit, the van will be parked underground in a car park overnight, where the temperature would be a lot higher.

this will be a 2 man team, so were thinking of 1000 litre tank, if we go with the home option that would mean getting the 2 tanks

also if your doing normal windows then have to a plastic clean, do you swap brush heads over? the reason i ask as lots of my customers want there facias and conservatory roofs done. are chemicals used on these jobs?

i have decided on the poles to get which is a start i suppose. a clx 22 and a slx 22, off course i will have the slx 
were looking to purchase a vivaro size van which would give us lots of room and weight load

[Mike #1]

you should not have any probs if in garage mate . I am sure other lads will be able advise you on any insulation .  I dont insulate my tank or Ro .

I use a different brush for con roofs etc , i use an old brush for this but you maybe better off with a sill brush .

One thing not to overlook in  pole choice is the elite poles from www.thewaterfedpolecompany.co.uk  the Elite carbon comes a very close second to the SLX ,

Their was a comparison between the two made last year and the Elite is a little heavier than the Slx but it has  more rigidity , I have the Elite 35 ft carbon and after 13 months of ownership i cannot fault it no issues at all no glue failure on clamps as they are not glued on which is a major bonus imho .

A great pole indeed they also do a Hybrid pole which is similar to the clx although i cant comment on the Hybrid .  

Also with the Elite you can take section's of in seconds i have taken 2 sections of mine and just add them back on when needed , I dont belive it is so easy to do this with the SLX and CLX because of the stop tape . MIKE

[Panorama]

So no real advice yet hello stuart mate .


What , you mean this advice.         Hi Stuart, buy a tds metre and check your reading, I live in a hard water area (458) so I needed a RO and a DI.

[johnny bravo]

stewart  my advice to you would be to produce your pure water first.  get an ro from 200 -  400 ro system, priced from £120 £300,          a bag of resin @ £70,      di VESSEL  OFF EBAY FROM    £20 +  25 LITRE DRUMS TO START, my downfall to begin with was not getting a booster pump tp produce water quickly, its off putting.     i started again now producing water a lot quicker than without a booster pump.  dont rush it,  once you have poor water   full staem ahead.