[barry80]

hi guys , I have got a back pack, with 24 ft pole , can you tell me in the winter time what you  do when real cold to stop the water from freezing up??? kind of worrying....thanks barry
 

[johns window kleen]

I bring in all my 25 Litre barrels and fill up in the mornings. Bring the poles in as well. RO left permenently in the back garden in a large dog crate protected with bubble wrap and tarpaulins, never had any freeze up problems at all.

[Niall McAllister]

i found the water froze in my van, so some days i would be out for 1 hr just driving to heat the van and the hoses. as long as the hose came out the van unfrozen, the moving water wouldn't freeze.
so, there's your answer, get an insulated van :

[Mike #1]

you need isopropanol might not be spelt correctly buy on ebay 5ltrs about £20 i put 25ml in each 25ltr container if its going to drop below freezing worked in -5c no probs  

[barry80]

well how come pure water dont freeze! when Ive cleaned trad it freezes so I use car window wash does the trick ..... But pure water surely must freeze I dont get it Barry. p.s been cleaning 27 yrs now...

[Window Washers]

I insulated one of the vans, and the water in tank, hoses, poles still frooze

I had a cab heater in second van, again it frooze.

My advise would be to clear pipes at night, in system if you have a garage use it.. Only lost 1 day last year/this year and a few hours per day on other defrosting. (before someone says it) hot water system would not have helped as was solid in the morning and the repair bill would have been worse should anything have popped

[Mike #1]

if possible put an oil filled radiator in back of van overnight heard it works , also i have got my ro and di inside a plastic box lined and covered with plastic recycled loft insulation then placed inside one of those plastic garden chests lined with the same stuff no probs what so ever

[barry80]

I am ok with poles and water in containers keeping warm, as I have a outside boiler in out house they can go in there. But my worry is when on real real cold mornings, water freezing peoples windows up etc.... Barry

[Window Washers]

I am ok with poles and water in containers keeping warm, as I have a outside boiler in out house they can go in there. But my worry is when on real real cold mornings, water freezing peoples windows up etc.... Barry

very rare does that happen, and if it does dont worry about it, if it is freezzing when you are cleaning it is to cold to clean windows. I have not been stopped yet as water you use is not at freezing point and runs and runs, if it does freeze it is pure  (use it as a selling point how many others round your way offer ice cleaning service 

[barry80]

ha ha yeah true

[barry80]

 surely that isopropanal will smear windows wont it? 

[Ian_Giles]

Freezing water is a real problem on those days when temperature is well below freezing.
I can stop my main 1000l holding tank from freezing, but I have to use the extra large hose in conjunction with my transfer pump to fill up my van tank...which is 35m away from my holding tank, on really cold mornings there is sod al I can do to prevent freeze ups...It is just too long to insulate effectively.

Keeping the van tank frost free is simple...for me at any rate as I can leave a fan heater in the back left on a frost stat setting...never had a problem there.
However....
If it is THAT cold, then even though everything is frost free, as soon as you start to work the water will often freeze at the jets in the brush, water on the poles also freezes as does the water in either the pole hose or the main hose.
A hot water system is probably the only way of solving the problem where working is concerned.

Isopropanol?
Sort of helps, I bought a 25l container of the stuff in the hope I could at least stop the transfer hose from freezing up...but was to no avail, ditto in work too, the amount you would have to put in would make it hideously expensive!!

Doesn't leave streaks of any kind on the glass, it has a zero TDS reading, even when measured neat.
It does help though, but not really in very low temperatures...afraid you just have to suck it up and take your lumps
or buy a hot water system

Ian

[sparklebright]

I have an oil filled radiator in the van and an aquarium heater in my van tank, both keep it from freezing even on the coldest nights but only just.
I do live in the south east though and by the coast where we don't get as much frost as inland.
But you won't lose loads of days just the odd one...

[tatman]

i use a green house tubular heater in back of van stops tank and hoses etc freezing but not the outlets because they are outside the van. You will lose time because of frost you cant pole when the waters freezing. the water freezes on glass before the dirt rinses away!

[thewaterwizard]

i have a lwb high roof transit
fitted two 200w frost protection heaters from b&q they work well but on very
frosty nights i also put an oil filled rad set on frost guard to be sure
outside ports on van froze last winter frost tracked up hoses froze pump
right back to the tank  so i cut hoses inside van fitted hose connectors
now after filling tank in winter i just disconnect blow through hoses
no problems after that
no damage was done just a lesson i had to learn
 hope this helps someone

  robin

[pingu]

isopropanal will prevent water freezing when mixed in the right percentage...isopropanal and other alcohols are used to prevent liquids freezing in a sealed/closed enviroment...this is why it prevents water freezing in tanks...but as soon as you squirt that water out the end of the brush the alcohol starts to evaporate and it WILL freeze on the glass..

Last year I ran a load of 'rough' expirements usings Methanol in % varying from 1 to 20% in 1 litre coke bottles and using pure water....temps varied from 0 to -12 and the results followed the 'scientific' rules.

But when the water was squirted on the glass this is when the whole idea fell apart.

Don't waste your time using these alcohols for anything other than keeping your tank water/closed systems in a liquid state...the right % mix it will cost you ....

25ml in 25l is not worth the effort of taking th cap off and pouring it in....no offence 

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ethanol-water-d_989.html

Cheers
Dave.

[Platinum NW]

well how come pure water dont freeze! when Ive cleaned trad it freezes so I use car window wash does the trick ..... But pure water surely must freeze I dont get it Barry. p.s been cleaning 27 yrs now...

I dont get this either ?

[mr D]

This thread is depressing me!

Last winter (which I think most will agree was the worst in a long time) I had a mere. I was totally not prepared for it. I spent a small fortune on diffrent oil filled rads that did no good. In the end I bought a fan heater which did the job but expensive to run and cuts out after a while.

I couldn't do bugger all for for the jets freezing up which they did quite often!

Dreading this winter!

[pingu]

The only thing I am doing right now is saving a little by each week and my aim is to have enough 'slush' money to enable to the put what I should earn each week into my house bank account for 16 lost full days work each winter. This for me equates to around 4 weeks work.

Its just cold weather, we will get it again...so like having the right clothes and boots...prepare...

Cheers
Dave.

[bad trippy]

How about the water droplets left on the cleaned glass, does this freeze?