Hot hot hot ???

[windowsurfer]

Proper heater? ? Is there a difference with the heat quality depending on how it's produced? ?I didn't realise that, mind I did leave school at fourteen so I probably missed that science lesson?.

I've been using a 2kw immersion for two or three years now. It heats the water in the tank to about 65 degrees, the same temperature as a domestic hot water supply and loses no more than 5-10 degrees in a working day because the 650 Wyedale flat tank is very well insulated. The initial installation cost was less than £100 with the cable, plug and tank insulation. The electricity cost is less than £3 for each working day. I had to replace the immersion In January at a cost of £45.94 Inc postage. 30 minutes DIY.

By my reckoning an equipment cost of about £30 - £50 per annum. Running cost of less than £3 per day. No fumes, no flames, no need for third party servicing or repairs. If it's good enough for Squeeky Clean Dave It'll do for me. ?

I haven't turned mine all the way up, was wondering how much it costs to run,tried looking at the breakdown the other day, I put it on about 11pm n til of course when I go out to van in morning, I do have a timer, but pest to use.  looks like 17p every half hour, so will cost about the £3, as you said.

Guessing that I work 4 days a week for 42wks, (10wks holiday/forced time off e.g ill) would equal close to £500 to run the 2kw a year.

 

[windowsurfer]

I have one poorly wrapping of foil insulation round tank. The left over water is still cosy at end of the day, I haven't tested it though.

 

[Pjj]

I haven't turned mine all the way up, was wondering how much it costs to run,tried looking at the breakdown the other day, I put it on about 11pm n til of course when I go out to van in morning, I do have a timer, but pest to use.  looks like 17p every half hour, so will cost about the £3, as you said.

Guessing that I work 4 days a week for 42wks, (10wks holiday/forced time off e.g ill) would equal close to £500 to run the 2kw a year.

That’s very good value for money I put between £60-85 a week per van in diesel that’s for hot water 8 hours a day 5 days a week , but includes driving around as well 

 

[windowsurfer]

Costs me between £15-20 a day for diesel, as work is over an hour away, too pricey to live where I work. 

 

[Davy G]

If I didn’t have the diesel, heaters I would have gone down the immersion route ,  we do  a lot of commercial building cleaning where we empty the tank in a morning of 1000 ltr and fill up on site so we couldn’t then heat the water using immersion heater , but for  someone who wants warm water on a budget I think it’s a good idear  , I am sceptical about how long the tank will retain  the heat the less water  in it the quicker it will cool , but with a couple of inches of kingspan  it should help keep  it hot where most heat is lost and it’s difficult to insulate is under the tank it will loose heat rapidly into the floor of the van and the cold water will all be at the bottom of the tank as hot water rises where do we take the water from on our tanks right at the bottom so we are using colder water than we think , this is ware the diesel heaters come into there own as the wager is heated just before it goes into the hose reel and as such is far hotter than using the water from the tank , any heat at all is good and makes cleaning quicker and a better clean as well from several years of experimenting I personally feel water between 50-60 degrees at the brush head is the optimum temperature to clean glass  fast , we get loads of baked in seagull poo last week when using cold it was a nightmare I was 10 houses down in just one day , now with the hot back ul and running Ime back to normal speed , I could never go back to cold water , I do   accept that a lot of our our work is costal  and covered in salt and bird poo and bee pollen , hot removes this so much quicker . 

You're right Paul, with your usage of 1000 litres in a morning it wouldn't do for you. We plug it in as soon as we get home. Usually that's about 3pm. We give it plenty of time to soak the heat into all of the water. Once it's up to temperature the thermostat kicks in and out as needed so with the insulation, including under the tank, it will make very little difference to the running cost if we leave it on for our normal 18 hours. The maximum cost if it didn't kick in and out would be about £3. We generally use between 450 and 610 litres per day at a guess and it works sweet for us. I haven't measured the heat at the brush head. I must do that sometime.

 

[Pjj]

You're right Paul, with your usage of 1000 litres in a morning it wouldn't do for you. We plug it in as soon as we get home. Usually that's about 3pm. We give it plenty of time to soak the heat into all of the water. Once it's up to temperature the thermostat kicks in and out as needed so with the insulation, including under the tank, it will make very little difference to the running cost if we leave it on for our normal 18 hours. The maximum cost if it didn't kick in and out would be about £3. We generally use between 450 and 610 litres per day at a guess and it works sweet for us. I haven't measured the heat at the brush head. I must do that sometime.

Don’t get me wrong Ime not knocking it , anything is better than cold , if I just had one van and worked by myself and wanted a bit of heat on a budget I would definitely give it a  go I think it’s a very good interim from cold to using diesel , cheap and quick to install no maintenance but you do need to be carewith the cable and fittings especially if using 3 kw , Ime spoiled with the diesel heaters. All my guys before working  for me had used cold and they couldn’t believe the difference, one is about to leave me and move up country he has bought a hot system for his van he’s that impressed with it ?? 

 

[Davy G]

I haven't turned mine all the way up, was wondering how much it costs to run,tried looking at the breakdown the other day, I put it on about 11pm n til of course when I go out to van in morning, I do have a timer, but pest to use.  looks like 17p every half hour, so will cost about the £3, as you said.

Guessing that I work 4 days a week for 42wks, (10wks holiday/forced time off e.g ill) would equal close to £500 to run the 2kw a year.

The running cost depends on several factors : size and type of tank, amount of insulation, type of insulation, how much insulation, whether the tank is insulated underneath as well as top and sides. I checked with my wife as she does the accounts. £2.88 per night I quoted is an error and is for for half the half the electricity used. I just realised I made a mistake. I calculated us as using 1kw per hour, I forgot to account for the fact that we use 2kw per hour. Which means our hourly rate is about 32p. Our correct cost per night is up to about £6.The cost per unit hour is 15.61p. I think that's correct. Plenty of insulation and plenty of heating time are key. Most people go short on both.

 

[dazmond]

Costs me between £15-20 a day for diesel, as work is over an hour away, too pricey to live where I work. 

wow......i put around £120-£130 A MONTH in my van and that includes heating my water up via my 9kw diesel heater  4 or 5 days a week as well as driving about....most of my work is a 15 min drive away though.....

 

[Pjj]

wow......i put around £120-£130 A MONTH in my van and that includes heating my water up via my 9kw diesel heater  4 or 5 days a week as well as driving about....most of my work is a 15 min drive away though.....

Dear me that’s £32: 53 per week ??? That’s very cheap Ime £60-85 don't do  much mileage on a normal week but boiler is running 8 hours a day running two hose reels 

 

[Davy G]

I have one poorly wrapping of foil insulation round tank. The left over water is still cosy at end of the day, I haven't tested it though.

That's one of the two mistakes most people make: not enough insulation and not enough heating time. Both are hugely important. I can't put my hand in the water in the tank after the day's work. Cosy wouldn't do.

I have 4 or five layers of double foil backed bubble wrap around and over my tank, taped in nice and snug. No draughts. An 18mm thick lightweight rubber cow mat covering the the top to make a false raised floor, with a round hole cut in it for the lid. And a foam rubber matt underneath the tank. One side of the tank is also insulated with red hot tank insulation. I couldn't get at the rest of the tank to do the same.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I just filled up at £1.04 a litre of supermarket diesel tonight. I have solar panels which produce 10 to 25kws each day in Spring and summer months. If I bought batteries then I could store it as I only use 2kws a day in my house and the rest could heat my tank at night. Like everything in this game, it all comes down to money and the more you get the more you can streamline things. I picked up another 2 customers today and my second one said her neighbour down the stairs has already chased the other 4 away. Not sure how long I will last but he seemed alright when I was talking to him. ?

 

[dazmond]

Dear me that’s £32: 53 per week ??? That’s very cheap Ime £60-85 don't do  much mileage on a normal week but boiler is running 8 hours a day running two hose reels 

my boiler is running for around 30 hours a week every week.....most of my work is 5 or 6 miles away and really compact......so not much driving around.....plus i have a car too for non work time......

ive got a transit connect L2 240 limited with a 500L tank so i will use less diesel than someone with a bigger tank and van plus i work less hours.....?

 

[windowsurfer]

wow......i put around £120-£130 A MONTH in my van and that includes heating my water up via my 9kw diesel heater  4 or 5 days a week as well as driving about....most of my work is a 15 min drive away though.....

If I ever get to move to where I work, I will have to work more to pay for the house.my mortgage for house is £330, place i work,houses are at least £750+ for rent n stupid tax bands for council tax. So travelling is best option at the mo, especially in the times we are in just now. Had recently,just before lockdown considered a £850 flat,thankfully it had been taken or I would be in trouble now or at least fretting over cash. One day?

 

[dazmond]

If I ever get to move to where I work, I will have to work more to pay for the house.my mortgage for house is £330, place i work,houses are at least £750+ for rent n stupid tax bands for council tax. So travelling is best option at the mo, especially in the times we are in just now. Had recently,just before lockdown considered a £850 flat,thankfully it had been taken or I would be in trouble now or at least fretting over cash. One day?

im lucky as i have a very affluent area just 5 miles away where i have concentrated most of my work for many years now(27 years to be precise)over 300 jobs in a 3 mile area so not much driving about....it takes me 10 mins to get to work most mornings at the moment with the lockdown...normally its 15-20 mins.....

its cheap as chips to live round here.....

 

[windowsurfer]

How the other half(window cleaners) live?

 

[Pjj]

Si got the invoice for the boiler repairs hope you are all sitting down ????

1 Burner tube assembly £148:80

1 internal heat exchanger £191:93

water pump £339:40

Glow pin assembly £288:75

sundries £15:00

Labour £272

so Total bill with vat just over £1500 !,,,, to say it was a lot more than I was expecting is an understatement, but if you look at what I have earnt  over 6:5 years with it and Ime happy over all , the water pump needed replacing as the housing was cracked and it was leaking this apparently is unusual,typically my luck , so over the time I have had it that works out it about £4:80 per week ,so less than £1 per days work if you look at it in that way I think it’s cheap , si hears ti the next 6:5 years ????

 

[High-tower]

Si got the invoice for the boiler repairs hope you are all sitting down ????

1 Burner tube assembly £148:80

1 internal heat exchanger £191:93

water pump £339:40

Glow pin assembly £288:75

sundries £15:00

Labour £272

so Total bill with vat just over £1500 !,,,, to say it was a lot more than I was expecting is an understatement, but if you look at what I have earnt  over 6:5 years with it and Ime happy over all , the water pump needed replacing as the housing was cracked and it was leaking this apparently is unusual,typically my luck , so over the time I have had it that works out it about £4:80 per week ,so less than £1 per days work if you look at it in that way I think it’s cheap , si hears ti the next 6:5 years ????

thats a costly repair, especially when you consider the £4k+ they cost in the first place. a substantial additional expense in window cleaning terms!

 

[windowsurfer]

Ouch that's a heavy bill,but worth it when it makes your life easier, I'm all for that.  Makes me think I will just stick to my 2kw element tho

 

[Part Timer]

Si got the invoice for the boiler repairs hope you are all sitting down ????

1 Burner tube assembly £148:80

1 internal heat exchanger £191:93

water pump £339:40

Glow pin assembly £288:75

sundries £15:00

Labour £272

so Total bill with vat just over £1500 !,,,, to say it was a lot more than I was expecting is an understatement, but if you look at what I have earnt  over 6:5 years with it and Ime happy over all , the water pump needed replacing as the housing was cracked and it was leaking this apparently is unusual,typically my luck , so over the time I have had it that works out it about £4:80 per week ,so less than £1 per days work if you look at it in that way I think it’s cheap , si hears ti the next 6:5 years ????

You must do his windows and he's getting you back ?

 

[spruce]

Si got the invoice for the boiler repairs hope you are all sitting down ????

1 Burner tube assembly £148:80

1 internal heat exchanger £191:93

water pump £339:40

Glow pin assembly £288:75

sundries £15:00

Labour £272

so Total bill with vat just over £1500 !,,,, to say it was a lot more than I was expecting is an understatement, but if you look at what I have earnt  over 6:5 years with it and Ime happy over all , the water pump needed replacing as the housing was cracked and it was leaking this apparently is unusual,typically my luck , so over the time I have had it that works out it about £4:80 per week ,so less than £1 per days work if you look at it in that way I think it’s cheap , si hears ti the next 6:5 years ????

A new one from Turkey is £1300.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WEBASTO-THERMO-TOP-PRO-90-12V-9KW-DIESEL-EBERPACHER-NARROW-BOAT-WATER-HEATER/123728916231?hash=item1cced16f07:guQAAOSwbdpWYJrV

 

[Pjj]

A new one from Turkey is £1300.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WEBASTO-THERMO-TOP-PRO-90-12V-9KW-DIESEL-EBERPACHER-NARROW-BOAT-WATER-HEATER/123728916231?hash=item1cced16f07:guQAAOSwbdpWYJrV

Yes I agree with hindsight I probably should have bought a new one compleate but it would still need fitting and setting up on the computer which  I would have had to pay fore anyway . Would there be any import duties on that ? And what about warranty ? I have 12 months warranty on parts and labour costs hopefully won’t need it but you never know .