WFP van set up - DIY STYLE

[OnlyMe]

Evening all, I’m just looking at purchasing a van. Peugeot partner.. I want to get set up with a 400l tank, pump etc. BUT as a newbie I haven’t got a clue where I would start, or what I would need to get in. Can one of you lovely chaps point me in the right direction? Would it be cheaper to do it by myself, or just get one fitted by an established company? Cheers all

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[RWCleaning]

Cool well done mate. Much cheaper D I Y! But maybe if you know a mechanic might be worth paying him £30 to bolt/screw the tank in for you. That’s the most important bit. And needs to be done properly.

The pump & controller was actually quite straight forward, I wasn’t sure either at first, but if you’re not comfortable then there’s always car electric technicians around and for them it’s a really easy straight forward job.

A guy round here he’s a old boy semi retired he did my mates battery, split relay, pump, controller all the wiring etc for like £60 

Think ive mentioned on here before I on a similar chat, but my:

500L wydale tank 

Retaining steel frame 

gardiner pump & controller 

leisure battery + split relay

GrippaTank 100m hose reel

Water proof floor paint (protecta coat)

bit of guttering to hang up poles

Came to £1100 inc vat for everything. And everything was brand new. So you can always shop around and save yourself a couple of hundred. Then obviously you’re poles & water purifying set up etc.

Buying a ready made branded delivery system you’re looking at 2K+ minimum.

Me & a mate did my van, took a afternoon to do the base coat on the paint and to dry. Then the next day did the top coat.

Then a couple of days later took a mechanic a hour for us to measure out where to put tank, drill + bolt the frame in & put the tank in. Then the next day went and got battery fitted with split charge relay from a garage. That only took 45mins or so. 

Then me and my mate spent a whole evening plumping up the pump, screwing hose reel in, and wiring up controller etc. I actually enjoyed doing it. Didn’t really know what to do at first but it’s actually fairly straight forward if you have the tools. 

So will take you a couple of day to get everything done, but saves a lot of money. 

 

[PureShine]

The bonus of the DIY systems is that if you actually build it yourself then you know how it all goes together. If you get any problems you will have a better idea of how to resolve it. If youre just starting out then id build a diy system. Once youve built up a decent customer base then it will pay for a top end one in no time.
Also in the beginning you might be better off spending any extra on marketing/advertising spend as youre going to need them customers building nicely from the start. You can always upgrade equipment as you go along.

With any van, before you buy one make sure it has the proper payload you will need for the size system you want for it. I think the partner has 2 main payloads which are 625/650 and 850kg. My van has only a 625kg payload with a 350l tank in and im very close to the weight limit. its worth making sure the van can carry all your gear and still be legal.

Its really straight forward to build a system yourself (im **** at anything diy but built my own) loads of stuff on youtube and this forum to help


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[dmw]

Evening all, I’m just looking at purchasing a van. Peugeot partner.. I want to get set up with a 400l tank, pump etc. BUT as a newbie I haven’t got a clue where I would start, or what I would need to get in. Can one of you lovely chaps point me in the right direction? Would it be cheaper to do it by myself, or just get one fitted by an established company? Cheers all
 
 
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It really depends on what what you want to spend, I bought a 500 litre double Di Grippatank crash tested system fitted on my driveway with all the bits and bats, I just fill up and go.
The reason I spent 4k was because I have an established round and needed to be up and running next day, which I was. It drives well even fully loaded, it's the 850kg Partner and is just fine.
I get the DIY builders and instant knowledge of how to fix any problems that arise, that's good.
On the rare occasion I've had an issue over the past year, the system comes with free lifetime advice backup and they've dealt with any issues straight away.
Ultimately if you're a newbie and getting a business off the ground the DIY route may suit your needs and as said you can invest in marketing with the cash, but for me this was the best way to go and I am claiming it all back off the HMRC without getting my hands dirty.
Good luck in what you do.

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[Craigmac]

Personally I was looking at this system the other day. 

https://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/compact-di-ideal-start-up-425.html

Now if @RWCleaning 's system all.in cost around £1100 then the basic setup of this system at £1300 does not seem so bad. Point to note is this is a 425l system and not 500l

 

[Nudel]

The complete ready to use budget systems are getting cheaper and better these days.

I'm all for DIY myself, and love it. When I started out I had no other option than going the cheapest possible route. If I were to start again now, with the client base I've bought and built up, I'd probably pay to fit a top of the line system. After all DIY is fun, but in reality your WFP system is just a tool that needs to work for you to earn money. And you'll make more money cleaning than fiddling with leaking couplings from eBay time and again, just to save a few quid.

I'm thinking about making a few videos to explain the basics of a DIY system, since we get this question all the time. Any interest in that?

 

[Craigmac]

The complete ready to use budget systems are getting cheaper and better these days.

I'm all for DIY myself, and love it. When I started out I had no other option than going the cheapest possible route. If I were to start again now, with the client base I've bought and built up, I'd probably pay to fit a top of the line system. After all DIY is fun, but in reality your WFP system is just a tool that needs to work for you to earn money. And you'll make more money cleaning than fiddling with leaking couplings from eBay time and again, just to save a few quid.

I'm thinking about making a few videos to explain the basics of a DIY system, since we get this question all the time. Any interest in that?

Interested 

 

[Craigmac]

https://www.thecleaningwarehouse.co.uk/water-genie-pro-lite-500l-3387-p.asp

https://www.thecleaningwarehouse.co.uk/500l-framed-budget-di-system-6379-p.asp

Plenty of choice. It only takes a few minutes to Google.

 

[P4dstar]

No one can really tell you what you need for a DIY system, every one is different. I think @Nudel has a cracking idea making a video but that will only show how to make his system, different people prefer different things. If its any help I can talk you through my system, i've just kitted out the new van so

First thing I got a tin of Protectakote. Doug at Daqua is your man for this. I stripped the ply floor out, masked it all up and painted it on. 2 coats with 24 hours to dry. Took all the plastic trim from the steps etc out so that the entire van is waterproofed. Before I painted I had my tank cage bolted to the floor.

I put some wood down and used protectakote on that to give me a point to mount my hose reel. Some people just strap them in and drop them to the floor out of the van, some have a system that the hose reel can been used by connecting to a port on the back of the van, I.E. with the van locked.... This is the sort of thing I mean when I say everyone's DIY system is different.

500L tank in and I use ratchet straps to hold it as well as the frame. A couple of little ones on top to steady it and 2 x 1 tonne straps through the hole in the tank that pin it to the floor.

John Guest connection and 1/2 inch tubing into the pump and controller, then out and into the hose reel. I bought the pump pre wired and on a board from eBay £180 if I remember correctly.

Gardiners 6mm microbore hose on an Agratti Hose reel with an EZ-snap connector to my Gardiners pole.

Paid £85 for some sign writing, £110 for a decent leisure battery, £40 for a bench charger and £50ish for a split charge relay i've never actually bothered to fit.

The problem with all these starter kits and DIY kits is they don't include a leisure battery, or a charger or ratchet straps... and so on. All these £10, £20, £50 purchases add up pretty quickly. If I said my system cost XX this would be including the little fiddly bits I needed to buy too. The problem is people say my system cost £2k lets say and then you would think a DIY set is a good deal, it isn't.

 

[Dave Shaw]

No one can really tell you what you need for a DIY system, every one is different. I think [mention=3558]Nudel[/mention] has a cracking idea making a video but that will only show how to make his system, different people prefer different things. If its any help I can talk you through my system, i've just kitted out the new van so
 
First thing I got a tin of Protectakote. Doug at Daqua is your man for this. I stripped the ply floor out, masked it all up and painted it on. 2 coats with 24 hours to dry. Took all the plastic trim from the steps etc out so that the entire van is waterproofed. Before I painted I had my tank cage bolted to the floor.
 
I put some wood down and used protectakote on that to give me a point to mount my hose reel. Some people just strap them in and drop them to the floor out of the van, some have a system that the hose reel can been used by connecting to a port on the back of the van, I.E. with the van locked.... This is the sort of thing I mean when I say everyone's DIY system is different.
 
500L tank in and I use ratchet straps to hold it as well as the frame. A couple of little ones on top to steady it and 2 x 1 tonne straps through the hole in the tank that pin it to the floor.
 
John Guest connection and 1/2 inch tubing into the pump and controller, then out and into the hose reel. I bought the pump pre wired and on a board from eBay £180 if I remember correctly.
 
Gardiners 6mm microbore hose on an Agratti Hose reel with an EZ-snap connector to my Gardiners pole.
 
Paid £85 for some sign writing, £110 for a decent leisure battery, £40 for a bench charger and £50ish for a split charge relay i've never actually bothered to fit.
 
The problem with all these starter kits and DIY kits is they don't include a leisure battery, or a charger or ratchet straps... and so on. All these £10, £20, £50 purchases add up pretty quickly. If I said my system cost XX this would be including the little fiddly bits I needed to buy too. The problem is people say my system cost £2k lets say and then you would think a DIY set is a good deal, it isn't.
 
 

The thing with a diy when you’ve not much money is that you can start off simple to keep costs down and then keep adding when you can afford it and as your business grows. Not everyone’s got £3000 or so to start with to dish out on a complete pro fitted system.


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[RWCleaning]

Yeh agreed, the professional ones look smart. But if you buy a new d.i.y system & its properly bolted in & safe. And you make it look as presentable as possible, Then I don’t see the benefit of £3000+ to buy the same thing with a name on it. 

But tbh if I had more than enough money I probably would buy the GrippaTank hot water system.

there you go, just contradicted myself in the same minute lol

 

[Craigmac]

No one can really tell you what you need for a DIY system, every one is different. I think @Nudel has a cracking idea making a video but that will only show how to make his system, different people prefer different things. If its any help I can talk you through my system, i've just kitted out the new van so

First thing I got a tin of Protectakote. Doug at Daqua is your man for this. I stripped the ply floor out, masked it all up and painted it on. 2 coats with 24 hours to dry. Took all the plastic trim from the steps etc out so that the entire van is waterproofed. Before I painted I had my tank cage bolted to the floor.

I put some wood down and used protectakote on that to give me a point to mount my hose reel. Some people just strap them in and drop them to the floor out of the van, some have a system that the hose reel can been used by connecting to a port on the back of the van, I.E. with the van locked.... This is the sort of thing I mean when I say everyone's DIY system is different.

500L tank in and I use ratchet straps to hold it as well as the frame. A couple of little ones on top to steady it and 2 x 1 tonne straps through the hole in the tank that pin it to the floor.

John Guest connection and 1/2 inch tubing into the pump and controller, then out and into the hose reel. I bought the pump pre wired and on a board from eBay £180 if I remember correctly.

Gardiners 6mm microbore hose on an Agratti Hose reel with an EZ-snap connector to my Gardiners pole.

Paid £85 for some sign writing, £110 for a decent leisure battery, £40 for a bench charger and £50ish for a split charge relay i've never actually bothered to fit.

The problem with all these starter kits and DIY kits is they don't include a leisure battery, or a charger or ratchet straps... and so on. All these £10, £20, £50 purchases add up pretty quickly. If I said my system cost XX this would be including the little fiddly bits I needed to buy too. The problem is people say my system cost £2k lets say and then you would think a DIY set is a good deal, it isn't.

This one is a plug and play. 

I suppose the only addition you would need would be sealant for the floor of the van. 

https://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/compact-di-ideal-start-up-425.html

For £1320 It does look pretty good value for money. 

Especially when you compare it to the £4k plus ones. But I am in a soft water area and would get away with just the DI setup 

 

[P4dstar]

This one is a plug and play. 

I suppose the only addition you would need would be sealant for the floor of the van. 

https://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/compact-di-ideal-start-up-425.html

For £1320 It does look pretty good value for money. 

Especially when you compare it to the £4k plus ones. But I am in a soft water area and would get away with just the DI setup 

That's a few hundred more than you can make it for DIY. It's a nice machine but realistically;

£200 Tank

£150 frame

£50 hose reel

£50 hose

£180 pump and controller

£100 battery

£50 Split charge relay

£250 pole

That said I hope to get a system like that when I reach the need for a second van, just don't see it as a good starting point for a newbie.

 

[RWCleaning]

If money was no issue, which systems would you go for? 

 

[Part Timer]

That's a few hundred more than you can make it for DIY. It's a nice machine but realistically;

£200 Tank

£150 frame

£50 hose reel

£50 hose

£180 pump and controller

£100 battery

£50 Split charge relay

£250 pole

That said I hope to get a system like that when I reach the need for a second van, just don't see it as a good starting point for a newbie.

But your tank is only strapped in, not bolted. Good luck saving money if you're unfortunately involved in a bad crash. Any money you have saved might pay for the extra medical needs you will have if you survive. 

 

[Dragbag]

This one is a plug and play. 

I suppose the only addition you would need would be sealant for the floor of the van. 

https://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/compact-di-ideal-start-up-425.html

For £1320 It does look pretty good value for money. 

Especially when you compare it to the £4k plus ones. But I am in a soft water area and would get away with just the DI setup 

 Anyone have the facelift in a citron Nemo or Peugeot bipper, would it fit?

 

[Dave B]

I have a bipper with a flat tank in but reckon one would fit

Google bipper dimensions and compare with facelift dimensions would give you an answer

 

[Robbo]

You need to see a DIY system in action and have everything explained to you, the process, the fitting etc, then YOU can decide if you want to build it, or buy a ready made system. 

Now, just by chance, Bournemouth is very nice this time of the year and if you were to bring your good lady down for a weekend break, (3 hour drive), I would be happy to spend a couple of hours with you and show you how it all works. The knowledge alone, would far outweigh the cost of some of our more seedier hotels!

I also happen to have a 350 lay flat tank with pure freedom frame for sale for the mere price of £120! Absolute bargain. 

I lived in Essex, born in Romford, lived in Wickford and Colchester, now moved to Bournemouth.

Seriously aside, the offer is open. Call me on 07850 262016. 

Robbo

PS, If you're unsure as to my credentials, RW Cleaning may vouch for me. Then again he may not!

PPS. Might even show you how to clean a window.

 

[RWCleaning]

Ah you out of prison now mate?? @Robbo

All jokes aside, @Robbo is a sound bloke. A few months ago I was after advice on a extreme pole. Peter got in contact, I popped over his & the rest is history. I’m local in Bournemouth as well, I’d be happy to pop over as well and show you my d.i.y.

 

[Robbo]

Thanks mate, yes i'm out. 3 out of 5 for good behaviour!

I took the rap for you, (passing dodgy cheques) but didn't really want to mention that on here.

So, my friend from Essex, it seems you get 2 for the price of 1. 

I wouldn't come either, based on these posts!

 

[P4dstar]

But your tank is only strapped in, not bolted. Good luck saving money if you're unfortunately involved in a bad crash. Any money you have saved might pay for the extra medical needs you will have if you survive. 

No, £150 for a frame there man. My frame is bolted to the floor and strapped in. Watched a lovely YouTube video depicting what 500L of water would do to you, basically it would push you through the engine bay!