Which van?

[Smurf]

So you must have the pump controller set quite low then @Neil

 

[Neil]

I have it at 55 mate

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[Tuffers]

How many houses is that mate?

20+

 

[Tuffers]

I have a 500ltr tank in my van smurf and on some of them jobs I take 4 extra 25ltr Jerry's just incase [emoji106]

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Yes, I have 2 barrels in the van incase of emergencies.

 

[Diwrnach]

20+

Yeah see I am doing half od that, that is enough work for one day for me lol.

 

[tench0771]

what van r u running now neil ?

 

[Neil]

what van r u running now neil ?

Got a ford transit custom now mate

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[tench0771]

nce demo has one of them they do look smart as hell ill b giving one of them a go next seem very populer indeed lets hope u have beta luck with this one neil

 

[spruce]

As a general observation, most of us went down the route of outgrowing our van's. There are certain criteria that you do need to consider when buying a van/vehicle.

For example there is a by law in Guisborough (not enforced unless neighbours complain) that Transit size vans and caravans aren't allowed to be parked on your driveway. (They can be parked in the street in front of your house though). So this would be a major consideration in choosing a van if you lived there.

IMO fuel consumption isn't a criteria to judge the size of van you need to run a successful business. If you do high mileages then you need to factor in the extra running costs (fuel, wear & tear, depreciation etc.) in your pricing structure or reduce the size of the area you work in.

For us, son and I generally work together these days, but I'm finding a SWB Citroen Relay with a 650 liter tank isn't big enough for the both of us. We don't run out of water, but I would like to invest in a gutter vac and generator to make the occassional ones we do safer as we still do clean them off ladders. I don't have space or available payload to include that on the van. We don't promote gutter clearing anymore, but the other alternative is to stop the service totally. We don't need that work as we have more than enough windows to clean.

Its not that the van is too small otherwise, but we have found that the van gets very crowded at the back doors when both of us finish at the same time to pack stuff away. I also realise that having a LWB van won't change that problem.

As your business grows you will find that you have to start concentrating your focus on one thing, ie pressure washing or window cleaning. The impression I have is that @Smurf focuses on gutter cleaning with miminal window cleaning, but he has invested in a LWB van to carry all the stuff he needs to do his job without messing on.

When we started I had a 4 year old Suzuki Carry van in immaculate condition with 19k on the clock and I bought a trailer system to suit the van. A short time after I bought the trailer, I started to struggle to make the business work around my equipment I had. Things improved when I finally bought my first Citroen Relay van when the trailer fell to pieces.

The next big issue came with water production. We had to buy an IBC tank and process water into that so keeping 2 vans supplied with daily water requirements. (Previously I processed water directly into the trailer tanks). We upgraded the membranes to 150 GPD x 3, but we quickly outgrew that and there were many days that I didn't have enough water for myself when the other 2 vans were filled. I eventually bit the bullet and setup a 4040. Now we have plenty of water.

This is why I asked @Diwrnach earlier if he had enough water for the job he was quoting on.

When I look back over the last 10 years of wfp and see how many mistakes we made and the cost, I sometimes just can't believe it.

But we did learn that as a single operator doing window cleaning full time, you need at least a 400 liter tank. Both boys have 500 liters tanks in their vans which are more than sufficient for a days work. The vans were purchased to suit the 500 liter tank, ie Peugeot Partner 800 LX and Ford Transit Connect T220 LWB. But those vans have only got room for equipment necessary for window cleaning.

 

[Neil]

nce demo has one of them they do look smart as hell ill b giving one of them a go next seem very populer indeed lets hope u have beta luck with this one neil

Yeah they are top vans , I've got free 5 year warranty , 4 years free servicing and 4 years free RAC breakdown cover [emoji106][emoji108]

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[Neil]

My Custom LWB has room for my gutter vac, carpet machine all my chemicals 500ltr tank I've got 3 wfp's but could put 8 in if I really wanted lol, di vessel and also my RO system is in there, step ladders A frame ladder 4 safety cones, I'm getting another hose feel and WFP set up for another person as well ! Can't go wrong with a LWB van [emoji106] but I do take the stuff out when I've finished and take it indoors I never keep my machines in the van when finished work [emoji108]

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[Smurf]

Right tools for the job and all that @Neil :thumbsup:

 

[Neil]

Oh and my ladders on the roof rack [emoji6]

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[cheapncheerful]

well I got banana in the car.....and norris my 18 inch...oh okay you win neil..still if it dont pass the mot on thursday....all change...

 

[Duncs]

how much weight can you put in your master

i,m carrying 1000l in my vito , going to get bigger van whats your thoughts

 

[Smurf]

Total 1.5 ton @Duncs

 

[Duncs]

so you could have 1000l smurf

 

[Neil]

Yup [emoji115][emoji115][emoji115][emoji115]

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[Smurf]

Some large jobs I do with access to an outside tap I'm now thinking instead of carrying stupid amount of water onboard I may just build myself a portable on demand 4040 ro/di system instead. In doing so I can have an endless supply of pure water onsite,

so you could have 1000l smurf

 

[Duncs]

its an idea smurf

had big job today must of used 700l

 

[Duncs]

just thinking cleaning fashias tap water would of been ok