Hot water system and tank size

Hi lads , ive been a serial lurker for over a year now , but am getting ready to take my first step and begin purchasing some equipment.

I spoke to grippatank yesterday regarding a system and got a quote on a 650 litre tank ro/di with the 9kw diesel heater as eventually the plan is to run as a two man operation, this came in at around 10 grand.

My question is in your experiences is it worth having the heated water ? I know it has some value for first cleans , but if i could save my self the best part of 3 and half grand , well that would be grand...

Also regarding tank size is 650 enough / to much or about right ? I have a renault trafic that i lease and the payload is just over a ton and when speaking to grippatank their opinion was that it would be legal with tank equipment , passengers etc ...

Another thing i would like to ask is lisa at grippatank who i spoke to said i would need some poles and brushes (obviously) and put a clx 18 and a slx 30 onto the quotation , are these about the right size , are they good poles ?

Sorry for all the questions , and im sure these have beem answered before but needs must and i want to get it right first time.

Finally this whole adventure has been a long time coming for me , and to be honest im bricking it leaving the comfort of paye employment but twenty years of shifts have finally worn me down, and i dont want to be saying what if twenty years down the line ..

Thanks in advance for any responses

All the best

Nick

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Hi and welcome, myself personally I would build a DIY system and save thousands. Concerning hot water you can get by without it just fine. And think long and hard before giving up your PAYE job, as its not that easy to start making decent money in this business and will take allot of time and patience to succeed.

If you do go for it make sure you have savings to see you through for at least 6 months minimum to keep you going while you get customers and build your new business. 

A 350 litre tank is just the right size for a sole trader in my opinion. I will have a full WFP system up for sale soon bar the water purification side of things that's not seen much use that would save you thousands and would get you started in the business. Drop me a PM if your interested. 

Whatever you do, good luck 

Cheers

Cristian 

£10,000 [emoji23] [emoji23], I have been window cleaning for almost 18 years and I wouldn't spend 10k of a system.

Also check with the lease company that you will be allowed to have a tank fitted. A lease vehicle needs to be returned in tip top condition near enough and holes in the floor or chassis won't go down to well when undergoes the inspection at the defleet depot.

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Cheers for the replies lads , i appreciate that it is a lot of money for what in essence is a tank , pump a couple of resin columns and some hoses , but reading through posts on here ive picked up conflicting stories .

One group of people are saying to be fully compliant with the law the tank needs to be fixed to the floor , have an engineers report for insurance purposes etc etc whilst the others are saying go diy save the money to which the people in the first camp are saying your leaving yourself open to litigation should you have an accident ? Bit confused [emoji54]...

With regards to the vehicle this is something i hadnt thought of and will have to check with the lease company , does this mean that if i went down the diy route that the tank would be just held down with ratchet straps ?

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Their ain't no law in the land that says you need to bolt a water tank in. The only company I know of asking for a engineers report is Alexander Swan which is connected to a big supplier ionics.

And providing your insurer is made fully aware of your intentions with regards to the size of the tank etc that they would deem acceptable, then once you intend to proceed inform your insurance company and get the green light from them. And they will note it on their system.

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While 10000£ is a lot, it's not really that excessive when you get proper equipment that will last for years, and with excellent customer service. Yes, I am a die-hard DIY proponent, but as the business grows I realise time is better spent making money cleaning windows than twiddling with gear to save a few pounds. I still fiddle and DIY, but that is because it is my favorite part of the job.

But I'd suggest you start out small, in the spirit of @CleanerWindows and his brilliant Windymobile. Splurging on a brand new van system before you have any customers is a bit daft in my opinion.

Get an assortment of trad tools, build yourself a simple WFP trolley, get a DI and start canvassing. When you have cleaned for a while you find out what kind of approach you like, what kind of tools that are great and how large a WFP system you like/need. Better this way than buying the "best of the best" most expensive equipment, only to find out your shoulder acts up and you can't clean windows full time after all.

Regarding fitting the tank to the van, most of us here just want you to be safe. Your life is more important to us, than you saving a few pounds on a proper tank installation, that is all.

Nudel unfortunately the windymobile isn't mine but nevertheless I was impressed

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 you don’t have to have hot water but it does make life a lot easier in the winter hoses are nice and supple first cleans and plastics are a doddle it’s a nice to have not an essential but I wouldn’t be with out hot now . When I was working on my own I would use 500-650 ltr per day personally don’t think anything under 400 is worth having , I know some will say they work all day on 350 all I will say is they arnt doing much work 

poles Gardiner poles are very good six poles are a good carbon pole ,size will depend on the height of your work 

grippatank are good quality systems I have there 9kw boiler on my system and it’s an exelent piece of kit if you can afford it go for it if not it can be added later 

Oliver is very knowledgeable and won’t try and sell you something just for a sale 

Dear god I nearly choked . £10000. Never mind saving 3.5 k .save 9 k and Fit it your self  get a mate to help you if your not too good at diy .it really is not difficult . Hot water is not needed at all . 

Iron Giant said:

Their ain't no law in the land that says you need to bolt a water tank in. The only company I know of asking for a engineers report is Alexander Swan which is connected to a big supplier ionics.

And providing your insurer is made fully aware of your intentions with regards to the size of the tank etc that they would deem acceptable, then once you intend to proceed inform your insurance company and get the green light from them. And they will note it on their system.

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A lot if insurance companys will say you are coverd but get them to put that in writing , I tried that with a properly fitted system and they would not put it in writing just said I was a window cleaner on the policy they would not put water tank on the policy, so just be careful I have been with Alexander swan for many years now and find them very good everything is in writing and should the worst happen I know Ime coverd , also have an agreed valuation so in the event of the vehicle being written off I will get what it’s insured for not trade or secondhand value insurance is a minefield they are keen to take your money but not so keen when there is a claim looming 

i had several insurance company’s want to see an engineers report when I was shopping around for quotes cannot remember the names but when I stressed to them that I wanted it insured with a water tank most wanted one , if I just said I was a window cleaner  they didn’t ask many questions , I assumed they thought I was using ladders , so just make sure you are insured for what you think you are as it’s to late after an accident if they refuse to pay out or sirs still accuse you of not declaring a vehicle modification which a water tank is 

Pjj said:

 
 
 
 
A lot if insurance companys will say you are coverd but get them to put that in writing , I tried that with a properly fitted system and they would not put it in writing just said I was a window cleaner on the policy they would not put water tank on the policy, so just be careful I have been with Alexander swan for many years now and find them very good everything is in writing and should the worst happen I know Ime coverd , also have an agreed valuation so in the event of the vehicle being written off I will get what it’s insured for not trade or secondhand value insurance is a minefield they are keen to take your money but not so keen when there is a claim looming 
i had several insurance company’s want to see an engineers report when I was shopping around for quotes cannot remember the names but when I stressed to them that I wanted it insured with a water tank most wanted one , if I just said I was a window cleaner  they didn’t ask many questions , I assumed they thought I was using ladders , so just make sure you are insured for what you think you are as it’s to late after an accident if they refuse to pay out or sirs still accuse you of not declaring a vehicle modification which a water tank is 

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Hence I said to make insurance company fully aware, I was using a trolley system out of a car over 6 years ago once I got a L200 I phoned the insurance company to make them aware of my intentions to strap a tank in the back in the near future straight off they said no chance as it would invalidate my policy.

At that point I had to find a insurance company who would be willing to cover me and at the time A Plan were the only broker who could organise me insurance.


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Cheers for the replies lads, plenty of food for thought there ...

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Just confirmed with lease company that i am ok to bolt system to subframe but have decided to stay with grippa tank but maybe add the hot water at a later date which lowers the initial outlay considerably , thanks for all the help guys ... im sure ill be bending your ear again in the near future

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Give me half that and ill do it !

spenco said:

Just confirmed with lease company that i am ok to bolt system to subframe but have decided to stay with grippa tank but maybe add the hot water at a later date which lowers the initial outlay considerably , thanks for all the help guys ... im sure ill be bending your ear again in the near future

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The cleaning warehouse do wfp systems, fitted, for a fair bit less than that, and it's all bolted in, I'd give them a buzz for a quote, see what they say.

Ok mate thanks very much for letting us know about that , does anyone have opinions on pure freedom systems ? And what sort of money they come in at as their just down the road from me in grimsby ...

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Had one, hot water system, for 7 years no major problems

Do you mind me asking what sort of price that was ?

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Genuinely can't remember, bought van, hot water system, insurance etc etc. Got a figure of £9k in the back of my mind but this included booster pump, trolley and 3 poles, one of which was a 45' which was circa £1100

Ok thanks for that [emoji106]

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Ring them, they are very helpful. However don't buy the resin from them though  :1f602: