Questions from a Potential Cleaner

Hi all,

I am a university student in my second year, and have been offered a fairly good placement (60 hours a week) and the chance to return after completing university. However, I dislike working for other people and would much rather create something for myself and window cleaning had peaked my interest.

I live in an area with a high amount of wealthy elderly people and not too much competition and I’m confident I could build a strong company (I’m motivated to put in the hours if it’s my own company). 

I just had a few questions if you guys could help answer any of them:

1. Is a van setup needed straight away - and what is included in this setup and rough costings

2. Is there any difficult trying to sign elderly up to direct debit payments (struggle/ mistrust of technology)

3.what pricing strategy would you suggest using - how much is a realistic amount to earn a week once fully set up

4. How long does it take to learn the basics

5. In terms of weather, what do you do in the event the weather is too bad to clean in terms of scheduling

6. How do you schedule / plan your route and customers timetable 

7. How many cleans would you aim for in a day

I am confident and get on well with people and am not afraid to drum up business I feel I would be well suited to this profession and giving it a shot. Aside from the question answers would love any other tips as well, thank you!

Open YouTube up   Search  Window cleaning van mounts , pricing , and everything else you want to find out , it’s all out there , ,   Search the topics On here, you’ll find all the answers you’ll need anal 

You probably would benefit from reading through threads here, all your questions could be answered individually in much more detail.

Most of your questions can't really be answered with one answer, however the ones that can:

No, you don't need a van set up straight away. I've found elderly people usually prefer paying by cash. You can learn the basics in a day. 

Like I said all the other stuff is up to you really. Why did you go to Uni if you had no intentions of working for someone?

My answer to question 1 is if you're targeting elderly wealthy patrons then I would look to buy a very professional set up. This can be done for around £15k, depending on van size etc. 

Question 3, you need to do your homework. Wage wise I live in an area that isn't affluent and I can earn £800+ a week so you should be able to double it. This is as a one man band. 

Question 4, even a numpty can learn this in an hour, many hours to master it though. 

Question 5, it would have to be bad not to and by the time you get busy enough to worry about missing the odd day then you should've worked this out yourself. 

Question 6, again once you're busy then you'll have learnt how to schedule etc. 

Question 7, enough to earn your daily target, be it 2 mansions or 25 1 bed apartments. 

The only 2 tips I would give are, class every clean as your first clean because in a lot of your customers eyes you're only as good as your last clean. Eat sleep and drink the job in your early stages as this will enable you to get established quickly, assuming your area is as you have described. 

R wcs said:

Open YouTube up   Search  Window cleaning van mounts , pricing , and everything else you want to find out , it’s all out there , ,   Search the topics On here, you’ll find all the answers you’ll need anal 

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Will have a look around thanks for the reply 

Joshyouare said:

You probably would benefit from reading through threads here, all your questions could be answered individually in much more detail.

Most of your questions can't really be answered with one answer, however the ones that can:

No, you don't need a van set up straight away. I've found elderly people usually prefer paying by cash. You can learn the basics in a day. 

Like I said all the other stuff is up to you really. Why did you go to Uni if you had no intentions of working for someone?

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Thanks for the insight, and good question. I always had the drive and motivation to create something for myself and good business knowledge but never had a specific skill or business idea so just thought it best to get a degree and learns some skills in the mean time really. 

Part Timer said:

My answer to question 1 is if you're targeting elderly wealthy patrons then I would look to buy a very professional set up. This can be done for around £15k, depending on van size etc. 

Question 3, you need to do your homework. Wage wise I live in an area that isn't affluent and I can earn £800+ a week so you should be able to double it. This is as a one man band. 

Question 4, even a numpty can learn this in an hour, many hours to master it though. 

Question 5, it would have to be bad not to and by the time you get busy enough to worry about missing the odd day then you should've worked this out yourself. 

Question 6, again once you're busy then you'll have learnt how to schedule etc. 

Question 7, enough to earn your daily target, be it 2 mansions or 25 1 bed apartments. 

The only 2 tips I would give are, class every clean as your first clean because in a lot of your customers eyes you're only as good as your last clean. Eat sleep and drink the job in your early stages as this will enable you to get established quickly, assuming your area is as you have described. 

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Very useful insight here thank you very much 

Cleaningsouth said:

1. Is a van setup needed straight away - and what is included in this setup and rough costings

4. How long does it take to learn the basics

5. In terms of weather, what do you do in the event the weather is too bad to clean in terms of scheduling

6. How do you schedule / plan your route and customers timetable 

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I'm still new to this myself but will answer the best I can on my limited experience..

1) No. Many of us just use a sack truck, a tank full of pure water (this is totally different from tap water which leaves stains / streaks) and a water fed pole (referred to as WFP). You could go traditional (trad) with a applicator and squeegee though.. The tank obviously needs an electric powered pump. You can make a DIY trolley or you can dive in and use a Back Pack from Gardiner Pole Systems - https://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk The back poack holds 22L, has hours of battery life on a single charge and can pump along 20m of hose if memory serves. You won't want to carry 22Kg (1L water = 1Kg approx) of water on your back though as it's simply too heavy hence we use a sack truck EDIT: Gardiner site says it's 8KG dry so it's actually 30Kg when full. You'll also want a pole from Gardiner if you're going the WFP method. Do a google image search for "wfp trolley" to see what i'm talking about - you'll see DIY versions there.

Be warned, if you go the trolley method (which can see you in business for under £400) many windys here will slate it saying it's a waste of time etc. Odd thing is that many van-mount based windys will then say they keep a back pack in the van for terraced houses etc. In other words don't be put off. Sure it's a bit slower than using a van with a long hose but it's money coming in.

Darren from Green Pro Ltd started off with the cheapest way with trad method and had to borrow a ladder to get himself started so it CAN be done. If you prefer the traditional method then that might be your best way in.

4) Can you move your arms up and down repeatedly? - can you fill a tank / bucket with water?

WFP is easy enough. You kinda have to get the hang of extending your pole comfortably (I move mine up and down vertically). Scrub, rinse, leave to dry. Trad is a bit more complex but still easy enough compared to rocket science.

5) You're working with wet water man! Man up! Many windys work in wind / rain especially up north where they have no real choice to earn their crust. Ultimately though if you're like me yesterday and don't like the rain, don't go out. I should have, i just kinda couldn't be phased when i've got a bad tummy...

6) Whatever works for you. Many customers won't even be there - they're just happy for you to turn up, clean, let yourself in through the gate to the rear, clean and then invoice them.

Tango said:

I'm still new to this myself but will answer the best I can on my limited experience..

1) No. Many of us just use a sack truck, a tank full of pure water (this is totally different from tap water which leaves stains / streaks) and a water fed pole (referred to as WFP). You could go traditional (trad) with a applicator and squeegee though.. The tank obviously needs an electric powered pump. You can make a DIY trolley or you can dive in and use a Back Pack from Gardiner Pole Systems - https://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk The back poack holds 22L, has hours of battery life on a single charge and can pump along 20m of hose if memory serves. You won't want to carry 22Kg (1L water = 1Kg approx) of water on your back though as it's simply too heavy hence we use a sack truck EDIT: Gardiner site says it's 8KG dry so it's actually 30Kg when full. You'll also want a pole from Gardiner if you're going the WFP method. Do a google image search for "wfp trolley" to see what i'm talking about - you'll see DIY versions there.

Be warned, if you go the trolley method (which can see you in business for under £400) many windys here will slate it saying it's a waste of time etc. Odd thing is that many van-mount based windys will then say they keep a back pack in the van for terraced houses etc. In other words don't be put off. Sure it's a bit slower than using a van with a long hose but it's money coming in.

Darren from Green Pro Ltd started off with the cheapest way with trad method and had to borrow a ladder to get himself started so it CAN be done. If you prefer the traditional method then that might be your best way in.

4) Can you move your arms up and down repeatedly? - can you fill a tank / bucket with water?

WFP is easy enough. You kinda have to get the hang of extending your pole comfortably (I move mine up and down vertically). Scrub, rinse, leave to dry. Trad is a bit more complex but still easy enough compared to rocket science.

5) You're working with wet water man! Man up! Many windys work in wind / rain especially up north where they have no real choice to earn their crust. Ultimately though if you're like me yesterday and don't like the rain, don't go out. I should have, i just kinda couldn't be phased when i've got a bad tummy...

6) Whatever works for you. Many customers won't even be there - they're just happy for you to turn up, clean, let yourself in through the gate to the rear, clean and then invoice them.

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Very good knowledge cheers for the answers! Does pure water have to be used for trad cleans? If I did it I’d probably offer trad and wfp with a preference to wfp. There is a ‘spotless water’ filling station near me, would you recommend I use this or buy the equipment to purify my own? 

Ill likely not be able to afford a van when beginning, I have a car though if the equipment will fit in there?

also in regards to the weather question, I’m happy to work in whatever! Just seen a few people say you shouldn’t wash in the pouring rain because quality suffers? 

Many thanks 

Cleaningsouth said:

Very good knowledge cheers for the answers! Does pure water have to be used for trad cleans? If I did it I’d probably offer trad and wfp with a preference to wfp. There is a ‘spotless water’ filling station near me, would you recommend I use this or buy the equipment to purify my own? 

Ill likely not be able to afford a van when beginning, I have a car though if the equipment will fit in there?

also in regards to the weather question, I’m happy to work in whatever! Just seen a few people say you shouldn’t wash in the pouring rain because quality suffers? 

Many thanks 

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Trad cleans use soapy water. Wash all over like a plate / bowl in the sink and get it nice and soapy then scrape it off downwards leaving it clean and dry.  Downside to trad is you need a ladder and a head for heights but it's cheap to get into compared to WFP. Plenty of examples of that on youtube.

Not used spotless but if they came here I would. It's more expensive per litre than other places but it's PAYG and no steep monthly subscriptions like other suppliers. Of course you'll also need to have something to store / carry your water in so plastic water barrels from ebay are a must. I bought 6 25L barrels for £28 - slightly more than the white ones cos they're blue lol. That's 150L of storage plus the back pack's 22 - 172L when I fill up.

How longs a piece of string? No seriously, what car do you have? I got a CLX-27 pole which is 1.85m in length when closed EDIT: Sorry just noticed on Gardiner site it's 1.56m -so it's not going in a mini. I drive a vaux Astra though so what I do is to lift up a rear headrest, slide my pole in between the headrest poles and then into the headrest on the front passenger seat. That way any sudden braking means the brush head will secure the pole against the rear head rest, it won't go flying forward and it's also secured against slipping sideways.. The barrels I keep in the boot (along with the puddles when they overflow when i'm refilling lol) and my other stuff like the trolley goes on the back seat. The back pack goes in the rear footwell so it's cushioned by the rear seat and the back of the front seat. I've still got to work out where the hell to store a step ladder... 

I've seen just as many windys say rain doesn't matter. My missus today tried to tell me rain is filthy yet she can't explain why the windows take 6 weeks to need a clean again lol.

Tango said:

Trad cleans use soapy water. Wash all over like a plate / bowl in the sink and get it nice and soapy then scrape it off downwards leaving it clean and dry.  Downside to trad is you need a ladder and a head for heights but it's cheap to get into compared to WFP. Plenty of examples of that on youtube.

Not used spotless but if they came here I would. It's more expensive per litre than other places but it's PAYG and no steep monthly subscriptions like other suppliers. Of course you'll also need to have something to store / carry your water in so plastic water barrels from ebay are a must. I bought 6 25L barrels for £28 - slightly more than the white ones cos they're blue lol. That's 150L of storage plus the back pack's 22 - 172L when I fill up.

How longs a piece of string? No seriously, what car do you have? I got a CLX-27 pole which is 1.85m in length when closed EDIT: Sorry just noticed on Gardiner site it's 1.56m -so it's not going in a mini. I drive a vaux Astra though so what I do is to lift up a rear headrest, slide my pole in between the headrest poles and then into the headrest on the front passenger seat. That way any sudden braking means the brush head will secure the pole against the rear head rest, it won't go flying forward and it's also secured against slipping sideways.. The barrels I keep in the boot (along with the puddles when they overflow when i'm refilling lol) and my other stuff like the trolley goes on the back seat. The back pack goes in the rear footwell so it's cushioned by the rear seat and the back of the front seat. I've still got to work out where the hell to store a step ladder... 

I've seen just as many windys say rain doesn't matter. My missus today tried to tell me rain is filthy yet she can't explain why the windows take 6 weeks to need a clean again lol.

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I drive a 1.2 2006 VW Polo so I think it would be a tight squeeze, been watching a few YouTube videos this weekend learning some techniques, pricing, methods etc from green pro and kye ninja cleaner both seem knowledgable. 

At the risk of sounding very stupid, how do you go about hooking the WFP up to the water is that what the backpack on the trolley is for?? So id carry the barrels in the car, then fill the backpack with water from a barrel somehow, then the pile is connected to the backpack and a pump is used as well, and this makes the system portable? 

Just slightly confused when you see some guys with the tank in the actual van and the wfp connected to that, I’m wondering how they get to the backs of the house?

Sorry if these are very basic or even stupid questions just trying to piece the process out in my mind.

cheers!

Cleaningsouth said:

At the risk of sounding very stupid, how do you go about hooking the WFP up to the water is that what the backpack on the trolley is for?? So id carry the barrels in the car, then fill the backpack with water from a barrel somehow, then the pile is connected to the backpack and a pump is used as well, and this makes the system portable? 

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Eseentially yes. The backpack will contain the battery & the pump. You connect your WFP pole hose to the hose coming out of the backpack.

Cleaningsouth said:

Just slightly confused when you see some guys with the tank in the actual van and the wfp connected to that, I’m wondering how they get to the backs of the house?

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I have 100m of hose on a reel mounted in the back of my van. I just reel this out as far as is necessary.
 

Cleaningsouth said:

I drive a 1.2 2006 VW Polo so I think it would be a tight squeeze

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Very tight!

What I do is keep my pole between the rear and front headrests on the passenger side. The pole sits on the top of the seat with the brush on the parcel shelf and literally goes between the two poles of each head rest. The downside is that it's a bigger car than a Polo and I also lose passenger carrying abilities unless I take it back out (along with the back pack which sits in the rear footwell - not the seat or it will leave it's shape in the seat). Water barrels consume the boot and I only take those out in cold weather to stop them freezing, splitting and flooding the back of the car. That means I only have the car cabin for the back pack and pole. I'm not saying you can't do it in a polo but test it first. Grab yourself a broom handle, check the length of it and then experiment with fitting it in the car safely and conveniently. If it's shorter than the pole you want to buy then clearly you'll need to add that on to the broom handle either by taping another object to it or using a tape measure etc.

Cleaningsouth said:

been watching a few YouTube videos this weekend learning some techniques, pricing, methods etc from green pro

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@Green Pro Clean Ltd / Daz is a legend. I was feeling a bit grim when my flyers didn't get me much work so did what he said in one of his videos - "chapping" (door knocking). What a boost I got from that!!! People actually say yes! If you got your tank and pole with you (which I do take with me) then it's pretty much instant cash. Gotta hand it to the fella, his video completely turned me around! Thanks Green!

Cleaningsouth said:

At the risk of sounding very stupid, how do you go about hooking the WFP up to the water is that what the backpack on the trolley is for?? So id carry the barrels in the car, then fill the backpack with water from a barrel somehow, then the pile is connected to the backpack and a pump is used as well, and this makes the system portable? 

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Simple! You got:

• Trolley / Sack truck (and bungee cords to strap the back pack on)
  
• Back pack with just over 1m of hose (which contains battery and pump - if you DIY your own tank then you'd need to buy a battery and pump)
  
• Pole
  
• Not enough hose on back pack
  
• More hose - that you connect to back pack
  

So when ordering the pole / back pack, order 10m / 15m/ 20m of hose (I'd say 15 - they say 20m is the max to use with the BP so you don't want to take chances of wearing out the pump). Also make sure you order with ez snap male / female connectors which means Gardiner will fit them for you before sending. Oh and order some of those 8mm plastic hose connectors: https://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/push-fit-8mm-to-8mm-straight-connector-in-black.html

They're incredibly versatile. If you need to rig up another bit of kit all it needs is the hose - and you can connect using that without requiring anymore ez-snaps. The ez's are going to be more robust and the plastic fittings will have a shorter life but they're cheap enough that you can order 5 of them as spares to keep you going when you're starting out. It'll also let you go "tubeless" a lot easier - disconnecting the pole from the hose so you don't need to carry the pole AND hose in one hand (a slight pain when there's loads of hose). When you got enough spare cash, go with ez-snap connectors, until then those plastic fittings are great.

As for filling the back pack from the barrels, there's only one real way - pick up and pour in. I got 25L barrels and yes they're heavy but you can buy smaller ones (i might convert to these myself). You could get a pump instead and pump out from the barrels into your BP to save your back but it's extra cash. IF you can lay your hands on the extra wonga then do it.

As for van mounts, long hose is the way. I dread to think how terraced houses work with that in winter though hence I reckon the back pack really is a great option.

Oh and no risk of sounding stupid man, that's what this forum is for - trading help / advice / tips / etc

Backpacks are good as s start off and for the occasional window round the back of a house with access issues but using it as a main water supply it’s a very slow way of working , van mount is the only way to go if you want to work full time and earn decent money , I know some on hear will disagree but I have been there and done both , you will find very quickly that you are making the job very hard just using a back pack , as I say it’s a very useful thing to have , but look at getting a van mount once you start to get customers . 

Also so working out of a car doesn’t look very professional, and could also be dangerous in the event of an accident with all that in restrained kit flying forward and hitting you 

Tango said:

As for van mounts, long hose is the way. I dread to think how terraced houses work with that in winter though hence I reckon the back pack really is a great option.

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I assume you mean the backs of terraced housing...

Some have a rear access driveway. Some you can only access via the front door, for these I'll just carry my backpack and WFP through the house (I do try to avoid cleaning the backs where I can  since they can be a right pain! Make sure you charge quite a bit extra for this service!)

Also you say you are working out of you car - and here's the real bummer for you - you now need different insurance for your vehicle , weather it's part time, just starting out whatever.  You are using it for commercial gain, you must change your policy to business use. Simple as that. Your current policy will be Domestic and leisure only no doubt.   

Anyone that argues and says 'blag it' is a mug.  The plod aint stupid, if they see you at it they will pull you if they run your plate.  Happened to a lad here, he was Social, Domestic, Pleasure, the collared him, 3 points, £200 fine for no insurance, impounded vehicle which was another £120 to get out not to mention lost time. 

Sorry to be a downer. 

Pjj said:

Backpacks are good as s start off and for the occasional window round the back of a house with access issues but using it as a main water supply it’s a very slow way of working , van mount is the only way to go if you want to work full time and earn decent money , I know some on hear will disagree but I have been there and done both , you will find very quickly that you are making the job very hard just using a back pack , as I say it’s a very useful thing to have , but look at getting a van mount once you start to get customers . 

Also so working out of a car doesn’t look very professional, and could also be dangerous in the event of an accident with all that in restrained kit flying forward and hitting you 

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Well i'm happy working with the BP. Yes it is a bit of a faff unloading from the car and setting up the trolley etc... but that's life.

As for the unsecured kit... I did say the pole is secured between two head rests. The BP is behind a seat in the footwell. The trolley is the only loose thing.. but again.. it's behind the passenger seat. The barrels in the boot could be an issue but 60/40 seats are tested hard by car manufacturers to ensure they can withstand as much force as possible. As for professional.. have you ever seen a window cleaner wearing a shirt and tie? Back pack on a trolley is fine. Customers want the job done. I've yet to have one tell me what equipment they'd prefer me to use.

Cookie said:

I assume you mean the backs of terraced housing...

Some have a rear access driveway. Some you can only access via the front door, for these I'll just carry my backpack and WFP through the house (I do try to avoid cleaning the backs where I can  since they can be a right pain! Make sure you charge quite a bit extra for this service!)

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Yes - backs of terraced and yes those with no rear access lol. Did one the other day where to get round the back I had to trundle all the way round the houses.. urgh.. but £15 is £15... not that she's paid it yet lol.

Green Pro Clean Ltd said:

Also you say you are working out of you car - and here's the real bummer for you - you now need different insurance for your vehicle , weather it's part time, just starting out whatever.  You are using it for commercial gain, you must change your policy to business use. Simple as that. Your current policy will be Domestic and leisure only no doubt.   

Anyone that argues and says 'blag it' is a mug.  The plod aint stupid, if they see you at it they will pull you if they run your plate.  Happened to a lad here, he was Social, Domestic, Pleasure, the collared him, 3 points, £200 fine for no insurance, impounded vehicle which was another £120 to get out not to mention lost time. 

Sorry to be a downer. 

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Not sure if that was aimed at me... but if it was..The only time I don't have business use is when I'm unemployed. At all other times when I am employed (such as now - where I have a weekend job elsewhere) I've made sure I have business use as you need it to cover commuting to / from work (bet you didn't know that eh?!). Social and domestic can actually see you fined if you're using it for work commutes although the police rarely enforce that. I have a friend who works in motor insurance (previously an underwriter he now works in fraud) - known him for years and picked up a lot from him. I did once get tugged by the police once when i bought a car, fuzz was insistent I wasn't insured, I had to explain to him how adding a 2nd car to a policy on a temporary basis works which he'd never heard of.. and several other things. He ended up letting me go - not often that happens when they tug you for no insurance.

In short, I'm not the idiot I present myself as. I've seen a lot of nasty **** in life, I've been through a lot of nasty ****. I've learnt a lot from what I've experienced and I'm slightly more prepared for the gremlins that come my way than many people.

On the "the plod ain't stupid" comment, the onus is of course on them to prove several aspects first. I won't list them here or how to defend against them as I don't want to encourage rule breaking but it would be quite easy for those who can think in technicality ways.

Tango said:

Well i'm happy working with the BP. Yes it is a bit of a faff unloading from the car and setting up the trolley etc... but that's life.

As for the unsecured kit... I did say the pole is secured between two head rests. The BP is behind a seat in the footwell. The trolley is the only loose thing.. but again.. it's behind the passenger seat. The barrels in the boot could be an issue but 60/40 seats are tested hard by car manufacturers to ensure they can withstand as much force as possible.

Yes - backs of terraced and yes those with no rear access lol. Did one the other day where to get round the back I had to trundle all the way round the houses.. urgh.. but £15 is £15... not that she's paid it yet lol.

The only time I don't have business use is when I'm unemployed. At all other times when I am employed (such as now - where I have a weekend job elsewhere) I've made sure I have business use as you need it to cover commuting to / from work (bet you didn't know that eh?!). Social and domestic can actually see you fined if you're using it for work commutes although the police rarely enforce that. I have a friend who works in motor insurance (previously an underwriter he now works in fraud) - known him for years and picked up a lot from him. I did once get tugged by the police once when i bought a car, fuzz was insistent I wasn't insured, I had to explain to him how adding a 2nd car to a policy on a temporary basis works which he'd never heard of.. and several other things. He ended up letting me go - not often that happens when they tug you for no insurance.

In short, I'm not the idiot I present myself as. I've seen a lot of nasty **** in life, I've been through a lot of nasty ****. I've learnt a lot from what I've experienced and I'm slightly more prepared for the gremlins that come my way than many people.

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Having been in the Fireservice for 30 years I have seen many accidents where people have been killed by flying objects coming from the boot area of a vehicle , if you think the back seats are going to stop barrels of water you are very mistaken , there was a window cleaner killed buy a small tank that was ratchet strapped into a van without a bulk head the straps and floor mounting points gave way in the accident and the tank came  Into the front of the van crushing him to death all this happened at under 30 mph impact . If cleaning a few windows and earning a very small amount of money doing it like this is what you want to do then crack on , but just think about your family and friends , and the effect it would have on them , also the accident doesn’t need to be your fault it could be someone else who causes it . 

As I said originally backpacks have there place but to run a successful and profitable buisness they and the family car are not suitable option , but could get you started and be used for  a short time although the safety aspect should not be overlooked , 

Tango said:

Not sure if that was aimed at me

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Stay off the grass....makes you paranoid... comment is aimed at anyone needing advice starting out. 

Tango said:

(bet you didn't know that eh?!).

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Next time you want to bet on what I don't know in relation to small business and in particular service based business be sure to do so with expendable income as your losses on that aren't tax deductible. 

 

Pjj said:

Having been in the Fireservice for 30 years I have seen many accidents where people have been killed by flying objects coming from the boot area of a vehicle , if you think the back seats are going to stop barrels of water you are very mistaken , there was a window cleaner killed buy a small tank that was ratchet strapped into a van without a bulk head the straps and floor mounting points gave way in the accident and the tank came  Into the front of the van crushing him to death all this happened at under 30 mph impact . If cleaning a few windows and earning a very small amount of money doing it like this is what you want to do then crack on , but just think about your family and friends , and the effect it would have on them , also the accident doesn’t need to be your fault it could be someone else who causes it . 

As I said originally backpacks have there place but to run a successful and profitable buisness they and the family car are not suitable option , but could get you started and be used for  a short time although the safety aspect should not be overlooked , 

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I'm certainly not knocking the van mount way of doing things - far from it. However as a newbie myself, the BP and car is the most suitable way to get into WC. I'm not overly enthusiastic about carrying barrels in the boot but it does the job. Your van example isn't the greatest though - big difference between a ratchet mounted tank in a van and a few barrels in the boot. Granted yes they're bloody heavy and I wouldn't want to test the seats ability to hold them in a crash (nor would i want to trust them) but it's an imperfect world unfortunately however I will agree that there's no need to carry all the barrels at one time. Anyone holding a tank in a van with a ratchet strap is an idiot. Mind you, a tank bolted to the floor is only as good as the rusty chassis underneath that it's bolted to - or more specifically the chassis with the rear bolts. In fact it could be argued that a 350 - 500L tank of water is going to be more dangerous than a few barrels - I'm not so sure i'd trust a tank bolted to a flimsy metal chassis at all if i'm honest - bulkhead or not. I've dismantled a couple of cars over the years and the chassis on those were 1mm thick (max) sheet steel that had been folded to form box sections. No idea about vans but if its the same them a 500L tank would rip bolts up through those sheet steel columns easily in a crash. Large washers might dampen that force and even hold it in place but that vans days of carrying water would be done with a weakened chassis.

For people like me, the BP and barrels are a necessary tool. As and when i can I will look at the van setup but that's a way off yet.

@Green Pro Clean Ltd sorry fella, the previous two replies quoted me, i wasn't sure if you were joining in or talking to the op lol. As for the grass, I did wonder about whether i should be on / off it the other day when it rained and i was dragging my trolley across someones rear lawn lol. In the end i just carried on across it.. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnFyMqPER3g professional fitted systems are typically crash tested such as in this video 

Iron Giant said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnFyMqPER3g professional fitted systems are typically crash tested such as in this video 

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Only issue I personally have with that testing ,  you have a head on  collision with another motor doing 30mph that’s double that impact,  like some of the lads comments , tank fitting is only as good as the chassis

R wcs said:

Only issue I personally have with that testing ,  you have a head on  collision with another motor doing 30mph that’s double that impact,  like some of the lads comments , tank fitting is only as good as the chassis

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Buy a decent van and look for after it, bolts and spreader plates with all the appropriate fittings for the tank size fitted by a professional is better than a fools hope and ratchet straps ?