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Newbie Not getting a few things...Derrr :)

Baldmonkey

Well-known member
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709
Location
Uk
Hi All

Nice to be in the forumn and thanks for the add. Im in the fortunate position at the moment were i have some money spare to buy a van, kit it out and start a wfp cleaning round. Im of reasonable intelligence (??) but im struggling to understand a few things before i commence my van build.

First one is, why do a lot of prebuilt systems come with all the ro/filteration fitted so you have to carry it all round all day, Would it be easier to have all that in the garage and simply pipe to the tank each evening/morning?

Am i right in thinking the better tds read you have after you filter/ro system the less resin your system will use? and just using pure di resin without ro will use loads?

i will be using a hot water setup and wondered if it would be more practical to have a spare wheel/underbelly lpg tank fitted so i can fill up at petrol stations etc with the cheaper auto gas lpg.

lastly, who favours external hose connections and lift reel in and out or roller mounted holes in floor/sides

really appreciate your time and help, thanks guys

 
If you have room to produce and store your water, usually garage or outside shed, then that is the best and cheapest way to do it. All you need then is a delivery unit in your van, this saves you carrying dead weight around and it is easier to service your R/O. I assume you live in a hard water area. . 

 
If you have room to produce and store your water, usually garage or outside shed, then that is the best and cheapest way to do it. All you need then is a delivery unit in your van, this saves you carrying dead weight around and it is easier to service your R/O. I assume you live in a hard water area. . 


firstly part timer thank you for taking the time to reply, im not sure about the water yet as im waiting on my tds meter but from drinking it im surprised rocks dont come through the tap.

if it is very hard would more pre filtering help the ro and di?

cheers pal

 
Am i right in thinking the better tds read you have after you filter/ro system the less resin your system will use? and just using pure di resin without ro will use loads?


Yes and yes. However if you live in a soft water area (like I do) with a ppm of 65 just DI resin on it's own is fine (I use double DI ie: two DI vessels). You need to check your tap TDS first.

i will be using a hot water setup and wondered if it would be more practical to have a spare wheel/underbelly lpg tank fitted so i can fill up at petrol stations etc with the cheaper auto gas lpg.


I think TBH you're running before you can walk here.... I've never heard of anyone doing this.

lastly, who favours external hose connections and lift reel in and out or roller mounted holes in floor/sides


You don't want to be lifting the hose reel in & out all the time. I either just leave the van doors open or (if necessary) close the van doors on the hose after I've reeled out what I need. I'm fortunate to live in an area where there is very little crime.

 
Hi All

Nice to be in the forumn and thanks for the add. Im in the fortunate position at the moment were i have some money spare to buy a van, kit it out and start a wfp cleaning round. Im of reasonable intelligence (??) but im struggling to understand a few things before i commence my van build.

First one is, why do a lot of prebuilt systems come with all the ro/filteration fitted so you have to carry it all round all day, Would it be easier to have all that in the garage and simply pipe to the tank each evening/morning?

Am i right in thinking the better tds read you have after you filter/ro system the less resin your system will use? and just using pure di resin without ro will use loads?

i will be using a hot water setup and wondered if it would be more practical to have a spare wheel/underbelly lpg tank fitted so i can fill up at petrol stations etc with the cheaper auto gas lpg.

lastly, who favours external hose connections and lift reel in and out or roller mounted holes in floor/sides

really appreciate your time and help, thanks guys


If I was going gas this is what I would consider. My current van is a Citroen Relay and Gasit make an underslung tank that fits motorhomes.

I personally prefer a tank such as this if its inside the van. The regulator is behind that sealed housing. If the regulator fails (my mates did) then the gas escapes to the atmosphere outside and not inside like happened with my mate using a standard gas bottle.

https://www.gasit.co.uk/easyfit-200mm-x-15-ltr-gas-it-horizontal-vapour-tank-with-feet.html

Gas was a popular way to hot water a while back but a few of the petrol stations around here selling lpg now don't any longer due to reduced demand.

Your lpg tank needs to be checked once a year. An inspection certificate is issued which would be very useful for your insurance purposes. After 10 years the tank needs scrapping.

I would also check to make sure your insurer in OK for gas to be fitted inside your van.

Your lpg heater needs to be able to keep lit at fairly low flow rates. For example, a 12LPM tankless water heater will not work for wfp applications.

I 'm of the firm belief that you need to vent you gas heater properly though the roof of your van.

I'm inclined to agree with @Cookie. I would be getting on top of my system first before adding these 'nice to have' accessories. We have survived with cold water from day 1 and have been doing wfp for nearly 15 years.

 
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@Cookie @sprucecheers for the knowledge guys, I suspect it will all come down to how hard my water is and take it from there.

The logic behind the hot water is 3 fold,

1, thats where i want to end up and if im doing a build from scrtach i may aswell future proof so to speak so im not doing it again or modifying things later down the line,

2, im an engineer by trade and always try to make things the most efficent and well thought out from the outset to save hassle later and

3, my mum always said "you can't clean bugger all properly with cold water" and thats kinda stuck with me

i appreciate you taking the time to reply and thanks guys, hopefully we will get to know each other a bit more over time, happy cleaning

 
@Cookie @sprucecheers for the knowledge guys, I suspect it will all come down to how hard my water is and take it from there.

The logic behind the hot water is 3 fold,

1, thats where i want to end up and if im doing a build from scrtach i may aswell future proof so to speak so im not doing it again or modifying things later down the line,

2, im an engineer by trade and always try to make things the most efficent and well thought out from the outset to save hassle later and

3, my mum always said "you can't clean bugger all properly with cold water" and thats kinda stuck with me

i appreciate you taking the time to reply and thanks guys, hopefully we will get to know each other a bit more over time, happy cleaning
forget the gas hot water heater...their not safe and they are unreliable....if you want piping hot water then a 9kw diesel heater(with frost stat) is the way to go......i use DI only as my  water is 020-030 straight out of my tap.a bag of resin lasts me at least 4 months(£92 a bag)....

have your reel fixed in your van and make sure its electric too,saves so much faffing about and its dead easy to use(i use a pure freedom reelmaster)......

 
if your tap water is very high tds then yes,a static RO and 1000L IBC tank at home would be ideal then you can just transfer your pure water every evening when you get home...

 
my start-up costs.

In a soft water area 

Gardiners backpack £120 

slx 30 £350

DI - 30 vessel

resin £65

tds meter £20

25 litre containers £30

univalve £35 

= Not cheap (working out of a car)

Since then i bought a van 

extra costs 

450 litre container - £100 second hand

hose reel and hose £140

leisure battery £98 (bought today)

pump and controller board £150

rachett straps £30

Still need to buy a cage for the tank. 

and a charger for the leisure battery.

And this is the cheap route lol 

you could just spend a few thousand on a ready made system.

 
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