Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

Another hot water thread

Den

Well-known member
Messages
4,104
Location
.
After reading different opinions on hot water worth it not worth etc is there a minimum temperature to use for ease of actual window cleaning to see a sufficient difference in ease and speed? Or is hot water just a luxury in the winter. If there clearly is a difference what temperature Does the tank have to be to get the the right heat at the brush end.

 
After reading different opinions on hot water worth it not worth etc is there a minimum temperature to use for ease of actual window cleaning to see a sufficient difference in ease and speed? Or is hot water just a luxury in the winter. If there clearly is a difference what temperature Does the tank have to be to get the the right heat at the brush end.
I know there are some fervent hot water supporters on here but for me we only use it on really really bad first cleans, if we have quite a few first cleans on same day, filthy FSG's and really cold, below freezing days.

I'd do what you're doing when my Webasto packs in though. The down side is it limits which brushes you can use as above 40° is probably best.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I know there are some fervent hot water supporters on here but for me we only use it on really really bad first cleans, if we have quite a few first cleans on same day, filthy FSG's and really cold, below freezing days.

I'd do what you're doing when my Webasto packs in though. The down side is it limits which brushes you can use as above 40° is probably best.
Cheers mate, have been checking out Gardiners hot water brushes its a no brainier on the two I would choose ? as for FSG I don’t do them anymore I pass them onto a couple of other cleaners. 

So over 40 is best that’s when you notice he difference.

 
When we pee its about 38 degrees so you want it above that temp. I have two reels recirculating hot water and just chop and change because this keeps the water reaching temperature all the time. Yesterday I was charging my batteries and I put my hand on my tank and it was warm. With all the recirculation my tank supply began to increase in temperature which is good for this type of weather. 

 
30degrees keeps everything from freezing up, warms your hands a bit and makes your hose soft.

60degrees seems to make a bit of difference to cleaning, bird muck melts away, snail trails are washed off after 1 pass, and insect poo comes off easier.

im not convinced it’s a life changing difference, but I’m willing to try anything that makes the job easier without breaking the bank! 
 

 
30degrees keeps everything from freezing up, warms your hands a bit and makes your hose soft.

60degrees seems to make a bit of difference to cleaning, bird muck melts away, snail trails are washed off after 1 pass, and insect poo comes off easier.

im not convinced it’s a life changing difference, but I’m willing to try anything that makes the job easier without breaking the bank! 
 
Exactly I will set the thermostat to 60 when immersion heater is stalled if it means a better clean as my tank is small 325l so will heat up a lot quicker than the lads with the larger tanks.

even the idea of warm hands is good to me hate cold hands nowadays with my arthritis ☹️

 
Temperature fluctuates depending on how much hose you have off your reel and ambient air temperature and starting temperature in your tank....

I love my hot water system...had it for just over 3 years now....no regrets and use it every day....??

My water is always scalding hot after 20 mins of firing up my heater with all my hose coiled on my reel whether its summer or winter....

 
Temperature fluctuates depending on how much hose you have off your reel and ambient air temperature and starting temperature in your tank....

I love my hot water system...had it for just over 3 years now....no regrets and use it every day....??

My water is always scalding hot after 20 mins of firing up my heater with all my hose coiled on my reel whether its summer or winter....
All my work is maintenance cleans and never have any complaints as they are clean.

Yes understand outside temperature could effect the temperatures , I’m defo going to get the immersion fitted will probably set the thermostat at 60 to 65 after reading @High-towercomments regarding birdmuck and insect poo especially I clean lots of rural properties that are generally covered in insect mess. 

 
Out today cleaning and came across birdmuck and cement splashes because my mixer did it when I was building their new fence. Instead of standing there scrubbing away I came up with a novel idea. I spray all the area with hot water and then go back once I'm finished to clean it off. Hot water must loosen it as it comes off right away. ? 

 
After reading different opinions on hot water worth it not worth etc is there a minimum temperature to use for ease of actual window cleaning to see a sufficient difference in ease and speed? Or is hot water just a luxury in the winter. If there clearly is a difference what temperature Does the tank have to be to get the the righ heat at the brush end. It
@High-tower
Hi @Den , Is right on the temperature to make the hose more pliable and pleasant to use.

As you said your 350lt tank will heat up quicker than a bigger tank, but it will lose heat quicker as well. Especially if you don't insulate really really well.

Some figures for you :
On Friday we worked two and half hours starting 15 minutes from home. Our 650 ltr Wyedale flat tank was full and was heated to 60~65c. We completed 10 average size maintenance washes.

We checked the temperatures at the tank and the farthest brush when we finished the last job. The water in a jug taken from the tank was 58c. The water at the brush when measured in the jug was 45c. The air temperature was one degree above freezing. 

The job just completed was with about 50 metres of 6mm microbore pole hose out on a reel of 100m and about 40 feet of pole hose. The water had travelled through around 6 or 7 metres of 1/2 inch hose routed through the van to the reel.

Apologies, the first sentence in this post is a bit random as my phone was doing strange things.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Davy G some great info with the stats plenty to getting my grey matter working ?

I would be happy with 45 brush end as Gardiner medium brushes are rated up to that temperature.

Davy G you have help me a lot with regards to the immersion heater subject and really appreciate it ?

bought three rolls of insulation and couple of spray tins of self adhesive glue for my tank as van roof as it gets lots of water ? on the inside roof hopefully this will help. 

 
Hi Den, as long as it's making sense to you. ?

All insulation helps. The foil bubble wrap is light and easy to put and hold in place. Glue onto the roof and possibly the van sides. I put some downpipe and brackets along the roof to help hold it in place and to stow spare poles. I would be reluctant to glue it to the tank. It might make things difficult to get at in the future. There should be no need to glue it to anything it can be wrapped around. I wrapped my tank in several layers of bubble wrap and taped it in place. I cut a small area by the immersion into a flap that can be lifted to adjust or replace it. I put several layers of bubble wrap on the top of the tank and cut a similar flap for access to the filler cap. I put an 18 mm stiff rubber cow/stable mat on the top of the tank as a false floor and I cut a hole in that, again for access to the filler cap. To finish off the insulation I put red roof tank quilt/blanket around the areas of the tank I could still get access to. Next to no heat seems to escape.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You can buy sheets of polystyrene quite cheap from most diy stores. Then you just need some gaffer tape to stick them round the tank. I think an 8ft x 4ft x 25mm thick board is about £8.50.

 
Hi Den, as long as it's making sense to you. ?

All insulation helps. The foil bubble wrap is light and easy to put and hold in place. Glue onto the roof and possibly the van sides. I put some downpipe and brackets along the roof to help hold it in place and to stow spare poles. I would be reluctant to glue it to the tank. It might make things difficult to get at in the future. There should be no need to glue it to anything it can be wrapped around. I wrapped my tank in several layers of bubble wrap and taped it in place. I cut a small area by the immersion into a flap that can be lifted to adjust or replace it. I put several layers of bubble wrap on the top of the tank and cut a similar flap for access to the filler cap. I put an 18 mm stiff rubber cow/stable mat on the top of the tank as a false floor and I cut a hole in that, again for access to the filler cap. To finish off the insulation I put red roof tank quilt/blanket around the areas of the tank I could still get access to. Next to no heat seems to escape.
Bit of a pedantic question, if your tank is wrapped in insulation, how do you know how much water is in it when filling? ?

 
Bit of a pedantic question, if your tank is wrapped in insulation, how do you know how much water is in it when filling? ?
Not at all. It's a flat tank so only stands about 2 feet high, give or take. The six inch filler cap is by the side door so I can easily see in. I have a short lanyard tied about a foot from the end of the filling hose which I hook on inside the van to hold the hose while it's filling. Meanwhile I can be checking the tds and plugging in the immersion. Making sure that the water is above the element before I switch on. Ten or fifteen minutes and the van is filled and heating ready for the next day. Unless we have any minor repairs to do.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Bit of a pedantic question, if your tank is wrapped in insulation, how do you know how much water is in it when filling? ?
My tanks aren’t insulated but we just take the lid off and have a look but you don’t need to really as it will switch off when the tanks full .

 
My tanks aren’t insulated but we just take the lid off and have a look but you don’t need to really as it will switch off when the tanks full .
That's handy. Mine won't and I have been late to switch off on a couple of occasions when my mind wandered to something else. ☺️

 
Not at all. It's a flat tank so only stands about 2 feet high, give or take. The six inch filler cap is by the side door so I can easily see in. I have a short lanyard tied about a foot from the end of the filling hose which I hook on inside the van to hold the hose while it's filling. Meanwhile I can be checking the tds and plugging in the immersion. Making sure that the water is above the element before I switch on. Ten or fifteen minutes and the van is filled and heating ready for the next day. Unless we have any minor repairs to do.
It also crossed my mind if your tank is fully wrapped, how do you know the water level throughout the day, more so towards the end of day so you can monitor the level, I was thinking a small strip/gap from the top to the bottom of the tank would be suitable and wouldn't cause a great deal of heat loss.

 
I'd wait for the hot water boys, @Pjj @dazmond to say what they run at as they use it all the time for maintenance cleans, something I don't do.
We use hot all year round with the thermopure ones we turn the boiler off if the tank water is 60-80 degrees and just use the hot  tank water especially in summer , in winter it takes longer to get to that temperature. With the Grippatank one I turn the heat exchangers down in the summer or turn it off when tank water is 60-80 degrees.

As for optimum temperature on the glass anything over 60 degrees at the brush makes cleaning time much quicker , this however isn’t an exact science as the water will be a lot cooler if you have 130 meters of hose out in the ground , if using 20-30 meters it will obviously be a lot hotter, when you are used to it you get a feel for 60+ degrees water as bird muck , snail trails come off so much quicker , I rarely check the temperature to be honest but know when I  cannot hold the hose I know it’s over 70 degrees, when doing commercial building cleaning the hotter the water the better same with plastics . 

 
We generally have a good idea of what we can do with a tank full. If we think we might run out we'll do some on the way to the furthest jobs and work back so if we do run out we can pick them off the next day without travelling too far for what might be just one job. If we want to check we just open the filler cap for a moment. I have thought about putting a transparent tube on the side with a floating bead in it as a gauge (a bit similar to heating oil tanks) but we're so used to it now that we very rarely get caught out. If we have a day that's really busy with big houses quite a way out we sometimes take two or three 25 litre cans with us. Each can full being worth at least £15~£20 of work.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top