Does The Vortex Heat.........

[R W]

....depend on pre-heating the fresh water tank while driving to your first job? Would it put out as hot of solution if you were drawing directly from customers water?

Just want to know if it's worth hauling around 250 gallons of water permanently.

 

[Kevin. McCreary]

No If your fresh water tank is empty and you hook up at the house you will be lucky to get 160 degrees and even less atw after you go through a 250 ft live hose. That is why I'm not completely sold on using high flow. After you clean one house with a 6 jet wand or two 6 jet wands at .12 or more flow you have to hook up to a supply hose. Kills the heat! However If you hook up on every job to keep the tank full and hot and just use the fresh water tank on jobs where you cant get water, then you will always have hot water. High flow is the way to go if you can do it. Keep in mind my machine doesn't have the blower pre heater. The Nissan is such a beast it doesn't really mater much if you are full or empty. Kevin

 

[Jim Martin]

I did a huge tile job one day and ran out of water and Had a small job to finish out the day.I hooked up to a house and filled my tank about 1/2 of the way ...I was getting good heat atw with no problem............

keep in mind it took longer to heat up cold water... then water that is sitting and heating in the tank as you drive ..never the less I was pushing some hot steam.......

my CDS was always hooked to the clients home and I had it set at 230 and could push about 180 after it heated the cold water going threw the HX

 

[steve frasier]

old model vs new model, I have had my machine for 1 month so it is the latest model and has a blower exhaust heater and the position of the heat exchangers are different

I had this problem on Saturday, emptied the fresh water tank on one job

machine maintained 250 with one wand at 12 flow and the other was at 6 flow with the fresh water tank filling, I think I had the therm oil set at 270 but not sure

it takes an about an hour (at least for me it does) to fill the fresh water tank so it isn't quite like you think it would be and the truck is running as you clean so it is heating the fresh water

I cleaned the neighbor's house, didn't take the truck out of my driveway. So I started cold but hit 250 pretty quick


this 012 flow is kind of the devil, is works great but I have used a ton of water in 12 hours at 500 psi

 

[floorguy]

yeah but you really dont want to haul an extra 2000 lbs of water around all the time??

 

[steve frasier]

the water helps to smooth the ride

I would ask why you wouldn't want to, the gas mileage is no different

it make set up easier, makes you more professional

I hooked up to customers water for years, sure am glad I don't have to anymore, just another advantage I have that other don't

 

[Ron Lippold]

runnin 24 flow i have to hook up on each job these trucks are made to carry the weight No problems at all in first year

 

[Chris Muetterties]

Doug,Have you noticed a gas mileage improvement with the tank is empty on your Vortex ?

 

[BradFenstermaker]

Should you drive with the fresh empty. I was told to run with H2O over the E1 exchanger if you can.

 

[adamh]

Running the tank without water doesn't matter. The truck coolant is only about 180. The truck will heat up a faster with a warm tank but with the new Vortex it makes very little difference.

 

[floorguy]

wasnt talking about mileage..

Breaking, moving around idiots etc. SAFETY is what i was thinking...

and no not empty, but not full either...

now I do not clean carpets on a regular bases like you all (hence FLOOR GUY..I do many types) and I am inching ever closer to a Box truck, and i will have at least a 200 if not 300 gl fresh water tank..

But every mechanic i talk to, looks at me crosseyed when i bring up the fresh water.. like what are you nuts??

thats all i am saying..

oh yea forgot to mention, that i will already have an extra 2k or so of weight with my other equipment....

take into acct that a V/AT machine is not "heavy" compared to a bigger slide in or other types of equip.. so the water may be a mute point

 

[Greenie]

No If your fresh water tank is empty and you hook up at the house you will be lucky to get 160 degrees and even less atw after you go through a 250 ft live hose. That is why I'm not completely sold on using high flow. After you clean one house with a 6 jet wand or two 6 jet wands at .12 or more flow you have to hook up to a supply hose. Kills the heat! However If you hook up on every job to keep the tank full and hot and just use the fresh water tank on jobs where you cant get water, then you will always have hot water. High flow is the way to go if you can do it. Keep in mind my machine doesn't have the blower pre heater. The Nissan is such a beast it doesn't really mater much if you are full or empty. Kevin

More than a few have added a small LP heater, as crazy as it sounds you would have the best of all worlds, immediate heat on the coldest of days or when filling an empty tank, you'd never know it was physically there except for the heat boost, and could hide a 20lb tank easily. If it makes dual wanding with high flow that much better, it would be a no-brainer money maker.

 

[R W]

I'm just asking because it is cold-cold-cold here in NE Ohio during the winter months. Even the Genesis has trouble keeping the heat when it heads under 20*, and the winds pick up. I usually close all the doors in the van, except for the exhaust door. I just need to cover all bases before considering dropping $90,000 for a TM. If I really nead the heat, I can pull out the Powermatic and it's fuel fired heater. The PM WILL heat to 250*, even in the dead of winter.

 

[Ron Lippold]

Robert you don't get the ideal a vortex is for high flow and vac 18 degree's this morning 24 flow 220atm and a hot wand its the only way to clean

 

[R W]

Ron...I understand what you're talking about, but you don't have the dampness and cold to deal with like the NE. The high flow is a great idea, but my Genesis isn't going to handle all that flow. Also, The State of Ohio must own futures in salt for ice control. All the salty slush gets in every nook and crevice on your vehicle body. I try to spray off the truck as frequently as possible. Their latest trick is to pre-spray the roadway if snow is coming. They use salt brine, mixed with beet juice, to try to prevent ice forming on the roadway. What a friggin' mess it makes!!