little giant substitute

[Bob Savage]

Propane filling stations are everywhere here - hardware stores, tool rental places, lp dealers, etc. I have 5 or 6 places close to me so it is never a problem finding an LP filling station.

Check your LP tank gauge every morning before you go out, and you will be set. When you have LP, you will never give heat a second thought, because it is always there.

 

[hogjowl]

Those places are always RV high
I’m cheap

 

[Bob Savage]

Those places are always RV high
I’m cheap

You quibble over a few bucks to have all the heat you will need on any job? Anything that makes this job easier (as in heat), is well worth a few dollars to me when I am making $100 an hour or better.

 

[hogjowl]

Yes

 

[Bob Savage]

OK then, that explains a lot.

 

[Cleanworks]

Our propane filling stations are reasonable as far price goes but they are few and far between. I have none in my city, I have to go to the neighboring city where there are 2 within reasonable distance. I am using a 20 lb tank instead of a belly tank. cost $28 to swap out tanks. I know it's not the right way to do it but don't want to spend money on something I may convert in the near future.

 

[Small town janitorial]

That's crazy. My town has 8k people and there are 3 places that fill them.

 

[Cleanworks]

That's crazy. My town has 8k people and there are 3 places that fill them.

I agree, I think the demand is going down. Used to be a station just down the street from me that refilled tanks and vehicles. Now they have got rid of that and only have the tank exchange program.

 

[CJ-FL]

What is the most common style heat exchangers used? Exhaust, engine coolant, etc... I’m curious how heat exchanger units can be accurately adjusted? How does that work. If available can someone send photos of their heat exchangers (ie location, size, etc...) Steemer units utilize heat exchangers that pull heat from hot coolant. Older units also had an exhaust heat exchanger. Both take a good 15 minutes to heat up solution though and generally achieve temps at the truck around 190.

 

[Mikey P]

Did @ronbeatty ever say why he added a burner to his AT?


Money to burn as they say..

 

[ronbeatty]

Did @ronbeatty ever say why he added a burner to his AT?


Money to burn as they say..

Time is money, The northeast can get very cold in the late fall, winter and early spring. I do not have to preheat water or let the Aerotech warm up to start working. I can also dual wand at any temp I want to 245 etc. By March of next year this Aerotech will have produced close to $1,300,000, heater was cheap.

 

[ronbeatty]

Over $100,000.00 unit and you have to run supplemental heat. Something doesn't add up. ???
Is it really cold there? Or will that unit not hold heat with dual wands running in the winter.

For that kind of money I figure its gonna serve me hot chili when I'm done cleaning.

We are a production based company, anything I can do to increase operating efficiencies is money well spent. So far this year I have produced $397 for each hr registered on the Aerotech while only driving 7900 miles.

 

[Hack Attack]

heres what a hx dragon costs my part the world smh

Trade Me

www.trademe.co.nz

 

[Desk Jockey]

We are a production based company, anything I can do to increase operating efficiencies is money well spent. So far this year I have produced $397 for each hr registered on the Aerotech while only driving 7900 miles.

So it can't generate enough heat without a supplemental heater?

 

[ronbeatty]

So it can't generate enough heat without a supplemental heater?

I am not aware of an he unit that will flow 18 to 24 dual wand at 245 degree.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I am not aware of an he unit that will flow 18 to 24 dual wand at 245 degree.

If one spec that at the build can they add an additional HE at that time to gain you that extra heat? Or have they never built one like that?

Just seems ridiculous to need add an after market heater to that big truck. ???

 

[ronbeatty]

On the new Aerotech they added a blower heat exchange that solved this issue. I will be ordering a new truck in the spring that will have the heat exchange. I will still leave room for a heater just in case.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I figured they had the capacity but just didn't have a request.

 

[hogjowl]

What carpet cleaner isn’t going to ask for more heat?

 

[Cleanworks]

What carpet cleaner isn’t going to ask for more heat?

cheap ones.

 

[Desk Jockey]

What carpet cleaner isn’t going to ask for more heat?

I think anything over 220 is excessive unless you clean a lot of trashed or grease pits. I like the heat but don't care for the damage that accompanies it. It's hard on tools, valves, injection sprayers, solution hoses and qd's. Some risks of that hot of a solution hose leaving heat lines in carpet and other flooring.

Ok for an owner OP, a little too much power for employees.

 

[hogjowl]

Amen

 

[Small town janitorial]

With my little old spitfire 3.2 and Tom's high flow wand I dont see 150 degrees. Not enough heat to exchange. Haha.

 

[Nomad74]

No issue holding with the 870 at 24 flow.

Floats, bypass, and regulator, thats a different story.

 

[Desk Jockey]

With my little old spitfire 3.2 and Tom's high flow wand I dont see 150 degrees. Not enough heat to exchange. Haha.

Many ways to skin a cat. Agitation, more aggressive chemo, swell time.

I prefer heat though, just not so hot the solution line on the wand burns me or the injection sprayer won't work.

 

[Acp]

we have a 40 gallon LP belly tank on the box truck running the judson and #4 LG, chevron right next to home base fills it @ $2.19/gallon and total the system burns 1.5 gallons/hr at full RPM and full heat setting.

super efficient but I do want to go up to at least a 47 blower once its time to replace.

 

[hogjowl]

Anything over 220 is overkill
I learned that with the V

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I have a little giant on the dollie and and I use it on the Bane. Propane is not bad for me because of doing commercial. Of course I have heat exchangers too. If I were doing residential, propane would be a pain. But I have a lot of propane buffers, so I’m always getting propane.

 

[CJ-FL]

I assume some of of these higher temps (210 -240) are at the truck? If so, eliminating all variables (weather, length of run, etc....) what would you consider the ideal temperature for cleaning at the wand. And what is the maximum temperature at the wand to safely clean carpet & upholstery? (ie... you can safely clean almost all carpet & upholstery at or below x degrees)

 

[Cleanworks]

I assume some of of these higher temps (210 -240) are at the truck? If so, eliminating all variables (weather, length of run, etc....) what would you consider the ideal temperature for cleaning at the wand. And what is the maximum temperature at the wand to safely clean carpet & upholstery? (ie... you can safely clean almost all carpet & upholstery at or below x degrees)

There is a large amount of heat lost in the hose, quick connects and from the jets to the carpets. I don't know if anyone has successfully measured temperature at the carpet, except for small areas specifically for testing. Some speculate it would be hard to get past 160 degrees on the carpet even with 250 degrees at the truck.