In the past your plumber's van was something you would rather not see. An old and rusty van (normally a Ford Transit) with a dents and scratches that made it look worse than it really was. These days, plumbers' vans are a far cry from that old picture, offering highly sophisticated kits, comfortable cabins and a wide variety of mechanical options. Competition in the commercial vehicle sector has pushed up standards and variety, offering the driver high levels of comfort and attention to detail.
I was very happy with the plumber, he was professional
Rasila
Modern Plumbers Vans are Comfortable Reliable and Efficient
New vans combine high levels of comfort with commercial focus, offering good combination of space, ruggedness and comfort for the driver. There is a wide array of loading space (from 3 to 17 cubic meters) that can be further tailored to the plumber's needs. Sliding doors are common, with some vans offering a second sliding door for added flexibility and access to the loading space. A buyer can determine whether they would prefer a tailgate or double rear doors. Another interesting recent option is a reduced opening angle for the cab doors, allowing the driver or passengers to grab the handle in its fully open position and reduce the risk of heating the wall or other objects nearby. Diesel engines account for the vast majority of commercial vans sold in the UK currently. Diesel engines are successful since they offer a combination of fuel efficiency and high torque in low revs which is important to the trade (especially for towing heavy loads). Diesel engines have made major steps forward recently in the passenger cars group which migrated to the commercial vans side. These include smooth and quiet operation, coupled with high fuel efficiency, high reliability and longer lifetime for the engine. Diesel particulate filters now remove carbon particles from the exhaust using physical filters. This improves the quality of the fumes and reduces the amount of carbon being expelled from the engine. Similarly to the direct fuel injection for petrol engines, the common rail system for diesel engines has brought in major improvements in the smoothness and quietness of the engine and the respective ride of the vehicle. The common rail system has also improved the engine's performance and economy and yet increased the torque in low engine revs. A new system is being introduced by some auto manufacturers which injects fuel at high pressure levels into the combustion chambers of the diesel engines. Several new vans are offering this technology which offers higher efficiency and engine flexibility. Most new vans now offer at least five gears and some come with six. Automatic and semi automatic ('clutch-less') gear boxes have become more popular in recent years as they are more relevant for UK's heavily congested roads and town centres. Modern light vans now offer comfort levels that were not available even for luxury cars only a few years ago. Vans are now offering air conditioning, cruise control and satellite navigation systems are offered as options or sometimes even as standard by some manufacturers. With better engines and ride quality, a long drive is not so daunting anymore. Another important improvement is the increased level of safety in modern vans. Most light commercial vehicles now come with a driver's air bag as standard and some offer passenger airbag or other airbags as options (e.g. curtain and side airbags). Vans are also offered with ABS (Antilock Braking System) and ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme). Both of these electronic systems can save lives by keeping the vehicle stable through controlling the power distribution between the wheels or by taking control of the breaking system in difficult breaking conditions (such as icy or wet roads). This page has been written with contributions from heating engineers from Surrey and Gas Safe engineers from Finsbury Park. Several of the company's experienced plumbers from Northamptonshire have worked on similar issues as well as some of our experienced heating engineers from Wood-Green and our Maida Vale plumbing and heating engineers. Article Archive |
Keep up the good work. We have used your gas engineers...
Diane |