Mobile welfare unit

[steady]

So looking at these as we have no electric or toilet facilities on site . Lots of 2nd hand mobile ones for sale with chem toilet and 6 kva genny on the back my question is are 6 kva gennys big enough to charge battery drills etc ?

[ProDave]

Old small touring caravan, cheaper, easier to find and transport, everything is 12V or gas.  Fit a solar panel to keep the 12V battery charged.

 

And buy a small "suitcase" generator for tool charging, tool charging takes a tiny amount of power 6KVA would be noisy and way over powered.

[steady]

Good idea why didn’t I think of that 😁

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

47 minutes ago, steady said:

So looking at these as we have no electric or toilet facilities on site . Lots of 2nd hand mobile ones for sale with chem toilet and 6 kva genny on the back my question is are 6 kiva gennys big enough to charge battery drills etc ?

We've just purchased one last week! In my dull little world this was a very exciting sense of progress. PSA photos of my 'ugly caravan' as I refer to it.

 

To answer your question, the power supply is only suited to low output supply for mobile phone or running a laptop. I purchased from a company that manages and hires these out - they were selling off some old stock they've just replaced, and so I managed to speak with the mechanic who maintained them all - he advised that issues they often get from people who rent them are when the builders try to charge all their tool batteries from them, hence they stressed that they're not designed for that sort of loading/use as the plugs are running off the 12v battery, which the generator then charges up (rather than the generator powering the sockets directly).

 

As for buying one, I found a fair few people selling them, but many screamed out 'scam' - basically my approach was that any offering free delivery (typically 200mile radius), stood out as one that would take my money and then find an excuse to delay and then block my number (I'm paraphrasing some examples of other people posting stories about how they were scammed). The firm I found had a full business and I was able to visit, view and then pay on collection.

 

FYSA:

Here was the advert: https://secondhand-trailers.co.uk/listing/96368/5x-12ft-groundhog-towable-welfare-units-essex

This was the company: https://www.simplyhireltd.co.uk/welfare-cabins

 

Good luck with your build.

[steady]

Thanks for replying what did the builders use for charging ?

[nod]

Remember It will be you who is cleaning it 

I’m currently workin on a self build 

400m2 over three floors He’s a lockup  and a 3kva generator 
Hes spending 4 million pounds 

Most will sit in there vans till you are watertight 

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

1 hour ago, steady said:

Thanks for replying what did the builders use for charging ?

I've literally only just bought it - we're a couple of weeks away from starting on site. As for what they use for charging, I've two views:

 

1. They should have their own solution to ensure they can work on site all day with their tools - either have enough batteries or have their own portable charging solution. On a new-build (bare plot site) they can't expect charging power supply.

2. In reality, by the time they are using battery tools on site, we'll have a temporary mains power and water on site, so we can have an area for charging stations.

 

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

10 minutes ago, nod said:

Remember It will be you who is cleaning it 

I’m currently workin on a self build 

400m2 over three floors He’s a lockup  and a 3kva generator 
Hes spending 4 million pounds 

Most will sit in there vans till you are watertight 

Whoa! £/sqm! is that an owner/client or developer?

[nod]

Just now, Great_scot_selfbuild said:

Whoa! £/sqm! is that an owner/client or developer?

I haven’t even reckoned it up 😁

 

While there’s an indoor swimming pool and a massive flat roof that doubles as a balcony 300k 

I would of estimated 1.3 

Hes paying ridiculous amounts for fitting out Weve put curved walls in all over Most to be tiled 

 

We have another to start about two miles away Same Architect Half the size 3 mil spend 

 

4.5 high ensuite between to bedrooms 

WHY 

[Great_scot_selfbuild]

4 minutes ago, nod said:

I haven’t even reckoned it up 😁

 

While there’s an indoor swimming pool and a massive flat roof that doubles as a balcony 300k 

I would of estimated 1.3 

Hes paying ridiculous amounts for fitting out Weve put curved walls in all over Most to be tiled 

 

We have another to start about two miles away Same Architect Half the size 3 mil spend 

 

4.5 high ensuite between to bedrooms 

WHY 

My good god. I'm not sure what to say to that... 😶

[nod]

30 minutes ago, Great_scot_selfbuild said:

My good god. I'm not sure what to say to that... 😶

Apologies to Steady for drifting off topic 

[ProDave]

On the subject of welfare units.  When i started our build, I had nothing on site. I told the builder our present house 100 metres from the build was available for all their needs.  Not one of them took up that offer.

[mickeych]

I bought an ex-hire mobile welfare unit from auction and it has been a lifesaver. No need to hire a toilet, (for 15 months) a place for the guys to have some lunch other than their vans, and the gene coped perfectly for the 4 or 5 1/2 days of power outages that we have had since we started where the crew have have run lights and a number of power tools off (not sure how if it really is only charging the battery?)

Admittedly after 15 months of 6-8 people on site each day, the toilet door is falllng off and the seating area is now being used to store the guys tools, but even that has been a blessing.

Once we have finished in about 3 months, I'll have it serviced (and the door mended!) and resell it for what I paid for it (i hope!)

Edited February 13 by mickeych

[G and J]

There are public toilets 150m from our site.  Do I really need a stinky chemi potty on site?

[Jilly]

Yes, because they will pee around the site and possibly worse, or may stomp off and not come back. 
 

I constructed a compost loo in a shed, which annoyed some of the lads, but was more hygienic than the previous stinky blue thing. 
 

It’s a H&S thing too. And what do you offer visitors? 

[G and J]

Stinky blue thing it is then.

[Canski]

I planned a garden office from the start and built it in sections inside the old house while we waited for the invisible bats to disappear. Once we got the go ahead out it came and was plonked on to the ready made base. We the. attached a temporary toilet to the side. It was a God send. The saving in hire charges was significant and all the lads used it and kept it clean. Far better and cheaper than chemical toilets.