# Mobile grooming vans for Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission ProVanWorks builds winter-ready mobile grooming vans at our shop in Langley, just west of Abbotsford on Highway 1. Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission take the hardest Arctic outflow winds in the Fraser Valley, and many routes run between farms and acreages, so a van here has to stay warm in a cold wind with long drives between stops. ## What do Fraser Valley outflow winds mean for a grooming van? When cold Arctic air builds up in the Interior, it pours west through the Fraser Canyon and out into the valley. Chilliwack and Abbotsford are first in its path, and the wind can blow hard for days, often with snow or freezing rain, and with a wind chill far colder than the thermometer shows. Those are the days when parked vans lose heat fastest. A ProVanWorks grooming van is built to hold its heat through that. The cargo area is insulated in the walls, roof and floor, and a small diesel, gas or electric heater under the seat moves heat through in-floor and in-wall piping and heat exchangers around the work area. The thermostat holds the temperature, and the hot water keeps working in very low temperatures, so you can still bathe a dog on a −10 °C morning with the wind coming off the canyon. The [cold-weather design](/mobile-grooming-vans/cold-weather-design/) page has the details. ## How do groomers work the farm routes around Abbotsford and Chilliwack? Much of the area is farmland: dairy and poultry farms, berry fields, and acreages on Sumas Prairie, in Matsqui and around Chilliwack's Rosedale and Greendale. Stops are spread out, driveways are long and often gravel, and farm dogs come in with mud, manure and burrs. A ProVanWorks van carries a large fresh water reservoir and a separate grey water tank in the utility area at the back, so you are not depending on a barn tap. Grey water still has to go to an approved disposal point, not a ditch, since ditches here feed local streams. Ask the City of Abbotsford or City of Chilliwack where to take it. The towns are a different job. Abbotsford's west side and Clearbrook have dense subdivisions and townhouses, and Mission's streets climb the hillside above the river. Lights spaced about every 30 cm across the work area mean no shadows on the dog, which helps on a dark January afternoon when the last farm stop runs late. ## How far is the Langley shop from Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission? Abbotsford borders Langley, a short drive east on Highway 1. Chilliwack is further east on the same highway, and Mission is across the Fraser by the Mission Bridge. Groomers from all three usually pick up the finished van at the shop, where we go through the heater, hot water, pumps and battery charging with them in person. Email info@provanworks.com to visit during the build. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I charge the van's batteries on a rural route? Yes, if you plan a stop in town. The auxiliary battery bank charges from Level 2 EV chargers, and those are easier to find in central Abbotsford or Chilliwack than out on the farm roads. The [power and EV charging](/mobile-grooming-vans/power-and-ev-charging/) page explains the system. ### Does the Langley shop do bed liners for Fraser Valley farm trucks? Yes. ProVanWorks sprays [bed liners for pickup trucks](/spray-on-bed-liners/) and floor liners for work vans at the Langley shop, a short run west on Highway 1. The shop also does [van wraps](/van-wraps/) if you want your grooming van lettered before you take it home. ### Does an Abbotsford grooming van need air conditioning? Yes. Fraser Valley summers get hotter the further you are from the coast, and a van parked at a farm stop with no shade heats up quickly with the dryer running. A ProVanWorks van has two fans in the cargo area, and the front fan also runs the air conditioning on the same thermostat as the heat. See [how van fans and A/C work](/van-fan-and-ac-installation/), including installs for vans from other builders.