# Mobile grooming vans for Ottawa groomers ProVanWorks builds mobile dog grooming vans at our shop in Langley, BC, for groomers in Ottawa, Kanata, Orléans and the rest of the capital region. Ottawa winters are colder and snowier than Toronto's, so a van working here needs heat, hot water and batteries that keep going through cold snaps below −25 °C. ## What does deep cold do to a grooming van in Ottawa? Snow in Ottawa usually stays on the ground from December into March, and cold snaps can push the temperature below −25 °C. That kind of cold causes real problems in a grooming van: - Water freezes in any line, pump or fitting that is exposed to outside air, and a frozen line can split. - Lithium batteries should not be charged below 0 °C unless they are warmed first. - A wet dog loses heat quickly, so a van that is merely above freezing is still too cold to bathe in. ## How does a ProVanWorks van keep working at −25 °C? A small diesel, gas or electric heater under the seat feeds heat through in-floor and in-wall piping and heat exchangers around the cargo area, and the thermostat holds the work area at the temperature you choose. For Ottawa winters, ProVanWorks builds the insulation thicker than the roughly 16 mm (5/8 inch) used on Lower Mainland vans. The water reservoir and the auxiliary battery bank sit together in the utility area at the back, inside the insulated, heated van rather than hanging under it. Hot water in a ProVanWorks van is built to work in very low winter temperatures. On a deep-cold morning, give the heat time to bring the van up to temperature before the first dog goes in the tub and before you plug the batteries into a charger. The [cold-weather design](/mobile-grooming-vans/cold-weather-design/) page and our guide to [grooming through a Canadian winter](/guides/winter-mobile-grooming/) cover more of this. ## How do Ottawa groomers handle distance and winter parking? Ottawa covers a lot of ground. Kanata in the west, Orléans in the east and Barrhaven to the south are each a fair drive from the others, though most suburban appointments come with a driveway. Batteries in a ProVanWorks van charge from Level 2 EV chargers, so a stop at a public charger between suburbs can top them up. Where the van sleeps matters too. When heavy snow is forecast, Ottawa can declare an overnight ban on street parking so the plows can work. If you keep the van on the street at home, check with the City of Ottawa how winter parking bans are announced. ## What changes when an Ottawa groomer takes clients in Gatineau? Gatineau is across the Ottawa River in Quebec, and some rules change at the bridge. Quebec requires winter tires on passenger vehicles from December 1 to March 15; check current rules for commercial vehicles. Customer-facing businesses in Quebec also have French-language obligations under the Charter of the French Language. ProVanWorks does not give legal advice, so check Quebec rules before you book regular clients across the river. ## How far is Ottawa from the Langley shop? Ottawa is more than 4,000 km from Langley by road. How the van travels, the cost and the timing are set for each build, so ask about delivery when you request a quote, and see [delivery across Canada](/delivery-across-canada/) for the general process. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why would an Ottawa groomer choose a van built in British Columbia? Because a ProVanWorks van is built for Canadian winter from the first drawing, and Ottawa is where that design gets tested. The in-floor and in-wall heat, thermostat and cold-weather hot water are standard, and the van itself can be diesel, gas or electric. ### Can the van's batteries charge on a −25 °C morning? Only once the batteries are above 0 °C, because charging lithium batteries below freezing can damage them unless they are warmed first. Let the heat run and the van warm up before you connect to a charger. ### Is the van usable in an Ottawa summer? Yes. The front fan in the cargo area is also the [air conditioning](/van-fan-and-ac-installation/) fan, so the van can cool on a humid July afternoon as well as heat in January.