Hot Water Pressure Washers

Hot Water Pressure Washer Applications

Hot water pressure washers have increased in use since 2020 (Covid-19) as businesses strive to make their operations cleaner and more hygienic.

A hot water pressure washer is ideally suited to the removal of oily or adherent dirt in the shortest time possible. Depending on the type of dirt, hot water can be up to 50% more efficient than cold water and has a shorter drying time. An additional advantage of a hot water pressure washer over a cold water version is that there is a reduction in the chemicals used, which lowers the cost of cleaning. These machines are used in a variety of industries such as agriculture, food and building, because of their ability to deal with oily dirt and fats as well as ingrained dirt such as that found on building equipment.

A pressure washer is an integral part of a cleaning regime in an industrial environment. The efficacy of the cleaning power of water when it is applied under pressure is well known and is evidenced from an appliance as simple as a garden hose. Sometimes the application of cold water to a dirty surface may not be enough, even with the addition of detergent, to clean to the required standard. If this is the case, then a hot water pressure washer is probably the answer.

How a hot water pressure washer works

The principle of a pressure washer is that water enters the hot water pressure unit where it is pumped through a cleaning lance and expelled on to the surface to be cleaned. In a hot water pressure washer there is the additional feature of an integral boiler to heat the water. The flow of water is controlled by a trigger mechanism on the cleaning lance, and the configuration of the spray is determined by the adjustment of the nozzle at the end of the lance. Hot water pressure washers typically heat the water up to 80°C or higher.

Virus control capabilities of hot water pressure washers

According to some recent research, heat can be a key factor in reducing bacteria and germs.

Hot water pressure washing reduces bacteria

The Corona virus is sensitive to heat and can be inactivated by exposure to heat at 56° or above for over 30 minutes, and as most hot water pressure washers achieve this temperature, they can be used to virus counts on surfaces in preparation for disinfectant application, e.g. using chemical foggers.

Different types of hot water pressure washer

A hot water pressure washer is available in a variety of forms. At its basic level it is a small unit linked to mains electricity by cable. This is sufficient for light duty cleaning and provides a basic cleaning service. From this basic unit there are a series of larger machines for heavier duty, up to large trailer mounted machines with their own power and water supply.

Hot water pressure washers are often portable, but where a regular clean up is required, static pressure washers are available, with pre-set controls, to ensure that operators can use them efficiently.

A more sophisticated application uses hot water pressure washers as part of an integrated cleaning system, where cleaning lances are used by linking off a ring main system, which has water being pumped through it. This is known as a centralised cleaning system and is often used in food factories where regular clean up is essential.

So to sum up, hot water pressure washing achieves faster results than using cold water, with savings of up to 50% in time and resources, with the added benefit that surfaces cleaned with hot water will dry more quickly. And in the ongoing battle to reduce and eliminate viruses, a pressure washer should be part of any business’s cleaning regime.

Steam Pressure Washers

What do you do if even a hot water pressure washer is not enough? Then a steam pressure washer could be employed to provide the option of adding the cleaning power of steam to the process, for really deep cleaning.

How a steam pressure washer works

The steam pressure washer adds the cleaning power of steam to the cleaning regime. By reducing the water flow rate through the pressure washer but keeping the heat exchanger operating as normal, the water temperature is lifted beyond 100°C to create steam. The temperature of this steam would be around 140°C and is considered to be what is known as “wet steam” because of its high water content. A purpose built steam cleaner heats water to a higher temperature, up to 170°C, and is known as “dry steam”. Using a steam pressure washer gives a deep clean, usually without the need for chemicals.

Reasons to use a steam pressure washer

There are a variety of reasons to choose a steam “power washer” to handle tough jobs in commercial or industrial environments, for example:

• tackling hard to remove dirt, grime and deposits
• faster cleaning by using pressure and steam together
• portable or mobile machines easily tackle outside jobs

We recommend steam pressure cleaners are ideal for a variety of purposes, including:

• cleaning concrete
• graffiti removal
• removing grease or oil
• removing gum
• remove paper and posters
• vehicle cleaning
• sanitizing

They and they are particularly useful in pharmaceutical, engineering, food industries and agricultural environments.

Types of steam pressure washer

There are a number of commercial pressure washers with steam facility available on the market. Steam pressure washers can be portable or static and electric or independently powered. For instance the Edge Grimebuster is completely independent in that it has its own engine and water storage, and as it is mounted on a trailer, can be moved to the area to be cleaned. As it can be used for cold water or hot water pressure washing as well as steam, it covers all bases.

Smaller portable steam cleaners like the Edge Steam Tec Graffiti are powered by diesel or petrol and have integrated water tanks, producing steam under pressure within minutes.

In contrast, the Ehrle Cabinet Steam cleaner is a static industrial steam cleaner which can be fixed in place inside or out, to provide cost effective steam pressure cleaning.

The number of options and variations available are a bit daunting, so why not talk to the experts at B&G Cleaning for the best advice before making your purchase – we’re happy to help.