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When to Choose a Hot Water Pressure Washer
by Ian Pearce
If you are entering the market for a
pressure washer because you heard they can make certain cleaning
tasks easier, you may be bewildered by the wide array of choices
available.
Is a hot water pressure washer the right type for your intended
application?
Well, there are many benefits to using hot water, especially for
cleaning applications. If you have a cleaning application that
requires the removal of tough grease stains, hot water is the
way to go.
When combined with the proper cleanser or de-greasing agent,
cleaning with hot water is a breeze. Industry experts all agree
that hot water pressure washers clean better and faster when
compared to their cold water counterparts.
Cleaning faster means you waste less water and in certain
applications this becomes a critical issue.
The water inside the pressure washer is heated by a boiler.
The boilers come in different capacities and are made of
different metals. In some parts of the country, propane is
available everywhere and is the preferred fuel. If propane is
not available easily in your area, there are other boiler types
to suit your needs.
You can buy a unit with a gas or diesel or electric heater. The
choice will depend on fuel availability and also the price of
the fuel. A good quality unit will have a stainless steel boiler
and heater coils.
If you are going to do large cleaning jobs you want a unit
capable of continuous cleaning. If the unit is capable of
continuous cleaning, that means it has the capacity to heat the
water on the fly so you don't have to wait for the water to heat
up and stop cleaning while the boiler does its job.
Another metric that a hot water pressure washer is measured by
is the flow rate and pressure.
The pressure, commonly measured in PSI or pressure per square
inch can be over 2000 PSI which can damage certain surfaces and
peel paint off painted surfaces. It can also cause gouges in
wood flooring and siding, so extreme caution is in order. Don't
get an extremely high pressure unit for delicate flooring.
The flow rate determines how much water can be delivered at the
rated pressure.
Industrial pressure washer units can have flow rates of several
gallons per minute. |
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