Advantages of hot water high-pressure cleaners

The use of hot water high-pressure cleaners accelerates the cleaning by up to 35 per cent compared with cold water machines on account of the faster drying process for the clean surfaces.

Heat energy is an essential factor that influences and accelerates cleaning processes. It is not without reason that temperature – along with mechanics, cleaning agent and time – is one of the four parameters that mutually impact each other and that, according to Sinner's circle (effect mechanism for describing cleaning sequences), impact the success of a cleaning process.

The addition of heat means that dirt and lubricant residues are broken down more quickly: Each increase in temperature by 10 °C accelerates the chemical processes and halves the reaction time. Oils, fats and soot dissolve due to the addition of heat and can then be removed more easily. The emulsifying of oils and greases is also accelerated in warm water.

Various practical applications – from workshops and handicraft businesses to large industrial enterprises – show that the use of hot water can reduce overall cleaning time by up to 35 per cent. This means that labour costs are reduced.

Another significant factor in the use of heated high-pressure cleaners is the faster drying time. Surfaces that are cleaned using hot water, rather than cold, remain slightly heated and therefore usually dry faster.

While conventional cold water machines only achieve the desired result with the right cleaning agent, hot water machines get to work more quickly. Because stubborn dirt – including encrusted grease, resin or oil residues – usually dissolves in hot water, significantly less cleaning agent is required. Often, the cleaning agent can even be dispensed with completely. This protects not only the environment, but the user's wallet as well.

Heated high-pressure cleaners are also especially suitable in areas where maximum hygiene is required and micro-organisms and contamination are targeted during cleaning. This applies not only in the food sector – from artisan butchers to large-scale industrial production – but also in agriculture, where it is essential to pay attention to cleanliness in young animal husbandry and milking parlours.

Thanks to the combination of high pressure and hot water at a temperature of up to 85 °C, a substantial reduction of contamination is achieved. This germ reduction is often sufficient without the use of disinfectants in order to actual hygiene requirements. Compared to the use of cold water, hot water cleaning does not lower the base temperature in the room. This is not insignificant in agriculture, for example when newly housing young cattle, and it is vital for chicks, as they are particularly sensitive to temperatures that are too low.

Heated high-pressure cleaners can be used to perform highly demanding cleaning tasks that cannot be accomplished with water, cleaning agent and hand scrubbers alone. With steam at temperatures up to 155 °C, the steam stage allows even the most stubborn dirt to be loosened – gently and usually without cleaning agents. This method is best suited for the gentle cleaning of delicate surfaces, as full cleaning power can be achieved at a considerably lower working pressure and with a reduced water volume. The steam stage is highly environmentally friendly and is particularly well-suited to removing bituminous coatings, paint, soot deposits, lichen and algae. Reduced water consumption also means less waste water.

The most significant advantage of hot water high-pressure cleaners is their increased cost-effectiveness. This is especially true for regular commercial use: The longer and more often the machine is used, the more significant the cost advantage becomes. Although the purchase price for a heated high-pressure cleaner is well over twice that of a cold water machine with comparable pressure and capacity, the machine quickly pays for itself through lower labour and operating costs.

The reason for the higher purchase price is its more complex technology, in particular the burner. Higher energy consumption as a result of the heating system must also be taken into account in the maintenance costs. However, these two expenditures are quickly offset by the high potential savings offered by hot water machines. This begins with maintenance costs, where the cost of heating energy is quickly offset by the large volumes of water and cleaning agent saved. A key factor in profitability calculations is that cleaning times can be up to 35 per cent shorter using hot water. This is reflected in the labour costs, which over the entire life time of a commercially used high-pressure cleaner are many times higher than the purchase and operating costs.

Using hot water high-pressure cleaners, it is possible to eliminate weeds sustainably. The principle of thermal weed control is a much gentler process for the environment and for surfaces; it is based on a basic biochemical rule – most proteins denature at a temperature of around 42 °C. This means that the proteins change, break up and are no longer able to fulfil their functions. The heat required for this can also be generated using hot water high-pressure cleaners. Weed removal using hot water is the only chemical-free method that also reaches the roots.