Temperature

Aplus

New Member
What water temps do you guys typically use. Do you vary it depending on the application?

The reason I ask is that I've found 180 degrees to be a good all around temp, and a full tank of diesel will last about 10 hours. I use this temp for concrete, building, and vehicle cleaning.

I did a job a few weeks back cleaning restaurant equipment, and I cranked the burner full tilt, to 194 degrees. I went thru a full tank in 7 hours. The extra heat really made a big difference removing the slimey grease that covered most everything. The restaurant equipment was from a Mexican restaurant, so I imagine there was a lot of frying at high temps going on, creating splatter everywhere.

So what are the opinions..................
 

MR ALAN

New Member
Tony,
I do vary by the application, but I used to go full open, with the 302 temp control, not sure what the temp really was,but the steam is so bad that I can not see what I am washing. I have been using 180 lately with good results on most things.
 

hadishon

New Member
I got my first HOT pressure washer today. It is a major improvement over what I have been using. It goes up to 302 degrees. I thought it was really cool until it, it me. I don't know what temp to wash things with? What temp should I use for roofs, decks, and houses?

I'm thinking with concrete or items that won't get damaged with heat, I can just turn it up all the way if need be.

I was worried that the high heat may hurt roofs, siding, or wood.

All opinions would be helpful!

Thanks!
 

hadishon

New Member
Dave Olson in another thread (http://www.powerwashnetwork.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1175&highlight=temp*+degree*) stated:

We prefer to say that we use what is best for the task at hand!

For example we clean vehicle fleets using cold water. We also believe in brushing! Our experience is that in the fleets that we do hot water does not make that much of a difference (our detergent removes grease & oil) We do use hot on fleets (150 degrees or so) when the temperature is 30 or so.

Flat work, always run hot! We have found that running 200 + degrees works much beter than say 160 or so.

Buildings, we use what we find will do the best job for that building.

Soda Blasting, always cold.

Industrial equipment, almost always hot.

Paint removal, usually cold but sometimes hot works better.

Kitchen Exhaust Systems - Always hot. Sometimes we must use the kitchens hot water when we cannot use our truck mounted equipment.

Water Blasting (above 5000 psi), always cold.

Dave Olson
 

hadishon

New Member
Also, elsewhere in the forums a guy stated he strips decks using hot water and showed pictures to see how well it did...


What other opinions are there?
 

timhays

New Member
i dont like to wash houses over 120 degrees,for paint,gum or stains on concrete i use 180 degrees,the majority of the time i use cold water to wash concrete unless it is a 3 month maintenance cleaning then i use hot water only,no acid or detergent.
 

Larry L.

PWN TEAM - Moderator Emeritus
The only time I use cold water is when I'm rinsing,from warm to hot when washing.
 

Tim Lynch

New Member
Originally posted by Shadow
No one will say that it does not work, but it does fur the wood, which will require sanding.

I agree but how do I know? I use only cold water on decks. Maybe it's from reading up on wood care?

I can say this, my customers think I am using hot water sometimes becuase they see the mist cloud thinking it is steam.

Of course if they ask I tell them it's cold. But I never state hot or cold I just do the job right . :)
 

Tim Lynch

New Member
Originally posted by Gwas
Hot - cold ????? For best results use SOFT !!!!


Won't hard water clean better like a putty knife? Instead of soft like a slice of wet bread? LOL

I know that the lower the pressure when cleaning decks the faster it removes moss ect. To high a pressure seems to over ride the dirt while low pressure seems to undercut the dirt.

Factors cuase high pressure to create and airfoil in front of the cealing surface that overrides like a breaking wave in the ocean.
 

hadishon

New Member
I believe when he said Hard or Soft he was refering to the water not the water pressure. Hard or Soft water is determined by what is in the water. Water is not just H2O ... It is made up of all kinds of minerals as well.

In fact, if you had pure H20... with 0 parts per million of minerals, it would desolve paint on contact.

Sometimes people forget that water is a chemical. There is good water and not so good water.
 

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