Steam vs Hot Water Pressure Washing

There are misconceptions on the differences between steamers and hot water pressure washers and many times operators and purchasers refer to them interchangeably which adds to the confusion. It starts with the fact that steam technology and its use as a cleaning vehicle has been around much longer than pressure washing. Thus the term steamer or steam cleaner has carried through to hot water pressure washing. Given that the word steamer is also widely use in other industries and as an appliance to take out wrinkles in clothing we thought we clear things up a bit.

Both technologies serve different cleaning needs and the benefits and advantages need to be examined thoroughly. In some instances both are needed to complete a cleaning task efficiency and thoroughly.

Hot water pressure washing uses the volume of the water to move the debris, similar to a broom. The pressure is used to dislodge or break the adhesion of dirt and debris from the surface and hot water cuts through grease and oils to speed up the process.

Steam on the other hand uses the steam's expansion to accelerate water droplets, at the boiling point, to a high velocity to loosen the dirt and debris from the surface. The closer the steam cleaner's nozzle is to the surface to be cleaned, the higher the temperature and velocity of the water/steam mixture, and the more rapid the cleaning action.

There are numerous factors to consider so to determine which process best fits your application contact us to discuss further.

BMPs Best Management Practices

Each month we provide industry and department specific Best Management Practices. 

Fruit and Vegetable Processing - Washing Operations

• Use vibration and air to help clear fruit and vegetable of debris and dirt before fluming or washing 
• Use brushes to clean produce 
• Spray wash instead of submerging fruit and vegetables to wash them 
• Use counter current washing 
• Reduce overflow 
• Use can cooling water for first flush water
   

Latest Mandates

State Reduces Water Use by Nearly 29 Percent in Advance of June Conservation Mandates

July 1, 2015 - As the State continues to experience near-record and record hot conditions, increasing the severity of the drought's effects on communities, agriculture and the environment, California's urban water suppliers reported the highest level of conservation achieved to date for the month of May. Read more

Drought Conditions Force Difficult Management Decisions For Sacramento River Temperatures

June 16, 2015 - State and federal officials today announced the outlines of a revised plan for managing water flows in the Sacramento River for cities and farms while keeping enough cold water in Shasta Reservoir to avoid high temperatures in the river that could be catastrophic for endangered winter-run Chinook salmon. 

The Sacramento River Temperature Management Plan, which is required annually, guides the release of water from Shasta Reservoir to maintain healthy fisheries during the summer and fall, when water temperatures rise. In this fourth year of extended drought, with low reservoir storage levels and higher-than-normal predicted summer temperatures, the plan seeks to prevent another catastrophic loss of this year's class of juvenile salmon. 

Federal and state fish agencies believe such a loss would have devastating impacts to the long-term viability of this important species of native salmon. Read more

Water Saving Tips

Any one of these can save between 10 to 100's of gallons per week