08 June 2009

Keeping The Pressure Out!!-Pressure Cleaners

Karcher pressure washerImage by safoocat via Flickr

By Larry Johnson

With the advent of technology and so many developments the need to maintain a hygienic lifestyle has become very important. Even with so many cleaning techniques to choose from pressure cleaning stands out as remarkably exceptional method.

Pressure cleaning can be defined as a technique where water or steam are focused on a surface or any material that requires to be cleaned. Water or steam is let out to the surface from a mechanical device known as a pressure cleaner. The high pressure used in this method is responsible for the cleaning action. For cleansing purposes even chemicals can be used along with the water.

There are various categories of pressure cleaners: electric, petrol, diesel, gas and ultra high pressure. Typically a motor that drives the water pump, a hose and a trigger gun make up a pressure cleaning unit. According to the requirement units are chosen though mostly industrial needs are met by gas units and household needs by electric units.

The uses of pressure cleaning are diverse and numerous. It can be used to clean concrete surfaces like roads, roofs, driveways and walls painted with graffiti. It is also used for airfield rubber removal where it is used to maintain friction on runway strips. Historic places that look dilapidated can be restored back to their natural beauty using this method.

Pressure cleaning can be compartmentalized depending on the magnitude of the water pressure. When using water pressure that is less than 5000 psi (pound per square inch) it is called as low pressure water cleaning, for pressures between 5000-10,000 psi it is known as high pressure water cleaning, pressures between 10,000-25,000 psi it is called as high pressure water jetting and for if the pressure is greater than 25,000 it is called ultra high water pressure jetting. The amount of water that can be dispensed is measured in GPM (Gallons per minute).

The spray distance, pressure of the nozzle, spray angle and water flow rate are the elements that determine the efficiency of pressure cleaning. They are chosen after assessing the type of operation for which pressure cleaning is to be used. To consider an example, among the different nozzle types like solid jet, rotating flat jet and rotating solid jet, rotating solid jet is favored due its higher efficiency as compared to the rest .A variation from zero to forty degrees is also possible with respect to the spray angle which is decided according to the requirement.

Hot water is comparatively more used than cold water for pressure cleaning as water at high temperatures tends to clean surfaces better than cold water and in a shorter duration of time. The procedure is different when steam is used for pressure cleaning. Water is heated up to 140-150 degrees centigrade and then the steam is allowed to condense on the surface, thus resulting in clearing of the desired dirt from the surface. Another thing to be kept in mind regarding these is that one has to be extremely careful while using pressure cleaners as being exposed to water at such high pressures can lead to serious injuries.

Like any technology there is a lot of scope to improve as far as features are considered regarding pressure cleaning. Many important factors that influence the efficiency of pressure cleaning like nozzle designs, speed, and nozzle radius are still being studied. So as far as future development is considered, a lot can be expected in this field.

It can be thereby safely concluded that pressure cleaning with its numerous benefits like its effectiveness, affordability and the fact that it requires only minor amounts of water and chemicals makes it a very attractive option as far as cleaning methods are concerned.

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