Factors that influence high pressure cleaning. What constitutes 'Cleaning Power'?

So how do you tell what pressure a machine is actually working at? The only way is with a quality pressure gauge fitted to your cleaner.

(prHWY.com) November 10, 2012 - Bundamba, Australia -- What constitutes 'cleaning power' in pressure cleaners?

When it comes to cleaning using pressure cleaners, most manufacturers worldwide have always pushed pressure as the sole criteria for choosing a pressure cleaner - which it is not!

And what is worse, they would most often state the pump's maximum pressure rating in all advertizing while the horsepower available to drive that pump to this maximum pressure was far less than what is required to actually reach that pressure. Nowhere do they state the actual OPERATING PRESSURE.

So in essence, a pump might be rated to 2,200 PSI, while the effective working pressure is only 1,100 PSI. And because very often domestic and semi-industrial machines are not fitted with pressure gauges, there is no way of telling what the actual operating pressure is.

Some even go as far as stating only the 'EWP' (effective working pressure using a Turbo Nozzle) - a practice we too were forced to employ in order to look like we're stacking up but the difference is that we also stated the maximum pump pressure AND the de-rated pressure - which is really the pressure the machine is set to run at, at a comfortable pace - the real working/operating pressure.

So how do you tell what pressure a machine is actually working at? The only way is with a quality pressure gauge fitted to your cleaner.

But getting back to Cleaning Power, the pressure developed is only one part of the equation. A high-pressure cleaner's ability to clean depends upon a combination of pressure (measured in bar or PSI) and flow rate (in litres per minute). Both are equally important.

Besides there two factors of pressure and flow, there are also a number of other smaller factors that in some cases are very important, which we'll look at later.

The flow rate in litres per minute (or litres/hour) is a very important measure of the cleaning ability. DIY machines commonly have flow rates as low as 6-8 litres/min. Heavy-duty industrial units have flow rates varying from 10 to 40 litres a minute. Know this: At the same pressure, double the flow means double the cleaning power and speed!

Think of it this way. A litre of water weighs one kilogram. When you look at a pressure cleaner, mentally convert the flow rate from litres to kilograms. A machine throwing 18 kilos a minute at a surface is going to clean 3 times as fast and as well as one throwing only 6 kilos a minute.

(Roughly, an increase in flow rate of one litre per minute is equal to 20 bar or almost 290 PSI in cleaning power.)

Do you want to calculate the cleaning effect of a pressure washer? Simply multiply the pressure in BAR x the flow in LPM and divide by 600. So a domestic pressure cleaner at 1200 PSI or 83 BAR (divide PSI by 14.5 to get BAR) x 6 LPM /600 = 0.83 which is not great. But increasing the flow to 12 LPM, doubles the cleaning power at the same pressure!

Check out http://thoroughclean.com.au for complete details!!


12 Ashburn Rd
Bundamba Qld 4304
P 07 5467 2025
F 07 5467 2026

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