Cold or Hot Water Pressure Washer – How to Choose?
What is the difference between a hot and cold water pressure washer and which one will do the job better for me? The simple fact is that hot water is just better at cleaning, period. For the same cleaning job, a hot soapy bucket of water and a sponge will do a much better job than a cold bucket of suds. The same applies to a pressure washer. Hot water will clean better and faster, all other things being equal. You might be wondering why anyone would choose a cold water unit at all? Well, consider the following application: a person cleaning the dirt off a wood fence. Now, for this application, your garden hose almost does the job, not without a little scrubbing, but almost. A power washer would make short work of this job. Using a cold water unit means you don’t have the added expense of getting a unit with a water heater on it. This also means no added cost to heat the water. Another benefit is you’ll be carrying around a much smaller water pressure water.
What kinds of jobs justify the added expense and weight of a hot water washer? Well, one application is the cleaning of greasy manufacturing equipment. As an example, consider a food processing plant that processes fatty foods. If you use a cold water unit for cleaning, the grease will harden into waxy clumps and will not easily be dislodged. This will make for a long and tedious cleaning process. By contrast, if you have a hot water pressure washer, then the grease and oils will melt away and the cleaning process will be quick and easy. Pretty much any job that involves grease or fat or oils will require a unit that can heat the water before spraying. You may also consider a unit that emits high pressure steam. High pressure steam can clean most anything, even in many cases without any help from any type of detergent or cleaning agent. There are many pressure washers out there that can output steam or hot water. Make sure you read the specifications of the unit and make the best choice for the job at hand.