An Overview of High Pressure Cleaners and their Uses
If you thought that a sponge, some shampoo, a bucket of hot water and a strong arm provide the best way to wash away the oil and grime from a vehicle, you would need to think again. In practice and under the right circumstances, a jet of cold water can do the job quicker and more thoroughly. This observation might well explain why many RUV owners have been choosing to abandon their regular trips to the local car wash and, instead, investing in high pressure cleaners, sometimes known as jet washers. While the power of these domestic models may be impressive enough, their capabilities fall far short of the heavy-duty models meant for industrial applications.
One should never underestimate the power of water. After all, it was this life-giving liquid, in the form of the Colorado River, that wore away billions of tons of solid rock to form the 277 mile-long Grand Canyon. However, that process is thought to have taken between 3 and 6 million years. By contrast, today, there are tools even more powerful than the high pressure cleaners referred to above. When armed with a waterjet cutter, it is possible to carve intricate shapes from a thick sheet of steel in seconds. In the mining industry, the water jetting process is often used to cut away rock as a safer alternative to the traditional use of explosives.
The main difference between each of the applications described to date is the maximum pressure that each of the corresponding tools can generate. Other features, including the exit nozzle design, also contribute to the difference in performance between an industrial-strength high pressure cleaner, the type one can use to clean driveways, patio floors and the family car, and a waterjet cutter.
Industrial Applications of Jet Washing
In effect, wherever dirt and contaminants are encrusted and cannot be removed by conventional means, a jet washer is invariably the answer. The earthmoving and construction industries are just two among many that rely extensively on using this technology to perform their most challenging cleaning tasks. Few machines gather more dirt than earthmoving vehicles. Only high pressure cleaners are up to the job of blasting away the thick mud, stone chippings, and other detritus that tend to infiltrate every nook and cranny of their structure. Multiple water jets are often incorporated into an automated, drive-through wash station to facilitate the cleaning process.
Construction companies often face a similar cleaning problem. In this case, it is the residual dried concrete left behind on the surfaces of formwork that poses the challenge. Before the moulds can be re-used, they must be thoroughly cleaned and, once again, this is a task for a high pressure cleaner.
Where there are pipelines, there is a risk that they can become clogged. A significant blockage could interrupt the flow of material through the pipe, impeding some process or even endangering those engaged in it. Pipelines undergo regular inspections to ensure process continuity and safety. Where indicated, water jetting equipment mounted on a “mole” provides an efficient means to perform the clean-up.
A range of high pressure cleaners suitable for these and similar tasks is available in South Africa from Bestline Manufacturing.