Hydro Blasting

Grime Busters LLC

Grime Busters LLC

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Anyone have any experience with Hydro Blasting ?

I have the opportunity to bid a large project, water treatment plant. Involves the interior of a 8' in diameter pipe, several thousand feet. No hazardous material concerns, just a return discharge pipe that needs to be prepped before it is relined.

Specs require a 20,000 psi Hydro Blaster. I have found several sources to rent from, and they will provide training and support as part of the agreement.

Since I've never been on the business end of a 20,000 PSI, 24 GPM wand, I'd like to hear your experiences.

Working inside a 8' pipe is probably as low on the totem pole as it gets for pressure washing, especially here in Arizona with the heat. Access holes are located every 100' at the top of the above ground pipe.

As always, your input is much appreciated.
 
Most of the time when you are using a hydroblaster over 10kpsi, the wand is machine mounted and you operate it manually or hydraulics, people have died when trying to man-handle the wand and it gets away from them and cuts them wide open.

Not sure how you would get the rig inside the pipe let alone the water pressure hoses, that would be a lot of hoses and pressure loss.

There are a lot of websites out there dealing with this, I have not looked into it that much.

They used to clean out the heat exchanger tubes with a 20k hydroblaster and the rig was all hydraulic to move the lance in/out, up/down, left/right, pivot, etc... with a elevated chair with blast window so the operator could see somewhat, with rain suit you still get soaked.

Even though it might not be hazardous materials, is it confined space? It sounds like it might be but without knowing all the details you never know.
 
Definitely considered a confined space. I am OSHA certified competent persona, with various certificates, one being confined space.

I'm still waiting for Joe Walters to give me the final word if my coverage will cover 20,000 PSI.

If work was plentiful these days I wouldn't even consider bidding this project. But the payday would be BIG and would keep my crew busy.
 
Sounds like it might be a great money maker.

Maybe you can have a "duct spinner" made for that kind of pressure and have it positioned so you just move it slowly down the pipe, might be safer and easier to use and might do a better job.

The Stripe Hog uses surface cleaners with 40k psi so swivels are out there for that kind of pressure, maybe they already have something made for that kind of job?

Just an idea.
 
If you do it, get some video! Should be pretty impressive. Those guys that take the stripes of the road use 20,000 + surface cleaners. Thats got to be high-dollar work any way you scratch it up.
 
tomtucson said:
If you do it, get some video! Should be pretty impressive. Those guys that take the stripes of the road use 20,000 + surface cleaners. Thats got to be high-dollar work any way you scratch it up.
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You bet ya Tom. Big dollar work, especially the premium for the working conditions inside a 8' diameter pipe. There is 1 contractor in town that owns a HydroBlaster, and they have passed on this job.

Job is located 3 hours out of Phoenix. Per Diem, travel, prevailing wage plus...
 
tomtucson said:
If you do it, get some video! Should be pretty impressive. Those guys that take the stripes of the road use 20,000 + surface cleaners. Thats got to be high-dollar work any way you scratch it up.
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Check out the stripe hog.
 
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Tony Shelton said:
That's amazing. You know they don't even bother taking up lines here, I-15 has about 25 old lanes still marked in it! :shocked2:
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I think they just cover them with tar.
I saw one of these machines at Mcarren.
 
I have been watching those stripe hogs for years now, wish they made a smaller one that I could afford, I could make some good money removing stripes, thermo and rubber off the runways.
 
Christopher said:
I have been watching those stripe hogs for years now, wish they made a smaller one that I could afford, I could make some good money removing stripes, thermo and rubber off the runways.
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I think this might be a little less expensive but it has no recovery.

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Check this one out.

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tomtucson said:
I'm perplexed how the asphalt isn't chewed up?
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I would like to know how they do that without damaging the asphalt also.

It would be nice to get one of those machines to remove the stripes and thermo, there is a need for that service but the equipment is very expensive, the StripeHog is about $400k+ but the smaller tractor type....I am not sure how much that one cost but the new video of the tractor without the recovery, that one might be a lot less money.
 
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