steam cleaners

S

snagtooth

New member
Can someone help me understand steam cleaners and/or pressure washers with steam capabilities. Can you retrofit a hot pressure washer to produce steam? Also adjusting psi? I'm clueless and thinking of ways to make a more efficient unit for indoor jobs (tile/grout, real nasty goop, etc.)
 
A pressure washer can be converted to a combination machine. I'd need to know a lot more about your machine to make recommendations for the needed parts.

Hydro Tek makes a steam cleaner. It's a 1.5 gpm, 350 psi, 320°, 120 volt electric. It pulls 15 amps, so it could be plugged in almost anywhere.
 
Well, basically i'm trying to deconstruct this Aquacide, steam powered weed killing machine, in my head without having it right in front of me.
http://www.aquacide.ca/home
I found one for sale, went and looked at it, took pictures but still can't figure it out completely. It's a cheap deal, almost brand new and I think it could make a great machine for doing interior work, kitchens, tile/grout, etc. So as it sits now it has a flow control valve on the side with a psi gauge that goes from 0-1000psi.
20131121_154049.jpg

The pump is a Comet LWD 3020, rated at 3gpm/2200psi from what I can find. I havn't heard good things about Comet pumps but I also have a nearly identically rated Cat pump (2sf30gs) 3gpm/2000psi.
20131121_154250.jpg

I can't really read the spec. plate pictures (and now I can't remember) but I think it says it's 480psi, 3gpm, 5.5hp or 6.5 hp honda, 350,000btu.
20131121_154114.jpg

Also has a Beckett burner.
20131121_154448.jpg

So, is it possible to bump up the psi by removing a flow control valve or something? Can I get into the 3gpm/2200psi range and still produce steam? I'm thinking, how can I make this thing work efficiently as a interior cleaner?

Seems like some good parts, good base for an interior rig, all self contained on a skid.
craigs pic.jpg

Or am I wasting my money and I could be putting a simple valve on my Hydrotek hot skid 4gpm/3500psi to reduce pressure and make steam? This is what I take inside now and it can be a little much on old grout and what-not. Thanks in advance
 
Usually they use a bypass valve to recirculate the water back to the inlet which reduces the flow to the burner. the reduced flow rate makes it easy for the burner to produce steam. Without a few better pictures of the plumbing it would be hard to tell for sure but im about 90% sure you would be able to re-plumb that to get it more like a hot pressure washer and not just steam.
 
snagtooth said:
Can someone help me understand steam cleaners and/or pressure washers with steam capabilities. Can you retrofit a hot pressure washer to produce steam? Also adjusting psi? I'm clueless and thinking of ways to make a more efficient unit for indoor jobs (tile/grout, real nasty goop, etc.)
Click to expand...

My skid is set up to produce steam. I have never used it that way before.


• For steam turn valve on top right of pump
• Some of the flow is redirected back to the inlet on the pump (2nd pic, small black hose feeding pump)



image.jpegimage (1).jpeg
 
So, how would you produce less pressure with this 2200psi pump, to make it put out the stated 480?psi? It has a flow control as seen in the original pic. Is it just as simple as dialing down the unloader or is there a bypass as well as flow control you think?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to understand what I'm getting before I go back down there and look again/make an offer. By the way he's asking $1000 but I worked in this building and have seen it sitting there on the original pallet for 3+years. Think I can get it for $700 no prob.
 
So most likely the unloader is dialed down. Then the flow control is fine adjustment for a little extra/less heat? 1500psi would be common for tile work though right? Im talkin nasty commercial kitchen stuff.

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