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| What to look for when buying a high pressure cleaning machine ? |
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Compared to other cleaning methods, high pressure cleaning is one option which is more suitable to India. Generally speaking, high pressure cleaners are classified into two: The cold water high pressure cleaner which is inexpensive and the hot water one which performs better in heavy tasks, especially for cleaning heavy grease, oil layers, etc. The heat and steam in case of hot water jets are more effective under the same pressure conditions thus maximizing cleaning efficiency and minimizing energy waste.
There are a few questions for which answers should be sought when buying a high pressure cleaner: |
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| How to evaluate the product? |
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| Unlike mass produced machines Kranzle machines are tried and tested to conditions, prior to leaving the factory. When evaluating different brands it is essential to look deeper than looking at the pressure or price. If you want a machine that will give good service for over a period of time look for a specialist brand, quality and durability. |
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| How good is the pump? |
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Some pumps are made of cast aluminium, while a few others are made with brass valve casing, which although not cheap, is strong, durable and does not erode in water.
Some pumps have pistons driven by a cam and con rods and are about 84% efficient. A few axial pumps are approximately 91% efficient. Kranzle also manufacture their own electric motors where output is perfectly matched for maximum performance.
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Some pumps have plastic valves. Kranzle machines have valves made with stainless steel seats, poppers and springs. It is easier to clean up these pumps unlike some other makes.
There are pumps that do not have an air gap with drainage between the high pressure water seals and oil seals. This results in the oil getting contaminated by water. The emulsion could be highly destructive to the transmission.
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One of the worst things one can do to a pressure washer is to turn it on without water in the pump. With most machines, the seals will burn out in minutes and the heat distortion could wreck the pump completely. Some plastic pumps even need water to cool or regulate the speed of the pump. Special Teflon/graphite sleeves next to the high pressure seals of some pumps indicate that such pumps could run dry for an hour or more before the damage occurred.
Thus pumps that have valve casing made in brass with stainless steel parts are good as they do not wear out and need only service items to be replaced every 2000-3000 hours of use. The life expectancy of many domestic rated pressure cleaners is only a few 100 hours of use. |
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| How long will the high pressure cleaner last ? |
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Some pressure cleaners are not guaranteed for industrial use i.e. they are designed for domestic use only. The life of many domestic rated models last only till the guarantee period. The cost of repair is usually equal to the cost of the machine. Many of these domestic machines are simply disposable products requiring frequent replacement.
A better business deal would be to buy a good make that will last longer period than buying a low cost machine and spending money on replacing parts or getting it repaired repeatedly. |
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| Do I need a hot machine or a cold? |
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It depends on the usage. If you are cleaning the outside of cars, vans, even tractors, stone work, etc, then a cold water high pressure cleaner is suitable. For heavy usage don’t buy light weight machines without a brass pump head or with a 2800 rpm motor. You need something durable and simple, preferably with good pressure and flow. Some machines can generally be left running in bypass for many hours without damage and are far more reliable. The more the gadgets on a machine, the more the chances for things to go wrong.
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Hot water pressures are necessary for heavy transport and industrial cleaning. The combination of high pressure, hot water and detergent cuts through grease, oil and animal fats easily. They are expensive and do require more servicing. These machines are generally used in tough environments. Light weight ‘compact’ machines are more suitable for occassional cleaning. |
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| What quality of hose, fittings and connections should it have? |
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| More expensive machines should have both the water inlet fitting that your hose connection goes in to and the high pressure outlet of the pump made of brass because plastic breaks and aluminum corrodes. Likewise all the connection of the high pressure hose, trigger gun and detachable lances and |
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| accessories should be either brass or stainless steel. Other metals may corrode or seize up and plastic ‘push & twist’ bayonet connections are weaker than brass and prone to problems. Some machines have brass water inlet fittings (with an in line water filter) and brass screw connections that seal on an ‘O’ ring, so only need to be done up finger tight. No tools are required to undo hoses, trigger guns or change lances. |
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Where possible buy a machine with a rubber coated steel braided high pressure hose. These are more durable than cotton braided thermoplastic hoses and will last a lot longer…provided you don’t pull on kinked hoses or continually drive over them that will wreck any hose. |
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| Should I buy the cheapest? |
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| Yes… but which is that? |
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If, for example, you spent Rs.30,000 on a unit that only lasted 200 hours, the machine would have cost you Rs.150 per hour. However if you spent say Rs.80,000 on a unit that would give you in excess of 8000 hours usage, the machine would be costing you less than Rs.10 per hour.
Financially, it makes sense to buy a good quality machine that will last. And in terms of performance, professional and industrial quality machines have far greater cleaning power than smaller domestic machines giving better results and reducing the amount of time taken to do the job. |
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