Hot water or cold water? How to pick the right pressure washer.
Start with what you are cleaning, not with the machine.
222 S. Academy St., Opelousas · Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Start with what you are cleaning, not with the machine.
222 S. Academy St., Opelousas · Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Cold water moves dirt. Hot water dissolves grease. Most pressure washer decisions come down to that one line, and getting it wrong costs money both ways: a cold water machine on a grease problem never quite gets it clean, and a hot water machine bought for siding and sidewalks is a burner you paid for and will never use.
A hot water pressure washer sends the water through a coil heated by an oil-fired burner before it reaches the gun. Most burn diesel or kerosene. Heat is what breaks down grease, oil and anything petroleum based, the same way hot water in the sink does with a greasy pan.
Cold water at the same pressure mostly pushes grease around and leaves a film behind. Pressure gets dirt off. Heat gets grease off.
Mud, dust, pollen, mildew and general washdown: siding, fences, decks, sidewalks, parking lots and most vehicle washing. A cold water machine is lighter, simpler and cheaper to buy, and there is no burner to fuel or service.
Put a surface cleaner on it for concrete and the right soap in it for vehicles, and a cold water machine handles most of what homeowners and a lot of contractors clean. If nothing you wash is greasy, buy cold water and keep the difference.
Engines, equipment, farm machinery, oilfield gear, forklifts, shop floors with oil on them, kitchen exhaust hoods: anything with grease or petroleum on it. Hot water does in one pass what cold water will not do in ten.
If your crew washes the same greasy equipment every week, the hours a hot water machine saves are what pay for the burner. That is the math that matters, not the sticker price.
Heat and chemistry work together. Most degreasers work faster hot, and some are made only for hot water. Our SC 10 is an extra heavy-duty hot water degreaser for off-road and mining equipment and forklifts, and it is not for cars, pickups, trucks or trailers.
Others work either way. MC 20, a butyl-based all purpose cleaner, runs in cold or hot water, so it is a sensible place to start if you have a cold water machine and some grease to deal with. Tell us the surface and what is on it, and we will give you the product and the dilution before you leave the counter.
More, honestly. It costs more up front, it burns fuel, and the burner has a nozzle and a fuel filter that wear. Hard water also leaves scale inside the coil over time, which is what a coil descaler like our SC 14865 Limey is for.
None of that is a reason not to buy one if you clean grease. It is a reason to buy one from somebody who services them. We work on hot and cold water machines here, including brands we do not sell.
If you only fight grease a couple of times a year, rent a hot water unit for those jobs instead of owning a burner. If you are not sure heat will make a difference on your equipment, rent one before you buy and find out.
We rent hot and cold water units by the day or the week, and the right chemical goes out with the machine. Reserve ahead in the spring and before storms, because those weeks book up.
Light grease, yes, with the right degreaser and more time. Heavy grease and oil come off much faster with hot water, and some degreasers are made to be used hot.
If you clean grease, oil or equipment regularly, usually yes, because of the time it saves on every wash. If you mostly wash siding, concrete or vehicles, cold water is the better buy.
Yes. The burner needs fuel and occasional service, and the coil needs descaling where the water is hard. A cold water machine only has the pump and the engine or motor to look after.
Yes, by the day or the week, and we send the right chemical out with it. Call the shop to reserve one.
Landa, Kärcher and Pressure-Pro, in hot and cold water, portable and stationary. Machine pricing is by phone or at the counter.
Call or stop by the counter and describe what you clean.
Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM · 222 S. Academy St., Opelousas
Describe the surface and the mess. We will tell you the machine, the chemical, or both. No pressure and no runaround.