Hot Water, It Really Makes A Difference!
Understanding the Difference Between Hot Water and Cold Water Power Washing
Many people ask if there’s any real difference between hot water and cold water pressure washing, often assuming it’s all the same. In reality, it’s a game-changer! There’s a significant difference, primarily in the outcome and the time it takes to clean surfaces.
To effectively clean various items, whether it’s laundry, cars, dishes, or house siding, you require a combination of four key elements:
- Chemical, the detergent to tackle grease, mold, and dirt;
- Heat to accelerate the cleaning process;
- Agitation, achieved through scrubbing, pressure, or tumbling;
- Time, the duration needed to clean the target surface.
Collectively, these four components are often referred to as “CHAT,” and when appropriately balanced, they ensure thorough and damage-free surface cleaning. If you neglect one element, you must compensate by increasing the other three. For instance, without chemicals, you’d need to raise heat, pressure, and time, potentially risking surface damage. Similarly, employing cold water without heat would necessitate higher chemical usage, increased pressure, and extended cleaning times, which could harm plants and surfaces, while also wasting water.
A cold water wash simply can’t match the cleaning efficacy of hot water, and the drawback of requiring more chemicals and higher pressure makes hot water the obvious choice. Moreover, hot water enhances detergent action, reducing the need for excessive chemical use and eliminating the need to protect or buffer plants before cleaning. It’s also highly effective in cutting through grease and removing stains that cold water struggles to address.
Professional hot water power washers possess the capability to adjust pressure and detergent levels for added efficiency. The ability to fine-tune pressure settings, ranging from 3500 psi to 500 psi, makes it feasible to clean virtually any surface effectively.
For example, if you intend to clean a composite deck, which comprises plastic and wood shavings and is prone to scratching, high-pressure cold water can damage it, leaving permanent streaks. In contrast, hot water and lower pressure, coupled with the right detergent, can effortlessly eliminate mold or mildew while conserving water.
Hot water also simplifies and speeds up the process of removing black streaks from white gutters. Heated water and detergent cause the streaks to release without harming the paint, whereas cold water demands the use of potent caustic detergents that risk damaging the gutter’s paint.
In summary, hot water power washing offers numerous advantages, including shorter cleaning times, reduced detergent usage, and lower pressure requirements compared to cold water methods. This makes hot water the clear choice for professionals seeking optimal results.