Benefits of Pressure Washers for Municipalities and Street Departments

Streets, roads, and highways face the greatest amount of wear of nearly any surface in any given day. Think of it this way, not many other surfaces experience the continuous weight and wear from thousands of 2000+ lbs. vehicles running anywhere from 25 MPH to 70+ MPH. Despite the demands on roads, other incidents can cause even greater wear, like accidents, road kill, litter, grime and grease associated with vehicles, and more. To ensure that pedestrians can count on these streets, roads, and highways for their daily commute, proper maintenance is essential.

Pressure washers are one of the most powerful and effective cleaning machines used in the maintenance of streets and other asphalt or concrete surfaces. Pressure washers combine high pressure levels with high flow rates to afford users the ability to blast away residues from a wide variety of surfaces.

For street departments, pressure washers enable them to blast away the everyday grime that can cause roads to deteriorate. Pedestrian spills, grease and oil residues from vehicles, organic residues left by animals, and other stains can be removed quickly and easily with high-pressurized water.

In fact, pressure washers can even be used to clean up accidents, damage done by storms, or even road kill, some of the more unfortunate tasks that face street departments. For example, municipal workers can use pressure washers to force the debris resulting from the above incidents into one manageable pile. Additionally, any stains from these incidents can be easily removed with the combination of high pressure levels, flow rates, and temperature levels.

There are several factors street departments must consider in the purchase of pressure washers. While pressure level and flow rate requirements depend upon the job at hand, temperature levels and mobility configurations are the two most essential features for street maintenance.

Pressure washers can be purchased with four different temperature options: cold water, hot water, steam, or triple-functionality. The cold water pressure washers are only reach about 50ºF, capable of handling lighter commercial applications. However, these machines do not offer sufficient power for the demanding needs of street maintenance departments. For these applications, heated models are best.

Pressure washers generating hot water, up to 210ºF, at high pressure levels can be used to dissolve substances and stains on contact to speed up the cleaning process. However, the most powerful and fastest temperature option is steam. Capable of reaching 330ºF, pressure washers generating high-pressure vapor steam sanitize and disinfect while dissolving residues, for the most rapid and effective cleaning process.

Mobility is another essential consideration. Street departments maintain a large number of roads and highways. They must have the ability to move pressure washers to the location of the application at hand. For this purpose, pressure washers with wheeled or trailer mountable configurations are ideal.

To ensure successful cleaning of virtually any street maintenance application, consider pressure washers.