New PPC Service: Power Washing

Power washing is one of the most satisfying things to watch, so much so that websites like BuzzFeed have collected images of power washing clips for their audience to behold–and watching through those clips–it really is extremely satisifying. PPC is proud to offer this new service! Let’s take a few minutes to go into what exactly is power washing?

Pressure or Power Washing is essentially using a high-pressure mechanical sprayer to lift caked in grime, paint, graffiti, or what have you. When years and years of grime have built up on a surface, a few minute power washing session can renew a surface completely. The type of home-use pressure washers that most people would be using to clean their deck or their patio produce pressures from about 750 to 30,000 PSI (pounds per square inch).

Hydrocleaning or Waterblasting is a more industrial power washing technique, used to pull paint form metal or concrete, burnt rubber from airplane runways, or used to peel sealants from sidewalks. As you might imagine, this type of power washing is generally considered more industrial and not for home-use like the power-washers you can buy at the hardware store.

Hydrocleaning has 4 official classifications by the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) which are as follows:

  • Low-pressure water cleaning (LP WC) uses water pressure less than 5,000 psi (34 MPa);
  • High-pressure water cleaning (HP WC) uses water pressure between 5,000 to 10,000 psi (34 to 70 MPa);
  • High-pressure water jetting (HP WJ) uses water pressure between 10,000 to 25,000 psi (70 to 170 MPa);
  • Ultrahigh-pressure water jetting uses pressures above 25,000 psi (170 MPa).

Whenever a surface such as metal or concrete needs to have a coating or sealant applied, it is necessary first to prepare the surface for this application. Generally, hydrocleaning is one of the steps to preparing the surface. By first powerwashing the surface the sealant will be a more uniform and smooth application, which will not only look and feel better to the touch, but will be stronger against future cracks or gaps in the seal.

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia by Mark Schellhase.

Back to the Blog