"Hot Tub" Pressure Washer
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Kerry Kligora removed the pump, electric heater, control module and air-operated switches from an old hot tub that had a cracked shell. He used those parts, along with an old 65-gal. poly tank, to make a non-pressurized water heater for his gas pressure washer. It mounts on a pallet so he can use his skid loader to move it around.
“Greasy and dirty surfaces are always a pain to clean with cold water, even with a pressure washer,” says Kligora. “However, I couldn’t justify the cost of a diesel-powered hot water pressure washer. And since I heat my shop only when I’m inside it, a water heater didn’t make a lot of sense. So I was stuck using cold water, unless I could run a garden hose from our washing machine to the shop. My wife wasn’t too fond of that idea.
“If I need to use the pressure washer in an area where there’s no electricity or water, I can heat the water in my shop and then use the skid loader to lift the unit off the ground and gravity feed water out of the tank.”
He used schedule 40 pvc pipe and plumbing fittings to make a loop that runs from the tank’s drain pipe, through the pump and heater, and back to a hole drilled into the top of the tank. He also outfitted the drain pipe with a spigot for gravity feeding the water, and he added another spigot that lets him draw water while the system is running under power.
“I use the hot tub’s air-operated switch to control the pump and the original controls for the heater element,” says Kligora. “There’s a stainless steel grounding cable on the pump system that clamps onto a rod in the ground, just to make sure no one gets electrocuted. Since the system is open, there’s no need for a pressure valve - I just remove the top from the tank when it’s in use.”
He paid $15 for the tank at a garage sale and another $30 for plumbing fittings and electrical supplies.
He says the system can heat 65 gal. of water to 104º F in about 45 min. “My gas-powered pressure washer uses 2.2 gpm at full blast, so 65 gal. provides about 30 min. of washing time, which is usually enough for even the most demanding jobs,” says Kligora. “I only heat the water to 104º F because that’s the temperature limit on most cold water pressure washers. I plan to add a float valve so I can continually fill the tank with fresh water for really long wash cycles.”
He says it costs about $1 per hour to heat the water at current electric prices. The system requires a 220-volt plug-in for the heater, and factory controls convert the pump to the required 110 volts.
“If your pressure washer doesn’t have a chemical injection/siphon feature, you can add the degreaser/chemicals to the water tank. But make sure you don’t add the chemicals until just before you use them in case they foam up a little,” says Kligora.
“The water temperature can be easily adjusted using factory controls, so by hooking up a hose equipped with a garden watering nozzle to the pressurized spigot, my wife can wash our horses in cool weather. She just heats the water to lukewarm and goes to work. I also think this idea would work for thawing frozen livestock waterers, although I haven’t tried that yet.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kerry Kligora, 2138 County Hwy. E, Mineral Point, Wis. 53565 (ph 608 553-2062; kerry.kligora@gmail.com).
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Hot Tub Pressure Washer FARM SHOP Miscellaneous Kerry Kligora removed the pump electric heater control module and air-operated switches from an old hot tub that had a cracked shell He used those parts along with an old 65-gal poly tank to make a non-pressurized water heater for his gas pressure washer It mounts on a pallet so he can use his skid loader to move it around “Greasy and dirty surfaces are always a pain to clean with cold water even with a pressure washer ” says Kligora “However I couldn’t justify the cost of a diesel-powered hot water pressure washer And since I heat my shop only when I’m inside it a water heater didn’t make a lot of sense So I was stuck using cold water unless I could run a garden hose from our washing machine to the shop My wife wasn’t too fond of that idea “If I need to use the pressure washer in an area where there’s no electricity or water I can heat the water in my shop and then use the skid loader to lift the unit off the ground and gravity feed water out of the tank ” He used schedule 40 pvc pipe and plumbing fittings to make a loop that runs from the tank’s drain pipe through the pump and heater and back to a hole drilled into the top of the tank He also outfitted the drain pipe with a spigot for gravity feeding the water and he added another spigot that lets him draw water while the system is running under power “I use the hot tub’s air-operated switch to control the pump and the original controls for the heater element ” says Kligora “There’s a stainless steel grounding cable on the pump system that clamps onto a rod in the ground just to make sure no one gets electrocuted Since the system is open there’s no need for a pressure valve - I just remove the top from the tank when it’s in use ” He paid $15 for the tank at a garage sale and another $30 for plumbing fittings and electrical supplies He says the system can heat 65 gal of water to 104º F in about 45 min “My gas-powered pressure washer uses 2 2 gpm at full blast so 65 gal provides about 30 min of washing time which is usually enough for even the most demanding jobs ” says Kligora “I only heat the water to 104º F because that’s the temperature limit on most cold water pressure washers I plan to add a float valve so I can continually fill the tank with fresh water for really long wash cycles ” He says it costs about $1 per hour to heat the water at current electric prices The system requires a 220-volt plug-in for the heater and factory controls convert the pump to the required 110 volts “If your pressure washer doesn’t have a chemical injection/siphon feature you can add the degreaser/chemicals to the water tank But make sure you don’t add the chemicals until just before you use them in case they foam up a little ” says Kligora “The water temperature can be easily adjusted using factory controls so by hooking up a hose equipped with a garden watering nozzle to the pressurized spigot my wife can wash our horses in cool weather She just heats the water to lukewarm and goes to work I also think this idea would work for thawing frozen livestock waterers although I haven’t tried that yet ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Kerry Kligora 2138 County Hwy E Mineral Point Wis 53565 ph 608 553-2062; kerry kligora@gmail com
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