"Hot Tub" Pressure Washer

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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