The Problem
The Armed Forces do an amazing job for our country. We were privileged to be asked to clean a number of mixer trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles which had been used by the Army in the Falklands. The vehicles had been well used and had not been cleaned for several months and, in some cases, years.
The Army base in Ripon had five four-wheel drive vehicles with concrete mixer trucks mounted on them to be cleaned. All of the vehicles were covered in a huge amount of thick grime and set concrete due to the nature of the work that had been undertaken. The concrete mixer trucks had been delivering concrete via chutes, which were covered in set concrete. As concrete sets in the tube, the delivery system becomes much less efficient and can stop functioning properly.
The Hydroblast Method
To get these vehicles back to functioning optimally and ready for another tour, they needed to be expertly cleaned. The main issue was that some of the concrete was firmly set and needed to be removed efficiently and effectively without causing damage to the paintwork on the vehicles. Hydroblast has the specialist equipment and expertise to undertake these types of jobs.
For the general clean up and removal of ingrained dirt, grime and grease we used our specialist water jetting equipment, including a rotating nozzle delivering 30 litres of water per minute, with a pressure of 500 bar (7,250 psi) and up to 98 degree C was used.
The concrete that was more of a challenge was due to the fact that the vehicles had had little or no cleaning during the tour. To combat this, some of the tubes were removed from the vehicles and thoroughly cleaned using ultra high-pressure water jets, working at pressures of 2500 bar and resulting in the tubes looking as good as new and ready for immediate re-use.
When delivering water at incredibly high pressures as in this case, it is essential to use coated tips on the nozzles. These offer protection to the nozzle and help maintain the high pressures once the water leaves the hose. Hydroblast uses Sapphire tips as these uphold the pressures efficiently and effectively and at the same time protect our equipment from erosion.
Water at this pressure is capable of breaking concrete, so if the water is not delivered by professionals there is a high risk of damaging to the paintwork and framework of the vehicles. The Hydroblast team are specialists and able to increase and decrease the pressure of the water to achieve an expert clean, and at the same time protecting the target from any damage.
The Outcome
The client was delighted with the outcome, with all equipment and vehicles being as good as new and ready to go out on tour whenever they were needed.
Hydroblast are experts when it comes to water jet cleaning and hydrodemolition which delivers an efficient and effective job, which offers a more eco-friendly option than most other methods. Using only water and weak shampoo, Hydroblast are able to clean to a better standard than companies that use environmentally-damaging detergents and chemicals.
If you would like to learn more about our services and methods or have any queries at all, please visit our website or contact us on 01677 424542. We also have a fantastic range of nozzles and equipment that are available for both long and short-term rentals.