Your production line is down for cleaning, and every hour it sits idle costs money. The baked-on residue in the tooling, the conveyor and the cooler doors has to come off now, and nobody wants to wait for a steamer to cool down and refill halfway through. The Therma-Kleen Therma-Steem Industrial 400 is the dry vapor steam cleaner for that kind of job: 380°F vapor at up to 180 PSI, and a 2-gallon reserve tank that feeds the boiler while you keep working.
It's the hottest, highest-pressure machine in the whole Therma-Steem line (even the 3-phase XL series tops out at 365°F and 155 PSI), and Therma-Kleen calls it the go-to model for most applications. It plugs into a single-phase outlet, 120 V or 240 V, and it's built in Au Gres, Michigan.
Therma-Kleen makes two kinds of steam cleaners, and buying the wrong one is the most common mistake we see.
Dry vapor (Therma-Steem, like this 400) heats water in a sealed boiler until it leaves as superheated vapor with very little liquid, about 5% moisture by Therma-Kleen's rating. It cleans and sanitizes indoors without flooding the area: food processing equipment, kitchens, restrooms, patient rooms, upholstery, and machinery with electrical parts nearby. It runs from a wall outlet and needs no floor drain.
High-pressure wet steam (Therma-Kleen's Ultra series) pumps water through a burner or heater at hundreds of PSI. It blasts caked grease off engines, dumpster pads, masonry and gum, but it puts water everywhere. The propane models need open air or strong ventilation, and the electric ones need 3-phase power.
If the job is inside and the surface can't take a flood of water, dry vapor is the answer. Not sure? Call (855) 601-5678 and tell us what you're cleaning.
The 400 and the Therma-Steem #10 share the same 1.5-gallon stainless boiler, Incoloy heating element and stainless body. The 400 runs hotter and at higher pressure, and it adds the reserve tank. On the #10, when the boiler runs low you switch it off, let the pressure out, let it cool and pour in fresh water. On the 400, a pump refills the boiler from the reserve tank, and you top off the tank through the vent cap whenever the add-water light blinks.
|
Therma-Steem Industrial 400 |
Therma-Steem #10 |
| Max temperature |
380°F (193°C) |
330°F (170°C) |
| Max pressure |
180 PSI (12.4 bar) |
100 PSI (6.8 bar) |
| Water |
1.5 gal boiler plus 2 gal reserve, refill while running |
1.5 gal boiler, refill when cool |
| Power |
120 V, 18 A (20 A circuit), or 240 V, 13 A |
120 V, 15 A, or 240 V |
| Steam control |
Variable steam knob plus lockable trigger gun |
Low, medium, high switches on the wand |
| Hose and tools |
15 ft stainless hose, screw-on brushes, blast nozzle |
14 ft hose and wand, push-on brushes |
| Price |
$6,595 |
$3,595 |
The 400 costs $3,000 more. It pays for itself when one operator steams for most of a shift, when soil is baked on hard enough to need 380°F and 180 PSI, or when stopping to refill would hold up a line. For an hour or two of kitchen and restroom detail work a day, the #10 is the smarter buy.
Running a plant with 3-phase power and steam on the line around the clock? The Therma-Steem Industrial XL Series has a 5-gallon boiler, a 7-gallon reserve and 20, 30 or 40 kW heaters for one or more operators, from $19,995.
Food plants, bakeries, wineries and restaurants are where the 400 does its best work. Therma-Kleen lists conveyor belts, oven interiors, industrial coolers, refrigerators, vats and barrels among its standard jobs, plus grease and grime on vent hoods. At 380°F the vapor gets into scratches and pores and drives soil out, and with no detergent in the process there's nothing to rinse off a food contact surface afterward.
The zero degree blast attachment focuses the steam for tight seams and fittings, and the curved nozzle brush reaches behind guards and around corners. Therma-Kleen also says kosher establishments use its dry vapor machines to kasher equipment; your supervising rabbi makes that call.
Outside food service, owners use the 400 on tools and dies, manufacturing equipment, hospital and nursing home equipment, hotel lobbies, locker rooms, ambulances and vehicle interiors. It also strips wallpaper and decals, treats mold and mildew, and kills dust mites, fleas and bed bugs.
The reserve tank is the reason to buy this machine. A pump keeps the boiler full from the 2-gallon tank, and you pour more water in through the vent cap while you work. The steam never stops for a cool-down, so one person can clean for hours.
It's built like the rest of the Therma-Steem line: stainless body, handle, boiler and reserve tank, a stainless steel hose and brass and stainless fittings, on heavy 10-inch wheels. The accessories screw on instead of pushing on, because of the higher pressure, and the trigger gun locks so you can change tools without a burst of steam.
Check your power first. The 120 V build draws 18 amps, so it needs a dedicated 20 A circuit, and the manual limits extension cords to 25 feet. If you have a 240 V outlet, take the 240 V build: it gets a bigger 2,500 W heater instead of 1,750 W, so it recovers heat faster.
The extrusion manager at Eastern Wholesale Fence, a PVC fence manufacturer, wrote to Therma-Kleen about using the 400 on wax buildup in their calibration tooling. Cleaning that used to take three employees two to three hours by hand now takes one person 20 to 30 minutes, and he wrote that the unit paid for itself on the very first tool. They were ordering a second one. It's the one owner review we found for this model, so that's all we show here.
Continuous refill. A 2-gallon stainless reserve tank and pump keep the boiler full, so you top off and keep cleaning.
380°F vapor at 180 PSI. The highest heat and pressure in the Therma-Steem line, for baked-on and greasy soil.
Variable steam and a lockable trigger. Dial the volume down for fabric and glass, up for grease, and lock the gun to change tools.
Stainless boiler with a lifetime warranty. 305 stainless boiler and reserve tank, Incoloy 800 element, stainless body.
Safety built in. Audible low water alarm with heater cut-off, temperature cut-off, pressure limit switch, pressure relief valve and a cooling fan.
15 ft stainless steam hose. A high temperature stainless hose with a heavy-duty cover and a 25 ft option for long reaches.
A full screw-on tool kit. Blast nozzle, curved nozzle brush, triangle and floor brushes, 10 detail brushes, two wand extensions.
120 V or 240 V, same price. The 240 V build adds a bigger heater for faster recovery.
15 ft stainless steam hose with trigger gun, plus a 20-inch and a 36-inch wand extension for high and low spots.
Zero degree blast attachment for seams, fittings, condenser fins and anything a brush can't reach.
Curved nozzle and brush attachment that takes the screw-on detail brushes: three 1-inch nylon, three 1-inch brass, three 1-inch stainless and one 2 1/2-inch nylon.
Triangle brush and floor brush. Clip a microfiber or terry towel over either one and the dirt goes straight into the cloth.
You also get a handheld squeegee, two microfiber cloths, two terry towels, a funnel, high temperature gloves and safety glasses. A 25 ft stainless hose with gun and horsehair brushes are available as extras.
Fill the 400 with distilled water. Tap water leaves scale on the heating element, and Therma-Kleen won't cover the element if scale is present. Don't use softened water either: the manual warns the sodium shortens the life of the boiler. Never put chemicals in the tank or boiler; that voids the warranty.
Drain the reserve tank and the boiler after each use (each has its own drain plug), and flush the boiler with tap water until it runs clear whenever the steam bleeds out discolored. Check the small filter on the pump now and then; even with distilled water it can clog. For scale, Therma-Kleen gives two household methods: a baking soda and distilled water soak, or a half vinegar, half distilled water steam-out. Never bend the stainless hose tighter than a 2-inch radius, and never pull the machine by the hose. Hose damage from either isn't covered.
We sell three other portable steamers, and they cost far less. The NaceCare JS 1600C also refills while running, at 338°F and 115 PSI, and costs $4,600 less. The Tornado VS4 runs at 87 PSI for $5,575 less, a good fit for occasional detail work.
What the 400 adds is industrial capacity: a 1.5-gallon stainless boiler with a lifetime warranty instead of a small one, 380°F and 180 PSI, a stainless steam hose, screw-on tools and a frame made to run all day in a plant. If you steam a few fixtures a week, the JS 1600C is the honest recommendation. If steam is a production task, buy the 400. Compare them in our commercial steam cleaners, or see just the dry vapor steam cleaners.
Therma-Kleen (Vertim Inc.) has built steam cleaners in Au Gres, Michigan for over 30 years, and its Therma-Steem dry vapor line for about 20. Every machine carries a 1-year parts warranty counted from the factory ship date, and Therma-Steem boilers are covered for life. Warranty and repair work goes through Therma-Kleen or its authorized service centers, and we help you open the claim. We're an authorized Therma-Kleen dealer, and the 400 ships free to the lower 48 states.
Want a second opinion before you buy? Tell us what you clean and how long your shifts run, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll tell you which steamer fits, including when it's a cheaper one. Therma-Kleen's video on replacing the water sensor is there for owners who do their own service.
