The event is over and the concourse is dotted with flattened gum. A scraper takes all night, and a cold pressure washer just polishes it. The Therma-Kleen Ultra 1300 high-pressure steam cleaner puts out 1300 PSI of water heated up to 340°F, so gum softens and lets go, and grease and oil rinse off concrete and equipment without a solvent.
It's the biggest of Therma-Kleen's three propane models: a 200,000 BTU burner, a 1.5 hp pump at 2.2 GPM, built-in soap injection and a 50-foot hose. It still plugs into a 115 V outlet. Therma-Kleen recommends it for areas over 1,000 square feet or a lot of equipment.
The video is one of Therma-Kleen's wet steam demos, cleaning walls and floors.
Therma-Kleen makes two kinds of steam cleaners, and buying the wrong one is the most common mistake we see.
High-pressure wet steam (the Ultra series, like this 1300) pumps water through a propane-fired coil and out of a nozzle at hundreds of PSI. It blasts caked grease off engines, equipment, dumpster pads, masonry and gum, then rinses the dirt away. It also puts water on everything, so it belongs on floors with drains, wash pads, docks, food plant washdown areas and outdoors. The propane models need open air or strong ventilation. For indoor washdown with no fumes, the electric Ultra 600E and Ultra 250E do the same kind of work on 3-phase power. See all our high-pressure steam cleaners.
Dry vapor (Therma-Kleen's Therma-Steem line) heats water in a sealed boiler and puts out superheated vapor with very little liquid. It sanitizes kitchens, restrooms and grout indoors without flooding anything, and it plugs into a wall outlet. See the Therma-Steem #10 and the Therma-Steem Industrial 400.
If the dirt is heavy and the area can take water, an Ultra is the answer. Not sure? Call (855) 601-5678 and tell us what you're cleaning.
All three Ultra propane models heat water up to 340°F with an electronic pilot, carry the same four safety cut-offs, and plug into a 115 V outlet. The pump is what changes the job.
|
Ultra 250 |
Ultra 600 |
This page: Ultra 1300 |
| Max pressure |
250 PSI (17 bar) |
600 PSI (41.3 bar) |
1300 PSI (89.5 bar) |
| Water flow |
1.5 GPM |
1.5 GPM |
2.2 GPM |
| Max temperature |
340°F (171°C) |
340°F (171°C) |
340°F (171°C) |
| Burner |
130,000 BTU/hr |
130,000 BTU/hr |
200,000 BTU/hr |
| Pump motor |
1/3 hp |
1/2 hp |
1.5 hp |
| Power (115 V) |
6.8 A |
6.8 A |
15 A |
| Hose included |
25 ft |
25 ft |
50 ft |
| Soap injection |
No |
No |
Built in |
| Size (W x L x H) |
18 x 23 x 32 in |
18 x 23 x 32 in |
24 x 28 x 36 in |
| Weight (blue body) |
95 lb |
100 lb |
195 lb |
| Price from |
$5,595 |
$5,995 |
$6,595 |
Pick the Ultra 250 for sanitizing and lighter degreasing where force could damage what you clean: condenser fins, food equipment, seats, vehicle detailing. Pick the Ultra 600 for everyday degreasing of engines, equipment, kitchen hoods, floors and walls; Therma-Kleen calls it the most cleaning power for its size. Pick the Ultra 1300 for large areas, masonry, gum and a lot of equipment in one shift. The 600 costs $400 more than the 250, and the 1300 costs $600 more than the 600.
Gum is where heat beats pressure. At 300°F or so it turns soft, and 1300 PSI lifts it off sidewalks, pavers, stadium concourses and transit platforms instead of smearing it. The same combination strips grease from dumpster pads and drive-throughs and brightens brick, block and concrete.
Use the 25-degree fan nozzle on pavers, grout and asphalt; the manual warns the zero degree blast nozzle can pit them. For oily concrete, open the built-in soap injector, drop the feed line into a mild cleaner, and let the steam carry it. Keep harsh chemicals out of the pump: pre-spray them, wait 10 to 15 minutes, then steam.
The Ultra 1300 has two separate upgrades, and they do different things.
Coils: aluminum (standard) or stainless steel. The coils are where the water is heated. Aluminum coils come standard and fall under the 1-year parts warranty. Stainless steel coils resist scale and corrosion longer, and Therma-Kleen covers them for life. They add $1,070, and the manual notes they burn slightly more fuel.
Body: blue powder coat (standard) or stainless steel. A stainless body is about looks, washdown areas and corrosion, not cleaning power. It adds $1,200 and weighs about 5 lb less.
Voltage: 115 V (standard) or 240 V. Same price. The 240 V build adds about a week to the lead time, so choose it only if that is the outlet where the machine will work.
Our take: if you buy one upgrade, make it the coils, especially with hard water or daily use. A stainless body pays off when the machine lives in a washdown room or near corrosive chemicals.
The 1300 is a different size class from the 250 and 600: 195 lb, 24 by 28 inches and 36 inches tall, with the hose coiled on the handle. It rolls fine across a shop floor, but loading it into a truck is a two-person job or a ramp.
It fits event centers, transit and trucking depots, food processors, restoration and decontamination contractors, and any crew that steams a lot of square footage or a yard full of equipment in one shift.
The honest part: it draws 15 amps at 115 V. Therma-Kleen's brochure says a common 15 A circuit works; we'd give it a 20 A circuit with nothing else on it, and the manual requires a 12-gauge cord. And if your job is a kitchen, a few machines or engine bays, the Ultra 600 does it for $600 less and weighs half as much.
1300 PSI at up to 340°F. Enough force and heat for gum, masonry and caked grease on heavy equipment.
2.2 GPM. About half again the flow of the 1.5 GPM models, so big areas go faster.
200,000 BTU burner. About half again the heat of the 250 and 600, sized for the 1300's bigger pump.
Built-in soap injection. A knob on the panel meters mild cleaner into the stream when water alone isn't enough.
50 ft hose. Twice the reach of the smaller Ultras, so you move the machine less.
Protected 1.5 hp motor. A thermal protector trips before the motor overheats, and a reset button brings it back.
4 ft deluxe wand with trigger gun. Reaches under equipment and up walls while the spray stays well away from you.
50 ft high-pressure steam hose, wire braided. Keep bends wider than 2 inches.
Fan nozzle and blast nozzle. The 25-degree fan covers floors, walls and masonry; the zero degree blast nozzle focuses on stuck-on grease and gum.
Propane regulator with quick connect and a tank strap. Set the burner with the fuel pressure gauge on the panel.
You also get the operator manual and Therma-Kleen's instructional video. The propane cylinder isn't included: any propane dealer can fill a vapor-draw cylinder, or ask us about Therma-Kleen's 30 and 40 lb tanks.
Propane: a vapor-draw LP cylinder, standing upright, with the regulator on the far side of the cylinder from the machine. Therma-Kleen says each cylinder gives about 3 to 4 hours of total cleaning but only about 1 1/2 hours of continuous use before it chills, so keep two and swap them.
Power: a grounded 115 V outlet; the machine draws 15 A (20 A fuse). The 240 V build draws 7.5 A. If you use an extension cord, the manual calls for 12-gauge, 3-wire, grounded and under 50 feet.
Water: a garden hose of cold water with at least 20 to 30 PSI of supply pressure, or the flow switch won't let it light. Never feed it hot water: inlet water over 140°F voids the pump warranty.
Air and floor: outdoors or a large, well-ventilated space, never a small confined room. Set the machine on concrete, not carpet, wood or linoleum, because burner heat can damage them.
Optional heat deflector. Under low ceilings, sprinkler heads, heat or smoke sensors, plastic light covers or anything flammable, the manual says to fit the stainless heat deflector on top of the burner cylinder. The 1300 takes its own, larger deflector.
Check your local fire code before you run or store propane cylinders indoors.
Hard water leaves scale inside the heating coils. Enough of it shortens coil life and can stop the burner from lighting, because the machine senses low water flow. If your water is hard, an inline water softener on the inlet is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Inline water softener with filter, sold by Therma-Kleen for the Ultra series. It protects the coils, whichever coil option you choose.
Flush the machine with fresh water at the end of each day; skipping that voids the pump warranty. Descale with a product safe for aluminum coils (Therma-Kleen sells one), about half a gallon circulated for five minutes. Never let it freeze: drain it, or run 2 gallons of windshield washer fluid or antifreeze through it before cold storage, since Therma-Kleen doesn't cover freeze damage. The 1300's pump also wants its cam bearing greased with molylithium No. 2 grease every 100 hours or monthly, whichever comes first.
If you're weighing the Ultra 1300 against a gas pressure washer, they are different tools. A cold-water pressure washer relies on volume and force to knock dirt loose. The Ultra relies on heat, with enough pressure to carry it, so grease, oil, wax and gum soften and come off with far less water and usually no degreaser.
The honest flip side: for stripping paint or washing a big parking lot fast, a high-volume pressure washer still wins. The Ultra is the better tool when the dirt is greasy, the space has limited drainage, or you don't want chemicals in the runoff.
Therma-Kleen's 13-minute instructional video covers hookup, purging the air, lighting, the temperature control, nozzles and shutdown. It's filmed on the Ultra 250, which shares its controls, hookups and shutdown with the 1300. Short wet steam clips from Therma-Kleen:
Therma-Kleen (Vertim Inc.) has built steam cleaners in Au Gres, Michigan for over 30 years. Every Ultra carries a 1-year parts warranty counted from the factory ship date, and the stainless coil upgrade is 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 Ultra 1300 ships free to the lower 48 states.
Not sure the 1300 is the right size? Tell us what you clean and how often, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll tell you which Ultra fits, including when it's the smaller 600.
