A rooftop condenser packed with cottonwood and grime, its aluminum fins already bent by the last pressure washer. Or a bakery rack, a food prep line, a row of stadium seats. You want heat to melt the grease and sanitize, but not so much force that you fold fins or drive water into everything. The Therma-Kleen Ultra 250 high-pressure steam cleaner sends out water heated up to 340°F at a gentler 250 PSI.
It uses only 1.5 gallons a minute, runs on a standard propane cylinder and plugs into a 115 V outlet. Therma-Kleen says it fits easily in a van, which is why detailers and mobile cleaners like it. It's built in Au Gres, Michigan.
The video is one of Therma-Kleen's wet steam demos, cleaning an HVAC condenser coil.
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 250) 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 work with no fumes, the electric Ultra 600E and Ultra 250E do the same job 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.
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This page: Ultra 250 |
Ultra 600 |
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.
Therma-Kleen built the 250 for jobs where low water volume and controlled force matter: vehicle detailing and dealership floors, restaurant kitchens, restrooms, buses and trains, food and bakery equipment, stadium seating and outdoor food courts, plus fire and police departments. It lifts gum, paraffin wax and tape residue too.
Its blast nozzle has a larger opening than the 600's, so the stream is softer, and a fan nozzle for wider, gentler coverage comes standard. You clean with heat rather than force, which is what delicate fins, seats and finishes need.
The Ultra 250 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 $960, 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 $1,000 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 250 shares its frame with the Ultra 600: 95 lb on two wheels and front casters, 18 by 23 inches, with the same burner, controls and safety cut-offs. What changes is a smaller 1/3 hp pump and 250 PSI.
The best fit is a detailer, a mobile sanitizing service, a school or transit maintenance crew, or an HVAC contractor who needs hot water under control rather than raw force.
The honest part: if most of your work is heavy degreasing of engines, equipment or concrete, spend the extra $400 on the Ultra 600. And the 250 still sprays water, so for indoor sanitizing with nothing on the floor, a Therma-Steem dry vapor cleaner is the better buy.
250 PSI at up to 340°F. Heat sanitizes and melts grease while the lower pressure protects fins, upholstery and finishes.
Only 1.5 GPM. Little runoff, which matters in kitchens, restrooms and on dealership floors.
Van-friendly size. 95 lb and 18 by 23 inches, so one vehicle carries it from job to job.
Plugs into 115 V. The pump draws 6.8 amps, so any grounded outlet works.
Four safety cut-offs. Electronic pilot ignition, high temperature limit, pressure relief valve and a flow switch.
Stainless body option. Shown here, for washdown areas and fleets where looks matter.
4 ft deluxe wand with trigger gun. Keeps the spray at a comfortable distance on seats, racks and walls.
25 ft high-pressure steam hose, wire braided. Keep bends wider than 2 inches; 50 and 100 ft hoses are available.
Propane regulator with quick connect and a tank strap. Set the burner with the fuel pressure gauge on the panel.
You also get the blast nozzle and a fan nozzle sized for the 250, the operator manual and Therma-Kleen's instructional video. The 250's inlet screen is built into the pump. 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 6.8 A (10 A fuse). The 240 V build draws 3.5 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.
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 1 gallon of windshield washer fluid or antifreeze through it before cold storage, since Therma-Kleen doesn't cover freeze damage.
Therma-Kleen's 13-minute instructional video covers hookup, purging the air, lighting, the temperature control, nozzles and shutdown. It's filmed on this exact model. 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 250 ships free to the lower 48 states.
Not sure the 250 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 you need more pressure.
