Some equipment needs heat more than force. A mixer bowl, a bakery rack, a mold or a guarded conveyor has to come out clean and sanitized, but blasting it at high pressure drives water past seals and chips paint. The Therma-Kleen Ultra 250E pairs a 21 kW electric heater with a gentler 250 PSI pump, so you get hot water and steam that loosen soil without hammering the surface.
It has no burner, so there are no fumes, and Therma-Kleen says that makes its electric models USDA allowable. Hook up a garden hose, plug into 3-phase power, and it's ready in about two to three minutes. It's Therma-Kleen's compact choice for smaller areas where fuel can't or shouldn't be used.
The video is one of the application clips Therma-Kleen shows on its electric Ultra pages.
Therma-Kleen builds two kinds of steam cleaners, and picking the wrong one is the most common mistake we see.
High-pressure wet steam (the Ultra series, like this Ultra 250E) pumps water through a heater at hundreds of PSI. It blasts grease, product residue and grime off equipment, floors and drains, and it flushes the soil away with the water. Expect water on the floor, so you want a drain or a washdown area. See all our high-pressure steam cleaners.
Dry vapor (Therma-Steem) heats water in a sealed boiler until it leaves as vapor with very little liquid. It sanitizes indoors without flooding the area: kitchens, restrooms, upholstery and machinery with electrical parts nearby. Models like the Therma-Steem #10 plug into a regular outlet, and the Industrial XL series runs on 3-phase power like this machine.
Electric or propane Ultra? The propane Ultra 250, Ultra 600 and Ultra 1300 run hotter and need nothing more than a household outlet for the pump, but the burner makes exhaust, so they belong outdoors or in strong ventilation. The electric Ultras make no fumes and work indoors, in food plants and below deck, as long as you have 3-phase power. Not sure? Call (855) 601-5678 and tell us what you're cleaning.
Both electric Ultras share the same 21 kW heater, body and 3-phase power. The difference is the pump.
|
Ultra 600E |
Ultra 250E |
| Pressure |
600 PSI (41 bar) |
250 PSI (17 bar) |
| Water flow |
1.5 GPM |
1.5 GPM standard; 0.5 or 1.0 GPM pump on request |
| Max temperature (brochure) |
250°F (121°C) |
255°F (124°C) |
| Heater |
21 kW |
21 kW |
| Pump motor |
1/2 hp |
1/3 hp, 3-phase (rotation checked at install) |
| Power |
208, 220/240 or 480 V 3-phase |
208, 220/240 or 480 V 3-phase |
| Price (blue body) |
$8,595 |
$7,995 |
The 250E costs $600 less than the Ultra 600E, which has more than twice the pressure and, according to Therma-Kleen, faster cleaning action.
If most of your work is sanitizing equipment, racks, molds and surfaces that can't take a hard blast, the 250E is the right tool and the better value. If you'll spend your shifts degreasing conveyors, drains and floors, step up to the 600E. Therma-Kleen also builds the 250E with a 0.5 or 1.0 GPM pump for even less water; ask us if you need one.
Therma-Kleen's brochure lists 255°F (124°C) at the nozzle, and its website lists 255 to 275°F. The operator manual explains the gap: the heater raises the water about 115 to 135°F above whatever comes in from the garden hose, and the inlet can take water up to 140°F. So the top numbers assume a hot water feed.
By the manual's own figures, 60°F tap water comes out somewhere around 175 to 195°F. That still cuts grease far better than cold water, but if you want the full temperature, connect the inlet to a hot water tap. Never feed it water hotter than 140°F; that damages the pump seals.
Therma-Kleen lists industrial machinery, food and bakery equipment, seafood processors, warehouses, hospitals, schools, shopping malls, auto malls, airline facilities and government agencies among the 250E's jobs, plus shipboard use on US Navy submarines. It's also used to prep surfaces for paint.
On mixers, kettles and bakery racks, the 250 PSI stream rinses away dough, fat and sugar without blasting water into bearings and gearboxes. The low 1.5 GPM flow keeps runoff down, and the fan nozzle spreads the heat across wide stainless surfaces.
It's a narrow machine, about 10 inches wide and 35 inches long, so it fits through doorways and down production aisles on two swivel casters and two rigid wheels. The steam hose, power cord and wand each have their own holder.
One thing sets the 250E apart from the 600E at installation: its pump motor is 3-phase, so it can run backward if the plug is wired in the wrong phase order. Therma-Kleen's manual asks for a phase rotation check with a meter before the first run, and pump damage from reverse rotation isn't covered.
The cord comes without a plug, so the same electrician fits the plug and confirms the circuit. If you only have single-phase power, this isn't your machine; read the box at the top of the page.
No fumes, no fuel. A 21 kW electric heater instead of a burner, so it works indoors, in food plants and below deck.
Gentle 250 PSI. Heat does the work without blasting water into seals, bearings and paint.
Low water use. 1.5 GPM standard, with 0.5 and 1.0 GPM pumps available from Therma-Kleen.
Ready in minutes. Water heats as it flows, so it's cleaning about two to three minutes after start-up.
Built-in protection. High temperature limit, pressure relief valve and a flow switch that shuts the heater off when water stops.
Made in Michigan. Built to order by Therma-Kleen in Au Gres, in blue powder coat or stainless steel.
25 ft high-pressure steam hose (wire braided) on its own hose holder. 50 ft and 100 ft hoses are available, but a longer hose costs you some pressure.
4 ft deluxe wand with trigger gun. A 2.5 ft wand and a snub nose wand are optional for tight spots.
Blast nozzle and fan nozzle. Use the fan for general cleaning, grout and anything delicate, and the zero degree blast for stubborn soil on hard surfaces.
Inlet water filter that keeps grit out of the pump.
25 ft power cord with a cord holder and a wand holder, plus the operator manual and instructional DVD.
No plug comes on the cord. Your electrician fits the plug that matches your 3-phase receptacle, which is normal for equipment this size.
The Ultra 250E comes in Therma-Kleen's blue powder coat or a stainless steel body for $1,000 more. The pump, heater and controls are identical, so both clean the same.
Choose stainless if the machine lives in a washdown area, a food plant with strict sanitation audits, or around salt air on a ship or dock, where a painted finish chips and rusts over the years. If it works in a maintenance shop or a utility room, the blue body is the better value.
Match the voltage. Pick the build that matches your building: 480 V is common in plants and warehouses, 208 V in many commercial buildings, 220/240 V in older industrial sites. Have your electrician confirm before you order, because the heater is wired for one voltage.
Size the circuit. Therma-Kleen calls for a 60 A 3-phase outlet at 208 to 240 V and a 30 A outlet at 480 V. The unit draws about 52 A and 28 A.
Keep the 25 ft cord. The manual says not to lengthen it. Put the receptacle where the machine will work.
Water. A garden hose with the faucet fully open, hot or cold, never above 140°F. If your water is hard, add a water softener; the manual warns that scale on the heater shortens its life and interferes with the temperature controls.
Check motor rotation. The 250E's pump motor is 3-phase. Before the first run, have your electrician confirm phase rotation with a meter (the manual names an Ideal 61-521 as one example). If the pump runs backward, swapping two wires fixes it, but running it that way damages the pump.
Start each day by running water through with the heater off and purging the air: close the trigger for 15 seconds, open it, repeat. At the end, turn the temperature dial down and let the pump run until the gauge reads 100°F or less, so the hose is cool when you coil it.
Don't leave the trigger closed for more than 2 minutes while the pump runs, and don't click it on and off all day; both wear the pump seals and the flow switch. Clean the inlet filter and check the nozzles now and then. Drain the machine before storage and never let it freeze. Freeze damage isn't covered.
The 250E's pump isn't rebuilt in the field like the 600E's; when it wears out, it's replaced or sent back to the pump maker. Keeping the inlet filter clean and the inlet water under 140°F is the best way to make it last.
Therma-Kleen (Vertim Inc.) has built steam cleaners in Au Gres, Michigan for over 30 years, and it builds each electric Ultra to order. The Ultra 250E carries a 1-year parts warranty counted from the factory ship date. 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 250E ships free to the lower 48 states.
Want a second opinion first? Tell us what you clean, how often and what power you have, or call (855) 601-5678, and we'll tell you which machine fits, including when it's a cheaper one. You can also compare every model in our commercial steam cleaners.
