The dumpster pad behind the kitchen is black with old grease, the dock floor is stained, and the drain smells. Cold water just pushes the grease around, and degreaser leaves you rinsing chemical into the drain. The Therma-Kleen Ultra 600 high-pressure steam cleaner heats water in a propane-fired coil to as much as 340°F and sends it out at 600 PSI, hot enough to melt grease and fats so they rinse away with plain water.
It does that with only 1.5 gallons a minute, so there's less runoff to contain. The burner runs on a standard propane cylinder and the pump plugs into a 115 V outlet. Therma-Kleen builds it in Au Gres, Michigan.
The video is one of Therma-Kleen's wet steam demos, cleaning block walls and floors in a food plant.
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 600) 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 |
This page: 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.
Mechanics and fleet shops steam engines, transmissions and drive trains before they work on them. At 600 PSI and close to 300°F with the blast nozzle, baked-on oil and road grime soften and rinse off without a solvent soak. Cover electrical connections and let the engine cool before you start.
Therma-Kleen's list of jobs for the 600 also includes industrial machinery, bakery equipment, kitchen hoods, farm equipment, buses, paraffin wax, gum, graffiti and restoring brick and masonry. Switch to the 25-degree fan nozzle for brick, concrete and grout: the manual warns that the zero degree blast nozzle can pit grout and asphalt.
The Ultra 600 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.
What I like about the Ultra 600 is how simple it is: a pump, a propane burner wrapped in a coil, a temperature control and a trigger gun. Hook up the water and propane, purge the air, light it, and clean. It weighs 100 lb on two wheels and front casters, and at 18 by 23 inches it rolls through a standard door and fits in the back of a van.
The best fit is a shop, plant, commercial kitchen or cleaning contractor that degreases equipment and floors every week: engine bays, food processing lines, dumpster pads, smokers and hood filters.
The honest part: this is a propane flame on a cart, so it's an outdoor or well-ventilated tool, and you have to plan around propane. Keep two cylinders, because one chills after about an hour and a half of steady use. And it sprays water. If you need to sanitize indoors with nothing on the floor, a Therma-Steem dry vapor cleaner is the better buy.
Barbara Magnan of Spectrum Metal Finishing, an electroplating shop in Isle, Minnesota, wrote on Therma-Kleen's site that her company bought an Ultra 600 in 2019 to keep the plant clean. She says it handles gutters, tanks, walls, filters and all kinds of equipment, that they planned to buy a second one, and that it being built in Michigan mattered to them. She rated it 5 out of 5. It's the only owner review we found for this model, so we'd rather show you one real one than pad this section.
600 PSI at up to 340°F. Heat melts grease and fats while pressure lifts them off, so most jobs need water and nothing else.
Only 1.5 GPM. Less runoff to catch on food plant floors, docks and wash pads with small drains.
130,000 BTU propane burner. Runs on a standard propane cylinder, so you can clean far from any gas line.
Plugs into 115 V. The pump draws 6.8 amps, so an ordinary grounded outlet does the job.
Four safety cut-offs. Electronic pilot ignition, a high temperature limit, a pressure relief valve and a flow switch that shuts the burner off if water stops.
Made in Michigan. Built by Therma-Kleen in Au Gres, with parts and service straight from the factory.
4 ft deluxe wand with trigger gun. Long enough to reach under equipment and up walls without bending over the spray.
25 ft high-pressure steam hose, wire braided. Keep bends wider than 2 inches; longer 50 and 100 ft hoses are available.
Blast nozzle and fan nozzle. The zero degree blast nozzle concentrates heat and force on stuck-on grease; the 25-degree fan nozzle covers walls, floors and anything that can pit.
Propane regulator with quick connect and a tank strap. The fuel pressure gauge on the panel lets you set the burner for the nozzle you're using.
You also get a water inlet filter, 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 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.
If you're weighing the Ultra 600 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 600. 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 600 ships free to the lower 48 states.
Not sure the 600 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 cheaper 250.
