SuperKlean Steam and Cold Water Mixing Units and Industrial Washdown Nozzles are Used Worldwide Across Hundreds of Food and Beverage Industry Applications
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
August 23, 2019
Industrial food and beverage processors worldwide are more determined than ever to use effective washdown practices to more perfectly sanitize their plants and factories. It seems that the pathogens and bacteria are becoming increasingly hard to fight, so plant safety managers are turning up the heat – hot water washdown heat that is! This is one of the best ways to insure food and beverage safety.
Beverage manufacturers and many types of food, pharma, oil & gas, cheese plants and other factories and plants make upfront choices during the building phase regarding how to heat water throughout their facilities. Some companies choose to use steam to heat their water, while others choose heat exchangers or natural gas boilers, much like those in residential garages, but more sophisticated and on a larger scale. This article discusses how hot water mixing stations, combined with best-in-class industrial washdown nozzles, can enable plant safety and quality assurance managers to exceed the best sanitation practices.
Modern factories and plants, as well as smaller operations like breweries and wineries, will often place hot and cold water mixing stations on walls around the perimeter of their facility. Since most floor areas need to be washed and cleaned, sometimes every day, hot water mixing stations will be strategically placed, usually about 50 to 100 feet apart, so the radius of an average hose that is connected to them, which is often about 50 feet, will allow virtually every square foot of facility floor space to be washed down. Equipment is often also washed down.
Workers who handle heavy, hot water hoses everyday know how hard it can be to drag a 25 foot hose around, much less a 50 foot or a 75 foot hose. These hot water hoses that hang on hose racks attached to a steam and cold water mixing unit or hot & cold water mixing station are extremely heavy. Variety garden hoses are enough of a ‘drag,’ but industrial hoses that handle water temperatures up to 160-180 degrees are industrial strength, and often have 5/8 inch or ¾ inch inner diameters, making them heavy and difficult to handle.
Industrial washdown nozzles, or washdown spray nozzles as they are often called, also need to be industrial strength, handling the same hot water temperatures and the rough and tumble daily usage in factories and plants.
Many people ask to see how a real beverage company works, so SuperKlean has provided two videos showing normal operations using hot water mixing stations and washdown spray nozzles.
First, please click here to watch how a well-known and highly-regarded New Jersey brewery operates. This brewery was featured on a professional brewer’s bus tour during a recent Philadelphia Beer Show. With outstanding sanitation techniques, this brewery uses SuperKlean’s 3600 Series hot and cold water mixing stations throughout their expanding facility. Notice the SuperKlean brand industrial washdown nozzles that are built to take rough handling and drops and keep on spraying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHcCy91zAts
Next, please watch how a famous Napa Valley winemaker, who has used SuperKlean’s 3600 Series hot water mixing stations for over 17 years, strategically places these hot and cold water mixing stations around his facility, both inside and outside. He says by using more hot water mixing stations he saves wear and tear on both his equipment and his employees! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjIjYNeuid8
The best engineered heavy duty hose washdown spray nozzles are designed to help protect workers, while being rugged enough to constantly handle extremely hot water used during washdown. SuperKlean Washdown Products has designed a full line of the industry’s most popular industrial washdown nozzles to help guard against industrial worker injury and accidental spraying, while reducing fatigue with lightweight nozzle options that are highly-reliable industrial solutions. Please check out our latest 2019 catalog to see these hot water nozzles, our industry-leading swivel adapters for hoses, and our extensive line of hot water washdown accessories.
For more information on SuperKlean industrial spray nozzles, or SuperKlean’s extensive line of hot and cold water mixing stations, please call 800-769-9173. Please visit www.superklean.com or call SuperKlean technical support today for help in choosing the specific products best for your application.
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We are a leading manufacturer of Spray Nozzles, Swivel Fittings, 3-Piece Mixer Fittings, Hot & Cold Water Mixing Stations, Steam & Cold Water Mixing Stations, Hoses, Hose Racks, and Hose Accessories. We are your number one source for Industrial Cleaning Equipment for all your sanitation needs.
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Tips On How To Protect Your Industrial-Grade Hoses from Damage
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
May 7, 2019
At Superklean, we build our hoses and nozzles to be long-lasting and durable from most wear and tear but nothing lasts forever. When using an industrial hose for washdown use, operators must be aware of any possible damage to their tools, as failure to do so can lead to possible injury or equipment failure. That’s why Superklean is here to give you some expert information on how to protect your industrial hoses and protect your hose operators.
Proper Storage
The easiest method to keep your hoses in good condition and extend their service life is to properly store and wrap your hoses. The best way to do this is with a hose rack like the ones we at Superklean offer which leaves you hose normally above ground to avoid ground abrasion but also makes storing the hose quick and simple. If you don’t own a hose rack, which we strongly recommend, you can also store an industrial hose in a figure-eight pattern which does the trick for storing more hoses. The reason you want to properly store your hose is mainly in part to avoiding bends or kinks forming in the hose which, over time, can break into holes and permanently damage the hose line.Weather and Sun Damage
The worst two contributors to damaged hoses are natural UV-light and cold temperatures. Light from the sun overtime to exposed hoses can first cause bleaching and then to further real damage to a water line. Keeping your hoses inside while not in use or under a cover is the best and easiest way to avoid UV damage. Cold weather can also damage a hose internally as leftover water can freeze and expand inside the hose causing damage to the inner-lining. This is also easily avoided by simply making sure all used hoses are properly empty of water and mostly dry after use.General Handling
Lazy handling of a hose can be the worst cause of damage to a waterline and one of the harder problems to fix. Letting a hose drag on the ground, folding the hose with water going through instead of shutting off the nozzle, and other general improper handling methods are all too common in workplaces. The best way to avoid this is to talk to hose operators about proper handling of equipment, making sure they are aware of the damage they could be avoiding.
Using Internal Hose Guards to Extend the Life of Hot Water Washdown Hoses
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
February 12, 2019
Due to the expense of washdown equipment and industrial hoses in particular, many want to do whatever they can to ensure that their products will last as long as they can. The main way to do so is through internal hose guards.
Plants and factories across the world often use very hot water when doing periodic washdown of equipment and floors in industrial food, beverage, pharmaceutical and dozens of other washdown applications. In fact, hot water often ranges between 140 – 180 degrees, and sometimes reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit or more. When most types of hot water washdown hoses are super-heated to these temperatures they become quite soft and pliable. This causes hoses to be highly susceptible to breakage and tearing.
Hot water washdown hoses are very expensive and are used in lengths varying from 25 feet, up to 100 feet or more. Hose costs to plants and factories can vary from a few hundred dollars up to $1,000 or more for premium, longer length hoses. This is a significant investment for factories and plants, especially since hose are required to stand up to heavy use and need to be replaced often. Studies have shown the weakest points of industrial hoses are on the ends, where the sharp edges of the internal hose barbs that connect to the hose are specifically engineered to hold hoses securely, with sharp, exposed edges.
Factory washdown employees, sometimes several times a day, will uncurl large and very heavy hot water hoses off industrial hose racks, then drag these water-filled hoses across factory and plant floors to reach all equipment and floor areas that needs to be cleaned. At no fault of factory workers, hoses often need to be pulled or ‘yanked’ with great force, stressing the already softened hot water hoses directly where the hose rubs against the bottom edge of the hose barb, internally inside the hose. This happens both at the connection to the industrial water nozzle, or where the hose is connected to the wall. This is where hot water washdown hose failure often occurs.
SuperKlean Washdown Products has been selling internal hose guards for over 10 years. We have been closely monitoring internal hose guard trends that come from the best hose distributors and informed plant safety and quality managers who, more and more, are demanding hose guards be included in their bids. The word is spreading – using top quality hose guards can significantly extend the life of your hot water industrial hoses, sometimes 3 times or more. Here are the real numbers – less than a $100 upfront internal hose guard investment can save many $100’s of dollars over the expected life of a hose!
In 2019 SuperKlean formally announced immediate availability of a new, extensive line of ‘LifeSpan’ Hose Guards that provide the most effective way to reduce hot water hose breakage, due to exposed hose barbs or shanks.
These low-cost internal hose guards are available on most of SuperKlean’s famous line of swivel adapters and fittings that have been a favorite in the worldwide hot water washdown industry for decades. All SuperKlean fittings and swivel adapters, including SuperKlean LifeSpan Hose Guard Adapters, feature SuperKlean’s exclusive 2 ¼ inch long hose barbs and unibody lock O-ring fitting that insure these swivel fittings never come apart.
Mixing Stations/Mixing Units
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
January 18, 2019
Hot and cold water mixing stations are one of the most important pieces of washdown equipment in the industrial world. Mixing stations do exactly that, mix hot water and cold water to result in the precise water temperature needed for washdown sanitation in each plant or factory application. Mixing units are normally mounted on walls or posts and are often connected directly to hot and cold water pipes in factories. They are made either of stainless steel or brass (stainless steel is preferred in highly currosive environments).
In certain large plants and factories that make products requiring consistent high temperature and high volumes of hot water, steam & cold water mixing units are preferred over hot & cold water units. Steam, as a gas, flows through pipes in these plants directly to sophisticated mixing stations that input this steam into one side of the mixing station and then combines it with cold water within the mixing station’s main chamber. Hot water is set to a specified temperature, often times at 185 degrees Fahrenheit or more, is instantly created, then channeled by the mixing unit to a special industrial hose and high-performance nozzle used to clean and sanitize floors and equipment.
Hot water created by steam is extremely proficient in delivering cost-effective and large amounts of continuous hot water to kill bacteria and provide ultimate factory and plant sanitation.
Wineries, breweries and some beverage and food operations that do not need to generate significant amounts of hot water at high sustained temperatures often use hot and cold water mixing stations. For these types of mixing stations, hot water is often generated using natural gas boilers. Hot water is brought into the mixing station through one pipe and cold water through another, then mixed in a special chamber to provide the desired water temperature into the hose and heavy duty industrial nozzle.
Different companies name their washdown products in slightly different ways. Mixing stations are sometimes referred to as mixing valves or mixing units. For some companies, steam water mixing station and steam water mixing valve represent the same type of product. For other companies, mixing valve refers to the valve body only, and does not include globe valves, a temperature gauge, a hose rack and other necessary parts.
For 30 years SuperKlean Washdown Products of Burlingame California, has been manufacturing a full line of both steam mixing stations and hot and cold water mixing stations that include all the necessary parts to create a complete, highly reliable ready to use product. SuperKlean is also the only company that offers a unique secondary port on its steam mixing stations, allowing customers to run a second line of hot water from this original unit.
Nozzles, Hoses, Fittings, and Adapters – The Basics
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
September 14, 2018
Most washdown equipment suppliers offer industrial washdown nozzles, industrial water hoses and heavy-duty fittings and adapters as part of their product line.
Industrial washdown nozzles, sometimes called industrial water guns or just hot water guns, are manufactured with a special ruggedized design, mandatory for extensive factory and plant use. These heavy-duty water nozzles are often used to spray high pressure hot water during multiple shifts each day. It is not recommended to use commercial or household water guns as a replacement for industrial grade nozzles. These less rugged nozzles can’t maintain a normal, dependable level of function in high temperature, high water-pressure or corrosive environments. For safety reasons, we highly recommend customers choose specialized industrial grade hot water spray nozzles. SuperKlean manufactures six different types of industrial hot water nozzles for every application. Nozzles are available in brass, bronze or stainless steel. Each type of hot water nozzle is suitable for different situations.
Adapters and fittings are often used to securely connect industrial hoses to mixing units and different sizes and types of hoses. We will describe these important components in detail in upcoming blog posts.
Nozzle Line Extended – Best Washdown Nozzles on the Market!
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
August 24, 2018
SuperKlean’s Heavy Duty Industrial Hot-Water Nozzle Line Expands to Include New ‘Lite’ Series and Enhanced ‘Thermosmart’ Nozzles. With the release of its new ‘Lite’ Series industrial nozzles, SuperKlean Washdown Products now offers the washdown industry’s most extensive line of heavy duty, hot and cold water washdown nozzles.
SuperKlean is known and trusted throughout Fortune 1000 companies in the food and beverage industry as a leading partner in environmentally exceptional plant and factory washdown products. The company is now shipping multiple versions of its new ‘Lite’ industrial nozzle. These highly ergonomic nozzles offer the same heavy-duty attributes of SuperKlean’s widely used ‘Standard’ Series nozzles, but also feature only 45% of the weight while retaining about 95% of the flow rate.
SuperKlean is also re-launching improved and extended versions of their Thermosmart’ Series nozzles, now available in a wide range of colors including Dark Blue, Light Blue, White, and Gray, in either brass, lightweight aluminum, or stainless steel construction.
SuperKlean has shipped tens of thousands of their extensive line of nozzles through industrial distribution, partners who sell SuperKlean to the most famous food industry giants, and other vertical markets including wineries, brewers, dairies, meat packing, agriculture, pharmaceutical, mining and over a dozen more vertical industry markets.
Bob Rudy, VP of Sales and Marketing for SuperKlean said, “Our distributors and customers continuously expanded their purchases of SuperKlean’s industrial nozzles to include our ever expanding and improved range of industrial spray nozzle offerings over the last 29 years. Our nozzles have a reputation for long-life and return on investment, which is key to reduced cost of ownership in the harshest and most rugged environments.”
SuperKlean’s ‘Thermosmart’ nozzles feature easy to read, fully digital readouts that change color depending on temperature, providing instantaneous feedback to the operator, without having to modify spray positioning. In addition, these digital readouts are built to withstand years of heavy usage without degrading or breaking.
Industrial nozzle lines from SuperKlean now include, ‘Standard’ nozzles ‘Lite’ nozzles, ‘Thermosmart’ nozzles, DuraFlow ‘Mini’ stainless-steel nozzles, and DuraSpray nozzles, all available in a wide range of colors and metal construction.
SuperKlean concentrates on continuous improvement of their full line of washdown products, insuring the use of the world’s finest materials for long-lasting functionality in environments that demand continuous operation and trusted performance. SuperKlean nozzles feature both high flow, and, where required, low-cost flow restricting options that make them perfect for quick-change depending on the spraying and cleaning operations required. This feature results in your nozzle not being ‘locked-into’ limited flexibility with just high-flow or low-flow operation. SuperKlean also sells a complete line of adapters, including ball-type, GHT, 2-inch-long hose/shank barbs for safer installations, and quick-connect fittings.
Leaders in Food & Beverage Industry Turn To SuperKlean
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
July 25, 2018
A perfect storm of increasingly difficult to fight bacterial contamination, coupled with instantaneous internet and social media exposure and speedy nationwide food distribution is putting both large and small food and beverage producers across the globe under a relentless spotlight. One mistake in handling food, just about anywhere in the production chain, travels around the globe in hours, tainting sterling corporate reputations in a single day that took decades to build!
Many years ago, when food contamination outbreaks and pathogens were discovered, usually only local distribution points were alerted, and the problems were quickly, efficiently and professionally contained. The least amount of people would be exposed, resulting in minimized suffering from bacterial issues. With modern high-speed food and beverage distribution, these problems now quickly spread across larger geographic areas, and even worse for producers, to customers across the globe, through the 24×7 media.
When a company (think Chipotle) lets tainted food slip through to create a food-borne illness outbreak, their stock suffers worldwide, often within hours. In 2015, Chipotle’s reputation was dealt a serious blow when hundreds of customers across nine states suffered from norovirus and E. coli. Then, in 2017, their customers were again struck with an outbreak of norovirus. Chipotle is still busy trying to rebuild their once impeccable reputation.
On the pathogen front, here is just one example of a fast moving, hard to fight infectious issue that has expanded dramatically in just 40 years. Cyclospora, a one-celled parasite, first discovered in 1977, is now being reported in 15,000 or more cases per year, in fruits, vegetables and water. It’s health risks and even long-term human well-being issues are immense.
Likewise, salmonella, E. coli, Botulism, Listeria and other pathogens cause over 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths annually. More effective factory and plant sanitization, including efficient hot water washdown, helps minimize the risks that pathogens perpetrate on an unsuspecting public.
SuperKlean Washdown Products is often a key partner that food, beverage and agricultural companies are turning to. SuperKlean’s environmentally exceptional products provide low-cost, consistent, and trustworthy sanitization, insuring factory floors and equipment are cleansed with best-in-class pressurized water, heated to just the right temperatures.
For almost 3 decades, SuperKlean has been a leading industrial factory and plant hot water washdown partner to hundreds of the world’s largest food and beverage producers. Our name is synonymous with excellent steam and cold water mixing stations. In fact, independent testing has shown SuperKlean Steam hot water stations to be the best available in the world.
Hundreds of leading wineries, brewers and soft drink makers trust our hot and cold mixing stations, that work so reliably and last so long that SuperKlean offers an amazing 10-year warranty, by far the longest mixing water station warranty in the industry.
The increase in dangerous food and beverage pathogen reporting comes at a time when customers demand that the wide range of food and beverage products they eat and drink are made in safe, pristine environments.
A long list of industries that SuperKlean distributors supply to work tirelessly to meet the newest, most stringent requirements set by both consumers and the FDA. This includes food processing, beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, wineries, breweries, agricultural, mining and even perfume and cosmetic manufacturers. Every one of these markets rely on modern and efficient washdown equipment to meet or exceed their sanitation goals, and SuperKlean is there with the most excellent and wide range of washdown products available.
Washdown Products – Cleaning and Sanitizing Industries Across the World
Author: Bob Rudy, VP Sales and Marketing
April 10, 2018
‘Washdown Products’ is the phrase used to describe the critically important tools used to clean factories and plants in virtually every country in the world. Bad types of bacteria are becoming more difficult to fight in these industrial environments. At the same time, customers demand that the wide range of products they eat, drink and use are made in safe, pristine environments.
A long list of industries work tirelessly to meet these stringent requirements set by both consumers and the FDA. This includes food processing, beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, wineries, breweries, agricultural, mining and even perfume and cosmetic manufacturers. Every one of these markets rely on modern and efficient washdown equipment to meet or exceed their sanitation goals, and must take the necessary steps to provide strategic and comfortable setups.
Modern factories and plants, as well as smaller operations like breweries and wineries, will often place hot and cold water mixing stations on walls around the perimeter of their facility. Since most floor areas need to be washed and cleaned, sometimes every day, hot water mixing valve stations will be strategically placed, usually about 50 to 100 feet apart, so the radius of an average hose that is connected to them, which is often about 50 feet, will allow virtually every square foot of facility floor space to be washed down. Equipment is often also washed down.
Workers who handle heavy, hot water hoses everyday know how hard it can be to drag a 25 foot hose around, much less a 50 footer or a 75 foot hose. These hot water hoses that hang on hose racks attached to the hot & cold water valve mixing stations are extremely heavy. Variety garden hoses are enough of a ‘drag,’ but industrial hoses that handle water temperatures up to 160-180 degrees or more are industrial strength, and often have 5/8 or ¾ inch inner diameters.
Heavy duty hose nozzles also need to be industrial strength, handling the same hot water temperatures and the rough and tumble daily usage in factories and plants, that often include multiple shifts. The best engineered heavy duty hot water spray nozzles are designed to help protect workers, while being rugged enough to constantly handle extremely hot water used during washdown. SuperKlean Washdown Products has designed a full line of the industry’s most popular nozzles to help guard against industrial worker injury and accidental spraying, while reducing fatigue with lightweight nozzle options that are still highly-reliable, heavy duty industrial solutions.
The two videos below feature effective integrations of Superklean products in both a winery and a brewery, both of which are using our famous 3600 Series hot and cold water mixing units.