We know one of our main competitors is now at 200 PSI, and we remain at 135 PSI. That is a big difference in pressure. As much as we would love to go to 200 PSI and match them, my manufacturer tells me we cannot go there for these reasons.

• Any component that has to do with heat and pressure needs to be rated for that pressure and higher temperature. Our manufacturer cannot source components to handle 200 PSI. We have asked the component manufacturers that make the parts, such as heaters, pressure switches, solenoid valves, and temperature sensors if they have these parts to handle that kind of pressure. They have told us they do not have that kind of rating. Presently, we meet ratings at the pressures we are at with our existing machines. However, we feel we cannot meet the ratings if we increase pressure without sourcing new components. Making a big pressure jump entails changes in components and higher pricing. Let’s look at some components.
• What about the boiler? The most critical component. Boilers on higher-end commercial steamers are generally not an issue, as ANY boiler in most steamers will meet and exceed the pressure rating on the machine itself. Boilers are not, and have not, been the issue in making steam cleaners at higher pressures. People have this theory, or fear, that a boiler can “explode” if the pressure gets too high. This is basically not true, as the boilers can handle it. There are many other redundant safety measures involved in preventing a boiler from ever exploding. An “exploding” boiler is not the issue. So why not just go higher?
• Failure of other components will be the issue if heat and pressure are exceeded for what they are designed for. A steamer is comprised of many parts. Some handle heat and pressure, and some do not. Some of the key components that we need to handle heat and pressure are as follows……. The solenoid valve, pressure switch, the heater itself, and any tubing that carries water or steam. In addition, we need temperature sensors to monitor the heat generated in the boiler and on the boiler’s surface. Pumps on an auto-refill steamer also need to handle heat and pressure as they fill the boiler under pressure as the machine is in use. Any or all of these components need to work together to keep a steamer operating efficiently and not breaking down. The higher the heat and pressure, the more stress is placed on all of these components at ALL TIMES. In most cases, a steamer is used all day long and every day. So there is tremendous stress on EVERY SINGLE COMPONENT.
• People generally do not understand how much intense stress a steamer is under at ALL TIMES. A steamer’s goal is to always achieve the pressure it set for. When it’s in use, it’s “below”  that pressure, so all the key components are in constant use and under an extreme amount of stress. Any component that is not top-notch and does not meet the criteria will NOT last long. Again, exploding the boiler is not the issue. The worry or concern is all these other parts breaking down and the part (or parts) failing and leaving the steamer broken. Here is a dose of absolute truth……. ANY steamer. I repeat….. ANY steamer that is in constant use all day and every day, such as the way most of our Chief Steamers are used, WILL fail and have a part break at some point. We have gone into great detail with videos explaining this and being honest. Steamers will break under constant and all-day use. They are workhorses and a key piece of equipment for many professionals. LIMITING problems and breakage is the best we can do in the manufacturing process. We do this by carefully choosing components that will meet the pressure and heat we set them at. We will not exceed, and we do not allow a customer to adjust ANY kind of setting on our steamers for this reason. There are limits to what we can do, and we feel we have maxed out performance, pressure, and temperature on ALL of our steamers. And, of course, price comes into play. If we really want to investigate higher pressure and higher temperature machines, all the key components must be upgraded. However, pricing will skyrocket, and we know customers do not want that. So it’s all a delicate balancing act. So, we have no plans to go to 200 PSI or more anytime soon. We feel it’s not needed. And that is not a “sour grapes” explanation based on our competitor having higher pressure. Starting pressure that is high is certainly a great thing. We advertise that higher pressure on our smaller steamers and have always been at or above our other competitors, and yes, we brag about that. So why am I about to say that “starting” pressure is not the indicator of better performance, a possibly better machine, or higher quality?

A big thing obviously to look at is performance. Of course, a machine that starts at a higher pressure should and will perform better. In theory, it’s all true. More pressure is better performance. Maybe? Maybe not? Let’s look into this. 

What we have learned over the years that affect overall performance are numerous things tied together. First, things like boiler size. A bigger boiler can be beneficial or a hindrance. Big boilers are better? Maybe. Big boilers have more steam volume inside, so they will not drop pressure quite as fast. Big boilers hold more water, so the pump will be on for longer times, which creates more stress on the pump. Big boilers can handle more pressure as they are generally thicker. Big boilers will not see a huge pressure drop as steam is requested and used constantly. HOWEVER, we walk a tightrope on boiler size. The disadvantage to a big boiler is weight. We don’t want the machine to be too heavy. Another concern with a big boiler is space. It takes up more inside the machine, meaning it needs a larger body. Larger bodies are expensive and require more steel and thicker steel.

• Weight. It will add considerably more if the boiler is huge. Heating time will be increased to heat the water and turn it into steam. Recovery time will be longer as there is more water inside the boiler. The heater will have to be larger and be at the highest amp and wattage rating possible to heat all the water. Bigger or “huge” boilers are not always the answer. Neither is a small boiler. A small boiler is cheaper, takes up less room inside, will heat faster if a good heater is used, and recovers faster. HOWEVER, a small boiler will drop pressure extremely fast and negatively affect performance. Finding the correct size of a boiler and the pressure setting is nothing more than a constant test of different boilers and sizes and weighing the pros and cons, as just stated. But we have to know all of this going in. And we certainly do know all of these variables. The boiler is just the beginning of the performance dilemma. Let’s look at more.
• “Small” boilers. While we do not want to use a HUGE boiler, if we use a tiny or small boiler, there are a few good things and a few bad things about this. Good…… it heats faster, takes up less space inside, is lighter, and the body can be smaller, recovery time may be faster, and overall, hopefully, it is a less expensive machine. Bad. Small boilers have less steam capacity and less water inside. They will constantly be filling, and that places more stress on the pump. Pressure will drop very fast as there is less room for steam inside the boiler. And the pressure drop may be drastic. This pressure drop is what most customers do not like. Going from a relatively high pressure to a much lower pressure will quickly diminish performance. Again, it’s a balancing act to provide the right size boiler to ANY steamer.
• Heater wattage. The wattage of the heater is important in fast heating and recovery. We use an EXTERNAL heater on the 120V machines, as we feel it’s more easily serviceable, still heats fast, and if replacement is needed, the boiler does not need to be replaced. With an internal heater, many times, the two halves of the boiler have been split to insert the heater, then welded back together, making it essentially one unit. Therefore, if a heater needs replacing, the boiler does as well, and this is HUGELY expensive. The efficiency of an internal vs. external heater is up for debate and most likely about equal. However, the wattage is important as the higher the wattage, the faster it can heat. Low-wattage heaters will be slower. They will last longer but detract from performance. In most high-output commercial steamers, we all use the highest wattage boiler possible on a 15 amp circuit, which is about 1750 watts. But again, for steamers that are set for high pressure, the heater is almost constantly in use and under extreme duress at all times. It’s just part of the game. You generally will not see a heater with more than 1750 watts as it cannot be used on a 15 amp circuit. 1600 is considered a “normal” size heater wattage, and 1500 watts is generally considered a “low wattage” heater
• Another factor in performance is the opening in the boiler to allow steam to flow and the solenoid valve that is mounted to it. A solenoid valve allows steam to escape when requested, and it blocks or stops the steam when you are off the trigger. This is a very important component in the steamer and also aids or detracts from performance. Solenoid valves have a rating that allows for maximum pressure and temperature. Small steamers use smaller solenoids with a lower pressure and temperature rating. They also allow less steam to flow through the valve. Less steam equals less “volume” of steam and less performance. More commercial steamers with higher pressure settings will need solenoids that are rated as high as possible to handle the constant heat, pressure, and flow that they see whenever the steamer is in use. If the pressure exceeds what the solenoid is rated for, the machine will still work, still be safe, and still perform rather well. However, it will fail prematurely if a lesser one is used. We have not yet been able to source a solenoid valve rated for 200 PSI and rated for more than 387 degrees.
• We also look at the opening of the orifice inside the solenoid valve that allows steam to flow. This is where the expertise of us and the manufacturer come into play. If we allow ALL the steam to flow at once and pass through the solenoid, it will endure the maximum heat and pressure of the steam produced in the boiler. It also shows in the performance. Allowing ALL the steam to flow through will make it VERY VERY impressive………but only for a short time. The steam inside the boiler is looking for a way out. The solenoid (or a leak somewhere) is its ONLY escape route. If we allow it all to escape all at once, the initial flow of steam is very impressive, but then it quickly runs out and will diminish as the boiler drops pressure. This is a fact. Steam pressure will drop as soon as you request it. How we control the pressure drop is very important in performance. On a 120V machine, steam can’t be produced as fast as it wants to escape the boiler. It’s a fact of physics. We can’t replenish it as fast as it wants to move. So, pressure drops, performance decreases, and the volume of steam decreases as it escapes. This is normal, but customers do not like it, and this is the most misunderstood thing about ALL steamers is pressure drop and performance drop the longer you are on the trigger. We have also done videos on this and explained it in more detail. But back to the solenoid. We carefully control the flow with a restrictor plate on the orifice to allow the steam to hold pressure a little better and keep the heat down a little as it passes through the valve. Of course, with a smaller opening or orifice, we will have slightly diminished volume compared to an unrestricted opening. But it will hold steadier. How fast pressure drops is important. How fast it can recover from a big drop is also important in performance. We have worked countless hours over the years on all of these items to make sure that a 120V steamer will perform as well as possible. Of course, we also get a pressure drop as soon as you begin using steam. We think we were, and are, the only ones to admit this. It is just physics. As well this is also why we want the boiler drained and cleaned to keep sediment lower so these openings will not clog as quickly. But that is a maintenance issue that must be followed to keep performance at a maximum. We do not, and cannot, exceed the rating on solenoid pressure and temperature, as the part will fail sooner if we do. This is another VERY IMPORTANT reason why we do not go to 200. We just have not found a solenoid valve with that kind of rating. Again, this is not really a safety factor but a longevity factor.
• Another factor in performance is the steam hose itself. One is not better than another in looking at a gun setup or a connection point. The thing about the steam hose and performance are two things. The overall length of the hose and the diameter of the steam hose where the steam travels through. Of course, all the customers we speak to want a very long hose. It’s more convenient to have as long of a hose as possible. However, this is another area where I have spent countless hours experimenting with hose and length. If the hose is short, the performance will be greater. The less steam travel will mean less condensation and less pressure drop. But nobody wants a six or 8-foot hose. It’s too short. We use a 12-foot hose on our 120V machines. We feel it’s a very good balance of convenience and performance. Another item affecting the overall performance of the steam hose is the inside diameter. We have, of course, looked at this over the years in terms of how the diameter affects performance and pressure drop. If we went too large of a diameter, we had great initial steam flow, and it was very impressive. But it would exhaust too quickly, and the pressure would drop too fast, and the steam would become less in volume. This also affects the recovery time if we get too much of a pressure drop. So, we have figured out what we feel is the perfect diameter steam hose to use in all of our hoses to limit this. As I said, it is all a balancing act and not all about the maximum pressure a boiler can be set at for great performance.
• Another factor in performance is the nozzle size and the diameter of the orifice in these as well. The same as the solenoid valve, if we make too large of an opening in the nozzle, steam will escape very fast and have a very impressive volume and pressure look to begin with. But once that initial rush of steam has passed, the pressure will drastically drop, and volume will drop and be far less impressive. We have worked with various diameters in our nozzles as well to come up with a good balance. Again, it is more about controlling pressure drop than it is about setting maximum pressure.
• The pressure switch or presso stat is another key component in getting to pressure and handling the heat. There are ratings on these as well. A presso stat is under constant duress from pressure and heat at all times while the steamer is in use. We need to stay within the limits on this component as well. Sure, these can be set as high as they will go to max out the pressure. We have seen and learned of customers who have figured this out and done it themselves. This is a no-no and will void a warranty and simply be dangerous, so we DO NOT EVER want it done. But we know customers use this trick as a shortcut to higher pressure. But it’s not as simple as just cranking up the pressure. As we have explained, all components need to work together and be pressure- and temperature-rated to make the machine as safe as possible and perform as well as possible. But the other items we just discussed are as much a performance factor as the setting of the overall pressure. 
• So, in looking at the competitor’s machine at 200 PSI and ours at 135 (in 120V), we do not think we are that far off, if at all, in overall performance. We have no doubt their specs of 200 are correct and accurate. We know this entire explanation may sound like “sour grapes,” as they have exceeded us and are rated higher in pressure. But does that make that machine better? Will it exceed our machine’s performance by a great margin? We are not admitting defeat. No way! They do have a higher pressure rating than ours. Numbers are numbers. But we also think real-life performance should also be looked at. We know we are at a disadvantage in pressure rating. But we also firmly believe that we will be closer in performance than the numbers may indicate
•  While their initial pressure and volume escaping from their nozzle will surely be extremely impressive, we think we hang in there after the initial pressure drop from each machine. We recovered well back to pressure, although we stopped at 135. And with the other things we have mentioned, we do not think we are far off overall performance
• They still may have a performance advantage based on starting pressure. 200 is higher than 135. But do not discount us on performance. And certainly, take a look at the price difference between the two machines. It is significant, and there may be reasons for that. Our goal is always to build a very good machine at a very fair price. It’s a tightrope balancing act in all areas. We will not be going to 200 PSI as we have stated. It’s a great number to be at, but we will not get there anytime soon. If the overall number is all that you want, then they will have to be the one to go with. We think our overall performance is still impressive. We also have a machine that is easily serviceable and not too complicated to repair. It’s one of the simplest steamers out there, as we have demanded that over the years for our ability to diagnose and repair, as well as give the customer the OK to repair and replace parts after we diagnose an issue. Downtime is something nobody wants. But keeping that downtime as low as possible and getting a machine back and running is just as important. From reading this article, we assume you now have a better understanding of what goes into building a high-performing steamer, and more, our passion for steamers, as well as an extreme knowledge of this technology and how to build, maintain, and repair one. And hopefully, a very fair price that we have for all of our machines.