1. Walk the floor and write down what you see
Ask the people who work in the building, not the ones who manage it. Concrete wearing thin near a feed trough, a joint that has opened, a patch of slippy film that never washes off: these observations belong on paper before the trial starts. Photograph each problem area with a wide shot and a close shot so that the same spot can be found afterwards.
Record what the floor is made of and how it was sealed. Sealed concrete, epoxy coating, brick, and plastic slats respond very differently to heat and moisture. If you cannot identify the surface finish, tell the equipment supplier this rather than guessing; the wrong assumption is the fastest way to damage a floor during a test.
2. Check drainage, water supply and power
Steam cleaning uses a fraction of the water of a hose, but that water still has to go somewhere. Confirm that gullies and channels are clear, that the floor falls towards the drain, and that no standing water sits in the trial area after a normal wash. A trial run on a floor with poor drainage tells you nothing except that the drainage is poor.
Note where water can be connected. Some units take a mains supply through a standard fitting; others carry their own tank, which is what makes them usable in yards and older sheds with no tap nearby. Note the electrical supply available as well: a fixed unit is normally fed from 220 V, while mobile battery-powered units work where there is no outlet at all.
3. Empty the pen and clear the working width
Animals must be out of the area for the whole trial, and out long enough for the floor to dry afterwards. Plan the movement of stock, feed trolleys and equipment before the date, and clear the sides of the passage so the operator is not pressing against a wall. Loose bedding, scraped muck and movable fittings should be removed by hand first. A machine is there to remove the residue bonded to the surface, not to clear a floor that has not been scraped.
4. Mark the trial area and set the pass you will test
Chalk a boundary of a few square metres that includes one difficult patch, such as a corner or a textured area. Then decide the test in advance: one pass at a set speed, then a second pass where the first failed. Without a marked square and a fixed pass, the crew will clean the easy floor and call it a result.
If you are comparing an existing method, run it on a second marked square on the same day and with the same soil. Comparing yesterday's pressure-washer result with today's steam result measures the weather, not the machine.
5. Decide who measures and what is a pass
Two people should be present: one operating, one recording. Agree what counts as clean before the trial starts, for example that no visible residue remains on a white cloth dragged across the marked square. Note the time taken, the water used, and whether staff needed a second pass. These are the figures you will compare with your current routine, so the person writing them down should be someone who stays for the whole session.
6. Plan access and safety before the machine arrives
Check gate widths, steps, and the surface between the parking point and the pen. A self-propelled unit is a different problem from a hand-pushed one in a yard with kerbs and stairs. Confirm that the route is free of cable, hose, and low fittings that an operator could catch. Keep the area closed to uninvolved staff while the machine is running, and make sure the operator knows how to stop the unit and shut off the steam before they pick up a lance.
7. Match the machine to the prepared floor
Once the floor is prepared, the choice of machine becomes straightforward. Where there is no water or power close to the pens, a livestock facility steam cleaning unit that carries its own tank and battery, such as the driving-style PWD series, removes the need for temporary hoses and extension cable. Where the building has a fixed supply and cleaning is done on a fixed schedule, a stationary unit such as the fixed steam cleaning machine HW02 runs on 220 V, delivers steam at up to 160°C and 0.8 MPa, and holds an 80 L stainless tank, which suits passages, holding areas and hard standing.
What to send before the trial, not after
Send the supplier your floor notes, the photographs, the size of the marked area, and the access route. With that information the correct model, fittings, and realistic trial length can be agreed in advance. If your site needs a different build, PowerDe also handles customised cleaning equipment, so a floor that does not match a standard catalogue unit is a starting point for a conversation rather than a dead end.
A well prepared floor makes a bad machine obvious and a good machine provable. Prepare the surface, mark the area, and record the run, and the trial will give you a number you can act on.
