What a fixed unit has to prove
A fixed machine sits on a concrete pad where the utilities already are. The Fixed Steam Cleaning Machine PowerDe HW02 is listed as a 220 V, high-temperature, high-pressure unit that switches between dry and wet steam and adds a vacuum function. Its published parameters include 6 kW heating power, 160° steam temperature, 0.8 MPa vapor pressure and an 80 L SUS304 tank, with a tap-water inlet using a 4-point internal-tooth joint (1/2 inch). The unit footprint is given as 1,200 × 800 × 1,200 mm including handles.
That parameter set tells you what a fixed bay costs you in real terms. You need a stable 220 V supply at the bay, a tap line plumbed to the machine, and a floor area that can hold the footprint plus the hose and wand working radius. In return you get an 80 L tank that supports back-to-back jobs without a water stop, and a steam point that staff can reach at the same time every day. The product page also describes fixed-bay use at gas stations and parking lots, interior vacuuming and disinfection, and engine-compartment cleaning. On protection features, the overview lists leakage, short-circuit, high-temperature, high-voltage, water-shortage and high-voltage-explosion items; earlier notes recorded five items, so it is safer to check those items against the live page instead of relying on a count.
Watch one more detail when you request a quotation. The listing headline for the fixed model reads HW03, while the overview text calls it "PowerDeHMW3 (220V)". Confirm the model name and the specification table in writing, because a mismatch between headline and parameter table is a procurement risk, not a typing problem.
What a mobile unit has to prove
A mobile machine moves the steam point to the vehicle instead of moving the vehicle to the steam point. The driving-style PowerDe PWD02 steam cleaner is listed as a mobile active-water cleaning machine with dry-steam, wet-steam and hot-water modes, and is intended for indoor garages and narrow outdoor parking spaces. The same machine family is offered with and without a battery, and the driving-style HMW2 page mentions leakage, short-circuit, high-temperature, high-voltage and water-shortage protection.
Read that list as an operating constraint, not a brochure line. Battery versions let you work where no outlet is within reach, but the battery becomes part of your daily routine: charge windows, spare packs, and a replacement plan. Because PowerDe lists battery and non-battery variants of the same model, the practical question at RFQ stage is which variant you are actually buying and what runtime the battery version delivers. Runtime, tank volume and accessory length are not published on every page of this series, so ask for them on the datasheet you attach to the purchase order.
Middle option: hand-pushed when you need both
Some sites do not need a drivable machine and still cannot pipe steam to every room. The hand-pushed HMW3 series sits between the two: a high-temperature, high-pressure machine with dry- and wet-steam modes that one operator pushes through a corridor. Its published parameters are more specific than most entries in this category — machine dimensions L1150 × W520 × H1030 mm, hand-push movement, 4.5 kW PTC semiconductor heating, a 50 L clean-water tank, tap-water inlet with a 4-point internal-tooth fitting, dry-steam and wet-steam modes, 48 V battery working supply, and a high-pressure water gun with nozzle. The listing places it in cleaning and disinfecting hospital beds and medical machinery.
Not published on that page: steam temperature and pressure, battery capacity and runtime, charger output, weight, hose and wand lengths, accessory list, noise level, and water consumption per hour. If your site survey depends on those figures — and for a hospital or food facility it usually does — request them in writing before you compare prices.
Comparison grid you can send to your team
| Check item | Fixed unit | Mobile unit |
|---|---|---|
| Power supply | 220 V at the bay, 6 kW heating load on the circuit | Battery version: charge area; non-battery version: cable run to each work point |
| Water supply | Tap line with 4-point internal-tooth joint (1/2 inch), 80 L tank buffer on HW02 | Onboard tank, refill stops; plan the fill point before you buy |
| Floor space | Permanent footprint, 1,200 × 800 × 1,200 mm including handles on HW02 | Storage corner only; clears the bay when the shift ends |
| Cleaning modes | Dry steam, wet steam, plus vacuum on HW02 | Dry steam, wet steam, hot water on the PWD driving-style series |
| Reach per shift | One bay, repeatable cycle time, easier to schedule and audit | Several bays, rows or floors; cycle time depends on travel distance |
| Protection list | Leakage, short-circuit, high-temperature, high-voltage, water-shortage, high-voltage-explosion items as listed | Leakage, short-circuit, high-temperature, high-voltage, water-shortage items on the HMW2 page |
| Missing data to request | Model name consistency (HW03 vs the 220V wording in the overview text) | Runtime, tank volume, hose and wand length, accessory list |
Questions that decide it
- How many vehicles or pieces of equipment pass the machine each day? Below a steady bay volume, a fixed unit sits idle; above it, a mobile unit spends more time travelling than spraying.
- Do you already have 220 V and a water line at the wash point? If not, trenching and electrical work can exceed the price difference between a fixed and a mobile machine.
- Is your work engine bays and interiors, or exterior panels along a parking row? Engine-bay and interior work is repeatable and suits a fixed bay. Rows of parked vehicles favour a drivable or push-along machine.
- Can you schedule charging? Battery mobility is only an advantage if the shift pattern leaves a charge window.
A comparison that ends in a written specification
Run the fixed and mobile option against the same five items — supply, tank or battery, footprint, modes, and cycle time per bay — and write the answer into the RFQ. PowerDe lists battery and non-battery variants of the same model, so an RFQ that says only "PWD02" invites two different machines at two different prices. Same for the fixed range: ask the supplier to confirm the model name and the parameter table in one document.
If your layout supports one plumbed, powered bay and the volume is steady, buy the fixed unit and spend the saving on nozzles, extension wands and a spare hose. If your workload spreads across garages, parking rows or buildings, or the utility work at each point is expensive, buy the mobile unit and plan the refill and charge points on the floor drawing. Operators who compare fixed and mobile options on those conditions, rather than on the word "steam", usually end up with a machine that still fits the site two years later.
Shenzhen PowerDe Automation Precision Equipment also publishes customisation and engineering services for cleaning equipment, so when the standard configuration does not match your bay, send the floor layout and ask for a quotation against the configuration you actually need.
