The pipe exterior is a surface list, not one item
Drains above a cooking line, water and gas supply runs, and the brackets, clamps and valve bodies on the same route each hold a different deposit. Grease that has baked onto a hood-side drain reads as a dark, hardened skin. Water and dust behind a rack leave a soft film that moves with far less heat. Write both kinds down per run before any machine is quoted. The deposit sets the mode, the pass count, and whether a detergent step is still needed; the pipe diameter does not.
The cleaning pages on this site position their machines around vehicle exteriors, parking areas and medical equipment. Kitchen pipework is not published there as a tested duty, and no kitchen cleaning rate is published either. Treat any machine on the PowerDe cleaning equipment list as a configuration to test, not as proof that the job is already solved.
Limit one: what the surface is made of and what covers it
Bare stainless, painted carbon steel, galvanised runs, plastic waste fittings, rubber hangers, labels and any lagging all answer heat differently. A hot nozzle on a painted surface can blister the coating. On a laminated or insulated section, moisture can travel into the seam and stay there long after the visible pipe looks clean. Insulation, cable runs and any gas or fuel train belong in an exclusion column on the drawing, each with a written fallback for how that section gets cleaned instead.
Limit two: the mode is a decision, not a default
Machines on this site are described as switching between dry steam, wet steam and hot water. Overhead pipes are where that choice shows up most clearly. A drier mode softens baked grease with heat and dwell, and leaves little water to fall. A wetter mode rinses the softened film away, but creates run-off that has to land somewhere planned. Sequence from the furthest upper run downward, and let one short trial on the hardest deposit set the pass count and dwell before anyone signs a schedule.
Limit three: access, shielding and where the run-off goes
Overhead work puts a reach problem in front of every other consideration. Count the positions that need a platform, the length of hose and wand that reaches them, and the clearances at valves and joints that a nozzle cannot enter. Shield the cooking line, filters, electrical enclosures, sensors and terminals below the run before the first pass, and name the drain or gully the run-off is routed to. A crew that has to improvise shielding mid-job loses more time than the cleaning itself.
Limit four: what the site can actually supply
Fixed units assume a water inlet and a power circuit close to the work. Confirm the inlet fitting type, the distance to the nearest suitable sink or tap, the circuit available, and whether the kitchen can be taken out of service for the trial window. Where those are far apart, a mobile machine moves the same duty to whatever position is reachable. Compare the two on your own trial record: measured time for the far runs, refilling distance, and how often the unit has to be repositioned. A customized steam cleaning equipment build only earns its place if that record says so.
Limit five: figures on a page belong to that page's machine
The Fixed Steam Cleaning Machine PowerDe HW02 page carries its own temperature, pressure, tank and power figures, and its stated scenarios are vehicle exterior, interior and engine-compartment work at fuel stations and parking areas. Those values describe that unit, so do not carry them onto a kitchen line. Ask the supplier to answer four things in writing for the exact machine they intend to ship to your site. How is the temperature at the nozzle measured? What supply pressure and water inlet arrangement does the unit need? What is the tank capacity, and how long does it run before a refill? Which power circuit does it draw on?
Limit six: what a trial can and cannot settle
A trial proves the finish on the surfaces it covers, the time per metre of run, the run-off it creates, and any coating damage it causes. It does not prove the condition inside the pipe, the state of a joint you cannot see, or that the same result will hold on a different deposit elsewhere in the building. Write the acceptance standard before the first pass, with before-and-after photographs of two or three positions. Put the stop condition on that same document, so the trial ends when it should.
Limit seven: the record the buyer keeps afterwards
One page per pipe family is enough. Record the surfaces covered, the deposit type, the mode used, the measured time, the shielding and run-off route, the exclusions with their fallbacks, and the date the standard was last reviewed. That page is what lets a second crew repeat the result, and what turns a purchased machine into a repeatable job rather than a one-off demonstration.
