October 2012
4-53
Pressure washers serve as good replacement options for facilities that rely on the
washing ability of wash-down sprayers. Pressure washers typically have flow rates of
3.0
gpm or less at high pressure and often perform better than wash-down sprayers.
For floor cleaning applications, water brooms can replace existing wash-down spray-
ers. Water brooms have wide spray patterns with multiple jets that can clean more
efficiently than a wash-down sprayer and use significantly less water.
68
Savings Potential
Water savings can be achieved through wash-down sprayer retrofit or replacement.
Existing high-flowing wash-down sprayers can be retrofitted with a self-closing
nozzle. Wash-down sprayers can be replaced with a pressure washer or water broom.
To estimate facility-specific savings and payback, use the following information.
Wash-Down Sprayer Retrofit
Wash-down sprayers typically deliver flow rates of 7.0 gallons per minute (gpm),
69
while heavy-duty hoses can deliver higher flow rates from 9.0 to 20.0 gpm.
70
Current Water Use
To estimate the current water use of an existing wash-down sprayer, identify the fol-
lowing information and use Equation 4-24:
••
Flow rate of the existing, high-flowing wash-down sprayer. Most high-flowing
wash-down sprayers have flow rates between 9 and 20 gpm.
71
••
Average daily use time.
••
Days of facility operation per year.
Equation 4-24. Water Use of Wash-Down Sprayer or Water Broom (gallons per
year)
= Flow Rate of Wash-Down Sprayer or Water Broom x Daily Use Time x
Days of Facility Operation
Where:
••
Flow Rate of Wash-Down Sprayer or Water Broom (gallons per minute)
••
Daily Use Time (minutes per day)
••
Days of Facility Operation (days per year)
4.11
Wash-Down Sprayers
68
FSTC,
op. cit.
69
Ibid.
70
EPA and DOE’s ENERGY STAR,
op. cit.
71
Ibid.
