Challenges of cleaning escalators in practice

During the daily use of escalators, dirt and dust lint collect in the steps, which can, under certain circumstances, lead to a fire hazard. The steps must therefore be maintained regularly and a fire-protection cleaning must be carried out. During a general clean, all steps are removed and cleaned inside and out.

Previous technique

Until now, these steps have been cleaned either purely mechanically or with a high-pressure cleaner at a washing station. A suitable, separate washing place has to be available for this.

Our solution

Low-pressure hot cleaning offers an excellent alternative here: in combination with a separate collection tray – for example our 1000 KW-FP in the size of a standard pallet – the steps can be cleaned quickly and thoroughly. The costly transport to a separate washing station is no longer necessary.

Escalator steps are cleaned on site with low-pressure hot cleaning

In contrast to a high-pressure cleaner, only a fraction of the resources is required: while a high-pressure cleaner needs at least 20–30 litres of water per minute plus a corresponding amount of energy, low-pressure hot cleaning requires only 0.3–1.8 litres (devices with 7.5 bar) or 0.3–2.8 litres (devices with 14 bar). This saves money on the procurement and disposal of process water and protects the environment.

Unlike a high-pressure cleaner, there is also no formation of droplet clouds and no need to work in a protective suit. The process is therefore much gentler on health than high-pressure cleaning. In addition, thanks to the high temperatures, it contributes to faster and thus more cost-effective drying of the steps.

Your benefits

Efficiency and quality: significant time savings with fast yet thorough cleaning – high temperature and sufficient pressure allow complete cleaning in the shortest possible time.
Minimal use of resources (water, waste water) compared with high-pressure cleaning.
Mobility: the units are mobile and largely self-sufficient and take up very little space – no separate washroom is required.
Minimal splash-back, no droplet clouds, no aerosols – making it ideal for use in the workshop, too.
Cleaning medium: hot water with no or minimal added chemicals – hence low costs for procurement and disposal; the medium can also be reused several times.
Considerably more pleasant, faster and more efficient work than with a high-pressure cleaner – without protective suits.
Universally usable and ideal for parts cleaning of all kinds.
Occupational and environmental protection: fewer resources mean greater environmental compatibility and lower costs; doing without high pressure means greater occupational safety for staff.

In summary: low investment, resource-saving and therefore environmentally and health-friendly, low running costs – yet high efficiency and quality.

Which device is recommended?

For cleaning escalator steps we recommend our 1000 SRE with an integrated 60-litre water tank or – for higher throughput – the more powerful 1500 SRE-DP. Combined with the 1000 KW-FP collection tray, the process water is collected, filtered and reused.