Today, however, the scenario has radically changed and progressed: the cleaning of cities is entrusted to specialized municipal teams, companies owned by municipalities dedicated solely to these tasks or private companies to which these tasks are contracted.

But especially, brooms and bins have been supplanted by the wide availability of specific tools and high-tech means: sweepers to clean and wash the streets, vacuum cleaners to remove debris and waste,  compactors to collect and transport them, sewer cleaning machines to clean sewers, and many other tools designed specifically to increase the efficiency and the level of cleanliness and hygiene that can be achieved.

Most of these tools base their operation on high-pressure water, used in the 3 main operational categories of urban cleaning:

• Drain
• Aspiration
• Washing

The 3 categories of urban cleaning correspond to as many specific technological units.
PTC Italiana specializes in the design and manufacture of a wide range of these tools, machines intended for all urban, civil and industrial cleaning applications.

Sewer Cleaning Units  are used for unclogging operations: a complete range of sewer cleaning machines and pipeline washing equipment that allow you to work even in historic centers, pedestrian areas, narrow streets, underpasses, and areas where, in general, large sewer cleaning vehicles or canal-jet machines have difficulty of accessing.

PTC machines, in fact, have simple and intuitive control systems, reduced dimensions and low consumption that allow rapid and decisive interventions to be carried out with low operating costs. The PTC range of Sewer Cleaning Units also includes:

• Built-in units designed to be installed on small, medium and large commercial vehicles according to different needs;
• Portable units with electric or petrol motor, maximum ease of use and handling;
• Trailer units, professional trailers approved for road traffic.

Sewer Cleaning Units are used in urban cleaning for the following applications:

• Unclogging of pipes
• Cleaning of drains and gutters
• Unblocking of channels and drain shafts

As with private buildings, in fact, public buildings also require frequent maintenance of the pipes, inside, and the gutters, outside. Soap buildup, food debris, dirt, hair, and small objects can clog pipes inside buildings, likewise, foliage, topsoil, guano, and other debris can clog gutters and downspouts outside.

The consequences, in the first case, can be bathroom fixtures that throw dirty water,  causing flooding of the rooms and damaging furniture and furnishings. In the second case, however, clogged gutters can throw rainwater out of the roofs, instead of conveying it into the drainage channels as they should, generating uncontrolled water backflow, stagnation on roofs and floors and consequent infiltration into buildings. All factors that lead to damage and expensive repairs.

The most effective method of unclogging sink pipes is to use canal-jet technology: through the use of a nozzle, you act inside the pipes with a high-pressure jet of water, removing the clogging in a few minutes.

PTC canal-jets can deliver a flow of water at a pressure between 100 and 300 bar: factors that guarantee a quick, effective and complete unblocking, eliminating any type of encrustation and accumulation. In a few minutes, the canal-jet unclogging restores the correct hydraulic functioning and the perfect tightness of the pipes of sinks, toilets, bathtubs, showers and bidets.

Canal-jet equipment is also specific for draining gutters and capable of removing blockages quickly, permanently and effectively: a high-pressure jet of water, delivered by a nozzle specially designed for cleaning pipes, completely removes blocking debris and cleans the surfaces of the ducts.

In addition to convenience, PTC Canal Jet units use only water, without resorting to chemicals, making cleaning completely environmentally friendly.

READ MORE – CLOGGED SINKS, PIPES AND GUTTERS: WHAT EQUIPMENT TO USE FOR UNCLOGGING

The municipalities are also entrusted with the task of keeping the sewers, drains and wells of urban centers free and clean,  essential elements for disposing of white water and black water that require frequent washing and unclogging operations.

The Sewer Cleaning Units dedicated to these procedures use the right technology to unclog the pipes: also in this case, a high-pressure jet of water, produced once again by a piston pump, pushes a particular nozzle along the pipe to be unblocked, while cleaning the surfaces of the pipe itself.

These ultra-high-pressure unclogging units  are used both for unclogging or washing pipes with very small diameters and pipes with very large diameters, such as those from municipal drains or road crossings. This method, using only water and avoiding the use of chemicals, also makes unclogging safe for operators and environmentally friendly.

READ MORE: WHAT IS A UNCLOGGING UNIT AND HOW DOES IT WORK

The Vortex Units are used whenever there is a need to vacuum liquids or sewage: autonomous vacuum suction units for the recovery and transport of non-hazardous liquids, sewage residues, sludge, semi-solids, oils. and so on.

PTC manufactures Vortex Units in Skid configuration, which allows installation on platforms and hooklifts without requiring any modification of the vehicle, making them easily transportable and completely autonomous. In addition, the Combi Cleaning version with a high-pressure washing system is produced. Or Combi Sewer with also unclogging system.

Vortex Units are used in urban cleaning for the following applications:

• Emptying of manholes and tanks
• Emptying toilets on trains and buses
• Post-flood cleaning

Many public buildings do not have sewer pipes connected to the urban network, but have cesspools or septic tanks in which organic discharges and wastewater produced by those who work and use the same buildings end up. These containers need to be emptied periodically, for these are used sewer cleaning machines.

Piston pumps, in this case, use pressure to generate a powerful suction that allows you to create a vacuum inside large tanks and, with the use of long pipes, remove the contents of wells and septic tanks, and then take them to the appropriate disposal sites in total safety for the environment and for people.

When these operations have to be carried out in confined spaces – such as historic centers or inside warehouses and warehouses – we intervene with compact or built-in units designed to be mounted on small vans or transported by forklift.

The tasks of urban cleaning also require municipalities (and the companies they appoint) to maintain public transport, such as trains and buses and their stations: vehicles and spaces equipped with toilets that need purging just like municipal buildings. Also in this case we intervene with purge equipment, also posing the need to clean the space where the toilets are located, for urban cleaning  combined suction units  have been designed equipped with pumps for high-pressure washing capable of reaching 250 bar

In addition to emptying wells, tanks and toilets, suction units are also useful for removing water from rooms and basements that have suffered flooding. Particularly specific for these cases is PTC Italiana Vortex Combi Cleaning line, suction units equipped with a high-pressure washing system useful for cleaning the flooded area of residual  sewage after emptying. Thanks to a stainless steel water tank with a capacity of 800 liters and a manual HP hose reel with 15 meters of hose, it is able to perform the dual function of priming liquid residues and washing with a high-pressure jet. All in a single machine, which can be moved with forks or lifting hooks.

READ MORE: BEST RAILWAY TOILET PURGE EQUIPMENT

The High Pressure Cleaning Units are professional washing machines that combine the power of pressurized water with the sanitizing action of hot water and steam, allowing cleaning operations without the use of detergents and chemical additives. A solution that improves the quality and working conditions of operators, respecting the environment and reducing intervention costs.

PTC Italiana produces a range of High Pressure Cleaning Units with different configurations:

• The Skid configuration allows the unit to be installed on platforms and hooklifts without requiring any modification to the vehicle. These units are easily transportable and fully autonomous.
• The Portable configuration includes portable units with electric or petrol motor: the simplicity of use and easy handling characterize this type of product, ideal for quick professional cleaning operations.
• The Trailer configuration includes professional trailers approved for road circulation with petrol or diesel engines and versions from 750 kg up to 1500 kg fully loaded. While maintaining the characteristics of the range, these units allow the load compartment of a vehicle not to be constrained and avoid the traffic restrictions imposed on large vehicles.

By adding the power of high temperature and steam to that of high-pressure washing, PTC offers two particular versions for the units in this range

• Powersteam Version: developed for professional washing of surfaces that require special attention, taking advantage of the combination of high pressure and high temperature without the use of chemical additives, to avoid damage to surfaces. This high-pressure steam washing technique at approx. 150° C with an adjustable pressure of up to 220 bar, brings excellent cleaning results with minimal water and fuel consumption.
• Weed Control Version: The new PTC system that guarantees the complete removal of weeds, without any damage from chemical agents to people and the surrounding environment, respecting current European regulations.
  The effectiveness of ecological weeding is given by the intensity of the water vapor released by the unit: the localized jet creates a localized thermal rise on the weed, eliminating it in a few steps.

High Pressure Cleaning Units are used in urban cleaning for the following applications:

• Cleaning of monuments, squares and pavements
• Cleaning facades
• Cleaning of vertical and horizontal signs
• Sanitization of bins
• Removal of chewing gum and graffiti
• Cleaning of bridges and scaffolding
• Removal of oil, grease, resins, algae, mosses and residues from air pollution
• Weeding

The urban cleaning sector, by its very nature, also deals daily with washing and sanitizing sidewalks, vertical surfaces and furnishings that make up street furniture, elements frequently targeted by atmospheric agents, smog, guano and other animal excrement.

These operations involve the use of powerful high-pressure cleaners that base their cleaning power on a pressurized jet of water produced by a high-pressure piston pump. The use of pressurized water only, without the use of any detergent, makes the operation free of the risk of environmental pollution and damage to materials.

With the use of the specific versions of the High Pressure Cleaning Units, equipped with special boilers, the effect of hot water and steam can also be added to the high pressure, for example for the removal of spray paint graffiti and for the sanitation of bins, benches or tables in public parks.

The same cleaning operation can be applied to other artifacts and objects under the jurisdiction of a municipality, such as tanks, containers, vehicles and machinery, for the removal of particularly stubborn materials such as chewing gum, greases, and resins or to combat the formation of grasses, algae and mosses and other pests.

Equally important is the advantage given by the use, without danger of damage, on weak facades or delicate surfaces such as marble and granite.

READ MORE: STEAM AND HIGH PRESSURE FOR GRAFFITI REMOVAL

To make the effectiveness of urban cleaning units even higher, PTC Italiana resells a wide range of accessories, such as:

• Nozzles and heads of different shapes, materials and characteristics
• Cameras and probes for inspections of pipelines to be unplugged

DISCOVER PTC ITALIANA’S RANGE OF URBAN CLEANING ACCESSORIES