Sweet, sweet summer and the 4th of July is fast approaching. Time to bust out the grill, the beer & the fireworks before you kick-off for the summer. But the real responsibility starts when the parties have all died down and you gotta tow the boat back out.
The easiest way to wash out all that sea gunk is, of course, the pressure wash! Thank god for this simple but effective invention that allows us to cut our energy usage by half. Less energy, more cleaning power.
But STOP! Did you know that pressure washing your boat can do so much harm than it is helpful? Before you plug in the nifty thing and start spraying down your boat at maximum pressure nozzle, better read up on our 4 + 2 reasons to never touch your pressure wash this summer.
1. Pressure Wash Can Kill You – and Your Lawn
Antifouling (ablative) paint on your hull slouches off the antifouling properties when moving through water. Imagine using fast-moving water against the paint that works when water just brushes against it.
That’s essentially what you’re doing when you’re blasting off your hull. And if you don’t think the dangers of antifouling paint is that bad, you need to read our previous entry on why more countries are starting to ban it!
Always be careful when dealing with antifouling paint, inside & outside of water bodies. Because of the dangers posed by this type of paint, some states even have specific laws pertaining to how you should clean your boat when using pressure wash.
2. You May Break State Law (Clean Water Act)
Different wastewater requires different treatment. You can’t simply blast off the grime into the sea or your lawn and hope for the best. At best, you’re killing your lawn with the ablasive. At worst, you just poisoned your whole neighborhood and have to be placed under EPA.
That’s why different states require different treatment and you should always be aware of local law, wherever you haul your boat out for maintenance. Commonly, all pollutants must be removed from the wash water before being discharged.
But what sort of wastewater management will your wash water require? Do they go to back to the water or will you need to dump them into the sewer system? Read on, young padawan, before you touch that pressure wash!
3. Extra Cost of Wastewater Management
At times, your own tools and chemicals may not be enough to handle the wastewater so you’ll need to call in the hauling team. This includes cleaning up any solid particles in the water before discharge and usage of catalyst to settle the metal and paint particles.
When washing your boat, you MUST do so on a bermed, impermeable surface that allows the wastewater to be contained and filtered to remove particulates and solids. This helps in managing the wastewater before they accidentally destroy the local ecosystem.
And at times when the gunk just won’t move, you’ll have to resort to detergents. By the time your wastewater becomes frothed with soap, you can no longer dump them into the sea. You need to use the sewer system!
4. Harsh Detergents Harm Your Boat
Pressure wash + harsh detergent = squeaky clean boat! Right?
WRONG! You just managed to strip off the wax on your boat and aged it by a few years.
And the main problem with harsh detergent is they don’t go away. They’ll be diluted into the water but they will still cause damage to the body of water. It’s rather a quick equation if you imagine every boat at the dock just pushing soap water down the sea.
Bad for you, bad for the sea. So why would you ever want to use harsh detergent when you can just lay off of it? We’ll tell you how you can be detergent-free and pressure wash free below.
Bonus reasons to never touch the pressure wash – EVER!
5. FREE Marine Vessel Coating Quotation for APSA Members
To kick off the best summer ever, we’re giving out preferential rates to ALL APSA members who wish to coat their marine vessel. Experience ecocoat marine for yourself and see why we say you don’t need the pressure wash or the detergent.
Want to get the rates? Just sit back, relax, and fill in the form down here. Our nearest detailer will then contact you with the quotation. It’s that simple!
6. After Coating with IGL Coatings ecocoat marine, Cleaning with Just Your Garden Hose is Possible
ecocoat marine gives treated surfaces a water-repellent property, reducing the influence of substances contained in seawater. At the same time, the process of cleaning is significantly simplified: no need to pull the ship out of the water or use strong chemicals and solvents.
ecocoat marine is a transparent solution that creates a protective barrier over any treated surface. It prevents oxidation of treated surfaces as well as contaminants on hulls. All our products are REACH Compliant, which means that our products do not contain banned hazardous materials such as zinc and plumbum. Hence, not harmful to any marine life and the environment.
Who Are We?
IGL Coatings is the leading manufacturer and formulator of low and zero VOC high solids ceramic coatings. Our product range includes multiple surface coatings, cleaning and maintenance for various surfaces including paint, glass, metals, plastic, and fabrics.
We are the first in the industry to have our nano-technology audited and verified by Nanoverify (a collaboration between Nano Malaysia Berhad and SIRIM QAS International), our products are tested by TUV Rheinland and is compliant with the REACH guidelines of Europe and a proud finalist in the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP) in 2016.
Find out more about how IGL Coatings can protect & enhance your entire vessel at www.iglcoatings.com today! We’re also available via marketing@iglcoatings.com and +6010 792 9888.
