Pressure washers. How do I pick in between a gas, electrical, or cordless pressure washer? What’s the distinction between a pressure washer, power washer, and power cleaner?
I respond to those concerns – and more – in this article. Plus, I share my leading choices based on extensive screening of various brands and designs.
The focus of this post is mostly on “consumer-grade” powerwashers (mostly electrical). These makers use fantastic worth at an affordable rate point, are normally utilized only occasionally, and some even have PSI’s similar to semi-commercial and professional systems, simply without the cost (or the quality parts that make up the heavier responsibility units).
TYPES OF Pressure Washers
There are 3 basic kinds of pressure washers.
Units driven by a gasoline engine
Plug-in (electric) units operating at 120V, and
Cordless devices run by a battery, normally Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion).
Each type of pressure washer has its advantages and disadvantages, and you can go bananas attempting to figure out all the pros and cons to choose the best pressure washer for your needs. I recommend using Pareto’s guideline by asking yourself which device will achieve 80% of your jobs with only 20% of your effort. That should give you a good starting point.
Fundamental Pressure Washer Terminology
PSI– Pounds per Square Inch
This is the amount of force that the water released from the power washer uses to a surface. The greater the PSI, the more aggressive a pressure washer is.
GPM– Gallons Per Minute (also called Flow Rate).
Believe for a moment about Niagara Falls, which produces about 440,380,904 GPM. This is an enormous number. As all that water plunges over the edge, it falls 160 feet to the stones below, gradually eroding them into grains of sand. Now think of the water dripping over the edge of a small ornamental fountain. It has a fraction of Niagara’s circulation rate and hardly makes a dent in the ground below.
It’s the same with a pressure washer. If you want to clean up a larger surface location in less time, you require a higher GPM or flow rate.
Anatomy of a Pressure Washer.
There are pressure washer units that utilize hot water however these are scheduled for commercial usage. It’s really essential not to run hot water through a cold water pressure washer as it will damage the high pressure pump.
With that out of the method, lets talk about what makes up a cold water pressure washer:.
It has a high pressure water pump.
There’s an inlet to connect the system to a water source, typically a garden tube. Some of the brand-new cordless, battery-powered systems draw water from a pail instead of (or in addition to) a hose connection.
The pump is run by either common home voltage (120V), a gasoline engine, or (reasonably brand-new to the market) a li-ion battery.
The pump can be hand held (luggable) or built into an unit that has wheels for dragging it to the jobsite.
Lots of systems have on-board detergent tanks or a separate soap dispenser.
It has a high-pressure hose that goes from the water pump to the spray wand (the “weapon” that holds the nozzle).
Typically, a pressure washer comes with a variety of different spray pattern nozzles (generally 00, 150, 250, and 400) and might also include a soap giving nozzle.
It might have a “turbo” nozzle consisted of (more about that later).
About Pressure Washer Spray Nozzles.
With the exception of “turbo” nozzles, most consumer grade pressure washers on the market today include a choice of nozzles in their kit. Each nozzle has a different function. These include:.
00 is a pencil-thin spray that creates intense high pressure. It is used for reaching into tight crevices where an extremely concentrated fine stream of water is needed. It’s also outstanding for removing things like tar, baked-on mud, waste from the underside of a lawnmower deck, grease stains and for reaching high places like the overhangs on the 2nd story of your home.
150 is perfect for stripping surfaces. Utilize it on everything from paint to mold, from rust on steel to oil/grease stains.
250 makes an excellent nozzle for cleaning up the side of your home, patios, decks and even driveways.
400 nozzles are typically utilized to clean windows, outside furnishings, automobiles, boats, RV’s, and landscape equipment.
Soap nozzles are used to dispense cleaning agent to surfaces prior to being pressure washed. These nozzles fit into completion of the spray wand and give an extremely low-pressure stream of cleaning agent.
Since the pencil-thin and narrow cone spray spins at an extremely high rate of speed, it doesn’t assault a surface area like a straight 00 spray nozzle (above). Plus, it can be used as a universal, versatile nozzle, thus removing the requirement for the four standard nozzles (except the soap nozzle).