Every single season comes with a bunch of things that have to be cleaned off our precious surfaces. For example, the sidewalk in front of our home must not be muddy, while our porch should maintain its shine over the years.
However, such things are not achievable with a brush or a broom. If you want to clean things properly, then you will soon realize that you need a professional pressure washer in order to do so.
Still, most homeowners are less familiar with the world of pressure washers, so to say. In this respect, today we thought of talking about everything that you need to know about pressure washers – mainly how to choose the right one!
Contents
Size of the Pressure Washer
In order to select the size of your pressure washer, you have to determine the work that you are going to do with them. Usually, pressure washers come in three categories that allow them to handle residential, commercial, and professional cleaning jobs.
On the other hand, keep in mind that commercial and professional cleaning jobs come with a thin line and, in most cases, a proper commercial pressure washer will be good for both types of jobs.
The Best for Residential Use
For residential use, you don’t want anything too fancy. For example, you can get an electric washer of 1300 to 1900 psi.
A washer this powerful can be used for washing outdoor furniture, cars, plastic play sets, patios, small decks, as well as grills.
Most residential use pressure washers come in a compact size and are lightweight while featuring a flexible high-pressure hose, too. For your convenience, the washer should come with a variety of nozzles, onboard detergent tank, steel spray wand, storage for the spray gun, a wand, and a study power cable.
The Best for Low-Commercial Use
If you manage a small shop, for example, you can easily rely on a gas engine pressure washer of around 2,000 to 3,100 psi. Such a washer can help you clean boars, fences, patios, decks, vehicles, as well as siding.
However, keep in mind that, given its low-commercial use, you’ll have to choose a pressure washer that’s equipped with a premium overhead cam or with an overhead-valve engine.
On top of that, it should also have an axial cam pump with a brass or aluminum head so that it can handle high pressure, large wheels, heavy frame, steel spray want with a quick-connect coupling feature, as well as a steel-braided high-pressure hose.
The Best for Commercial/ Professional Use
When it comes to commercial and professional use, most pressure washer users recommend a 3,200 to 4,200 psi tool powered by a gas engine.
A pressure washer with the above specifications can strip paint, prepare surfaces, remove graffiti, be used for fleet maintenance, as well as for construction-site cleaning jobs.
Such a product has to be equipped with a commercial-series engine, heavy-gauge welded steel frame, solid-steel axle, steel-braided high-pressure hose, commercial-duty triplex pump, pro-style steel spray wand, and with heavy-duty pneumatic tires on steel hubs.
General Information and Tips
- The pressure washer nozzles we’ve mentioned above are color-coded. They indicate the forcefulness and narrowness of the spray pattern they have. White means 40 degrees, green is 25, yellow is 15, and red is 0.
- Overall, it is recommended that you use the lowest-pressure and broadest nozzle when cleaning, as nozzles that are too narrow can cut into surfaces.
- When washing, the nozzle has to be moved at all times so that you prevent the water spray from cutting into the surface that you are currently working on.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, there are a lot of things that you have to learn about pressure washers. The good part is that, once you buy your first washer, you will most likely learn everything there’s to know on your own.
However, what we’ve mentioned above are the really essential things that you need to get started – such as finding the right pressure washer for your needs, as well as some tips for first-timers.
