Power Pressure Washers

Power Pressure washers, also known as the water jet cleaner are categorized as heavy duty cleaning machines, either used by households or commercially. They are capable of getting rid of stubborn grime, grease and dirt from all kinds of surfaces in record time. Compared to your garden hose, these machines give about 25-100% more pressure power and use 80% less water. The commercial pressure washer is a more potent machine than the household models as they are used to remove extremely stubborn grease and stains, and also used more frequently over long periods at a time. They are also more rugged and robust as they are used in various types of terrains and environments.

It is no wonder that the commercial pressure washer is rising in popularity and is fast becoming a basic tool for industrial cleaning. They are commonly used in many heavy industry settings like office buildings, automotive manufacturing, food processing plants, agricultural plants, farming equipment and even oil rigs. They are a great help to property management services as they constantly generate millions of dollars in cost savings, achieving the best cleaning results with less manpower.

PSI and GPM of Commercial Pressure Washer
Commercial pressure washers are powered in a variety of ways, namely by electricity, hydraulics, diesel and gasoline and are available with hot water or cold water versions. While there are indeed many types in the market, they are essentially categorized in terms of PSI and GPM. PSI defines the pressure power of water, is measured as pounds per square inch and the higher the PSI, the more powerful the water pressure. The range usually starts from 1,000 PSI to 4,000 PSI and beyond. For commercial machines, most machines are at least 3,000 PSI and above. GPM is defined as gallons per minute of water flow rate and ranges from 2 to 11 GPM with commercial machines starting at 5 and above. The voltage ranges from 115, to 575.

Commercial Pressure Washer Product Pricing And Features
The price for a commercial pressure washer could range from US$4,000 to above US$40,000 depending on the PSI, GPM as well as value added functions. Those which are at the forefront of advanced technologies and are targeted at the high end spectrum commands the extreme high end of the price range. That said, the basic commercial pressure washers comes in difference versions like direct drive, belt driven, trailer, skid mounted.

They are also available with additional cleaning accessories such as wash brushes, extension wands, detergent dispensers, foam applicators, wet sand blast kits, spray guns, chemical injectors, soap screens etc. In addition, the commercial pressure washer comes with much more extensive warranties covering between three to five years of parts and services.

Shopping For Commercial Pressure Washers
While most departmental stores carry household power pressure washers, your local hardware stores will be the ones which stock up on commercial pressure washer models. You could research thoroughly online, comparing prices, models, functions, extent of warranties, pros and cons before you narrow down to the few models before making your purchase decision.

Power Pressure Washers are very efficient and convenient washing tools which could be a great help for home use and are must have tools for commercial cleaning to ensure that factories and manufacturing plants comply with industrial guidelines.

Safety must be your main concern when using power pressure washers, especially when combined with pressurized hot water, detergents or other chemicals, driven by electricity or gasoline. Together with every power pressure washer, is the manufacturer’s instructions which should be read very carefully before your proceed to start your cleaning activities to avoid any mishap.

Here is a check list of Power Pressure Washers Safety Tips for your reference:

Keep The Children Away
First and foremost, if you are doing home cleaning with your power pressure washers, remember to keep children away to avoid accidents. Children love to play, and they might think that you are playing with water and the spray does seem fun. Even with cold water pressure washers, high pressure washers with high PSI could cut deep into tender flesh if not handle carefully. Also, hot water pressure washers and steam pressure washers could scald badly if mishandled.

What You Need To Know About Your Power Pressure Washer
Pressure washers are manufactured with safety standards in compliance with industry guidelines. Most pressure washers are equipped with safety features which reduce pressure accumulation. Thermal relief valves prevent heat and water pressure build-ups from reaching dangerous levels and automatically unload the excess heat and pressure. Your oil-level meter also ensures that the washer stays properly lubricated. Remember to check all the indicators every two hours to ensure all mechanisms are working well. Rest your machines intermittently to prevent over heating.

The Right Nozzle For The Right Job
The various PSI power determines the cleaning efficiency and it is imperative that you use the right pressure washer nozzles fitted for the type of cleaning. A nozzle concentrating too much power can harm some surfaces, especially wood and synthetic tiles which crack easily under pressure. In addition, Never fit a high power nozzle to a low power machine or vice versa.

The Right Chemicals For The Right Job
Some Pressure Washers allow you to use chemical for washing, to enhance the result. Remember to use the right chemical as recommended by the manufacturer and are detergents and waxes officially approved for use in their specific range of washers. Understand that different chemicals are suited for different cleaning purposed, be it for degreasing, car waxing and washing, patios and garages etc. Should you wish to use alternative chemical agents available in the market, always check with the manufacturer.

For more tips on handling your power pressure washers, check out the Power Pressure Buying Guide Series.

In Power Pressure Washers Buying Guide Series - Part 2, we share with you the key technicalities of PSI, GPM and CU, which are essential to guiding you towards the right pressure washers suited to your needs.

PSI, GPM and CU holds the key to which types of Power Pressure Washers will help your run your cleaning projects smoothly and your utilities consumption at the most optimal levels, thereby allowing you to keep overheads low. This is especially important when you are running a pressure washing business. That said, you could greatly cut your household power consumption when using the right equipment for the right home cleaning tasks as well.

All You Need To Know About PSI, GPM AND CU
PSI is technically known as pounds per square inch and most often used to refer to the amount of cleaning pressure the particular machine is capable of delivering. In layperson terms, this means pressure power and the higher the PSI, the greater the consumption of power, translating into relative utilities consumption. Most manufacturers mark their machine models with a tag of a certain amount of PSI to allow buyers to know the pressure power of the machines. This facilitates your search for the right pressure washer by easily referring to the PSI.

GPM on the other hand refers to the gallons per minute and literally means the actual flow of water or the rate at which the unit sprays water. The layperson would term this as water usage. The higher the GPM the greater and consumption of water required. GPM is sometimes included with the model number description together with the PSI.

CU essentially means cleaning units and is referred to the formula of PSI x GPM. This has become increasingly popular in recent years and gives a better perspective on the total pressure power and energy consumption as reference.

The critical aspect of all these acronyms is balance, as you need to strike a balance between PSI pressure power or GPM water usage. To this end, matching your cleaning tasks with the right machines would give you the optimal consumption. It is not always true that having a powerful pressure washer would clean well. You need to bear in mind that too strong a PSI and GPM would cause water damage to the surfaces being cleaned.

Getting The Right Power Pressure Washer To Fit Your Cleaning Needs
As a reference guide, below are a range of cleaning tasks suitable for the PSI rating of the relevant power pressure washers.

For Home Use
1200 PSI to 1350 PSI

• For light pressure washing, cleaning of grills, garden and lawn furniture, car washing, or the dog house.

1500 PSI to 2200 PSI

• For driveways, sidewalks

2200 PSI to 3,000 PSI

• For cleaning patios, balconies, decks, sidings, stubborn waxy grease, paint preparation

For Commercial Use
If you are starting a pressure washing business, you would go for power pressure washers rated at PSI 2200 to 3500 which are designed for professional use on heavy-duty projects such as cleaning heavy equipment, manufacturing sites, construction sites, for paint preparation etc.

For more details, visit our Power Pressure Washers Buying Guide Series here