Buying a Pressure Washer - Understanding the Lingo

If you have considered buying a pressure washer and have done a little looking, you are probably a little confused at the many choices and various terminology being used. It is important to know what the various acronyms mean and what whether or not a unit will meet your specific needs. The following article will help you understand what the main functions are of a pressure washer as they relate to specific cleaning jobs you need to do. It will also explain the common acronyms that are used and what it means to your purchase. If there is one thing you take from this information it should be this, do not skimp on quality. A pressure washer is a hard working machine that needs to be able to take years of abuse. It also performs functions that require quality craftsmanship. Pumping water under extreme pressure is not something to take lightly. So be sure you purchase a quality unit such as a Karcher Pressure washer or Excel pressure washer. Spend the extra 10-20% over a bargain brand and you will save your self lots of frustration.

for ever to complete the type of work you need to complete. If you are looking to accomplish small simple tasks like washing vehicles, cleaning small decks or patios then you should consider a light weight unit. If you have a fairly large driveway to clean every couple of months, a big deck or want to clean your house regularly, you should consider moving up to a medium sized machine. For regular use on large jobs such as big decks, lots of concrete and large house cleaning jobs then a large unit is in order.
Whether or not you have chosen a particular brand, you need to think about the type of work you will be doing with the unit. This will help you determine what class of pressure washer you will need to buy. This is very important. You don't want to spend more money than necessary on a unit that is much bigger than you need but on the other hand you don't want to get a machine that takes forever to complete the type of work you need to complete. If you are looking to accomplish small simple tasks like washing vehicles, cleaning small decks or patios then you should consider a light weight unit. If you have a fairly large driveway to clean every couple of months, a big deck or want to clean your house regularly, you should consider moving up to a medium sized machine. For regular use on large jobs such as big decks, lots of concrete and large house cleaning jobs then a large unit is in order.

I will attempt to classify the difference between large medium and small units as they relate to the types of jobs we mentioned but first lets discuss the features of a pressure washer and what they mean to you. The first thing to consider when evaluating what size unit you need is the PSI rating. PSI stands for 'pounds per square inch'. This refers to the pressure that the unit can create which will directly affect the force behind the stream of water. The higher the PSI of the unit the more powerful the stream of water will be. Cleaning greasy construction equipment and cleaning grime off of concrete require more PSI to get the job done. Cleaning wood such as a deck would require less PSI due to the damage it can cause to relatively soft wood. The second feature of a pressure washer we will consider is the GPM. GPM refers to 'gallons per minute'. This is the volume of water that the unit can constantly supply. For most projects the more water that comes through the nozzle the faster you can complete the job. So whether it is a driveway job that requires high pressure or a house wash which requires low pressure a high volume of water will get both jobs done quicker.

So classifying a unit as small, medium or large basically relates to the level of pressure and volume you can get with a specific machine. A small unit would normally be an electric or gas model with a pressure rating of under 1500 PSI. You could expect a GPM rating of around 1.5 GPM. This would be useful for automobile cleaning, removing dirt from patio furniture/outdoor fixtures and light house or deck cleaning. Electric units usually are not made for frequent use. So if you want to wash your car every week or so and clean the patio once a month this is a good choice. A medium unit is one that has 1500-2500 PSI and a GPM rating around 2-3. This would be good for a homeowner that wants to clean the driveway, wash the 2 story house and take care of the big deck. It can take lots of abuse and is made to be used more frequently. Finally for those you want to be able to handle any job that might come up and get it done as quickly as possible there is the 'large' category. This would be for units with PSI of 3000-5000 PSI. GPM ratings would be from 4 to 8 GPM. These would also be considered as units for commercial use as well. A large unit can clean a large area of concrete quickly and drive accessories like flat surface cleaners effectively. The high GPM ratings will help move dirt and strip stain from wood much quicker than lower GPM ratings. Keep in mind that your budget will come into play when considering the higher end units. Going from 2.5 GPM to 4 GPM can be a jump of 1-2 thousand dollars.

Another item to keep in mind is whether you need a direct drive or belt drive unit. The water pump is the core of your pressure washer. The drive system is what runs the pump system. A direct drive system is the typical configuration. It is a little cheaper but runs your unit at a higher RPM. This can put more stress on your machine and ultimately result in a lower life span. A belt drive system runs at lower RPMs and will create less wear on the machine. You can expect to pay about 20% more for a belt drive system and is only available on the larger units. If you plan on using your pressure washer several times a month throughout the course of a year, it would be a good idea to purchase the belt drive system.