From Power Level to Nozzles: 5 Tips for Choosing the Right Pressure Washer
Pressure washers are versatile pieces of equipment that should be able to handle a wide variety of tasks. Every pressure washer will have inherent limits, however, that stem from its design, features, and specifications.
Fortunately, it should normally be quite easy to determine which pressure washer will suit an upcoming job the best. Keep the following five tips in mind and you should end up with a pressure washer that has everything you need to succeed.
1. Pay Attention to Grade and Format
Pressure washers range from light-duty units that can be carried with one hand to far larger, heavier setups intended for much more involved work. A trailer mounted pressure washer rental could be the best available unit for a major job, while a much smaller one might be sufficient for a quick cleanup.
Generally speaking, larger, more-substantial pressure washers are more expensive, so opting for too much capacity can be wasteful. At the same time, a pressure washer that was not designed to handle a certain level of work might end up being essentially useless.
The simplest way to get started will normally be to focus on units that fall into a generally appropriate class. Consumer-oriented pressure washers are normally the lightest and least costly, with semi-professional models upping the ante in both respects.
Pressure washers intended for commercial use typically feature the highest ratings and are designed to withstand heavy use. Start by determining which category of washer will suit your needs the best and everything else will become simpler.
2. Make Sure That Enough Pressure Will be Available
The amount of pressure a power washer can generate will impact its ability to help with everything from cleaning to stripping paint. A lack of pressure can prevent a unit from being useful for a particular job at all.
It should normally be fairly easy to determine whether a pressure washer under consideration will be able to clear the bar in question. Manufacturers even publish charts and guides that correlate pressure ratings with appropriate applications.
3. Never Overlook Flow Rate
Some pressure washers are designed to concentrate relatively small amounts of water into particularly forceful jets. Such a unit might do a great job of blasting away deep, ornery stains but take quite a while to cover a small area.
While a pressure washer’s pounds-per-square-inch rating will always merit some emphasis, its flow rate needs to be considered, too. The number of gallons a pressure washer can move each minute will determine how quickly it can handle a given type of work.
4. Make Sure Appropriate Attachments are Available
Pressure washers are almost always used with nozzles and other attachments that alter the nature of their output. It might occasionally make sense to allow pressurized water to stream directly from a unit’s hose, but there will normally be better options. Before committing to any pressure washer, make sure it supports the attachments you will need for your project.
5. Power Source Can Make a Difference
Many pressure washers feature integrated internal combustion engines that generate lots of power. Others rely on electrical motors that operate quietly.
The type of power a pressure washer uses can make it better suited to certain jobs than others. As with the four tips that preceded, having a definite idea about what you will use your pressure washer for will make it a lot easier to choose appropriately.
