The Dirt on Pressure Washers

Have you ever heard that too much information can be a bad thing?  By now, you may be swimming in PSIs, GPMs, CUs, cold water, hot water and more.  So let's summarize what we've covered already in order to help you choose a pressure washer . -- A pressure washer is a mechanical device that creates a high pressure stream of water to dislodge dirt.  Their pumps may be powered by gas, electric or diesel engines. -- Pressure is measured by pounds per square inch (PSI).  GPM is gallons per minute.  Multiplying these two numbers provides you with Cleaning Units (CUs).  Different pressuring washing tasks require different PSI, GPM and CUs.  (See this chart) . -- A home pressure washer is defined as a unit used for less than 100 hours per year.  Ideally, this unit as a PSI between 500 and 4,000 with a GPM of 1.0-4.0. -- A semi-professional/professional pressure washer is defined as a unit that will be used for up to 1000 hours per year....

Hello loyal readership!  Today, we will delve into the somewhat simple decision of whether to go with a COLD or HOT water pressure washer .  This decision largely depends on your particular usage needs.  Cold water is sufficient for many household tasks.  Additionally, the cleaning job is always enhanced when using the correct cleaning chemicals and accessories such as a rotary nozzle or even a flat surface cleaner for large open spaces. When dealing with grease, oil or petrochemicals-- hot water is the way to go.  But hot water pressure washers are more complex than cold water units.  Most of them have two power systems: the pump-motor that creates high-pressure water and the burner-coil that creates heat!  Pump-motors can be either gas or electric powered.  The burner coil will require electricity regardless as to whether the pump-motor is gas or electric-powered.  This is an important distinction and can impact how you are about to ...