Before you set out to buy anything, you should gather enough knowledge first. It would ensure you buy the best thing possible for yourself. Buying a pressure washer is no different. If you do not know the exact features you should be looking for, or are not familiar with the technical terms, you will be fooled and robbed of your money easily.
To make sure that does not happen, you should definitely read this article. In it, I will share the things you should know before buying a pressure washer. I will also explain their meaning when needed and why it is necessary to have knowledge about them. Let us jump right in.
Things You Should Know Before Buying a Pressure Washer:
Budget:
Pressure washer prices vary depending on several factors. The biggest of them all is their type. An electric pressure washer is much cheaper, whereas a gas powered one sits on the expensive end of the spectrum. If want to know the suggestion then click here to check the list of the best electric pressure washer. You will get the list of top pick pressure washer along with buyer’s guide. Therefore, you should think about your budget carefully at first. If you are tight on the budget, buy an electric one. On the other hand, go with the gas powered one if you that is what you need and can splurge the extra amount of cash for it.
Working Area:
Next, give a good amount of thought on where you will be using the pressure washer. Do you intend to use it in your home? Or do you plan to do some heavy-duty cleaning with it in your workplace? In case of home usage, go no further than a residential pressure washer. A commercial pressure washer should be your go-to for heavy-duty workplace cleaning. The reason behind this is they provide much more power and cleaning capacity than their counterparts.
Things You Need to Clean:
Now, ask yourself what are the things you need to clean. Are they something delicate such as your vehicle or patios? If so, go for a pressure washer with relatively less water pressure. Otherwise, the high pressurized water can damage your valued possessions. On the other hand, maybe you want to clean tough stains, such as oil, paint, or grease. Or maybe there is a multi-storied building that you need to clean. In that case, buy a pressure washer with higher water pressure to help you with the job.
Types of Pressure Washers:
Pressure washers are of two types in general, electric powered and gas powered. Electric powered pressure washers are cheaper. However, they also provide less cleaning power. They are better portable and do not create any environmental pollution as well.
On the other hand, gas-powered pressure washers offer higher water pressure and better cleaning power. However, they are on the expensive end of the spectrum. In addition, they create a lot of noise and are quite heavy as well. Decide what you want and go for it.
PSI and GPM:
PSI and GPM are two important factors you should consider. PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch and describes the water force of the pressure washer. Depending on the PSI rating, pressure washers are divided into four categories. These are Light-duty, Medium-duty, Heavy-duty, and Extra Heavy-duty.
Light-Duty Pressure Washers:
Light-duty pressure washers are typically electric powered ones. They have a PSI rating of 1300-2000 and 2 GPM rating. These pressure washers are best suited for mild cleaning jobs such as cleaning vehicles, patios, grills, and so on.
Medium-duty Pressure Washers:
Medium-duty pressure washers have a PSI rating of 2000-2800 with a GPM rating of 2-3 GPM. These are most often electric powered as well. You can use them in homes as well as in shops.
Heavy-duty Pressure Washers:
Heavy-duty pressure washers are powered by gas. A PSI rating of about 3000 along with a 3-4 GPM rating enables them to handle tough cleaning jobs such as graffiti removal and multi-story building cleaning.
Extra Heavy-duty Pressure Washers:
Extra Heavy-duty pressure washers are as good as it gets when it comes to cleaning power. With a PSI rating of above 3300 it can do all the work that the aforementioned three does, with better power and as you would expect, better results.
On the other hand, GPM stands for Gallons Per Minute and indicates the amount of water that exits the tip in a minute. As you can obviously guess from it, the higher the GPM rating, the better cleaning ability your pressure washer possesses.
Nozzle Tips:
Pressure washers come with various nozzle tips. The tips usually start from 0-degree that provides highest water pressure and up to 65-degree which offers a wide cleaning effect. The most common settings are five tips of 0, 15, 25, 40, and a soap applicator. All you have to do is think about what kind of cleaning you need and act on it.
Hot or Cold Water:
Some pressure washers use hot water while others use cold. Cold water can clean away all the mild stains and dirt with ease. However, whenever there is a tough stain such as grease, oil, or paint, it fails to perform. Hot water, on the other hand, cleans them effortlessly when mixed properly with soap. Figure out your cleaning needs and decide on this one.
After-sales Service:
After-sales service is another factor you should always check. Whenever your pressure washer gets damaged, or you have a tough time figuring it out, you will need a team of professionals to help you out. That is where a good customer support comes in. To make sure a brand has good after-sales service, check the reviews and talk to people who bought products from the same brand.
So, this is everything you need to know before buying a pressure washer. If you have any more questions on your mind, or if you want me to talk about something else, please do let me know.
