28/7/2017

A Five-Minute Guide to Choosing a Pressure Washer

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While your usual cleaning implements—your trusty mop, a bucket of soapy water, a bottle of bleach—would do well for everyday household cleaning, it simply isn’t enough for cleaning in the commercial and industrial setting. The larger the area, the more intensive the cleaning required. More than that, industrial areas like workshops and factories create more dirt and grime than a regular house. For that, you will have to bring out the heavy-duty tools—mean machines that are designed to get anything sparkly clean in seconds. This is where a pressure washer comes in. Pressure washers are the go-to machine for people looking to remove dirt, mud, grime, dust and paint from walls and floors.

Pressure washers help people accomplish the most intensive of cleaning jobs fast and with minimal effort. Imagine cleaning a workshop or removing paint off a building façade with a brush and some water. You simply can’t. You turn to a pressure washer to save you from hours and hours of backbreaking and time-consuming work.

THE PRESSURE WASHER: WHAT IS IT?

A pressure washer is a cleaning tool that utilises a pump and motor to produce jet streams of water at extremely high pressures. The powerful jet of water is able to loosen and remove embedded particles of soot, dirt, grime and paint. Some pressure washers are powered by a petrol engine, while some have to be plugged into a power socket.

The pressure washer’s capacity is benchmarked through the amount of water it can produce. This volume is measured in LPM, or litres per minute. The higher the LPM, the more water the pressure washer can express. The pressure produced by the pump, is measured in bar, the metric unit for pressure.

The pump enables the pressure washer to produce high-pressure jets of water. However, even the most powerful pump can’t produce enough velocity if the water pressure from the mains is lacking. You have to ensure the pressure washer is getting enough water from the water mains, especially for the high-powered ones. You can control the spray and pattern of the water jet through the accompanying nozzles. Nozzles come in a variety of spray patterns to accommodate a range of uses. For example, a soap nozzle is used for washing cars and windows, while a 15-degree nozzle is used for deep and intensive cleaning.

KINDS OF PRESSURE WASHERS

Pressure washers come in many types, depending on the kind of work and cleaning required. Therefore, when choosing a pressure washer, your main considerations are how often are you going to use the pressure washer and how deep a clean do you require.

Pressure washers can be categorised according to the power produced by the pump. The pump pressure can be measured in bar: more bar means more pressure. If you are looking for a pressure washer, you must think about how much power do you require as this will influence which type of pressure washer is perfect for you.

Light pressure washers

Light pressure washers, also known as domestic pressure washers, usually produce pressures up to 100 bar. Most light pressure washers utilise an electric motor to power the pump, but some use a petrol engine, although this is a rarity. Light pressure washers are primarily used for domestic applications like cleaning gardening implements, washing cars and windows, and all-around general cleaning.

Medium pressure washers

Medium pressure washers are also sometimes called commercial pressure washers. Most medium pressure washers are powered with a petrol engine instead of an electric motor due to the increased power requirements. They can produce strength of up to 110 bar, which means operators have to be more cautious and mindful when cleaning with one.

Medium pressure washers are used for most commercial applications like hot washing kitchens and mess halls. Since commercial pressure washers utilise a petrol engine, the user must ensure that the area is adequately ventilated. The fumes produced by the engine, when left to build up, can cause headaches and even severe sickness or death.

Heavy pressure washers

Heavy pressure washers are the cream of the crop. They are only used for industrial applications, and are vastly more powerful than the previous two washers. They are used for removing thick and viscous gunk off surfaces, washing trucks and farm equipment, and stripping paint and other dirt buildup off brickwork and other hard surfaces.

Heavy pressure washers can produce a pressure output of up to 130 bar, so operators must be properly trained to use such a machine. The jet produced by a heavy pressure washer can cut through soft material, and can seriously injure a person.

Tags: high pressure washer / High pressure cleaners / Pressure washer / Pressure Cleaner