Gas Electric or Battery?
There are some major trade-offs when you decide which kind of power plant you like on your pressure washer.
Thanks to their low maintenance nature, electric pressure washers are suitable for homeowners. They run quieter and with less pollutants, as well. The downside is that they are restricted to the movement of electricity and water, the very things you need to do the job efficiently and effectively.
Consider one that has GFCI built-in if you’re buying an electric pressure washer. Make sure you plug into an outlet that does, if you settle on one that does not have this feature.
Gas pressure washers are noisy, require more maintenance and release gases. Yet electric motors have little to do with the friction and the rush of water you get from a gas engine. In reality, in the mid-2000 PSI range, electric pressure washers tap out quite a bit. A lot more, because you’re going to need a 240V socket.
There’s battery capacity too. Greenworks actually has the only battery-powered pressure washer with valid pressure on the market, but in the 300-450 PSI range there are a few pressure washers. The sacrifice here is run-time mainly.
If you look at what the battery-powered industry is doing with gas engine substitutes on the MX Fuel grid of ZTR or Milwaukee, if electrical alternatives have a chance to deal with gas, instead of a wall socket, it would be using a battery for power.
Commercial or Residential
Although there are a few “commercial” electric pressure washers, they still stop way short of the pressure and water flow practitioners demand on a daily basis.
Instead, we are just concerned about the disparity between gas pressure washers for industrial and domestic use. It comes down to two key components: the pump and the motor.
Commercial pressure washers, such as the Honda GX series, use commercial grade engines. Lighter-duty motors are used for residential designers. A good example is the Honda GC series.
The other puzzle piece is the compressor. A triplex pump on pressure washers for professional use and an axial cam pump on residential versions is the safest pressure washer pump. Many electric residential models use an integrated pump, but we choose to build a separate axial cam.
Find an engine with EFI-electronic fuel injection if you are on the commercial side. It’s going to give you a smoother start and better fuel economy.
Buyer Beware: PSI Max*
In their boldest product packaging and product web sites, there are pressure washers on the market , primarily from the Snow Joe brand, Sun Joe, that uses “PSI Max.” Unfortunately, when you’re trying to compare pressure washers with an apples-to-apples way, it’s totally deceptive.
The “operating pressure” or “ranked pressure” can be contained elsewhere in a smaller print. And it’s considerably less.
Take Sun Joe’s 3000 PSI Max/1.30 GPM setup, for instance. For an electric model, it’s incredibly high capacity, right? Sounds like that, but 2300 PSI and 1.1 GPM are the real operating specifications. The “Peak” pressure is greater than its real working pressure by more than 30 percent.
The reasoning is that certain figures are potentially temporarily struck by the pressure washer, and it is vital for customers to know how to prevent harm or injury.
Stuff that makes you go hmmm …
Learn more about the NAD decision by the Better Business Bureau to approve this form of ads here based on market relevance.
Pressure Washer Nozzles
A collection of nozzles, a hose, and a wand are required for any pressure washer. Many use a regular fast connector, if you need one, making a replacement pretty easy to procure.
With 0o, 15o, 25o, 40o, and soap nozzles, many pressure washers come, but some can come with one or two fewer. The vast majority of applications you’ll come across are covered by the grouping. They are color-coded and most styles have a key that you can reference on the frame. The angle is marked on the nozzle itself, even though it doesn’t.
Nozzles, if you need to fix them, are pretty cheap. They have a PSI rating, though. Be sure you don’t buy a rated one for less than what your pressure washer provides. Most are a 1/4-inch QC (quick connect) and compliant with the majority of connexions to the pressure washer wand.
Pressure Washer Hoses
The hose that comes with your pressure washer would be deliberately matched by the retailer. They’re classified for a specific PSI, like the nozzles. Use the rank as a reference when shopping for a replacement, and get as close as you can to what your example has.
There’s no more weight you want to bring into a hose than it’s rated for. On the other side, it will decrease your output by using a hose that is rated for far more pressure than your pressure washer generates, particularly if you go up in diameter.
Check your manual to see what hose diameter and length are best for your exact model if in doubt.
Pressure Washer Wands
The most weak component of the whole machine is potentially pressure washer wands. Since they are cylinders by design and need to be light enough to be used successfully, whether they get stepped on, they are often vulnerable to bending, pinching, or flat-out falling off.
Hanging the wand off the ground when you’re not using it and trying to avoid leaning it against the wall or trailer is the safest way to avoid injury.
You’re going to need a replacement sooner or later, though. They have a PSI rating on them, like the other gadgets we’ve been mentioning. Keep to the same tube diameter and fast attach nozzles (most are a 1/4-inch QC tube), and you should be ready to go.
The last thing to look at is that the threads need to balance the link to your spray gun. Most are M22 links and in order to be confident, you should still double-check the manual.
