How to Choose the Right Pressure Washer for Your Needs

Choosing the right pressure washer can be accomplished by asking three questions:

1. What are you cleaning?
2. Where are you cleaning?
3. How long will you be cleaning?

1. What are you cleaning?
All pressure washers fall into one of two categories: hot water or cold water.

• Hot water cleans better and faster, especially when grease, oil or road grime is involved.
• Cold water may be fine if you’re blasting away soil, mud, or even stripping paint. Add in some detergent and often a cold water pressure washer will be adequate for most cleaning applications.

2. Where are you washing?
Are you cleaning indoors or outdoors? While you’re thinking about that answer, two related questions would further help your decision-making:

• Do you need portability, i.e. do you need a pressure washer with wheels so you can move it up close to whatever you’re cleaning?
• Do you have access to electrical power?

Here’s why those questions are important:

If you’re cleaning indoors, you’re limited on your power sources. For instance, indoors you can’t use gasoline or driven because of the fumes. So, for the most part, you’re limited to using electricity, which is good because it’s typically less expensive. The downside is that you’ll be “tethered” to an electrical outlet.

For outdoor cleaning with hot water, you can heat the water with diesel (the most popular), kerosene and fuel oil in addition to the “indoor energy sources” of electricity, natural gas and LP gas.

The most popular outdoor hot water pressure washer is powered by electricity (economical) and heated by diesel (plentiful).

The second most popular outdoor hot water pressure washer is powered by gasoline (plentiful) and heated by diesel. While not as economical as the electric-powered model, it is extremely portable and self-contained. All you need is water and you can clean most anywhere.

Speaking of water, pressure washers typically are fed by a garden hose from a spigot. However, most pressure washers are also capable of drawing water from a large tank or bladder, which makes on-site cleaning possible and eliminates the need to be “tethered” to a spigot or faucet.

3. How long will you be cleaning?
This question reaches the heart of how much quality you need in your pressure washer, which also affects the price tag. You get what you pay for or, as some say, you only pay once for quality.

• If you are operating a pressure washer for less than five hours per week, you will probably be satisfied with a less expensive model available in catalogs and do-it-yourself stores. But don’t count on much service or warranty support.
• If you are operating a pressure washer from 5 to 20 hours per week, you will find some mid-range models that are typically identified by a direct-drive pump and a bare-bones design.
• For those who are serious users—washing for more than 20 hours per week—you will be dollars ahead to invest in quality.

So how do you identify quality? Most pressure washers, regardless of brand, have similar components. They have an engine or motor that turns a high-pressure pump. Hot-water models also have a burner that heats the water as it races through a coil made of pipe or tubing.

The quality differences are not always obvious, but significant nonetheless. Here are the questions to ask in order to identify quality in a pressure washer:

Is it belt-drive or direct-drive? A high-pressure pump does not turn on its own; rather it is driven by an engine or motor. Pumps generally turn at 1100-1500 RPM while gasoline engines turn at a rate of 3000-3600 RPM (1450-3450 RPM for electric motors). There are two predominant ways to connect the pump to an engine or motor: directly (direct-drive) or with a pulley and belt (belt-drive).

Direct-drive pumps are more compact, helping to keep the weight and cost down. Today’s direct-drive pumps have been engineered to hold up very well, even under constant use. The weakness, of course, is that a direct-drive pump connected directly to an engine turning at 3600 RPM will wear out faster than a belt-drive pump spinning at 1500 RPM thanks to the belt and pulley between the engine and pump.

Does it have high pressure or high volume? A little known secret is that there is more cleaning power in a pressure washer’s volume (gallons per minute) than in its pressure (pounds per square inch or PSI). A pressure washer with 2 GPM and 3000 PSI won’t clean as fast as a pressure washer with 4 GPM and 2000 PSI. The first pressure washer delivers 6,000 cleaning units (2 x 3000) as compared to the second pressure washer’s 8,000 cleaning units (4 x 2000). Despite what you see in advertisements or on a product label, volume is the biggest deciding factor and a quality pressure washer will provide the proper balance of volume and pressure.

Is the engine or motor size correct? It’s not uncommon for a store to sell the “sizzle” of high pressure over the more important water volume. A reliable rule of thumb, however, is to review the flow rate along with the size of engine or motor. For industrial cleaning, you’ll want a pressure washer with at least 4 GPM driven by an engine with a minimum of 11 HP (5 HP for an electric motor). For a quality hobby pressure washer, you’ll want a minimum of 2 GPM driven by at least a 5 HP engine (2 HP electric motor).

Is the frame or chassis solid? Steel is steel, so most frames or chassis will hold up fine over the life of a pressure washer. However, there are questions you can ask that will determine just how much quality is in a pressure washer frame or chassis. Such as:

• Is the frame made of the heavier 10-gauge steel?
• Does it carry a long-term warranty?
• Are the seams reinforced with a weld?
• Is the paint an epoxy powder coat for long-lasting, all-weather protection?
• Does the chassis have shock-absorbing feet to cushion the vibration and to prevent the pressure washer from “walking” while in operation?

Is it safety certified? UL-1776 is a regulation established in 1995 specifically for high-pressure cleaning equipment. It requires equipment to have a safety relief valve, hose guard for burst protection, warning labels, ground fault circuit interrupter, rupture disk and specified lengths for the wand and electrical cord, to a name a few. A Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), such as ETL (Intertek), should certify equipment to the UL-1776 standards.

Is it backed by a solid warranty? Quality pressure washers will have at least a one-year warranty on the pump and frame. The more rugged brands have up to a 7-year warranty on the pump and a lifetime warranty on the frame and a two-year warranty on the gasoline engine. Possibly, a more important question to ask is how many trained, warranty service centers are there and is one close to you?

Is the hose of high quality? Of all the critical components on a pressure washer, manufacturers will often scrimp here to save a few dollars. Shiny, thermoplastic hoses are the lowest quality. High quality hoses are made of a rubber compound reinforced with steel wire. A hose rating should be imprinted on the hose itself. A single-wire hose (R1) is typically rated for up to 3000 PSI while a double-wire hose (R2) is usually rated for 4500 PSI or higher.

Despite their simplistic design, rest assured not all pressure washers are created equal. However, you’ll make the right choice when you ask the right questions.