Power Washer Advice
- Home power washers come in both gas- and electric-powered models and can produce water pressure ranging from 700 to more than 5,000 pounds per square inch. Gas-powered models, generally stronger than electric units, can handle tougher tasks. While low-powered electric washers can clean things like furniture and vehicles, the most powerful gas units can strip exterior house paint. Within these extremes, suitable gas or electric washers exist for most uses.
- Another consideration when buying or renting a unit is its water-flow capacity, measured in gallons per minute. The higher the gallons per minute, the faster water is available for cleaning. Combining a machine's pressure output with its flow capacity will tell you the unit's true power. When selecting a power washer, tell your supplier the sorts of jobs you'll be doing, and ask him to recommend the proper mix of pressure and flow.
- The nozzle is the business end of any power washer. Depending on its setting, a washer dispenses water at different angles, with different levels of effectiveness. Wider angles of spray, relatively weak, are suitable only for easy cleaning jobs. Medium angles combine good coverage with moderate power. Narrow angles provide lower coverage and maximum power. Higher settings can damage some wood surfaces.
Some washers clean with hot water. These units are more expensive, but can handle tougher jobs. Additionally, some washers are designed to work with detergents or other chemicals. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines when using these additives, since failure to do so can diminish the machine's effectiveness, or even damage the unit itself. - Best results come from reading and understanding your user's manual, as well as from educated caution. The Centers for Disease Control consider power washers dangerous enough to issue safety guidelines. Potential hazards include electrocution, carbon-monoxide poisoning, injury from objects carried by strong spray and injury from the pressurized stream itself. Under no circumstances should you point a sprayer at yourself, another person or an animal. Water under pressure causes damage that seems minor, but can actually lead to permanent injury. If you are hurt in this manner, get checked out by a medical professional.