High Pressure Washing Questions Answered

Pressure washing is the process of cleaning with highly pressurized water, The pressure of the water is rated by pounds per square inch or PSI as well as gallons per minute or GPM. Most cleaning service will use a high psi and gpm for maximum effectiveness when cleaning; this also cuts the pressure washing time in half, which is a major benefit when you run a pressure washing business.

When pressure washing surfaces it’s a good idea to know what kind of pressure is used for what situations, pressure washing with a higher PSI then needed can possibly cause damage to the surface. The general PSI of a pressure washing car wash is seven hundred to one thousand PSI. When pressure washing houses it’s best to go with a pressure washer with PSI of one thousand to one thousand and five hundred PSI. More heavy duty cleaning needs such as the pressure washing of farming equipment would be done well with a PSI of two thousand to three thousand. And for extremely tough jobs such as cleaning stone walls, side walks, driveways and heavy duty construction equipment it is best to do the pressure washing with a PSI of three thousand and up. Also make sure on top of the PSI there is a decent GPM because you want the water flow there as well to help remove the debris that is dislodged from the pressure washing.

Aside from the standard pounds per square inch and the gallons per minute rating there are a few other things to be aware of, some pressure washers are gas powered while others are electric, it’s best to know where and what your pressure washing needs are to know which of these is better for. Also there are several different nozzles that offer different cleaning abilities for pressure washing. Some nozzles offer a straight jet of water which is good for cleaning hard to remove messes such as tar and sap. A stripping nozzle is a slightly angled nozzle that sprays in a tight 15 degree angle, this type of nozzle is less for cleaning and more for scraping and removing things such as old paint from a barn or house, or rust and hard to remove mildews. The standard cleaning nozzle for pressure washing is a 25 degree angle nozzle which is great for the general cleaning and rinsing. Another common nozzle is the 40 degree nozzle which is also very good for cleaning and use generally for cleaning automobiles and windows on houses as well as light cleaning and rinsing of driveways and sidewalks.