When choosing a pressure washer, more is not necessarily better. If you buy a pressure washer that is too powerful, you can damage what you are trying to clean. You also have to be careful not to select a unit that is under-powered that either might not be useful or will diminish your productivity. The following is a general pressure washer buyers guide to making the best choice for your money:

1. The first thing you have to do is get a good understanding of all possible applications you will need the pressure washer for. Some common uses are things such as cars, patio, home, or even commercial needs that may require more extreme capacities.
2. Another factor you will need to decide on is how you want the pressure washer to be powered. Many variations exist like gas, electric, diesel, hydraulic or even propane powered. If using the equipment in a closed environment or when noise is a factor, the best choice would be electric. When you require better portability and will work outdoors, the optimum choice would be gas or diesel.
3. Finally, a decision needs to be made on whether you need a hot or cold water unit. In some applications, you may only need cold and other times adding a detergent can give a good amount of productivity without investing in a hot water unit. However, if the challenge you face is cleaning a lot of grease and oil, the best alternative is to select a hot water unit.

Other very critical factors to consider are pressure (PSI), volume (GPM), and work (HP). Most people may think that a pressure washer wastes a lot of water. This is not true at all. The average garden hose uses 5–8 gallons per minute. Conversely, the average pressure washer uses 3–5 gallons per minute (GPM), so in reality it more efficiently uses the water supplied to it.

Pressure, Water Flow and Horsepower

One can assume that power washers consume a lot of water, but this is not the truth at all. On average, a garden hose uses between five to eight gallons of water per minute, whereas an average washer uses between three to five gallons of water per minute. They are typically easier to use and they complete pressure-cleaning jobs faster, better and at the same time save water. There are two major factors to consider when selecting the right unit: the pressure and flow (water volume). These two power-washing factors determine the actual ability of the unit to perform a certain task.

Pressure (PSI) The unit for pressure is PSI (pounds per square inch), which actually determines how much pressure is directly applied on the surface being cleaned. The pressure that is delivered by the machine is directly responsible for breaking the bond between the debris and the object being cleaned. Our models typically have a pressure range from 1000 to 5000 PSI.

Water Flow (GPM) The unit for water flow is GPM (gallons per minute), which is actually the amount or quantity of water used in a one-minute period. The volume of water determines how fast the dirt can be removed from the surface once the bond between the dirt and the surface has been broken. The unit with higher GPM will require less time to clean; consequently, a washer with the lower GPM will entail more time for the same job performed.

Work (HP) There is one more factor to remember when buying power washers, which is work. The unit for work is HP (horsepower), which actually determines how much power the machine has to clean the surface. Typically, the more horsepower a machine has, the higher pressures or volumes it can support, or a combination of both. Larger engines are more powerful and therefore more capable of finishing the job quickly. The pressure, volume, horsepower relationship holds true for both cold and hot water pressure washers. However, hot water pressure washers have an additional feature: they generate hot water.