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Choosing from the huge amount of power washers http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=power washing isn't easy so be sure you go through this information for the best power washer for your needs. Don't be intimidated by all the terms and specifications, but recognize what specifics you should know to make a good business decision. The most crucial thing to know about power washers can be they must match the task you intend to do. Some power washers can be too large or powerful you then have wasted cash and you could damage everything you are cleaning. If you are not careful you might end up buying way too many power washers because they're too small for your needs, it will also take too long to do the work and you will lose cash. This is the simple truth.

Let's begin by looking at the various choices you will need to produce when buying power washers:

1. Gasoline vs Electric power washers

2. Hot Water vs Cold Water power washers

3. PSI vs GPM vs CU

4. Belt Drive vs Direct vs Gear Driven power washers

5. Lightweight vs Stationary power washers

6. Wobble vs Axial vs Camshaft Pump

7. Heavyweight vs Lightweight power washers

8. Home Model vs Contractor Model power washers

Gasoline vs Electric: Most power washers are either powered by an electric engine or a gasoline engine. A few are diesel run. Energy washers require little maintenance and are very quiet. They might need a way to obtain power nearby (because the cord length is limited). They can be used indoors with no problem. You could have energy washers with lots of power, but most electric power washers are small models designed for specific jobs, such as mobile detailing or deck cleaning. Gas power washers, however, can be extremely portable. They are designed for outdoor use and will be built to deliver a great deal of cleaning power. They may be somewhat loud, but your customers expect to hear some sound while you are working. Gas-driven power washers are utilized for cleaning concrete (known as "flat function"), deck cleaning, fleet work, kitchen hoods and ducts, or any various other power washing work that will require portability.

Hot Water vs Cold: Most power washers are cold water portables. Cold water, along with the right cleaners, can do most jobs. Some careers, like removing large grease or stripping off finishes, just go better with warm water power washers. Warm water power washers will enable you to cut about 30% off the time it takes to accomplish ANY job. The power washing business is about time, not spending less on your tools. When you have the right tools, you can compete with other contractors and have finished with each work in the shortest period of time. Many new power washing contractors make the error of under-buying their equipment to save money. Most experienced power washing contractors over-buy their tools and make the difference back in no time with the added power and features. If all you are going to do is clean and seal wood, just buy among the cold water power washers. In case you are cleaning anything else, such as homes or hoods or trucks or concrete, consider one of the hot water power washers. If you already personal a cold water power washer and want warm water, you can call us and purchase a "hot box" that may heat the water coming out of most cold water power washers.

PSI vs GPM vs CU: To begin with, let's explain the acronyms. PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch. This is actually the pressure ranking used to price power washers. GPM stands for Gallons EACH AND EVERY MINUTE, the flow price of power washers. CU means Cleaning Units, which is usually PSI multiplied by GPM. All of these terms refer to the power released from power washers.

To clean effectively, power washers must definitely provide 'agitation' to scrub away the dirt and 'flow' to rinse it away. Think about the pressure (PSI) as the agitation that's applied to the surface you are cleaning and think of the movement (GPM) as the rinsing push that carries the dirt away.

Homeowner's power washers have a tendency to run between 1200 and 2700 PSI. Contractor-quality power washers tend to run between 3000 and 5000 PSI. More power means faster function, but more power also means more prospect of surface damage. Timber decks, for example, are often cleaned at pressure only 300 PSI because 3000 PSI will rip the hardwood to shreds. Most contractors will settle for 3000 PSI because that amount of pressure is adequate for most careers. Truth is that most contractors would prefer to possess 3500 or actually 4000 PSI if they could get it.

GPM is much more vital that you most contractors than PSI. Since most contractors use cleaning chemicals to accomplish most of their power washing work (the quickest method) their work becomes one primarily of rinsing instead of washing. The cleaners do all of the cleaning, and the contractor rinses the dirt away. When you think about that method, you realize that the more stream you have, the quicker the work is rinsed. As a result, most experienced power washing contractors acknowledge that GPM is even more important to them than PSI.

PSI (power) can help you break the chemical bond between the cleaning surface area and the dirt. Once the bond is broken, the extra PSI does nothing at all to increase the cleaning time.

The bigger the GPM, however, the more surface area a power washer can clean. For instance, a 2000-PSI model with a 2 GPM flow rate might clean approximately 5-7 square feet each and every minute. If the same unit experienced a 3 GPM flow rate, it might clean 8-10 square ft in the same timeframe.

In this business, contractors sell "the completed job". The contractor who gets that work performed in two hours could be making $50 per hour. The guy who gets the same job done in one hour makes $100 per hour. Which one do you wish to be?

Dealers of home owner power washers like to refer to CUs when they show you power washers. This number is the result of multiplying the PSI by the GPM. Should you have power washers with 3000 PSI and 4 GPM, you have 12000 CUs. For home owner power washers, this is a good comparison of the power you are buying. For experts, CUs have little meaning. GPM is definitely most important, and PSI is much less essential, and the CU formula makes them both equal. The best answer is to speak to a seller who really understands what you want to power wash because he will steer you to the right GPM and PSI for the work.

Belt Drive vs Direct vs Gear Driven: The gasoline motors used for power washers all work at around 3450 RPM. In Direct Drive power washers the pump is certainly bolted to the engine shaft, so that it spins at the same 3450 RPM. In a belt drive device, the engine is tied to the pump through pulleys and a belt and the velocity of the pump is usually reduced to either 1700 RPM or 1400 RPM. In a gear-powered machine, the engine provides power to a transmitting that subsequently spins the pump at a reduced speed (1700 RPM).

Immediate drive power washers transfer the vibration of the engine directly to the pump aswell.

The faster pumps of direct drive power washers are spinning so fast that they can not attract water from a tank or a lake very well. They have a tendency to work great when the water is forced into the machine (like when you hook it up to a hose from the house).

The slower moving pumps (belt powered or gear driven) work less and put on less, so they have a tendency to last many years longer. They'll also pull water to the device from a tank, therefore these power washers shouldn't ever become starved for drinking water (a problem that results in destroying the pump).

Gear driven pumps still transmit the engine vibration to the pump since everything is hard-bolted jointly. These types of power washers have not become popular given that they were introduced because there is obviously one more component to break in the system - the transmission.

Portable vs Stationary: Stationary power washers are used in car washes, factories, etc. They are installed set up rather than move. Portable power washers are utilized by contractors who travel to the customer to do the work. There exists a crossover model called a skid device - stationary power washers made to be set up on a trailer so they can be studied to the customer's site for the task. The most common power washers for contractors to use are cool water portable power washers (for small residential work) and hot water skid units (for huge commercial function or high-volume residential work).

Wobble vs Axial vs Camshaft Pump: As your pump may be the heart of your system, it is advisable to understand what you are buying. Every pump manufacturer makes several grades of pumps - Good, Better, and Best.

The Wobble design requires a piston to push against the pressure in the pump and the pressure of a spring. This is a cheap design to build, but it is fairly inefficient, as well. This is actually the design found on most home owner power washers. It is designed to work for limited hours at a time and incredibly limited hours per year, which is Okay for a homeowner but doubtful for a contractor who wants to power wash each day. Wobble pumps have a tendency to last for around 300 hours before needing comprehensive service or replacement.

The Axial design is comparable to the wobble design with several important differences. Most axial pumps have larger essential oil reservoirs and bearings, which permit them to be used for longer periods of time and more hours each year. They still are inefficient (just like the wobble) but several lower-priced contractor-grade machines work fine with the axial design. Axial pumps tend to last for about 600 hours before requiring service.

The Camshaft design delivers the most power and sturdiness of all these designs. It uses linking rods on a cam with huge bearings just like a car engine, so it runs cooler and lasts much longer. It is able to hold up to continuous use all night and hours provided that it is kept great. Cam pumps tend to run for 1000 hours before needing services, and tend to last 2000 hours before needing considerable service or replacement.

Heavyweight vs Lightweight: In case you are buying portable power washers, it seems sensible to focus on the fat of the power washer. In the end, you are the one who is going to lug everything around and move it into and out of your truck. Aluminum frames can be fragile, and steel frames can be heavy, so speak to your dealer about how you will transport the power washer. He may be able to steer you to a good solution for your needs.

House Model vs Contractor Model: The ultimate choice that you should think about is durability. We have already talked about the difference in pumps, actually from the same pump producer. The cheapest power washers usually have the least expensive pump, which won't hold up well for most contractors. There are various other considerations that you need to think about, too.

The finish of power washers can be quite pressure washing a fence important. Powder coating stands up better and lasts much longer than painted frames. Metal frames rust. Aluminum or stainless doesn't. Light weight aluminum can be bent, steel is very rigid. This specific choice will vary depending on the power washers preference.

For power washers which will be used at least 20 hours per week and sometimes up to 8 hours per day, the lower priced machines just won't last for very long. They come with inadequate parts throughout, like the unloaders, pumps, and also the engines. Because it says "Honda", for instance, doesn't imply that all Hondas are the same. That's where Grandpa's "you get what you purchase" saying is really true.

If you buy a $900 power washer and you get six months use from it, that purchase price you $150 monthly. If you bought a brand name commercial-grade power washers of the same specs for $1600 and you have 5 years useful from it, that buy cost you $27 monthly. Which one is usually less expensive?

Let me relate some of my own experiences. As a power washer and distributor, I observe homeowners dragging in lifeless power washers that are only a couple of months old every week. These power washers cost more to fix than to replace, therefore my 'boneyard' is filled with discarded homeowner power washers.

Not long ago i sold two aged power washers that I used when I was a contractor and didn't want any longer. These were each 12 years outdated and each ran like a top. One had needed just routine maintenance over it's life. The other needed the pump totally rebuilt about three years ago. These were both belt-driven products with AR pumps and Honda engines. I paid about $1500 for each and offered them for approximately $300 each. When I added up all of the maintenance costs and the purchase price and then subtracted what I acquired for them when I sold them, those power washers costs me about $16 per month to own. Is there a better deal than that anywhere?