How many times have you tried to clean those pesky stains? How hard did you scrub that deck of yours without it working? The only answer to these issues is to learn how a pressure washer work and use it. The pressure washer works relatively simply, but it’s not that simple.
Regardless of simplicity, we will be telling about the mechanism of a pressure washer in a detailed and easy-to-understand manner. There are multiple parts to a pressure washer that works at the same time.
One part supplies detergent or soap, and another supplies water. There is a motor that is powered by electricity or gas. A pump mixes the water and soap by drawing both together. The pump then shoots out the mixture at high pressure through a nozzle. And that’s how a pressure washer works in a few words.
But you might be wondering whether I need to learn how a pressure washer works. You might wonder this because you don’t know why you should use one or need one. So let’s start this article by answering this question.
Table of Contents
Why should you use a pressure washer?
You would want a pressure washer if you had the pleasure of scrubbing a deck for hours and still failing to clean those stains. Sometimes using just soap and water or some nocuous chemicals gets the job done, but you need a machine that shoots out water at high pressure.
This is a piece of machine that does wonders for cleaning decks, patios, walls, driveways, and more. At the same time, it can be expensive if you aren’t thinking of using it often. However, some services will allow you to rent them out if you don’t want to buy one yourself.
Domestic pressure washers shoot out water from 1000-2999PSI, but the washers used by professionals have a PSI of about 3000-6900. Therefore take caution while using one. There are steps to follow on pressure washing your balcony as well as how often you can pressure wash your deck.
Parts of a pressure washer
Now that I have convinced you to get a pressure washer, you need to learn how does it work. To understand how does a pressure washer work, you need to know about the parts that make up one. In general, a pressure washer has five parts. These parts are called:
- Water inlet
- Motor/engine
- Water pump
- Hose
- And cleaning attachments
Each of these parts works together or one after the other to help you clean stains and marks you were having trouble with. The machine, in simple terms, takes water from a tap or faucet, which gets sped up through a pump. Then the trigger shoots the water out through various attachments.
Water inlet
A water inlet is a device that brings in water from a tap, faucet, or a large water tank if you use one of the commercial pressure washers. The inlet also has a filter attached to it to prevent dirt or grime from getting into the machine. If the machine were to get clogged up, you risk the pump shooting them out at hundreds of PSI and possibly injuring you or someone close to you.
Electric motor/Gas engine
Currently, most pressure washers in the market run on domestic electricity. Still, the bigger ones used commercially run on compact gas engines. These electric or gas-powered engines are similar to lawnmowers, with a rating of 3–4kW or 3.5–5.5HP. Some users of pressure washers that we talked with tend to favor the gas-powered ones.
According to them, gas engine models are more convenient because finding a usable electricity supply can be a hassle. Moreover, using a long trailing cable becomes a bigger issue because it can become a tripping hazard if you aren’t careful.
The electric motor or gas engine is there to power the water pump. All pressure washers, cheap or expensive, isolate the engine or motor to prevent water from entering and shortcircuiting it.
Water pump
This is the pressure washer part that does the most important work. This part works like a hand-powered water pump, much faster thanks to the engine or motor. When the pump goes one way, it sucks the water and soap mixture, and when it goes the other way, it shoots the mixture out in a high pressure jet.
Some pressure washers can pump liters of water at a time, while the bigger ones can pump gallons in a short period.
High-pressure hose
High pressure exit hose is the part through which the high PSI water passes from the water pump. This is no ordinary hose you can find in your local shops. Due to the high pressure and speed of the water passing through the hose has multiple layers of high density plastic along with wire mesh.
If the pressure washer doesn’t come with a hose, you will need to get one. When buying one, ensure the hose has a higher pressure limit than the washer. In general, hoses for pressure washers have a safety margin of 300%.
For example, if you have a pressure washer with a rating of 2000PSI, your pressure washer hoses should be able to withstand pressure up to 6000PSI.
Cleaning attachment
Most pressure washers come with a basic trigger gun that shoots out water at a steady speed. But for different surfaces, you will need different attachments that you might have to purchase. Some examples of cleaning attachments are things like spinning wand spray or rotating brush.
All of these attachments are powered by the water flowing through them. Some pressure washers have additions, such as a ground-fault circuit breaker to ensure the water and electricity don’t mix. These circuit breakers sometimes go by residual current devices or RCDs.
Most pressure washers work in the same manner and perform similarly. The more expensive models just work at higher water pressure and clean better, that’s all.
How does a pressure washer work
You have read about why you need a pressure washer, and then you have learned about the parts of a pressure washer. Now it is finally time you read about how a pressure washer works. Until now, I have given you some hints on how a pressure washer works. But in this part, I will be going into detail and telling you the steps.
Pressure washers are a mix of a garden hose and an air compressor. The water pump in a standard pressure washer is powered by either a gas-powered engine or an electric motor. High pressure is made when the pump speeds up the flow of water from a garden hose. A high-pressure hose is hooked up to the washer. At the end of the hose is a water pistol that looks like the pressure guns used to wash cars. When you pull the trigger, the water mixes with air and comes out of the nozzle.
With water jets that have about 75 times the pressure of a garden hose, pressure washers can clean things very quickly. They could also spray with less force to clean gently. Most pressure washers are measured in Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) units, which show how well they can get rid of dirt and grime. And Gallons per Minute (GPM), which tells you how much dirt you can break up and wash away per minute.
These are the two main cleaning terms to consider while selecting the best pressure washer for your requirements. The way these interact determines overall cleaning performance. The greater the number, the faster you will be able to clean.
Quick overview of how a pressure washer work
In the section above, we kind of got to see how a pressure washer does its job in some detail, but in this section, we will be breaking down the process in a list form. So here is how a pressure washer works in 5 easy steps.
- Through one hose, soap, detergent, or chemical flows in from a bottle or container.
- Cold water flows through another hose from a tap/faucet/tank and gets filtered while coming in.
- The electric motor or gasoline engine powers the washer.
- Using the power from the motor or engine, the water pump mixes the cleaning product with the water. The pump also heats up the water to about 50-70℃ (122-158℉).
- The pump shoots the hot, soapy mixture through a high pressure hose or attachment. The narrow nozzle increases the water pressure a lot more.
The high pressure of the water not only cleans the surface but also ensures that you are wasting less water. In fact, compared to a ordinary low pressure hosepipe, you will be using 80% less water.
Pressure washing vs Power washing
Now that you know how a pressure washer works, you might wonder if it works in all cases. The answer is no, it doesn’t. There will be some times when you will need to do a different type of cleaning, such as power washing.
So what is the difference between pressure washing and power washing? The main difference is that one of them uses a heating element. While both pressure washing and power washing involve high-pressure water, only power washing uses high-pressure hot water to clean surfaces.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Do I need protective gear when using a pressure washer?
When using even a typical pressure washer, remember that the water coming out has a PSI around or above 1000. Around 1000PSI is enough to penetrate human skin, and a PSI of around 2000 means you can cut through concrete. Therefore you absolutely should wear protective gear when using a pressure washer. There are EPA on pressure washing that you might also have to follow.
How to hook up a pressure washer?
When “hooking up” or setting up your pressure washer, you need to turn on your machine and start your engine or motor. Before you start cleaning you need to ensure all the air is out of your pressure washer. If you are using a gas engine, you might have to pull the cord twice before it starts. Also, start the washer only when there is water in the hose; otherwise, it might damage the piston.
What is the difference between a pressure washer and a power washer?
The biggest difference between pressure and power washer is that the power washer uses heated water. By using heated water, you will have an easier time cleaning serious grime, such as mildew, salt, and grease. Power washing is recommended on surfaces, such as concrete or cement, that aren’t damaged easily. Similarly, there is a difference between pressure washing and soft wash pressure washing.
Can a pressure washer damage wood and concrete?
Yes, it is possible to damage wood and concrete with pressure washing. Since you have learned how a pressure washer works, you know are cleaning with water jets pressurized and it squirt water at a ridiculously high speed and pressure. If you don’t use it properly, there is a good chance of you damaging wood and even concrete. I am talking about lines, pitting, or other surface imperfections by damage.
Conclusion
Pressure washers do their work by increasing the pressure of the water inside it using a pump and then squirting it out through a hose. If you need to, you could also attach different parts that work on different surfaces. Overall, this is an excellent piece of equipment that makes cleaning various surfaces a breeze and will lessen the chance of you breaking your back.
