Pressure Washing Basics

power washing

Know The Type of Machine To Purchase

Knowing and understanding the types of pressure washing to purchase is always a good thing.  We would suggest that if you are not experienced in pressure washing that you consider hiring a professional like a commercial pressure washing Houston company.  If you do have experience and proceed to do your own pressure washing, here are some good tips for you.

A pressure washer with a flow rate of 4 gallons per minute(GPM) can fulfill the requirement of cleaning the dust, mud and other kinds of debris from a concrete surface.

Types of Pressure Washers

Pressure washers can be classified into various categories depending upon their performance.  Some of these are driven by normal water and some of these are fed by hot water and steam. Pressure washers can be used both for exterior as well as interior purposes.

In the case of exterior cleaning purposes, these washers are usually fed by gas or propane and it gives a greater mobility than the electric pressure washers.  Electric power washing machines are mainly used for only interior or household purposes.  These electric washers also have a certain degree of advantage, because they are made for the indoor purposes they are free from exhaust.

Many contractors recommend a pressure washer of a flow rate of 5/6 GPM to clean a concrete surface.  A stronger flow rate is required when it is needed for cleaning vertical surfaces.  You will find that depending on the surface, hot water has a greater cleaning efficiency over cold/normal water.  Often times these hot water machines are usually used in the construction sites, while for residential applications cold/normal water machines are used.

Features and Specifications

Here are some of the best features and specifications before buying any type of pressure washing machine. Usually, the pressure washer pumps can be categorized as axial cam and triplex.  Generally, for residential purposes, axial cam pumps are used.  These type of pumps have some advantages because these are maintenance free, allowing you not worry about maintaining it.  But on the other hand triplex pumps are used for commercial purposes and one need to take precautions to maintain it well.

Many pressure washers also contain interchangeable nozzle tips.  By varying the nozzle you can maintain or change the flow rate.  Adjustable wands are also used to vary the spray pattern without changing the nozzle tip.  A rotating nozzle is used for cleaning in a circular motion.

pressure washing

Chemical or detergent injections are used to clean up more efficiently.  These are designed only for pressure washers and they are not actually attached to these washers.  It is used from an onboard tank or by the coordination of siphoning tube.  Reducing the process and heat is the most significant thing for maintenance.  That’s why you need to check out the thermal feature when buying a pressure washing machine.  It is best to never run these pressure washers in absence of water, as this will cause failure to the pump seals.  For maintaining this better it is advisable to not to run the power when the trigger is not depressed.  In this phase, water runs in a loop and heats up which will cause a severe damage to the thermal relief valve, which is the topmost tool one need to check prior to buying the machine, because it protects the machine from severe damage.  You need to always notice whether the required amount of water is present there or not, which the pump is in need of.  If it is not the case then the pump will automatically suck the air which will create a loss of pressure and a generation of noise.