Selecting the appropriate pressure washer for the right job says a lot to achieve maximum benefits. The user or operator must be able to find out what category or type of work application the pressure washer will be used for, so as to be able to determine what type of Pressure Washer he will have to buy or rent. Based on previous post we already have categorized the type of work applications a pressure washer is used and those are the Residential, Commercial and Industrial; and these three categories will be the basis for the selection of the right pressure washer to buy or rent.
RESIDENTIAL application is best described as light to moderate pressure washing, and most common works would include the following:
- Car Washing, ATV, Jet Ski, Kayaks to Small Boat
- Walls, Tile & Brick Floors, Garage, Driveways & Pavements
- Windows, Screen Doors, Pools, Patio & Porch
- Other home appliance such as Air Conditioner and Heaters.
With this kind of application, a light to moderate pressure washer that could produce power between 750psi to 5,000psi will do the job perfectly. A unit with this power is enough to remove dirt, dust, grime and mud from; moss and fungus on walls, fences, gates and other parts of the home. It is also best to consider that a unit with an electric motor is best for residential use; primarily to be able to use the pressure washer indoors.
COMMERCIAL pressure washing is generally the use of a pressure washer on a large scale. Either it might be for a very wide area, numbers of fleet and usually for a very long amount of time. This category may also include works described in residential but, then it may be done on several different homes like in a home cleaning business. So under commercial pressure washing, it could cover light, moderate and to moderately heavy applications as enumerated:
- Graffiti & Pool Cleaning
- Constructions (e.g. Bricks, Tiles)
- Ship Deck & Engine Room Pressure Cleaning
- Farm & Construction Equipment
- Buses, Trailer Homes, Airlines, Trains
- Schools, Restaurants, Parks & Recreational Areas
- Roof, Gutters, Sidewalks & Sewer Drain Jetting
With this kind of work, you will need a much bigger and more powerful washer, not only in terms of pressure but also in motor. And since most commercial applications are conducted outdoors, off site and requires great amount of time usage, a pressure washer with a gas motor comes highly recommended. But for serious commercial washers it is best to have units with both types of motor to give you more flexibility to work indoors and outdoors as well. So a good commercial washer should have around 3,500psi to 15,000psi, that’s enough power to handle all kinds of dirt and debris. It is also good to have a pressure washer with capabilities to pray hot water for works that demand it.
INDUSTRIAL pressure washing is the ultimate in all the application which involves a pressure washer. While it also cover works included in commercial pressure washing, the gauges for work to be defined as industrial is the toughness of the job, and operators in these kinds of application would require some professional and safety training. So under industrial pressure washing, the following are as follows:
- Silos, Smoke Stacks & Vessels
- Storage Tanks, Fuel Depot, Ship Tankers
- Live Stocks, Poultry Farm, Livestock Pen & Stables
- Gas Station, Refineries, Tanker Trucks
- Off-Shore Platforms, Oil Rigs & Refineries
- Large Airline Fleets, Buses, Trains and Ships
- Garbage Compactors, Saw Mills and Factories
With pressure force between 15,000psi to 30,000psi, the amount of application a professional could imagine is enormous, from moderately heavy to the toughest work you could think of. There is also a big difference in the equipment setup with the industrial type pressure washer as compared to the two previous ones. Some industrial washers employ gas pressure to further boost the fluid force and hot water as well.
So by now pretty sure you know now what will be your basis for buying or renting. It is also essential to make the m perform a demo. It is also good to remember that the pressure washer is only as good as its maximum pressure. You could turn down pressure if you want to do light jobs but you could never boost a pump’s pressure over its limits to do a heavy work load.