Fundamentals of Pressure Washing
Pressure washers make various cleaning tasks much easier to complete. They can be used to wash the exterior of your home, your deck, vehicle, driveway, and various other areas. In order to use this piece of equipment effectively though, you will need to know the fundamentals of pressure washing.
Pressure washers make various cleaning tasks much easier to complete. They can be used to wash the exterior of your home,
your deck, vehicle, driveway, and various other areas. In order to use this piece of equipment effectively though, you will need to know the fundamentals of pressure washing.
As you should be able to tell by the name, pressure washers rely on water pressure to help clean surfaces. Each pressure washer is rated by how much pressure the water stream can generate, which is measured in PSI, or pounds per square inch.
Machines with a higher PSI rating will be able to clean a wider variety of surfaces effectively. However, it is important to note that using too much pressure on certain surfaces can result in damage. You would not want to use the same amount of pressure to clean your windows as you would your driveway.
When cleaning wood it is also important to use less pressure since you can damage the wood itself while cleaning. When pressure washing, it is best for you to start out on a lower pressure setting. Then, you can slowly work your way up to the ideal setting.
One of the most important things which will influence water pressure is the type of nozzle fitted on the end of the wand. If the nozzle's opening is smaller, it will increase the water pressure rating. Conversely, nozzles with larger openings will yield smaller pressure ratings.
In addition to water pressure you also need to think about the water flow rate produced by the pressure washer. This will be measured in gallons per minute. Units with a higher GPM will be able to move more water in a shorter period of time so the surface can be cleaned more quickly.
Heat helps out significantly when it comes to pressure washing. Therefore, it is best for you to use hot water. Just make sure the pressure washer is capable of handling hot water as not all of them are. If you use hot water in a machine not designed for it, you will likely ruin it.
Another important factor that determines how easily you can clean surfaces is if you use detergent in the pressure washer. Some machines have detergent tanks, so detergent will automatically mix with the water at a specific rate. Using detergent makes cleaning much easier, and is especially effective when mixed with hot water.
Pressure washing enables you to clean many different areas of your home effectively. After learning some of these fundamentals, you should have an even easier time with it.
