![]() On some pumps the pistons are driven by a plate on an angle (wobble plate), and in other cases the pistons are driven by a crankshaft. All pressure washer pumps have pistons and valves similar to a gas engine or an air compressor. There are several common types of pumps that you will see in commercial and home-owner type machines. This is the part of the pressure washer that receives water from your hose, and pumps it through a tip at high pressure. Crankshaft-driven pumps are generally built better and will last longer. On others, the pistons are driven by a crankshaft. On some pumps the pistons are driven by a wobble plate. Pressure washer pumps have pistons and valves similar to a gas engine or an air compressor. Neither of these would be very good for cleaning your house or driveway. If you have extremely high pressure and low volume, you can cut steel or concrete (water jet cutter), and if you have extremely high volume and low pressure, you have a river. However, this is all true within a range. It is not difficult to see the difference in efficiency. ![]() However, if we take a mid-range pressure washer rated at 2.0 GPM and 2,500 PSI (5,000 CPU), the CPU rating represents a staggering 25 times increase over a typical garden hose spray nozzle.Ī commercial pressure washer rated at 4 GPM and 4,000 PSI is an incredible 16,000 CPU. Trying to clean your driveway with your garden hose spray nozzle generating 200 CPU is fairly ineffective. We all have seen the difference of how much more effective a simple spray nozzle is at cleaning dirt off surfaces. With a standard spray nozzle attached to the garden hose you can get around 5 GPM at about 40 PSI generating 200 CPU. Now consider this: A garden hose typically provides 6 GPM at 10 PSI giving it 60 CPU. The result is that the 2,400 PSI machine will be able to clean an area 40% faster than the 2,800 PSI machine. In this example the lower PSI machine has more than 40% greater cleaning power than the higher PSI machine. Another pressure washer is rated for 2,400 PSI and 4 GPM. For example, a pressure washer may have a rating of 2,800 PSI and 2 GPM, giving it a CPU of 5,600. Often consumers are so focused on the PSI rating of the machine, they do not consider the CPU. The greater the CPU, the greater the ability the machine has for cleaning deeply and effectively. Cleaning Power Units (CPU)Ĭleaning Power Units quantifies a pressure washer’s cleaning ability. Volume also contributes to the cleaning force. The water volume produced by a pressure washer is measured in gallons per minute or GPM. Pressure contributes to the cleaning force. The pressure generated by a pressure washer is measured in pounds per square inch or PSI. This rating is important because it directly relates to how much pressure and volume the pump can produce. This is how much power the engine or motor produces. ![]() Here are some basic ratings: Horse Power (HP) The two most important considerations when buying a pressure washer are s ize, which determines how long it takes to do the job or how many jobs you can do in a day and l ife expectancy, which determines how many hours of work you can do per dollar spent during the life of the machine. The higher the pressure, the faster the water moves, and the harder it hits the dirt, removing it from the surface you want to clean. ![]() The more water you push through the tip, the more pressure is developed, and therefore more power is required. Each time the pump turns over, a specific volume of water is pushed through the tip. The water accelerates as it goes through the small hole, much like a river flows faster in a narrow gorge, and that fast-moving water is very useful for blasting dirt and grime. A motor or engine turns a pump, pushing water through an orifice (tip). Or keep reading to learn more about the following:Ī pressure washer is actually a fairly simple piece of equipment. If you’re ready to start shopping, check out the pressure washers at. The goal of this buying guide is to help you understand what a pressure washer does and what you need to look for when deciding to purchase one. If your time is valuable, a pressure washer could be a good investment, but if you get the wrong machine, you will be frustrated and you could waste a lot of time and money. A pressure washer can greatly increase your ability to maintain and clean your property and equipment giving it greater value. The cleaning ability of a pressure washer is great, removing dirt, grime, and algae quickly, efficiently and effectively. Over the last ten years the quality has increased as prices have become more affordable.
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