High pressure washer - which one to choose?

Washing large surfaces is a long, dirty and time-consuming process. Another thing is if there is a special unit that can qualitatively clean the roof or car several times faster than two or three cleaners. There are such devices on sale, there are a lot of models. About what a high pressure washer is, what to choose, which brands offer consumers the most interesting models, read in our article.

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What is it for?

Initially, such units were produced only for washing machines. Then, the advantages of washing equipment working under pressure were appreciated by employees of cleaning companies and construction companies. And now, anyone who often has to deal with cleaning large surfaces can afford such a device.

Using the sink, you can quickly tidy up:

• car;
• a wall;
• a roof;
• foundation;
• furniture-free veranda;
• garden paths;
• a piece of sidewalk in front of the house.

Important! But for small surfaces, such a technique, even low-power, is impractical to use - it simply has nowhere to turn around.

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What does it look like?

By tradition, such devices are called car washes. But even if you buy the unit mainly for washing a car, nothing prevents you from using it for other purposes. High pressure car wash - which one to choose if there is a car, a garage, a large porch, and a paved area in front of the house?

To get started, let's figure out how this thing works. Outwardly, everything looks very simple:

1. The unit is connected to a water tap.
2. The sink is connected to the power supply.
3. A special nozzle is put on the hose.
4. Water is supplied.
5. The device starts up.
6. The pump, which is located inside the housing, creates pressure.
7. Water flows through the internal channels into the hose.
8. A jet is sprayed from a hose through a special nozzle under high pressure.

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Unit Benefits

The advantages of a high pressure washer are obvious:

• You do not have to bother with rags and detergents;
• the pressure allows you to remove sticky dirt;
• water enters inaccessible places;
• you can immediately wet a large surface;
• cleaning time is reduced by 2-3 times, or even more;
• convenient to use - no need to carry buckets, and the unit itself has a relatively low weight.

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Professional and household

How to choose the right pressure washer for the machine? To begin with - to understand how often you are going to use it, how large surfaces you have to wash. Although there are no cardinal differences between professional and household units, still those that are used in car washes and in construction companies have some features:

• a lot of pressure;
• high performance;
• obligatory heating of water;
• use of hot water;
• power supply with grounding.

Important! Professional sinks are, of course, more expensive. Therefore, think about how much you need a powerful unit with high performance. If we are talking only about a passenger car, pay attention to a modest mini-wash of small power.For those who are going to use the unit for other purposes, and often, a middle-class device is suitable - quite productive, but at the same time relatively inexpensive.

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Classes of household washing machines

Household sinks are also different. They can be divided into classes:

• elementary;
• average;
• higher.

Primary Sinks

Products that belong to the initial class are the cheapest. For small volumes of work, they are quite enough, however, one subtlety must be taken into account - they cannot work autonomously, they must be connected to the water supply. In addition, the engine must be periodically turned off so that it can cool, otherwise overheating is inevitable.

Sinks of the middle class

Such devices are used not only in everyday life, but in small workshops. They have more power. Some models are equipped with additional pumps, so for a cottage where there is no water supply, this option is much more suitable than a cheap initial one.

High class

Such sinks can be used anywhere - from your own garage to the construction site of a small house. They can work for a long time, the motor does not overheat, you can do without a water supply, since the unit is connected to any water tank. It differs from the professional only in lower performance and not so extensive set of additional functions.

Important! Among professional sinks, there are those that run on a gasoline engine.

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What does it consist of?

Of course, even a child can use a sink, however, this does not mean at all that it itself is a simple device. Like any modern household appliances, the sink consists of several nodes.

It includes:

• pump pump;
• electric motor;
• power cord;
• housing;
• hose;
• set of nozzles;
• nodes to expand the set of functions.

Important! If you decide which car wash is best for home use, see how each piece fits your goals. Keep in mind that the actual water pressure is usually slightly less than the stated pressure. Some models have an optional pump that supplies water to the system. This usually interests those who often have to work, for example, in a garage where there is no running water.

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What to look at?

The potential owner of the sink literally scatters eyes from the abundance of brands. How to choose a low pressure washer so that it is comfortable, works efficiently, and also serves as long as possible? First of all, you should pay attention to the main technical characteristics:

• type of food;
• material;
• power;
• pressure.

Type of food

There are only two of them - some units run on gasoline, others - from the mains. In everyday life, the latter are more convenient, but there is one subtlety. If the network is unstable or you have to do something where there is no power supply, an electric car wash may be useless.

How often will you use the sink?

Power, pressure and productivity entirely depend on how often and for what purposes you will use the unit:

• once a week or less to wash a car, bicycle or garden paths;
• 2 times a week for washing the facade, boat or truck;
• every day at a car wash or cleaning company.

Once a week

If you do not need a high pressure washer every day, and you are not going to wash very large surfaces, an aggregate with the following parameters will be sufficient:

• power - 1.5 kW;
• productivity is 350 l / h or so;
• pressure - 100-110 bar.

Twice a week

Those who are going to use the sink several times a week in order to put in order a yacht, garden buildings, a truck or a minibus need more serious equipment. In this case, the following will be optimal:

• power - 2 kW;
• productivity - about 450 liters per hour;
• pressure - 120-140 bar.

For a novice entrepreneur

Have you decided to open a cleaning company or offers car wash services to your neighbors? Then, of course, you need a sink that can be classified as semi-professional. However, they are also used in long-running small companies.

The parameters needed are as follows:

• power - 3 kW;
• productivity - not less than 600 liters per hour;
• pressure - from 150 bar.

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Choose a case

The strength of the entire system depends on the housing. Therefore, it is very important to consider not only performance and power, but also the material from which the sink is made. On sale you can find different options:

• aluminum;
• brass;
• silumin;
• from composite materials;
• plastic.

Aluminum

It may seem strange, but sinks with aluminum bodies are more expensive than others. This material perfectly withstands high pressure, which in the most positive way affects the quality of the entire system. Despite the fact that it is naturally light and soft, at high pressure this metal does not deform. Therefore, units with such cases are considered the most effective.

Brass

Also quite expensive. Brass perfectly withstands high voltage and pressure, the system does not overheat. Therefore, brass is used to make powerful sinks. True, the weight of the structure is pretty solid, and this is the main disadvantage of the brass body.

Silumin

Nice and pretty cheap metal. Shells are made of it for middle-class models. Silumin is an alloy of aluminum with silicon. In other conditions, it is quite fragile, but withstands pressure well.

Important! When buying a device with such a pump, it should be borne in mind that this material is destroyed by water hammer. Do not drop heavy objects in the sink.

Composite

Not particularly durable material, from which they make cases for low-power low-cost units. It carries a pressure of 110 bar, from a higher one it quickly collapses. In addition, the composite does not withstand water shocks.

Plastic

The cheapest - but, alas, the least reliable material. It is used only in the most simple models. When overheated, it melts and loses its shape. If you, seduced by a low price, choose a plastic model - keep in mind that very soon you may encounter serious troubles when the case will have to be changed. Replacement will cost about two-thirds of the cost of the entire unit.

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Where will the hose be?

For those who consider compact storage to be an important quality, it makes sense to pay attention to how the storage space for the hose is equipped. The best option is if there is a drum or special holders.

Important! How far will the unit be from the surface you are going to wash? Is there any way to change this distance? The length of the hose and cord depends on this. You can wash anything with a 6 m hose without leaving the place - from a car in the garage to a far section of the garden path.

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Nozzles

Two types of nozzles are necessarily included in the package of modern models:

• standard
• mud.

Important! There may be others; working with them is very convenient. For example, a lot of additional features provides a brush nozzle. The wide tip allows you to quickly and efficiently wash off the foam.

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Additional devices

On sale you can find sinks with a very different set of functions. Each additional detail, of course, increases the price, but in some cases you should not skimp. Extremely useful may be:

• filter;
• the ability to work on hot water;
• foaming agent;
• the ability to clean with steam;

Filter

The unit will work better if the fluid that enters it is clean enough and free of impurities. Therefore, a filter is simply necessary, especially where water is hard. He will protect the system from many troubles, respectively - extend its life.

Hot or cold

Be sure to pay attention to what water your future sink works with.There are models that work only with cold, and this significantly increases energy consumption. Attempts to increase power lead to overheating and inevitable breakdowns.

Foaming agent

Many models have an additional part - a detergent container. It is mounted on the gun at the exit of the jet. Water under pressure enters this tank, the foam is ejected along with the atomized stream.

Important! There are models (mostly professional) in which such a container is at the entrance. Efficiency is increased by about a third.

Steam processing option

On sale you can find modern models with water heating and a steam generator. They are expensive, they are used mainly in large cleaning and construction companies.

Bonuses for budget models

Very useful features may include:

• automatic shutdown system;
• cooling system.

Important! They are especially needed if you are choosing cheap models with engines that tend to overheat.

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Two words about brands

It is always better to buy any equipment from a reputable company. A good brand, as a rule, guarantees quality and warranty repairs, and in addition, produces a lot of useful things:

• components;
• spare parts;
• detergents;
• care products.

In addition, the more famous the company, the more salons and service centers it has, so there will be no problems with repairs either. Washings of companies are very popular:

• Karcher
• Bosch
• Stihl;
• Lavor Pro;
• Interskol.

Karcher

Karcher is one of the market leaders in household appliances, including car washes. The company offers many models of a different class, but even the budget ones are of high quality. You can find very reliable sinks at a very reasonable price. At the same time, the German company also produces premium models that even large construction companies willingly buy.

Bosch

The most famous German company, offering customers almost any electrical equipment and tools. Car washes occupy a worthy place in the range. This brand does not need recommendations, since it produces very high-quality products at very different prices.

Important! This company has perhaps the most extensive network of service centers.

Stihl

The essence of the work of this company can be expressed in one phrase: high quality, but expensive. Excellent car washes of various capacities, but the most budgetary model will cost about three times more expensive than the Karcher system unit of the same class.

Lavor Pro

A well-known Italian company engaged in the production of high pressure washers relatively recently. But she has a lot of fans, because the products are good, while relatively inexpensive.

Important! Unfortunately, there is one difficulty - this company has not yet located its service centers in all European countries, so problems may arise with the repair and purchase of components.

Interskol

A fairly well-known Russian company that produces quite acceptable household sinks. Consumers note decent quality at a very affordable price. The main drawback is the short cord.

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Stock footage

In short, the choice in the stores is large enough, and each potential owner can find something suitable. And remember that the most expensive is not always ideal for your purposes.