April 26th, 2009
A pressure washer hose is just a rubber tube, right? No, these hoses come in a huge array of materials and sizes. There are many things to look out for depending on your application. The cheap hoses that come with an inexpensive power washer are lacking many features that are important to people who use the washers each and every day for hours at a time. The cheap hose usually found on consumer grade power washers is black. You will often notice that it leaves black scuff marks on the floor if you drag it. The hose also has cheap connectors which often snap off if pulled too hard. Does this sound familiar? If you use a power washer more than once a year to clean the deck and patio furniture, then listen up. Better hoses have sturdy connectors on each end with bend restrictors. A bend restrictor is a tough covering on the connectors which prevent the hose from bending too much at each end, saving the connectors from the stress of the hose being yanked around.
There are oil resistant synthetic pressure washer hoses designed for commercial applications. The often come in blue or black so that they don’t leave any marks on floors even if dragged around. These hoses are perfect for applications in garages, auto mechanic shops, dairies, meat processing plants, poultry processing plants, and other locations with oily, greasy cleanup jobs. Some hoses have a funny braided look on the exterior. This can be due to internal wires to strengthen the hose. This is also done so that the hose does not sit flush with the floor so water cannot pool around it.
If you are going to use the pressure washer hose for a hot water power washer, please make note of the temperature rating. Many pressure washers also output steam. If your hose is rated for the normal 180 degree water, the hot steam can cause the hose to fail. This could cause a serious condition and you could be burned so please make sure you only use hoses made especially for steam applications. Hoses designed for hot water applications will be safe to around 250 degrees. Steam application hoses will need to be safe to around 325 degrees or more. Always check with the manufacturer when using steam units.
Tags: pressure washer hose, pressure washer hoses, steam pressure hose, steam pressure hoses
Posted in pressure washer | No Comments »
April 21st, 2009
Commercial pressure washer units are generally used in maintenance operations where many hours of cleaning are performed each week. There are many considerations to keep in mind when selecting a unit for your operation. Pressure washers are becoming more and more indispensable as new versatile units come to market that enable them to be used in hitherto labor intensive operations. Cleaner equipment lasts longer and performs better and pressure washers allow for significant time savings so the equipment can be cleaned more often. There are two basic categories of washers, hot water and cold water units. Which unit is right for your operation depends on the work that needs to be performed.
A hot water commercial pressure washer is an appropriate choice when the surfaces to be cleaned have oil or grease on them. Similar to what happens when washing dishes, hot water is much more effective when combined with soap in the removal of tough greasy stains. If you wash your dishes in cold water, you notice how much more difficult it is to get greasy stains out. Don’t buy the wrong machine for the job based solely on price. You will regret it because cleaning will become a nightmare instead of a quick effective process. Keep in mind also that many solvents or detergents will have a minimum temperature at which they are most effective in removing stains and dirt. Using them with cold water pressure washers will severely diminish their performance.
A cold water commercial pressure washer is an appropriate choice for jobs that don’t involve greasy stains and the like. The benefits include a lower parts count and typically a lower cost. They are not as effective at cleaning and take longer because heat helps a lot in the cleaning process. Some applications may require cold water. Also, some surfaces may be sensitive to hot water and must be cleaned with cold water. Not having to heat the water is a real energy saver and can reduce costs significantly when applied to the right job. A typical example of the use of a cold water pressure washer is cleaning a wood fence prior to painting. In this example, we don’t expect to encounter high soils or greasy stains.
Tags: cold water commercial pressure washer, commercial pressure washer, commercial pressure washers, hot water commercial pressure washer, pressure washer, pressure washers
Posted in pressure washer | No Comments »
April 16th, 2009
There are many types of pressure washer pumps out there. The pump is the heart of any power washing system. There are three types of pumps, direct drive, belt driven, and gearbox driven. The gearbox version is simply a variant of the direct drive version with gears to adjust the ratios to fit existing motors, be it gas powered or electric units. For this discussion, we’ll stick to belt driven systems and direct drive systems. When choosing a pump, you should always keep in mind that there are two specifications you need to know. The flow rate of the pump and the rated pressure. The higher the flow, the higher the volume of water coming out of the nozzles. This is important depending on application as the more water that is available, the faster a cleaning job will be. The other important specification is the output pressure. Again, the pressure required depends on the job to be done. Most consumer applications can be satisfied with 2,000 PSI or less. Industrial pumps can go past 10,000 PSI. Always select the proper pump for your application.
Direct drive pressure washer pumps mount directly to the engine/motor. The drive shaft of the engine/motor is directly driving the pump. The advantage to having this arrangement is that there are fewer parts involved in the drive and a lower initial system cost. The disadvantages include increased thermal wear due to heat from the engine/motor being transferred to the pump and increased vibration/noise.
Belt driven pressure washer pumps are more expensive. There are more components in the drive assembly. You also have to replace the belts every so often. The advantages are many. Having the engine separated by the belt means a lot less vibration transmitted to the pump. This contributes to longer pump life. The separation also means that the pump is exposed to less heat. Less heat means longer pump life. Last, but not least, the pump runs at half the speed or less than a direct drive unit. This also means longer life for your pump. Experts agree that although the belt driven system might cost more initially, the longer life of the pump means savings in the long term.
Tags: power washer pump, power washer pumps, pressure washer pump, pressure washer pumps
Posted in pressure washer | No Comments »