How Does a Power Washer Work?

Uses

Power washers have many uses around the house. They can clean the siding, driveway, deck and gutters. How about washing the car or taking the mildew off the fence? Some brave homeowners even clean their roof shingles with a power washer. If it's outside and dirty, you can probably use a power washer to clean it.

When you go to purchase a power washer, you will see there are four basic elements to the washing process: water flow rate, cleaning solution, heat and pressure. All power washers do not allow for all of the elements. This means the other elements must be adjusted for the lack of one. For example, one power washer has the capability for hot water and the other doesn't. The one with hot water will need less cleaning solution and less pressure to get the same job done as the one without. Another example is power washing without detergent. In this case you would need more pressure, water flow and heat to clean the surface. One way to adjust the pressure is through the tip or nozzle you choose to use. Tips can change pressure in order to draw more detergent or be angled to rinse off a job. The smaller the tip is, the stronger the spray from the washer. A basic setup for a power washer is a gas or electric motor hooked up to a water pump. You attach your garden hose to one side of the water pump and a hose to the other side. A wand with a handle control and nozzle at the end is attached to the end of the washer hose. As the water from the garden hose enters the water pump, it is pressurized and sent up the other hose to the spray nozzle. There is a hand trigger on the wand that allows you to spray only when you want to. Some power washers can accommodate many accessories for cleaning specific surfaces.

A rotating brush can be attached to the end of your wand for cleaning cars, trucks, boats and even heavy outdoor furniture. You can use it with the low pressure soap injector to clean your projects well. A water broom can be attached that rolls across the ground. It breaks up the water flow into many sprays and cleans driveways, decks and other large surfaces with ease. Surface cleaners can be added with an extension wand to reach the top the siding on your home or high up on a motor home. A power washer can make easy work out of some of your toughest jobs. Make sure to use only detergents made for power washers, as other types may harm the machine or the surface you are working on.