Pressure washer engines are often subject to abuse by both operators and the elements. So, it’s important that you have a reliable engine to keep you working. But how do you know if your pressure washer engine is powerful enough for certain tasks?
There are many different factors that affect the power of a homelite pressure washer engine. With the right engine, you can power through tough jobs and get them done in a fraction of the time. But if you don’t have enough power, it’s going to take longer and be more frustrating.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
1) The size of your surface area. The larger the surface area, the more water pressure you’ll need to clean it. So, if you’re cleaning a large driveway or patio, you’ll need a bigger engine than if you were just cleaning a small sidewalk or deck.
2) The type of surface being cleaned. If you’re cleaning something like concrete or brick, it needs more pressure than something like wood or grass does. You’ll also need more power for surfaces that have been stained or eed over time because they’re harder to clean than new surfaces would be.
3) How dirty is it? If it’s really dirty, then it’s going to take more effort to get clean with just a garden hose (or even just soapy water). A pressure washer can really cut down on how much scrubbing you may need to do on a surface.
How Do You Gauge the Power in a Pressure Washer?
If you are considering buying a new pressure washer, you need to make sure that the engine is powerful enough for the task.
It may seem like an obvious statement, but it’s not. There are many companies that will sell you a weak engine and tell you they can handle any job. But in reality, they won’t.
So how do you know if your pressure washer has enough power? Here are some tips:
Check the PSI
The first thing you want to look at is the psi (pounds per square inch). This is a good indicator of how powerful your engine is going to be. Most residential units fall between 1,500 and 3,000 psi while commercial units go up to 6,000 psi or more.
Pressure Washer Ratings
There are three main ratings that apply to pressure washers: gallon per minute (GPM), pounds per square inch (PSI), and surface cleaning efficiency (SCF). The most common rating is PSI — the amount of pressure produced by the pump. Pressure washers with higher PSI ratings produce more power and tend to cost more than those with lower PSI.
The GPM rating refers to how much water flows through the hose at once. A lower GPM rating means less water will flow through at once but also means less pressure from the pump. When choosing between two similar models of pressure washers with different GPMs, opt for the one with higher GPM so that you can achieve better results when cleaning your home or car.
Conclusion
The one thing you want to be careful about when you’re working with pressure washers is getting them beyond what power you actually need. While a big power may sound appealing, it’s not going to get the job done faster or better. So having an understanding of what you can do with smaller power is key. Otherwise, you might just find that your machine works harder than it should, running the risk of damaging it in the process. Get to learn more about pressure washers from the professionals at the Giraffetools collections.