 Consumer Buyer's Guide
Electric vs. Gas-Powered
How to Pick the Perfect Power Supply
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that electric and gas-powered machines pressurize the water differently.
The biggest difference, however, is the strength and speed (See Below) of these residential pressure washers.
Your decision ultimately depends on the size of your projects at home.
Electric Power Washers are great for cleaning small surface areas, like cars, boats, grills, etc. They are also very affordable and portable. These high-pressure water picks just don’t clean large areas very fast.
Gas Pressure Washers blow the cord off most electric power washer. The smallest gas pressure washer is more powerful than the largest electric power washer. They clean large surface areas, like decks, driveways and homes with less time, effort and water.
Understanding Our Language
Pounds per Square Inch (PSI)
Water pressure is measured in PSI. The PSI is necessary to break the chemical bond between the surface and the stain. The stronger the chemical bond – the more pressure you’ll need to remove it.
Gallons Per Minute (GPM)
Water flow is measured in GPM. The larger the GPM, the more surface area a pressure washer can clean.
Cleaning Units (CU)
The true test of a pressure washer is measured in Cleaning Units. Imagine two streams of water under the same amount of pressure. The first stream contains twice the water as the second. As a result, it will clean twice as fast.
You can calculate the CU by simply multiplying the PSI times the GPM. (PSI x GPM = CU)
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