Picking Out the Right Pressure Washer - When a Cold Water Direct Drive is Fine
Picking the right pressure washer can seem like a daunting task with the large assortment of models, types, and gallon flows, pressures, hot vs. cold so on and so forth. The good news is…it’s not as complicated as you might think!
The first and most important step is determining the type of use for your pressure washer. Let’s have a look at this. A customer walks into our showroom in Memphis, TN. Lets call him Bob. “Welcome to Cougar Chemical!” I call out to him as he walks through the door. “What can we help you with today?” as he approaches the counter. “I need to get a power blaster.” Bob explains. “Alright, what are you planning to wash with it?” I ask. “Cars, I do mobile detailing.” Bob states. “Okay, how many hours are you planning on using your pressure washer a week?” I ask. “Well, I only do it on the weekends for some extra cash with my son. I’m trying to teach him the value of hard work and we like cars.” “Gee…I wish all of my customers we’re like Bob!” I’m thinking in my head. “Great!” I reply with a smile in my Andy Griffith rendition of helping a customer.
Now we have identified the use for Bob’s pressure washer. He does mobile detailing, wants to wash cars and he’s only planning on running it a few hours a week. Just from identifying the machines use we now know the following: Any pressure washer ranging from 1500psi to 3000psi will be sufficient. He will mostly be using it to quickly rinse soap from the vehicles he details and will have less water to dry and use less water than a traditional garden hose sprayer. Any machine 2-3GPM will be fine. He’s not going to need a large volume of water to push debris across hundreds of feet to a drain. He will just be pressure washing off small debris and moving it very short distances.
He will need a commercial grade piece of equipment instead of residential. Anytime you plan on using a pressure washer frequently (more than 1-5 times per year) we recommend you purchase a commercial grade machine. In his scenario a direct drive unit will be just fine.
He will need a gas powered pressure washer. He does “mobile” detailing meaning he will not be washing in the same place every time. An electric machine will not have the ability to be plugged in.
And finally, he will only need cold water. He could use a hot water pressure washer for cleaning rims, tires, engine bays, and removing adhesives like decals or road paint. But, the addition in cost and size of the equipment isn’t practical for his scenario when he can use chemicals to accomplish the same goals in a similar amount of time. So there you have it! We have identified the correct pressure washer for Bob! He needs a: 2-3GPM 1500-3000PSI Commercial Grade Direct Drive Cold Water Pressure Washer This machine will be the perfect fit for Bob’s detailing application and will give him and his son years of continuous use!
