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Having your own pressure washer offers a lot of convenience and savings, especially if you use it a lot. Fortunately, there are hundreds of pressure washer models you can choose from for home use.
In fact, simply taking a look at Direct Power Deals will already give you an idea of the best models and brands.
The real challenge lies in finding the one with the right PSI for your needs. To help you out, that is exactly what we are going to talk about today.
What Is PSI?
PSI stands for pounds per square inch. In a nutshell, it is the unit that measures the power of your pressure washer.
Pressure washers are usually used for cleaning and removing stains. Stains are hard to remove because they have already formed a chemical bond with the surface. This is where PSI gets handy.
You see, intense water pressure has the capacity to sever those bonds and make that surface look brand new.
This is also why getting a pressure washer with the right PSI is critical to make the most out of your equipment.
Different Types of Pressure Washers and Their PSIs
Pressure washers can be categorized into five types with varying PSI levels.
Light-Duty Pressure Washer
With 1,500 to 1,900 PSI, this type of pressure washer is great for breathing life back into your old patio furniture. It is also strong enough to get rid of sidewalk stains.
Medium-Duty Pressure Washer
This type of pressure washer might be a little too intense for your furniture.
However, their utility certainly extends to cleaning your garage floors and driveways, boasting anywhere between 2,000 and 2,900 PSI.
Multi-Duty Pressure Washer
This is probably the most useful of the bunch, with a wide PSI spectrum from 500 to 3,000. Without a doubt, it can handle anything you ever need a pressure washer for.
Heavy-Duty Pressure Washer
Got some stains that need more tough love? Heavy-duty pressure washers have a PSI of 3,000 to 3,200 and can definitely get the job done.
Extra Heavy-Duty Pressure Washer
Finally, those who are thinking of getting a pressure washer for tasks that might require some industrial muscle will definitely enjoy this type of pressure, which has a PSI that starts at 3,300.
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What Is a Good PSI for a Pressure Washer?
We highly recommend getting a multi-duty pressure washer for home use, given the wide range of tasks it can do.
From refinishing a wooden deck to doing more specific cleaning projects, this type of pressure washer has it covered.
Still, we can see why some people might be tempted to get the most powerful unit, thinking it might be the best option when it’s really not.
For instance, an extra heavy-duty pressure washer can potentially damage your patio furniture if you’re not careful.
As a good rule of thumb, pressure washers that have a PSI of around 2,000 are generally considered powerful enough if you’re only going to use it at home.
Other Pressure Washer Units
Aside from PSI, we think it’s best to give you a brief intro on what the other pressure washer units mean. They can help you further gauge the power and quality of a pressure washer.
GPM
GPM stands for gallons per minute. As the name suggests, this is the unit of measurement used to determine how much water your unit is capable of producing per minute.
Keep in mind that the higher GPM your machine has, the more water you’ll get, and the faster you’ll be able to finish your pressure washing tasks.
CPU
Quick question: What do you get if you multiply your pressure washer’s PSI by its GPM? The answer is the machine’s CPU.
This stands for Cleaning Power Units, and it determines your pressure washer’s cleaning efficiency.
To Sum Up
A pressure washer is an indispensable piece of cleaning equipment. However, some people might find the notion of choosing to buy one daunting, given the various terms and units of measurement surrounding it, like PSI.
Fortunately, these terms are pretty straightforward. PSI stands for pounds per square inch, and it serves to measure the pressure of your device.
Other terms include GPM (which stands for gallons per minute or how much water your unit can provide per minute) and CPU (which means cleaning power units or how efficient your machine’s cleaning is).
Naturally, the better a pressure washer model’s CPU is, the more expensive it will be.
That’s probably why those who know full well how rarely they will use the machine opt to hire pressure washing services or rent out a pressure washer instead.
Regardless, knowing how to read a pressure washer’s unit of measurements will still come in handy once the time comes.
