Looking at electric washers, I have always owned gas washers mainly for comercial wall cleaning MTM belt driven 2600+ psi 2.0+gpm, I dont really care to pull one of those out to wash my car from 10 feet away. I dont think that I need alot of PSI it seems to me that GPM would be more important for car washing. For those of you with experience with the electric units have you guys found a benefit to more pressure or more water? I have been considering buying a new washer and keep talking myself out of it because the units with high pressure 1800+ and a high flow 1.8+ are pretty expensive, so in order to stay in budget it seems one of the two numbers suffers, so which one is the best to sacrifice?
A pressure washer's psi rating isn't the whole story (~ 2 GPM -1800 PSI) although it's the pressure that loosens dirt; it's the volume of water flow that washes the loose dirt away. And the amount of foam isn't necessarily the key to getting the paint surfaces clean, it's the constant flow of lubrication that the foam contains, which provides a barrier between the soil and the paint surface, this is also true of a wash concentrate and your mitt. Gallon per minute (GPM) water flow rate, not its pressure is what affects the aerated solution (foam), which is created via a venturi, the higher the velocity of the water through the lance, the greater the venturi effect, which creates the aerated solution. So flow rate, venturi valve setting will all affect the resultant foam output
The pressure washer provides to functions: pressure and water flow. The pressure component is intended to break the bond of the dirt/grime from the surface and then the water flow flushes it away. I think anything more than 1800 to 2000 psi is overkill for use on car paint and note then you use fan spray pattern that reduces the pressure at the surface as well so you really do not need that much pressure to safety remove debris without damaging the paint. To get dirt off the paint quickly, you will need water so GPM tends to be the more important variable. As an aside, what I have noticed is that the typical consumer electric pressure washers tend to run 2400 to 2900 cleaning units (multiply psi times gpm, an rough approximation for most purposes). If you notice, in this class if the pressure is higher, the gpm is lower. I have used only a couple so I cannot say a 1400psi/2GPM unit is significantly better than another rather for 2000psi/1.4 GPM (both equal cleaning units), I bet the spray wand pattern, actually pump performance, etc. will likely come into play. Also, there is a pump performance ceiling. You usually cannot get a pressure washer that has more than 2900 to 3000 cleaning units that runs on 15A or less. The prosumers in this class use 15A or more (Camspray) but to get more pressure/gpm from an electric you will end up with a 20A unit that would obviously need a 20A circuit (maybe not possible for some mobile detailers who use customer power). I am shopping again for a pressure washer myself since my gas one is a pain to use.
The actual formula is (GPM x PSI)/1714= HP the above work out to aprox 1.63hp so you need a 2hp motor to drive it, amperage draw goes up as pressure is increased. pretty much exactly what Bunky said but that's how it is calculated.
GPM is more important. I couldn't tell you how many pressure washers I've had over the years. I have three currently. 1. 1.4gpm / 1800psi electric Husky unit from Home Depot ($90). I use this as a backup to my other units. It has enough cleaning power to take car of pretty much anything the average guy would need but longevity is undetermined. 2. Kohler 2.5gpm / 2500psi gas unit. This is the one I use daily in my shop right now as it came out of my mobile unit. The psi at full throttle is a bit high so I use a tip that lowers pressure to around 1200. Capable of cleaning anything I will come across. 3. Custom built 3gpm / 3000psi electric unit. As with the gas unit, I use a different tip on the wand to lower the psi substantially. Nice thing about this unit is that it is a remote on unit. I can position it in a room at the back of my shop and turn it on via a remote switch in the bay. Once power is on, pull the trigger to start it and let go to shut it off. Having it in the back room means I don't hear it running. The downside to electric units is that there is no throttle control. With my gas unit, if I want to do something delicate, I can turn the throttle down and it will slow the flow rate of the water as well. You can't do that with an electric. The obvious downside to gas is the noise.
Some prosumer pressure washers like the Kranzle (the one Phil sells) have adjustable pressure settings but cannot say how it works. Phil could chime in on this.
I am definately going electric, and definately under 1800 psi, I would like to find a unit that has 2 or more gpm, but $300-400 is the max I have to spend.
Ken, Do you know anything about these guys Welcome to BE Pressure Washers | BE Pressure Washers ? They have an office in Abbotsford. I'm looking for a decent pressure washer in Canada and stumbled upon these Electric Powered | Be Pressure Supply
Can you share the build details on this unit? I've built gas units before, now I'm looking into an electric that's auto on/off, but there all so expensive. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
I'd have to pull it out and have a look. It was built a few years ago. All I know is that the electric motor is so heavy, two guys can barely lift the unit. I can get a smaller, 2000psi, 2gpm unit built for around $750.
They are sold in Home Depot out here. I typically use a place out here called Hi Pressure Equipment. They have built three pressure washers for me and I've been happy with all three - 2 gas and my big electric. What kind of budget are you working with?
Budget is somewhat open. I don't mind putting down a bit of coin for quality but at the same time I'm not making money detailing. I was reading about the AR610 that has been recommend here before, but can't seem to find them in Canada. So that would be a starting point...
Im interested in that one as well, but someone on Autopia noted it seemed pretty loud. I'd have to determine that for myself. Other than that, it looks like a great little unit, similar to the Camspray.
Well, my local home depot has some no-name electric 1400psi, 1.4GPM units for $50 right now...I got one to try out, and it is my first one, so I can not compare to anything, however I can say that it is PLENTY of power to clean even my Silverados wheel wells and all that sort. for $50, I am VERY pleased with what its showed me so far, and they also have another, 1800psi, 1.8GPM with adjustable detergent injection, etc. for $100...
