A HISTORY OF PRESSURE/POWER WASHING

A pressure washer is a mechanical sprayer that uses high-pressure water to clean and remove mold, mildew, algae, rust, oil, mud, paint drops, and grass stains from almost any cement, concrete or other hard cleanable surface.

Just as a garden hose nozzle is used to increase the out flowing dynamic pressure of the liquid, a pressure washer adds its own power to force high-dynamic pressure. The power behind the pressure washer is a motor which directly drives a water pump. The pump does not draw more water from the spicket (or water source) to which the washer is connected than that source can provide; therefore, the water supply must be adequate for a given machine to be connected to it. The water flow must be equal or superior to that of the pressure washer, so that the pump is never starved, which can damage it.

Pressure washers have been around for many years. There have been changes made to the washer itself that have made it more popular over the years. Some of the first pressure washers were created and commercialized in the 60's and 70's. At that time however, pressure washers did not have the same power as they do today. They also did not do the variety of jobs as today's pressure washers. It was because of the limited functions of the pressure washer that many were not investing in them.

Over the years as technology improved more and more people saw the potential in the pressure washer as an aid in the cleaning industry. After several changes we have the pressure washer that you see today. Over time the term 'pressure washing' has also undergone changes and become known by other expressions such as: pressure cleaning, power cleaning, power washing, high power pressure washing, hot water pressure cleaning, hot water pressure washing, high pressure steam cleaning and the like. The pressure washer that is being sold today can be found in hardware stores and in some department stores (mainly cold water pressure washers). There are certain hardware stores however that sell only a certain brand name of power washer. Certain brand names of pressure washers are better than others and this is something you should keep in mind when buying a pressure washing machine. Hot water pressure washers are most likely to be found thru commercial outlets. If you are not sure what type of washer you need it is always a good idea to ask a customer service representative before you make your purchase.

Pressure washers are used for a variety of things. Power washing equipment can be used for both residential cleaning as well as for commercial cleaning purposes. When used for residential cleaning purposes, power washers can remove loose dirt from the exterior wall or siding of a home, remove dark algae and green/yellow mildew stains from tile roofs, remove mildew and algae stains from stucco walls, remove stubborn rust and oil stains from concrete sidewalks, pool decks and drive ways and pretty much clean any and all hard scape surfaces around your property as well as clean wooden, vinyl and metal patio furniture. Commercial pressure washer cleaning also has various uses. Commercial rated pressure cleaning equipment can be used for cleaning anything from large parking lots to large tilt up buildings and anything in between.
Several different types of nozzles are available, each useful for a particular application. Some nozzles cause the water flow to be ejected in a triangular plane, while others emit a pencil-thin jet of water, which spirals around rapidly. Most nozzles attach directly to the wand which is attached to the trigger gun.

Some pressure washers, in combination with a particular nozzle, allow detergent to be introduced into the water stream, assisting in the cleaning process. The beauty of using a hot water pressure washer (as opposed to a cold water pressure water) is that the hot water pressure washer has a diesel burning boiler built into it that heats up the water to well over 200 degrees. Because hot water has far more cleaning power than even some chemicals, it is the hot water coming out of the nozzle that eliminates the need of using chemicals, thus reducing harm to the environment.
Pressure washers are dangerous tools and should be operated with due regard to safety instructions. The water pressure near the nozzle is powerful enough to strip flesh from bone. Objects in the water supply can be ejected from the nozzle at great velocities. The cleaning process can propel objects from the surface being cleaned, also at great velocities. Pressure washers have a tendency to break up asphalt if aimed directly at it due to high pressure water entering cracks and voids in the surface.
Some have the misconception that pressure washers can be used for rain gutter cleaning and window washing. Unless you are using a pressure washer that is putting out a very, very, low amount of pressure (which is rare) it is not recommended to use this type of equipment for this type of cleaning. The reason is that the force generated by your average pressure washing machine can easily crack and break windows; and as far as cleaning rain gutters is concerned, pressure washers are made to be used in close proximity to where you are cleaning, which is roughly a 4' to 6' reach depending upon the length of the wand. Rain gutters are usually at minimum 10' high (one story house) to as high as 30' high (2nd story house), which means that to reach a rain gutter with a pressure washer would require that an individual work off a ladder in order to get close to the area he/she is cleaning. The recoil (kick back) after pulling the trigger of the pressure washer gun could very well be enough to knock the person off the ladder. So cleaning rain gutters using a high pressure washer can be very unsafe, not to mention messy, as the pressure coming out of the nozzle is so strong (from 2500 PSI up to 5000 PSI in some machines) that it will blow dirt, leaves and other debris out of the gutter and scatter it over a large area making a much greater mess to clean up.

Another misconception (though some companies still do it) is removing cob webs from the exterior walls of homes and buildings using a pressure washer. Cob webs by their nature are very sticky. If a pressure washer is used to attempt to remove cob webs, the water from the pressure washer, instead of removing or blowing the cob webs away, will cause the cobweb to stick to the stucco, brick, wood or other surface making it very difficult to remove the cobwebs. We have a simple technique (a trick of the trade) for removing any cob webs prior to pressure washing a structure: We use a long extension pole with a vacuum hose attached to it and vacuum the cobwebs before pressure washing or we simply sweep the exterior structure with a ball brush attached to a long extension, then proceed to power wash the wall. Having nearly 25 years experience in the cleaning industry and nearly that much time working with pressure washing machines, we recommend that if you are dealing with some stubborn stains on your hardscape that you feel cannot be cleaned, do not resign yourself to the thought that it is time to replace. The answer to your problems may very well be a PRESSURE WASHING! Call a reliable pressure washing cleaning company for some free advice and maybe save yourself some money.