Correct Pressure Washer for your cleaning application

DOMESTIC – SEMI-PROFESSIONAL – COMMERCIAL – INDUSTRIAL  PRESSURE WASHERS!!!

There are so many different makes and models of Pressure Washers out on the market today, that as a buyer it can become very confusing as to what to purchase for your cleaning application and whether the Pressure Washer that you are getting is the right machine for the job.

So, with that being said I have tried to simplify the differences for you below: –

DOMESTIC PRESSURE WASHER:
A domestic Pressure Washer is for the home owner that only wants to use the machine every so often, say to clean their car or driveway. A domestic Pressure Washer is built for minimal use of 30 minutes to 1 hour a week. Most of the electric Pressure Washers have overloads in them, so if you use them for too long the motor over heats and shuts the unit down. Unfortunately, domestic pressure washers are not built to last and if you spend anywhere between $100 to $500 on a pressure washer, whether it is electric or petrol, it will usually last anywhere between 1 year to 3 years and then it is thrown out and replaced. Repairing domestic pressure washers unfortunately usually cost more to repair than replace them, even the accessories.

SEMI-PROFESSIONAL PRESSURE WASHER:
A semi-professional Pressure Washer is for the person or company that only wants a machine for odd jobs. They can usually be used a couple of hours a week, spread out over the course of the week and not all at the one time. Say a building company wants a pressure washer to clean up after they have finished a job, they would most likely purchase a direct drive (2800rpm) petrol pressure washer for this. I never recommend purchasing a semi-professional pressure washer for a company that is going to be using the machine every day for a few hours as unfortunately the pressure washer just won’t last and you would end up replacing the pressure washer within a couple of years.

COMMERCIAL PRESSURE WASHER:
A commercial Pressure Washer, whether it is a hot water pressure washer or just a cold water pressure washer is sold for odd jobs around a company. They can be used for a few hours a day, 5 days a week, but again this may be over doing it. These pressure washers are only built to last a few years and are offered as a cheaper option to an industrial pressure washer. I find that companies that sell pressure washers will usually offer an industrial pressure washer and a commercial pressure washer, as a commercial pressure washer will always be cheaper but will never last as long. If you are looking for a pressure washer that you can use 8 plus hours a day 5 to 7 days a week then I would steer clear of the commercial pressure washers and go straight for an industrial pressure washer.

INDUSTRIAL PRESSURE WASHER:
An industrial pressure washer is suppose to be built for all day and every day work and is suppose to last for quite a few years. These pressure washers are built to withstand this heavy work load, but unfortunately some companies sell commercial pressure washers as industrial pressure washers. Figuring out whether you are being quoted an industrial pressure washer and not a commercial pressure washer is very simple and is based upon price of the unit. For an example say you are after an industrial single phase, diesel heated hot water pressure washer and you receive a quote for around $3,000 to $5,000. In this instance this machine would be a commercial pressure washer as a true industrial pressure washer would be anywhere between $6,000 to $8,000 depending upon brand and model.

I always advise customers that I quote to never base a decision on price and sometimes it is hard, but if you purchase a commercial pressure washer for an industrial cleaning application you will end up spending MORE money on repairing and maintaining the pressure washer than you would have spending a little bit more and purchasing an industrial pressure washer.

Sometimes its not easy to justify spending a little bit more money on the correct pressure washer for the job, but I do recommend it, as it will save you a lot of money and loss of down time in the long run!!!

Back to Blog