At Hotsy Minnesota, we put a lot of importance on making sure our customers have selected the best pressure washer to suit their needs. With dozens of models of pressure washer to choose from, you might struggle to narrow down which one is right for you.
Cleaning doesn't have to be difficult, and it's made a lot easier with the right pressure washer. You wouldn't ask someone to use a screwdriver on a nail, nor would you clean up large grease spills with a rag. So to help assess your needs, we're going to consider a few things.
First, you will want to consider how often your pressure washer will be used. Reliability is important in all pressure washers, but one or two projects a year don't always necessitate the biggest options available. You should also take into consideration the types of surfaces you will need to be cleaning, and the scale of those projects. If you need the pressure washer for your home, or if it's going to be for a commercial operation. That should give you a good baseline as we enter into the types of pressure washers.
There are two main types of pressure washers, gas/diesel and electric. Don't worry, we'll break down both types of pressure washer to help your decision.
Electric pressure washers are one of the most popular types of pressure washer. They come in a variety of options and can be stationary or portable. The biggest features of going electric are:
Other points to consider with electric pressure washers is that they don't produce any harmful emissions, so you can use them indoors with no emissions. Because of that they are also more environmentally friendly than the gas alternatives. Electric pressure washers also tend to be quieter than gas powered washers because of the electric motor.
Electric pressure washers are also the best option if you are looking for a stationary unit inside of a wash bay. They are versatile, but well suited for lighter tasks like washing cars.
Our best selling portable electric pressure washer is the Hotsy 795.
For washbays or stationary customers, we recommend the Hotsy 1400.
Gas pressure washers are the perfect companion for an outdoor job. With portable, skid, or trailer options, you can put your pressure washer where you need it.
Gas pressure washers also have the most amount of mobile options. Making them a standout for a tough industrial cleaning job.
If you want to be able to clean anywhere any time, we would recommend the Gas Engine Series.
For the toughest jobs, look no further than our Super Skid HSS.
Something you will see a lot of with pressure washers is GPM and PSI, while they might not be key in helping you pick out a pressure washer, understanding the acronyms is a useful tool.
GPM stands for Gallons Per Minute, it's a measure of the overall flowrate of the pressure washer. Lower GPM is going to be more water efficient and designed for lighter cleaning applications.
PSI is Pounds Per Square Inch, it's a measure of the overall pressure output of your pressure washer. A lower PSI is usually fine for cleaning vehicles, but higher PSI will be great for destroying grease and oil stains.
There are also different nozzle types to consider for your cleaning application. The angle of the nozzle can change the PSI of the water coming out of the hose. We'll give an example of two types of nozzles to help give you an idea of the applications.
A 0-degree hose is going to be a direct stream of high pressure water coming out of the gun. It will be great for hard to clean surfaces that other methods can't do.
A 40-degree hose is going to direct the stream to be wider, causing a lower pressure output. This would be ideal for washing dirt off of a car, or cleaning a large space.
The final thing you should consider is whether or not you will be using detergent. For example, here in Minnesota when the salt builds up on the roads it can stick to vehicles. We have a specialty detergent designed by River Technologies to neutralize the negative effects of salt build up on vehicles, it's been a huge hit in Mankato! Conveniently named Salt Neutralizer.
Armed with the knowledge of pressure washers, you should now be able to make an informed decision about what will work for you. However, our trained specialists are available to help you out if you still need. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask us for assistance.
