Maintaining and keeping your property clean is what every person strives for. Air pollution, mud, dirt, grass clippings, oil stains, and dirty shoes can leave the surfaces of walls, roofs, driveways, garage floors and any surface dirty, and make it difficult to clean. Normally you would use water, soap, detergents, some chemicals, and a lot of effort to achieve the degree of cleanliness that you want. When desired results still remain elusive, it is high time to look for a professional pressure washing company that can often make short work of the toughest of cleaning jobs.
How Does A Pressure Washer Work?
A pressure washer will create water jets that exert pressures of 1500 to 3000 psi which is 100 to 200 times the atmospheric pressure. Water has a slight electrical polarity in its molecules allowing it to stick to things. This combined with the chemicals in detergents breaks down grease and dirt. But some dirt may not easily budge, and this is where a pressure washer that uses a jet of high pressure cold or hot water can help to blast the dirt free of surfaces. The water is traveling at very high velocity because of this pressure, and the high kinetic energy that it has will act like tiny hammer blows to knock away the dust and dirt from surfaces. This high-pressure washing can harm the surface being cleaned, and it makes sense to test the pressures on surfaces in inconspicuous places, before carrying out any large scale cleaning operations.
A pressure washer is, in fact, a rather simple machine that has a water pump that derives its power from an electric motor. Its inlet takes in water from any source like a tap and then the pump converts it to the required pressure to allow it squirt out of a nozzle and hose which is attached to its outlet. Pumps can also be powered by engines, and these washers are useful for cleaning where power outlets may be difficult to come by.
Water inlets in pressure washers will have a filter to prevent dirt or debris entering, as this can clog up the washer. Water pumps are the heart of this cleaning equipment and are designed to handle water flows of 4 to 8 liters per minute. The hose attached to the outlet has to be capable of handling high pressures and is normally made of hose that is reinforced by wire mesh. It is important that hoses used should have a high safety margin that allows them to handle three times the pressure created.
A cleaning attachment is fixed to the hose, that allows the pressure washing to be diverted to the surfaces and areas that need cleaning. A trigger gun is the most common, as it allows you to let the water through only when the handle is depressed. You can also have cleaning attachments that give spinning wands or have a brush that rotates with the force of the water and facilitates the cleaning process. You can also have pressure washers that have heating elements that can heat the water. Others allow you to add detergents to the incoming water.
Pressure washing uses a lot of water, and you have to be careful to ensure that you can drain away the water quickly, otherwise, the entire area can become messy.
