Can I use an expandable hose with a pressure washer? The short answer is-till you are using the expandable hose to connect the water inlet of the pressure washer, yes you can use it. But it cannot use for the connectors between the pressure water outlet and the spray gun.
An expandable hose could help your pressure washer to get the water supply even from a far water line or garden faucet. But you cannot expect more with this garden hose when you are particularly using a pressure washer!
Do you want to know the details? Here we go with-
Can I Use Expandable Hose With a Pressure Washer?
It’s a repeated question often I face, ‘Can I use an expandable hose with a pressure washer? The answer is, you can, but not for water spraying purposes. Let me make you clear, in the pressure washer water inlet, you can use an expandable hose connection from your water supply line.
But in the water pressure outlet, you cant do it. As water spraying is done with a huge pressure like-2,700-3,400 PSI. This huge pressure cannot go with the expandable hose pipe. An expandable hose pipe only can take a pressure of around 200PSI.
So despite this, if you use the expandable hose as a pressure washer hose, your garden hose surely will die! As it cannot the huge pressure, so it will burst and become useless for any usage.
The main feature of the Pressure washer hose is, it can withstand even the high PSI, we just described above! And the garden hose or the expandable hose -what you want to address- cannot take even 10th of this pressure.
Even the conventional hose or the commercial hose-no one can bear this high pressure! Only a pressure hose can take this high load, and therefore it is safe and efficient. You must notice that pressure washer hoses are not pliable as the garden hose. These hoses are strong, rigid, solid, stiffer, and thicker, unlike garden hoses!
Another important matter is the warranty or guarantee! The manufacturer of your pressure washer may have pointed to avoiding the use of regular garden hoses or expandable hoses. So if you want to get the warranties from their product you have to mandatorily follow the clause they have given with their product.
I can give you a hundred percent assurance, no manufacturer will allow you to use an expandable hose with their pressure washer.
When this hose will burst, not only it will tendering towards a useless pipe! It also can severely damage your pressure washer and can spoil your cleaning process. That’s why all manufacturers want to prohibit these hose usage with their products.
Another problem with conventional hose pipes is the hard storage spacing! But even a 50-feet of pressure washer hose only will be a fraction of the total space, a garden hose with the same measurement may take. Pressure washers, even though the collapsible hoses also take up a compact space.
So my suggestion is, to use the stainless steel fitting to supply the water from the water gun. Both the Hose nozzles &any other Hose fittings could get a long life span with the stainless steel fittings.
Instead of plastic pipe/fittings-steel fittings are more expensive, but more durable too! Whereas s plastic pipe will lead you to the frequent screwing and unscrewing process, a stainless steel pipe will save you from all such issues.
What Kind Of Garden Hose Should I Use With the Pressure Washer
Do you know the most common garden hose diameter? It is supposed to be 3/4 inches. The expert suggestion is to use the 1 ΒΌ inches diameter garden hose with the pressure washer. This pressure washer can withstand almost a 2000 PSI.
So you can easily use this pipe for watering or any other purpose in your garden. This pipe will keep you safe from any unwanted kink (as these are kink resistant). Also, this pipe will protect your plant to blow out toward your neighbor’s yard!
3/4 inches garden hose only can take 500PSI. These pipes are bigger comparatively, if you feel the shorter garden hose won’t handle your watering then you can use the 3/4 inches. In that case, though you won’t get the highest flexibility or knick resistance, it also does your job.
What Manufacturers Say
Interestingly no manufacturer recommends using an expandable water hose with their pressure washer. Instead of the expandable water hose, they recommend a more flexible water hose so that these hoses can withstand high pressure.
But as an expandable hose is a great means to supply the water to your water pressure inlet, I do not find any big reason why you cannot use this hose to be the outer connector of the water supply to your water pressure.
If you think you will follow the manufacturer’s guidelines precisely, yes you can avoid it. And can use it as a normal plastic pipe in your garden.
FAQs:
Can you use any water hose with a pressure washer?
If you can use the expandable hose with your pressure washer as the water supplier in between the garden faucet and the pressure washer inlet. A good water hose also you can use for the same purpose. Just be sure you are not using this pipe to connect the spray sprayer with the pressure washer outlet.
Do I need a special hose for a pressure washer?
Special means-you have to use such a replacement pressure hose that can withstand the high PSI. These are steel made, with a highly rigid structure. These special hoses never will kink and curl like any conventional garden hose. Also, they are not pliable too.
The Final Say:
All that to say against the question of -Can I use an expandable hose with a pressure washer is, yes you can! But you have to know for which purpose you are using this hose! If it is only to connect the water supply in between the garden faucet to the pressure washer inlet-than it is okay.
But more than this, it will burst the pipe, and hamper the water gun spraying nozzle attachment. So do not use a conventional hose or a garden hose to the water outlet of your pressure washer.
Still, to connect the garden faucet to the pressure washer inlet, one of the best collapsible garden hoses is our recommendation.
That’s all. Good Luck!
