Introduction:
There is no doubt; a pressure washer is a magical invention in the cleaning sector. Mainly removing the stubborn solids from the car surface cleaning the driveways, cleaning the home outdoors, or other hard surfaces- this machine is just unbeatable!
However, the only fact about using this cute tool is that-its water consumption amount. People often think that pressure washers use lots of water, which impacts on the total water bill at the end of the month.
So really do pressure washers use a lot of water? Or not?
Before your next pressure washer use, Lets me know in detail clearly-
Do pressure washers use a lot of water?
Before discussing the main point. Let me ask you one question do you know what is the water consumption amount of your washer? Umm..let me guess! More or less all pressure washer use 1.5 gallons (2 to 4 almost) of water per minute (GPM).
Interestingly, A Mill Garden Hose Setup usage water is almost 8.5 gallons per minute. That means your regular garden hose pipe drinks almost 7 times more water than a pressure washer does! The amount difference is just horrible!
So why does the pressure washer uses less water to clean the surface compared with a garden hose? It’s all about the spray nozzle and the high-velocity forces generated during the water splash.
All pressure washer has an additional nozzle attachment at the end of the hose pipe. All these nozzles are much smaller than the garden hose opening. Moreover, a pressure washer uses an additional high force to spray the water even at a far distance. So altogether makes the cleaning efficient even at a lower water consumption as well.
Wait, the answer is not yet finished! The aforementioned GPM we said here is only for the average pressure washer, suitable for little to middle washing. But if you are using a high-powered pressure washer (might be for commercial usage), obviously it will consume more water than your typical garden hose setup.
Again if you compared the water measurement of your pressure washer with your bathtub, you will get an interesting feeling.
Normally as we say, a typical pressure washer uses 120 to 240 Gallons of water every hour. But your bathtub needs at least 80 gallons of water to fulfill it totally. So the 120 to 240 gallons of water used by the pressure washer per hour, can offer you 2 or 3 times baths a day.
If you use the high-powered pressure washer, the water consumption will be high accordingly. A high-end pressure washer can finish almost 8 GPM and 20 GPM per minute! Wait, don’t lose your sense! As for regular usage, we don’t need to use the high-powered pressure washer. So who cares if they used so much water?
So now you decide does your pressure washer uses too much water or not! Whether you will clean your home in 1 hour spending 120 to 240 gallons of water, or you will prefer manual cleaning instead of this. Using a pressure washer obviously will make the surface shiny in a less time compared with the manual cleaning.
How Much Water Does a Pressure Washer Use?
It totally depends on the GPM unit of your pressure washer. GPM which means Gallon Of Water Used per Minute. this unit is the whole thing that determines the water measurement while pressure washing. So the GPM is a variable unit, depending on the manufacturers and the brand of the machine.
The second important thing is the PSI. That is (pounds per square inch). This unit describes how much force is going to be on the water flow rate through the water spraying nozzle. So the high PSI means the machine will focus on its raw cleaning units, and also will focus on using more water usage.
Already we said abode a regular pressure washer usage 2 to 4 almost per minute. And the high-end pressure washer could consume almost 8 GPM 20 GPM per minute.
How to save water with a pressure washer:
If you don’t bother with the water consumption using a pressure washer, then this part is not for you. But as you are reading here, that means you also care more or less about the utility bill or water bill at the end of each month.
However, you can do some things to save water while pressure washing. Ultimately it will save money! Here we go-
Choose a Low GPM Unit:
A pressure washer with low GPM means, they will use less water to clean the surface. GPM below 3 is good in that case. The more GMP means more gallons of water! For lighter use, therefore go with the low gpm pressure washer.
Use Hot Water/ Hot Pressure Washer:
Did you ever clean your kitchen utensils using both cold and hot water? I often have to do it. However, hot water has a unique characteristic to invade the dirt, grease, and mud easily. Therefore this water can clean even the stubborn dirt just in a while.
Instead of using hot water in your pressure washer water inlet, you can use a hot pressure washer too. A hot washer cleans in a short time, therefore using less time compared with cold water.
Make a combination of pressure washing and manual washing:
Do not unnecessarily spray water when don’t need it. Some people thought the pressure washer is a toy, and water splashing is a matter of fun. This is just stupid fun. When you don’t need to spray the water, turn off your pressure washer. And it is better to do some manual cleaning. Use the garden hose pipe to remove the dislodged debris and mud from the surface.
FAQs
Is pressure washing a waste of water?
Depends on your cleaning intention and satisfaction level! I never think pressure washing is a waste of money. Try to focus on the cleaned surface you just cleaned using the washer, nothing will seem wasting in that case.
How much water does a pressure washer use in an hour?
A regular pressure washer uses 120 to 240 Gallons of water in an hour. If the pressure washer is high power, the amount will increase dramatically, 8 GPM 20 GPM per minute. Now calculate what will be the amount of consumed water in an hour for the high-end pressure washer.
What is the most common problem with pressure washers?
A cracked O-ring, dirty Spring, or Shaft thought to be the major problem come from a pressure washer. Butanother common problem with a pressure washer is, water consumption. A pressure washer consume too much water, which impacts badly on the water bill.
Finally,
That is all about Do pressure washers use a lot of water! Actually it is your concern how you take the water consumption amount by your pressure washer. If you think okay, I can carry the amount then it is okay.
Otherwise, if the water consumption really becomes your headache, you have to do the alternate.
