The More Flow the Faster

• One of the biggest problems with power washing is the time involved. Washing an average-size driveway with a small power washer may take you the entire weekend. Most consumer grade power washers are one to three gallons per minute. The GPM or flow is a measurement of the amount of water that comes out the end of the wand within a minute. The flow is where the washing speed comes from. A bigger power washer like a four or five GPM will put out more flow, cutting the time involved in completing a project.
  
  

Controlling the Pressure

• Quality is always a concern when doing any exterior cleaning project. Nozzles are interchangeable tips that fit into the end of the power washing wand. Choosing the correct tip for the job is critical to doing quality work. Nozzles come in many different spray patterns and orifice sizes. The orifice or hole size will affect the amount of pressure that is being put out. A bigger hole in the nozzle will lessen the water pressure. For surfaces like vinyl siding or wood, a large orifice nozzle can be used to eradicate any high pressure damage.
  
  

Getting a Reach Advantage

• Moving the power washer every time you run out of pressure hose can be exhausting and time consuming. Lengths of pressure hose can be bought and coupled to each other to provide an extra reach advantage. Neither flow nor pressure will be sacrificed with lengths of hose up to 150-250 feet. Many contractors have this length of hose so their power washer can remain in one spot while they complete a cleaning job.
  
  

A Chemical Applying Tool

• A chemical injector is a device that is connected to the pressure hose just after the power washer pump. It has a chemical hose that is placed into whatever chemical or cleaner is being used. When the nozzle on the wand is switched to a very low pressure nozzle, or soap nozzle as it's known, a vacuum is created, drawing chemicals and injecting them into the water stream. This is an effective method for applying cleaning agents to a surface just before washing. It will eliminate the use of a pump up sprayer or other less effective methods.
  
  

Using a Surface Cleaner

• Cleaning concrete can be a tedious task. A surface cleaner is a tool that can replace a washing wand. This useful tool, depending on the diameter, can clean a much larger section of concrete than a fan-shaped nozzle. Looking like a floor buffer, it cleans anywhere from a 12- to 48-inch path with one pass. The operator pushes it back and forth just like mowing a lawn and can clean concrete much faster than with a fan nozzle and wand.