How to Pressure Wash Concrete Driveway
How to properly pressure wash your driveway? Pressure washing can be done by anyone and requires little to no skills. However, choosing the right equipment will make a big difference. After years and years of testing Doc will show you the best power washing equipment and accessories that make the job easy.
Pressure Washing Driveway Video
Driveway Pressure Washing Equipment
PICK AND ADD TO YOUR CART
When you click on the items below a new window will open. Add the items to your Amazon cart and then close the window. Do this for all items you MIGHT want. When done, go back to Amazon and view your cart and make your final decisions. It’s important to match the right accessories with the right units.
Pressure Washer Choice #1
Click the picture to see on Amazon.
Surface Cleaners – MUST HAVE
Pressure Washer FAQ and INFO
If you let your pressure washer run for longer than 2 minutes at a time it will enter into bypass mode. This means that the water inside of the pump is continually flowing and heating up. When your pump is too hot it will cause damage and can potentially crack. To prevent the pump from over-heating, SIMPSON is equipped with a thermal relief valve (safety feature only) that will release hot water when the pump becomes too hot. Be sure to turn off your machine if you take breaks longer than 3 minutes.
How they work.
Pressure washers use pumps to amplify water pressure. Choose from electric pressure washers or those powered by gas.
Pressure washer pumps have two connection points for low and high pressure. The low-pressure connection (IN) is threaded to accept a standard garden hose. The high-pressure connection (OUT) accepts a pressure washer hose (typically M22 threaded or 3/8-inch QC) that connects to a hand-held pressure washer wand.
A pressure washer pump is the most important component of your pressure washer.
- Axial pumps, best used for small jobs around the house, are easy to use and require little maintenance.
- Triplex pumps, ideal for daily or frequent use, need to be maintained but can be repaired to ensure years of quality performance.
- Interchangeable nozzles control the wand’s spray pattern. Most pressure washers include wands that use a 1/4-inch quick connect system.
Tip: It’s recommended that you apply a pump protector after every use. Pump protectors will lubricate your pump’s seals and prevent the buildup of corrosive minerals and ice.
Effective Cleaning Formula
Cleaning Units (CU) is the result of multiplying the PSI by the GPM. Cleaning units gives us a measurement of machine performance (efficiency) to compare one pressure washer to another.
Example:
Pressure washer A has 3000 PSI and 2.0 GPM = 6000 Cleaning Units
Pressure washer B has 2000 PSI and 3.0 GPM = 6000 Cleaning Units
The difference? The rinsing power is greater in pressure washer B than the stripping power. Meaning, Pressure washer B will clean (rinse dirt away) faster than pressure washer A. Although the CU is the same in both pressure washers, the higher the GPM, the faster the job will be finished.
PSI vs GPM
How much PSI and GPM are required to get your job done properly and efficiently? The cleaning efficiency of a pressure washer is calculated using the formula (PSI x GPM). This simple equation yields E.C.U. which stands for “effective cleaning units” this value is an excellent proxy for the true cleaning power of a pressure washer. Most people only consider pressure and disregard the equally important GPM component of the pressure washer pump.
Pressure is expressed in pounds per square inch (PSI) and describes how much water pressure per square inch the unit delivers to the surface being cleaned. PSI is important to break the bond between dirt or grime and the surface. Some bonds are much more difficult to break than others.
The water volume, also known as the GPM of the unit, is measured in gallons per minute. The GPM is the amount of water being applied to the surface being cleaned. This is also referred to as the “flow rate”. The GPM of the washer is critical to the time it takes to clean a surface. With a sufficient PSI for bond breaking a washer with a higher GPM will take far less time to clean than a lower GPM unit.
