Professional cleaning at a DIY level and price has helped pressure washers go beyond hiring expert cleaners and into local home improvement stores. Lower price tags and less maintenance explain why so many buyers choose an electric pressure washer. However, their gas machine counterparts hold roughly twice the cleaning power, which is the top reason there are fewer plug-in models at the big-box stores, where most pressure washers are sold.
Electric or Gas Pressure Washer?
Pressure washers use either a gas engine or electric motor, pump, and concentrating nozzle in order to expel water pressure as much as 60 times that of your garden hose. This allows them to blast away mildew, dirt, stains, and other grunge on your patio or deck that a hose can’t while cleaning everything more quickly and easily than with a scrub brush. You can buy a pressure washer for as little as $90 for electric machines and $300 for gas, making it a tempting alternative to renting one for $50 to $90 per day.
The More Power, The More Risk
Water pressure expelled out of pressure washers is typically measured in pounds per square inch (psi). Gas-powered models can push out 2,000 to 2,800 psi of pressure compared to the 1,300 to 1,700 psi out of electric models. Higher pressure of gas machines allows them to wash a dirty concrete patio three times faster than even the fastest electric models.