Are you making MORE work for yourself by buying an inexpensive vacuum? Cheaper vacuums do not have the HEPA or redundant filtration that a quality vacuum possesses. Therefore, the vacuum releases a LOT of dust back into the air, which not only is unhealthy but covers all of your furniture, walls, windows, etc. with a layer of dust. The Karcher line of commercial grade vacuums will not only pick up what your old vacuum has left behind, but their commercial grade motors will last many times longer than a consumer duty unit. They are also VERY light weight and easy to use!
Commercial Vacuums
February 16th, 2010Tip #1 Finding the Right PSI and GPM
February 10th, 2010To find a machine that best suits your application the two things you must consider is the gallons per minute (GPM) and the pressure per square inch (PSI). Factoring in both of these will ensure that you will get the best cleaning performance from a machine that you purchase. PSI is the number that most people look at when purchasing a pressure washer but GPM is just as important and is often overlooked.
The GPM is other known as the amount of water being projected towards a surface. The GPM can also be referred to as the flushing power used to clean a surface. This flushing power is used to get rid of heavy solids that might consist of dirt, clay, manure or any other large particles. An easy way to think of GPM is the water that comes out of your garden hose; there is a lot of flow but not a great deal of pressure.
Then there is the PSI that a pump can produce, the PSI is the pressure that is forced on or into a surface when cleaning. The more PSI you have the more aggressive your spray against a surface will be. Without PSI water would just fall onto a surface and not cut any dirt or grime but if you have too much pressure and it is not used correctly you can cause damage to the surface being cleaned. For instance many metal cutting companies will use machines that produce 10,000 psi at low amount of GPM to seamlessly cut through 2 inches of metal. If you were to use too much pressure on a surface such as concrete it will take off what we call the skim coat that give concrete its smoothness on the surface. If you use too much pressure on a wooden deck it will cause the water to cut into the surface and the wood would splinter.
In most situations the more PSI and GPM you have will determine how fast your cleaning project will go. If you are a commercial cleaner that uses the machine everyday and all day long you would want as much PSI and GPM that you could get that won’t exceed what your water supply puts out. On the other hand, if you are a residential user that only uses a power washer a couple times a year then a larger machine wouldn’t be needed unless you want to get your cleaning projects completed fast or want to have a little bit bigger then that pesky neighbor that has every tool imaginable.
Make sure when choosing a power washer you look into both the GPM and PSI. Many brands will solely advertise the PSI that a power washer has and 9 times out of 10 is going to be over rated to the actual pressure that it produces. In addition, when you see a machine that is rated with higher psi then more than likely they reduced the GPM of the pump to produce more PSI. Like stated before the GPM of a machine is just as important as the PSI, a machine that produces 4 GPM will clean two or more times faster than a machine that produces 2 GPM. So if you still don’t know what the best machine for you might be see chart below.
| PSI | GPM | User | Applications |
| 1000-1800 | 2.0-2.4 | Homeowner/light duty | Cars, boats, patios, gutters |
| 1900-3000 | 2.2-3.0 | Homeowner/heavy duty | Houses, farm equipment, pools, sidewalks, truck fleets, steel buildings, driveways |
| 3100-5000 | 3.0-5.0 | Commercial Use | Industrial, heavy grease, large particles, stubborn stains in concrete, removing algae, stripping paint |
For many commercial and industrial users it may also be necessary to use a machine that creates its own hot water in order to breakdown the bond that greases, oils and road films make to a surface.
If you feel that your power washer is not doing the best job on a given application there is a good possibility that it isn’t the right machine to use for your cleaning job. Before you go out and purchase a new machine consider the fact that using a cleaning detergent or a specific accessory can not only speed up the cleaning process but also provide for a better result in the end.
Delta Shopmaster/ DeVilbiss Pressure Washers
February 5th, 2010If you were unfortunate enough to have purchased a Delta brand “Shopmaster” model or Devilbiss 5 or 5.5 h.p. Honda powered pressure washer, you have or WILL experience a loss of pressure at some point. There are several models that used the same pumps, but the affected machines will have a plastic shroud or cover around the entire pump area. These machines were sold by Home Depot, and maybe some other “Big Box” stores. The bad news is that there are NO REPAIR PARTS available for these units. The pump cannot be fixed in any way. Also, the engine shafts on these Hondas were cut down by Honda at the request of the pressure washer manufacturers so that there is no other application that these engines can be used for (i.e. a go cart, log splitter, lawn mower, etc.). The only thing that you can do with these units that makes sense is to put a different brand pump on them. We have available a replacement pump made by Giant that is much better quality than the OEM pump and has replacement parts available. These are $225 plus S & H.
Pressure Washer Specials
January 12th, 2010WMPCS now has 13 refurbished pressure washers in stock from 5-13 h.p. priced from $295-$795. These will not last long as they are in great shape and fully warranted!
Winterizing Pressure Washers
October 27th, 2009Now that the cold weather is upon us, it is time to think about protecting your equipment from freezing. You MUST protect EVERY pressure washer from sub-freezing conditions or the consequences can be VERY expensive! If you have a cold water machine, your pump head may freeze and crack and if you have a hot water machine, you have the additional concern that your heating coil can freeze and break. In either case, this is a very expensive mistake. It is highly recommended that you purchase a 16 oz. bottle of “Pump Guard”. This not only protects your pump from freezing, it also protects your internal aluminum parts from oxidation caused by non-use. Please contact us w/ any questions. Click on the following link for directions on how to use “Pump Guard” or if you want to purchase this product.
http://www.wmpcs.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=45_53&products_id=285
What is the purpose of a Surface Cleaner
October 27th, 2009Whether it is in residential, commercial or industrial cleaning, it is all about getting the job done right and done fast! Using standard fan spray nozzles can become very tedious and in many applications can leave the finished job with imperfections and flaws due to the intensity of the concentrated spray of a fan nozzle. This is the reason the flat surface cleaner has become an industry leading accessory to purchase to cut time and leave you feeling satisfied with the finished project.
Not only can a surface cleaner can cut your time by over 50% on any flat area surface cleaning job, but it also keeps dirt and debris from being blown on windows, siding or areas that aren’t intended to be wet, this can reduce clean up time after the project is complete and prevent damage caused by high pressure water. Also, with keeping the spray under the plastic housing the operator stays clean and dry there is nothing worse than being soaking wet while trying to power wash.
See some of the applications and benefits of using a surface cleaner:
- Driveways, sidewalks, tennis courts
- 75% Faster than using a traditional fan spray nozzle, concentrated spray under the plastic housing keeps dirty water and debris from being sprayed in areas that are already cleaned or not intended to be wet.
- Natural wood decks, plastic or trek decking
- 50% Faster than using a traditional fan spray nozzle, avoids damaging wood or creating what we call “Zebra Stripping” where deck boards are un-evenly cleaned and the surface of the deck boards are damaged. Keeps debris from being sprayed onto sliding glass doors, windows, plants and shrubs.
Hot water vs. Cold water Pressure Washer
January 15th, 2009There is a substantial difference between hot water pressure washers and cold water pressure washers when it comes to both the quality of cleaning and the price. If you are a homeowner and your power washer is going to be used for residential projects such as the driveway, house, deck, patio then a cold-water pressure washer is the way to go. Not only is a cold water pressure washer going to be an affordable option but is also going to be the most convenient. If you have a stubborn cleaning job most of the time a cleaning detergent can be used in the aid of cleaning. We offer detergents for any different cleaning application so you are going to want to make sure that you purchase the correct one or you might run into problems. One thing that people ask a lot is can I run hot water through my cold water pressure washer, simply the answer is no! I will go into further detail of that some other time. On the other hand hot water pressure washers do have their benefit over cold-water machines for specific cleaning applications.
If you are trying to clean oil, grease, road film, tar or any other sticky, nasty substance then there is no other option other than hot water. The way I look at it is, would you put a greasy pan into a dishwasher that only used cold water and expect it to come clean? Well, of course not, so why would you expect to remove a stubborn substance like grease with a cold water pressure washer? Not only is a hot water pressure washer going to clean better but it is also going to clean faster. If you are a business owner and are paying someone to power wash equipment for you more than twice a week it is understandable that hot water is the way to go. All of the hot water pressure washers that we sell are very efficient and can easily pay themselves off over a short period of time. Once you use a hot water pressure washer there is no going back to cold.
Why buy a reconditioned pressure washer?
January 15th, 2009Why are so many power washers that are offered over the Internet reconditioned compared to new?
The major benefit to purchasing a reconditioned power washer compared to that of a new one is the lower cost and most people on the Internet are shopping to find the best price. Reconditioned pressure washers are priced to sell and are just as good of quality to that of a new one.
Why are there so many reconditioned pressure washers available?
Reconditioned pressure washers come from big box stores (outlet stores), these are the machines that are returned and then have to be sent back to the company as defective. In the reconditioning process we find that about 95% of the machines had nothing wrong with them and about 40% of those machines are brand new and never have been used. A majority of these machines are purchased by a customer to do a small cleaning project around their home and then returned after the project is complete. Most of the machines that are like new that are returned are missing a accessory in the box, so in order to get a missing item the customer then has to return the machine and get a new one that has all of the accessories in the box.
What is the reconditioning process?
After the machines are returned to the factory, each machine is taken out and inspected. Pressure washers that have more then 10 hours on the motor are discarded to be used as parts, the machines do not come standard with hour meters but we can tell the use of the machine by the tint on the muffler. The machines that pass the first test are then tested and if there is anything defective on the machine the part is replaced with a new part and then re-tested and approved to be re-sold.
What are the benefits other then price to purchasing a reconditioned pressure washer?
Other then getting a better price on a quality machine that you would usually pay a higher price for a reconditioned machine has other benefits. Our company offers a full one year warranty on reconditioned pressure washers compared to other companies that only offer a 30 day limited warranty on the same machines. You can also sleep well knowing that a certified Karcher technician tested and went through the entire machine before approving it to be re-sold, unlike the new machines that aren’t tested before leaving the factory.
See our full line of recondtioned pressure washers
Direct Drive vs. Belt Drive
January 15th, 2009There are many options out there when purchasing pressure washers, one of the questions that we get from people looking to purchase a pressure washer is what the difference is between a direct drive pump and a belt drive pump. It comes down to how much you are going to be using the machine, if you are a home owner and looking to use it a couple times a year and only a 3 to 4 hours at a time then going with a direct drive pump would be the answer. On the other hand, if you are using the pressure washer in a commercial or industrial application where the machine will be run all day for some projects and you have the budget to spend a little more then, the belt drive pump is the machine to purchase.
A “Direct Drive” pump has a hollow shaft, which simply slides onto the drive shaft of a motor or engine. The flange on the pump is mounted to the face of the engine or shaft end of the motor. Normal gasoline engine speed is about 3450 RPM. Since the pump is connected directly to the engine shaft, the pump rpm is the same as the engine rpm. Electric motors typically will turn a direct drive pump at 3450 RPM or 1725 RPM. Direct drive pumps allow for a more compact designed pressure washer. Another advantage is that this drive system is simple, with fewer moving parts; therefore less expensive. The disadvantage is by having the pump spin as much as the engine or motor, the bearings and other parts get more wear and tear, reducing the life span of the pump. Direct drive pressure washers transfer the vibration of the engine or motor directly to the pump. Also, the faster pumps of direct drive pressure washers are spinning so fast that they cannot draw water from a tank or lake very well. They tend to work just fine when the water is forced into the pump (like when it is hooked-up to a hose from a house).
Benefits of Direct Drive:
-Compact Design
-Lower Acquisition Cost
Disadvantages of Direct Drive:
-Reduced Life Span
-Tri-axle direct drive pumps cannot draw water form a tank or standing water
Direct Drive Karcher HD 4.0/36
A “Belt Drive” pump has a pulley mounted to its solid shaft and is driven by one or more belts that are attached to a pulley on the motor or engine. The pulley system allows these pumps to turn at a much lower RPM than a direct drive pump (typically 900-1400 RPM). The belt drive pump crankcase has a larger oil capacity. This, combined with the lower RPM of the belt drive pump, allows the pump to run much cooler than a direct drive pump. The pump is isolated from the heat of the engine or motor, also. Belts and pulleys also absorb vibration, reducing pump fatigue. Because of these factors, most heavy use pressure washer applications will demand a belt drive pump. The disadvantage of this system is there is some loss of efficiency due to the additional friction from the belts and pulleys. Plus there is more maintenance required adjusting the belts. However, all other things being equal, the belt drive system should provide for
the longest pump life.
Benefits of Belt Drive:
-Vibration Absorption
-Pump spins at a lower RPM
-Low operating temperature
-Pump will have a longer life span
Disadvantages of Belt Drive:
-Higher cost
-Heavier machine platform
Welcome
January 14th, 2009This is the West Michigan Power Cleaning Systems informational site, this site is designed to give you a better understanding on how to buy pressure washer equipment, solutions to your cleaning solutions and general conversation about power washing.
