How to choose high pressure car washes? Important features!

Pressure washers are useful devices that are very difficult to do without if you want to keep your car, your garage and home always clean. The savings are obvious - having such a device at home, you can forever refuse to visit paid car washes. And if you also buy a steam generator, you can dry-clean the interior at any time.

High pressure washers are widely used:

• at car services - with their help, both cars and the room itself are washed;
• cleaning companies thanks to them can bring the facade of the building to its original state;
• in agriculture - for cleaning stables or cowsheds, for washing agricultural raw materials, and so on.

If you choose this device exclusively for your own use, the question will immediately arise before you - how to choose a high-pressure car wash? The choice on the market is simply huge, and the number of very different characteristics can drive an unprepared buyer into a dead end.

Main characteristics

The products of the German concern Karcher are the most popular.

In the description of the car wash you will find the following parameters:

• power;
• performance;
• pressure.

Based on these characteristics, they are divided into series:

• 1-2 series - low-power products that are suitable for infrequent use, with its help it will be very difficult to wash even a compact class car;
• 3-4 series - designed for regular washing, they can be used several times a week, suitable for washing a small hatchback or sedan of classes A, B, C;
• 5, 6, 7 series - they can already be called semi-professional, having such a device, you can easily wash not only a dirty full-size SUV, but also, for example, an awning of a truck that came from a flight or a passenger bus.

If you want to open your own business, then you will need a professional car wash. Its cost will be appropriate (from 90-100 thousand rubles), but its parameters will be indicative:

• power - 7-10 kW;
• productivity - 900-1200 liters of water per hour;
• pressure - 200-300 bar.

They must be used exclusively for their intended purpose - it is forbidden to direct the jet of water at animals or people, since the soft tissues of the body may not withstand it.

The best option for home use would be a sink with the following characteristics:

• power - 1,7-2,1 kW;
• pressure - 120-160 bar;
• productivity - up to 500 liters.

Such a device is quite enough to easily wash 2-3 cars once a week, which is an excellent choice for a modern middle-class family. If you have only one car and you do not plan to buy another yet, then you can choose a car wash with even less power. In any case, consultants in Karcher branded stores should explain everything in detail.

More options

Each car wash has a limited resource of work. Duration largely depends not only on the main parameters, but also on additional ones. Let's consider them in more detail.

Pump, pump

In the simplest devices, the pump is made of plastic, and if it works out its resource or breaks during operation, it has to be completely replaced. The cost of this unit often reaches 60-70% of the price of the entire car wash.

In more expensive versions, the pump is made of a special aluminum alloy - silumin. It is clear that they will last much longer and at the same time silumin pumps are collapsible, subject to repair.

An even more reliable, but also the most expensive option is brass. Professional devices are equipped with just such pumps, they are able to provide a long service life.

Pay attention to one important point. The duration of continuous operation of the engine is strictly limited - from 20 minutes to one hour. Accordingly, do not keep the device constantly turned on, as the motor will overheat and eventually burn out.

Water intake method

Another important feature. Simple sinks work directly from the water supply. More advanced versions can pump water from tanks, however, there are some peculiarities here:

• some models will start pumping water only if the hose and entrails are filled with liquid;
• professional ones pump water from any container or even from reservoirs, you just need to make sure that the internal filters are not clogged, and the length of the hose is enough.

To take water from the tank, you need to follow the instructions: select a hose of the desired diameter and lower it into the water to the specified depth.

filters

In theory, an internal filter should be enough for you, however, if you are going to pump liquid from a well, then you cannot do without additional filter elements. They can come as a set or sold separately.

An additional filter is a cartridge nozzle that is screwed directly onto the hose and put on in front of the water inlet. The filter absorbs both mechanical and organic impurities, which can lead to the formation of rust or limescale.

Optional Accessories

There is a wide range of accessories:

• foam nozzles - with its help you can apply car shampoo to the car body;
• mud mill - increases the pressure of the jet, great for flushing dirt out of wheel arches or sills;
• nozzle brushes - for washing with low pressure.

Also choose the right hose. Usually the kit comes with a hose 4-7 meters long, but it may not be enough to wash a truck. The instructions indicate what maximum hose length this device is designed for.

How to choose a mini sink Karcher K2 - K7 / How to choose a pressure washer [Karcher Channel 2015]

Loading…