Knowing how a pressure washer works will help you make the best decision if you are thinking of buying one to use at home or work.  Water flows from the average faucet at the rate of eight gallons per minute.  If you put a hose with a spray nozzle on it the flow rate drops to five gallons a minute but the water pressure increases four times to forty pounds per square inch (PSI).  What a pressure washer does is use an electric or gas powered motor to dramatically increase the water pressure to between one thousand (1000) and four thousand (4000) PSI.

Due to their greater power, gas pressure washers are used more in commercial and military uses than electric pressure washers.  When I typed in my specifications for the type of power washer I was looking for I found that there were no electric models rated at over 1900 PSI in hot or cold versions.  There were twelve models overall ranging from 1750 PSI to 1900 PSI and in price from $149.99 to $329.99.  The more features the higher the price.  Electric motors do not have the horsepower necessary to get the pressure above 2000 PSI unless you go to a much larger commercial version.

Four of the top 5 electric pressure washers sold were from Karcher.  The lone non Karcher model was a Campbell Hausfeld 1800 PSI model with dual detergent tanks.  Electric pressure washers are great for most around the home clean up jobs.  If you need the cobwebs cleaned from under the eaves any electric model will do the job without damaging the exterior of your house.  One thing to consider is to make sure that whatever model you buy, make sure it is fully grounded and comes with a GFCI on the power cord.