Are Pressure Washers Adjustable?

If you’re looking for an easy way to clean your garage floor or driveway, you’ll want to consider investing in a pressure washer. These powerful tools make outdoor cleaning faster and more efficient, and require way less elbow grease.

Delivering up to 80 times more power than a simple garden hose, these machines allow you to blast away dirt, mildew, and mold almost instantly.

But not all jobs require the same amount of pressure, and a too-forceful jet of water can actually damage surfaces including concrete, leading us to the question: Are pressure washers adjustable?

How are pressure washers adjustable?

There are actually several aspects of a pressure washer that can be adjusted to fit the needs of a particular cleaning job. Here are all the parts of a pressure washer you can adjust:

Adjustable wands

If your pressure washer has an adjustable wand, you can alter the washer’s spray pattern according to your needs.

You can narrow the wand if you want high-pressure water flowing from the washer, or widen it to lower the pressure and clean a larger area.

This process can be done without changing out the tip of the nozzle, making the job easy and quick.

Adjustable nozzle

The nozzle of the pressure washer determines the flow and pressure of the water. A tip that has a wide spray offers more coverage with low pressure, while narrow sprays offer more pressure but less coverage.

If only using water, you’ll probably want to use a narrower spray for more cleaning power.

If you are also applying soap or detergent to the object or area you wish to clean (for example, when pressure washing your car), you can use low-pressure tips for thorough rinsing and cleaning.

PSI

The maximum pressure that a pressure washer is capable of discharging is known as its PSI rating, or pounds per square inch. The higher the PSI is, the better its cleaning power.

Gallons per minute

The GPM, or gallons per minute of a pressure washer can also be adjusted. It refers to how much water flows through the pressure washer every 60 seconds of operation.

The higher the GPM is, the faster one can clean the object or area that is being cleaned.

How to adjust a pressure washer

• The adjustment of the unloader valve is quite simple. You might be using a basic pressure washer; however, the process for adjusting most of the machines are the same. On the contrary, before beginning, you should follow some tips:
• During the adjustment, make sure the pressure washer motor is running.
• Set the motor at proper rpm, maintain 3700 rpm before a load and 3400 rpm under the load.
• Remove the nylon lock nuts from the unloader valve.
• Turn off the pressure by adjusting the knob and spin it to remove from its bay.
• Now, remove the washer and spring from the unloader valve.
• Now that you have removed them from the valve, you can see the threaded piston having two locknuts.
• At this point, lock these two nuts by using a wrench.
• Try to apply only three threads off the bottom and then put back the washer, spring, and locknuts to their previous positions.
• Then, clip a pressure gauge assembly between the pressure hose and the pump.
• Make sure the clipping allows you to see the pressure hose and pump during the unloader valve adjustment. This step will ensure you have a perfect adjustment while you trigger the gun or tighten the knob of the unloader valve.

Ready to start pressure washing?

Now that you know the answer to the question “Are pressure washers adjustable?”, you’re ready to take on just about any tough cleaning task.

When you’re buying a pressure washer, it is essential to look at the features it has. Check if there are adjustable nozzles or wands (note that these pressure washer accessories can also be purchased separately).

Finally, using a pressure washer can be dangerous no matter how adjustable it is, so follow the safety and instructions in the owner’s manual to ensure a safe experience.