The most popular are medium pressure washers. The most universal. They entered the “best perception zone” with pressures from 1700 to 2800 PSI (40 times the pressure of a garden hose) and cost from 120 to 350 dollars. Some of them are electric. Others are gas. And – with the right nozzle – there’s no reason they can’t be used in light conditions.
My friend makes $100 a trip with his Florida medium gas pressure washer.
He also does work on flooring, oil-contaminated garage floors, and other residential surfaces. It’s all with a mid-pressure washer. All in his spare time, outside of his normal work.
Why am I telling you this? Because you could easily make the car wash pay for yourself by charging it to clean some friends’ driveways (make sure you read the warranty card on your device before doing this).
Regardless of whether you decide to do it or not, owning a medium pressure washer will save you money in the long run. And it saves you time and effort when cleaning your house.
Quick Look: Best Gas and Electric Medium-duty Pressure Washer
Have a quick look at the top gas and electric option in this category:
| Picture | Model | Rating | Power (PSI x GPM) |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Generac 6922 – Gas | 4.4 | 6,720 |
 |
AR Blue Clean AR383 – Electric | 3.9 | 2,850 |
Find out what you can do with medium duty.
This scale is very interesting because they do everything that a light car does, but faster. The closer we get to larger sizes, the more the value of a middle-class car increases.
1.) Corridors
Look how clean the road is. And how long do you think this job took you? It’s a pretty long pass, but with a surface cleaner and a pressure washer, it takes two hours to do the job. For large, flat surfaces, you’ll want to use a surface cleaner because it increases efficiency.
2.) Fences
You can wash the wooden fence with a light pressure washer, but it will take twice as long. The medium level machine has higher throughput, which means higher cleaning capacity. This principle can be illustrated by thinking about the fire hose. You don’t see firefighters extinguishing fires with hoses. They use big, thick hoses because they can handle a lot of water.
3.) The wing of the house
The medium capacity washer is ideal for a small single-storey house, but a high capacity washer is recommended for large two-storey houses. This is because you will need to use a telescopic extension to clean the top floor and stay safely on the floor. The high-performance nozzle can provide the right flow so that the nozzle can clean properly on the first pass, so you don’t have to do all the pressure washing on the weekends.
4.) Wooden bridges
With the right attachment you can clean a medium power wooden deck in a few hours. However, if you use the red sanding head, cutting of wood may begin. The pine will be damaged at 2320 PSI. Do not use the red nozzle and keep the jet a few meters from the deck surface.
Deciding Between Gas and Electric
The medium pressure washer is unique in that there are both electric and gas options. How do you know which one is right for you?
- Electric – Affordable, quieter, less maintenance, no need to go to a gas station. However, the cable can be inconvenient and restrictive, and although machines are more affordable, they are less durable. Buy an electric washing machine if you only plan to do your laundry near a house that has an electrical outlet, and if you plan to do your laundry only for a few hours on weekends.
- Gas – is more expensive, noisy, smelly and requires more care and is not suitable for poorly ventilated interiors. You will also have to go to a gas station to get gas. But you’ll get rid of the power cord and get a more powerful high-pressure cleaner that will last more years and hours than medium sized electrical appliances. Buy gas if you want electricity and freedom, especially if you need to do your laundry away from home, or if you need to do your laundry away from other homes and don’t have access to an electrical outlet.
Select the best midrange washer for each type.
The new Generac range of pressure washers for private use is quite cool. Not only do they look reliable, but they are also best-in-class in terms of performance and value for money.
Model 2 800 PSI, 2.4 GPM Generac is the best medium size NGV unit on the market. It costs less than $300 and comes with a high quality Generac top valve motor that gives you years of experience.
It is equipped with 4 quick-change nozzles that allow you to adjust the impact force on the surface. This means you can go from cleaning the driveway to spraying the car in seconds without having to worry about the pressure on the car panel.
The most popular of all high pressure cleaners (not only electrical or medium power) is AR Blue Clean AR383. And not for nothing.
It only costs $150, but you get 1900 PSI and 1.5 GPM. As you can see in the picture, it stands upright and has a hose reel, wheels and a handle for easy movement.
It has a universal motor and the Annovi Reverberi, a high-quality Italian pump made of aluminium. Since it runs on electricity, it can be used to work indoors without smoke, it is very quiet and requires little maintenance. It is one of the highest quality units on Amazon with a 4.1 of 5 stars rating after 2000 customer reviews.
Types of Pumps, Electric Motors and Gas Engines in Medium-duty Machines
Wobbly vs. axial vs. triplex pump
These are the three most common types of pumps in pressure washers, although you will only see triplex crankshaft pumps in commercial PSI medium class machines (1700 – 2800). Due to their cost, the most available units with a three-position crank pump are heavy-duty domestic units (~600+$).
Piston and axial pumps are most often found in the performance range of residential units. Both are piston pumps driven directly by the motor drive shaft. Since they operate at higher speeds (motor speed), their service life is shorter than that of three-stage pumps. You will only see oscillations between oscillations and axial movement in low electrical machines.
See full definitive guide on pressure washer pumps here…
Universal motor vs asynchronous
Universal motors are cheaper and more commonly found in power tools because they are lighter, smaller and more portable. However, they are also much louder, less energy efficient (they become very hot during continuous use) and have a much shorter service life than induction motors. Asynchronous motors have a very long service life, but they initially cost more and are heavier and heavier, so they can usually only be seen in commercial units built on truck chassis.
OHV versus OHC gas engines
- OHC is more modern, runs at higher speeds, has fewer moving parts, is easier to maintain and is usually considered more suitable for smaller engines.
- OHV is cheaper and the head is smaller/compact than OHC of the same power.
Honda has pressure cleaning motors in both types: OHC (upper camshaft) and OHV (upper valve). Commercial series motors use OHV style, and private series motors use OHC style. This is because Honda wants its smaller, more powerful motors to remain compact. If they used the top camshaft in their small 15-horsepower motor, it would be 50% bigger than the OHV motor of the same power. In addition, the OHV motor is ideal for commercial engines, as larger engines already generate enough torque to complete the task and do not require an OHV motor at high speeds.
Sources.
The official Generac page dedicated to the above mentioned high pressure cleaner was used to find the user manual and to read about the maintenance required for the machine. The Generac product page for Model 6922 indicates that the manufacturer’s recommended retail price is $279.
The AR Blue Clean AR383 product page from PressureWashersDirect.com is an excellent resource to learn more about this pressure washer in addition to the official ARBlueClean.com product page for this pressure washer. These sources were used to check whether the machine has a universal motor (and what size) and to learn more about hose material and related issues.