There are so many different brands of pressure cleaner out on the market today that it is becoming so hard to determine which machine is right for you and which one is going to do the job well with out struggling or breaking down and costing you more money in downtime and repairs, than the machine cost you to purchase.
The best thing to do is to get at least 3 quotes on different brands of pressure cleaners and compare them to each other.
I always tell customers that no matter what pressure cleaner they are purchasing, to ensure that spare parts and backup service is readily available for the machine, as if it’s not and the machine breaks down then you are going to be without a machine for a long time, which will cost you more money in downtime or you will have to scrap the machine and buy a new unit or hire a unit, which again costs you more money, so that is the first thing that I would check.
The other things that I would check is the construction and safeties on the pressure cleaner, as not all pressure cleaners come with the same features or safeties and in this day and age safety is a high priority. One of the safeties to check on the machines would be the controls for the unit, are they 24volt, 240volt or 415volt? 24volt controls is the one that you want as it is safest for the operator of the machine.
You can also check the burner controls such as a flame sensor, so if the machine runs out of diesel the burner shuts down and doesn’t continuously run burning out the burner motor and seizing up the fuel pump. I have had a lot of customers ask for this feature on our machines and I am happy to say yes, all of our diesel heated machines have this feature as there is nothing worse then having to continuously repair or replace the burner on your unit as it can start getting very expensive.
Another one of the main safeties that a lot of my customers ask for is, does the machine stop after you release the trigger and does it start back up again when you pull the trigger? A lot of hot water pressure cleaners and cold water pressure cleaners with an automatic shut down when you release the trigger and start back up again when you pull the trigger. You may also find that some of the pressure cleaners will just shut down when the trigger is released and you have to pulse the start switch to get the unit started again, but the pressure washer that you don’t want is one that will constantly run when the trigger is released and you have to go and turn the pressure washer off at the machine.
The reason I tell customers this is what you don’t want this if you have multiple operators of the pressure cleaner and one of them doesn’t turn the pressure cleaner off when they have finished using it, then you will be up major repairs to the pump and possibly the bypass valve, which is due to the water just being left circulating back through the pump and getting hotter and hotter the longer it is left like that, so I would highly recommend not acquiring a pressure washer that won’t shut off at the trigger.
Please do your research and ask as many questions as you can about ANY pressure cleaner, hot water or cold water, that you purchase to ensure you aren’t wasting your money on a pressure cleaner that won’t do the job that you require and won’t last.
Just as a tip, an industrial pressure cleaner hot water or cold water should last no less than 5 years and should last nearly 10 years, of course if the unit is serviced regularly and looked after.
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