Determining a good PSI for a pressure washer depends on your specific cleaning needs. For general home use, a pressure washer with a PSI of 1300 to 2400 should suffice. However, for more demanding tasks, you might need a model with a higher PSI.
Consider psi and the nozzle together. For example you can safely wash a car with 3000psi and a 40 degree nozzle or 1600psi with a 15 degree nozzle (for what it's worth you can safely wash a car with 3000psi and a 15 degree nozzle if you hold it back far enough).
For most residential and commercial cleaning roles-- homes, concrete, cars, etc, pressures as low as 2000psi are sufficient and the higher flow allows you to work faster and save some fatigue.
According to this, 100 psi is all that's needed to break skin.
Power Washer Classifications
Light Pressure – Rated at 2,000 PSI or lower. Medium Pressure – Rated from 2,000 to 3,000 PSI. High Pressure – Rated from 3,000 to 6,900 PSI. Ultra-High Pressure – Rated from 7,000 to 50,000 PSI.
Using the right equipment and techniques
Look for a unit that delivers around 2,500 to 3,000 PSI of pressure. This is enough pressure for most concrete cleaning jobs without damaging the surface.
In essence, it's a measure of how much pressure concrete can withstand without breaking. When you hear about 5000 psi concrete, it's referring to a very durable type of concrete that can endure pressures up to 5,000 pounds on a square inch area.
Scientists measure the amount of pressure exerted by an animal's bite in pounds per square inch (psi). The human bite force is 162 psi. The bite force of some dogs can reach 250 psi, while some bears have a bite force of over 1,000 psi.
A unit with too low of a PSI might struggle to remove stubborn grime and grease, while one with too high of a PSI could damage sensitive surfaces or equipment. Pressure washers that range from 2,000 to 3,000 PSI are generally suitable for most industrial cleaning tasks.
Fluid or high pressure air injected under the skin at pressures as low as 7 bar (100 psi) can cause crippling injuries or even death if not treated promptly.
Yes, you can clean concrete using a 2,000 PSI pressure washer. With 2,000 PSI of power, you will have to spend more time cleaning the concrete for a complete clean, but you can still get optimal results.
If you want to clean your driveway quickly and efficiently, use a pressure washer of at least 3100 PSI. Using pressure washers with pressures ranging from 1000 to 2300 PSI will also help you clean your driveway, but it will take a long time. Small pressure washers are cheap but inefficient for house washing.
What psi should I use to pressure wash my car? For most vehicles, a psi between 1200 and 2200 is recommended. This should give you enough cleaning power to blast away dirt and grime but it's not too high where it could harm the paint or other delicate surfaces. You can also use soap with a pressure washer.
Final Verdict. The Ryobi 1900 PSI Corded Electric Pressure Washer is our pick for the best pressure washer. After testing, we found it highly effective at cleaning typical surfaces around a home's exterior, including walkways, decks, fences, patio furniture, and cars.
Use the right amount of pressure
You'll need to look for a low-pressure machine that's a bit less aggressive than the standard. Pressures higher than 1500 psi won't provide a significant increase in cleaning power; it only raises your chances of scratching or damaging your paintwork.
Choosing a Pressure Washer
Vinyl siding can withstand a powerful gas pressure washer (2,500-3,000 psi). Aluminum, stucco or soft-grain wood homes will do better with a less powerful washer (about 1,200-1,500 psi).
Concrete cleaning calls for powerful pressure washers featuring high pressure levels of 3000 PSI. However, if you will be using the power cleaner to maintain a range of surfaces in addition to concrete, choose one with adjustable pressure levels and set it to about 3000 PSI when you need to clean concrete.
Commercial Pressure Washers
Look for those offering a range of 3,200-8,000 PSI. Cons: Expensive, need more room to store, require experience using them as they can be too powerful and damage certain surfaces if used incorrectly.
Electric Pressure Washers. Gas pressure washers are more powerful than most electric washers, which makes them a better fit for commercial tasks. It is common for gas power washers to have upwards of 2,000 psi, where electrical power washers have upwards of 1,300 psi.
Orcas have a bite force of around 19,000 psi, the strongest in the animal kingdom. To put that into perspective, it can take 2,500 psi to crush a car.
Despite being mainly herbivorous, gorillas (genus Gorilla) have one of the strongest bites—the strongest of all primates. The bite force of the Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) was calculated by one study to be about 3,420 Newtons.
How strong are tigers? In short, tigers are very strong! In fact, a tiger's bite is measured at around 1,000 PSI – six times stronger than a human's (162 PSI).
Approximately, 14.7 to 19.7 pounds per square inch (Psi) pressure is generated while urination. The urinary bladder stores the urine that is produced by the two kidneys of the body. Around 500 milliliters (mL) to 700 mL of urine can be stored in the urinary bladder at a time.
The highest sea-level pressure on Earth occurs in Siberia, where the Siberian High often attains a sea-level pressure above 1,050 hPa (15.2 psi; 31 inHg), with record highs close to 1,085 hPa (15.74 psi; 32.0 inHg).
The three most common are; 3000 PSI, 3500 PSI, and 4000 PSI. If you are handling the project on your own, here are some general rules of thumb. 3000 PSI concrete is widely used in residential applications such as sidewalks, patios, and driveways if you aren't expecting to drive or park heavy equipment on it.