A pressure washer (in Spain), pressure washer (in Latin America), hydrojet (in Venezuela), pressure washing machine or karcher (colloquial in Mexico and Spain[1]​) is a machine that transmits the kinetic energy of a drive to a fluid, commonly water or water-based soap solution, to accelerate it, and perform work, usually cleaning or mechanical starting of various materials.

Acceleration is measured indirectly by the static pressure inside the high-pressure pipe, so that, through the formula for the equivalence of potential energy and kinetic energy, it is possible to define the exit velocity of the fluid.

[2]​.

Where m is the mass, g the gravitational constant, h the manometric height of the fluid and v its exit velocity.

It is also possible to determine the resulting power, relating the pressure to the flow through empirical formulas.

Contenido

Una hidrolimpiadora de agua a alta presión se compone de toma de agua o depósito, hecho por bomba, manguera, lanza, tobera y accionamiento.

Pressure washer drives

The drives of pressure washers are very diverse and can be:

Pressure washer pumps

The pumps of pressure washers are of the positive displacement type, and normally have ceramic pistons, which perform a back and forth movement, sucking and propelling the water alternately. Those with ceramic pistons are usually the most durable since, as they are not entirely made of metal, the friction is less than in those that are completely metallic, which is why they are the ones that professional machines usually have. Depending on the type of piston, pressure washers are classified into various levels of washing. from 1 to 6.

Pressure washer pumps basically have two configurations:

As for the number of pistons, it varies depending on the performance of the equipment and the manufacturer, the most common being the triplex configuration (with three pistons), which is the minimum number of pistons so that the output of the pump does not register pressure peaks equal to zero.

The boilers of hot water pressure washers

A particular type is hot water pressure washers, which incorporate a boiler to heat the water, usually after the pump. These boilers are usually gas or diesel combustion. They are useful for cleaning adhered dirt or hydrocarbons, but require more maintenance.