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That depends on the model of the pressure washer. Typically, some domestic pressure washers may only require between 6 - 9 litres per minute whereas larger industrial machines may need over 40 litres and sometimes more!

Definitely! Each persons method of cleaning their car can be quite individual. Some people like to use a pressure washer to remove the bulk of dirt prior to handwashing and then rinse off again with the washer and some people like to use the pressure washer for the complete job.

Sometimes referred to as a “non-return valve” its primary purpose is to stop any kind of contamination from entering the mains water system. You will usually find them in the water inlet connectors on the supply hose or tap.

Simple things to try are as follows:

Make sure that the water supply is on and there are no kinks in the supply hose

Check if there is a water filter on the machine, this will usually be behind the inlet coupling. If it has any restriction this can affect the pressure of the machine. Clean if necessary.

Check if the nozzle is blocked, if you are getting water out of the machine without the hose, gun and lance connected but none out with them on, then there is a blockage and the most common area for that will be the nozzle!

Check the accessories you are using are correct, if the lance is from a different machine then there is no guarantee that it will be the correct nozzle size.

If your machine has a high-pressure chemical tap, check that it is closed or your pick up pipe is in detergent, otherwise the machine will suck air.

If you still haven’t had and success, call the experts!

Check if the nozzle is blocked, if you are getting water out of the machine without the hose, gun and lance connected but none out with them on, then there is a blockage and the most common area for that will be the nozzle! If it is an automatic machine then this will cause the pressure washer to shutdown thinking the trigger is shut.

Make sure that your electric supply to the machine is ok. If you have been using an electric machine with an inadequate extension lead for example this can cause the machine to shut down to protect itself.

Most nozzles can be removed so that they may be cleaned, whilst the nozzle is out, we would recommend running some water through the system before putting the nozzle back in, that way it reduces the chance of it blocking up again immediately.

Some pressure washers have sealed pump units whereas others can leak oil if not transported correctly. In the case of engine driven machines it is particularly important to keep the engines in the correct position to prevent fuel/ oil contamination and possible engine hydro locking. We would also strongly advise turning the fuel supply off during transportation.

This depends on the power of the machine being used, the surface which is being cleaned and the nozzle which is being used. It is rarely necessary to hold the nozzle directly against the cleaning surface so we would recommend carefully selecting the machine and the nozzle, for example a rotating nozzle can easily do damage to timber decking. Wherever possible we would also recommend testing on an area or surface that is not as visible.

Depending on the use of the pressure washer and the surface to be cleaned, there are different detergents to help with your cleaning tasks. There are specialist detergents for car cleaning plus ones especially for patio cleaning too. Browse our Detergents range and find the one for you.

This depends on where exactly the water is coming from! As a rule, the water side of the pump should be a sealed unit so if there is water coming out then that means there is a problem. Best to give us a call to check!

We would always say no, for one your local authority probably doesn’t allow it and two – the water may look clear but will most likely contain fine sediment which will cause issues with the machine over time.

No, bleach along with many other chemicals are not suitable to go through your pressure washer pump, even with post pump injectors it can still cause issues.

Waterflow is the amount of water that your pressure washer puts out during a set period of time. Generally, in the UK we measure waterflow in litres per minute. Waterflow is one of the two main metrics in measing a machines cleaning performance along with pressure.

Pressure is the amount of force at which your pressure washer puts out the water. Pressure can be measured in bar or psi with 1 bar being equal to 14.5 psi.

A lance is the part that is connected to the trigger gun that you hold and press to release the water, from the machine forwards you have got ( in order ) the hose, the gun, the trigger, the lance and finally the nozzle.

For machines which do not switch of automatically we would say usually around 2 minutes, but this depends on the model of machine. If a machine bypasses water back to itself then it will get hot when the trigger is not being pulled, the longer you leave it then the hotter it will get which can result in damage to the pump. For all machines it is a good habit to get into switching the machines off when not in use and pulling the rigger to release any pressure retained in the system. For machines which bypass water back to a water tank then this allows them to be left running without damage occurring providing there is enough water in the tank they are drawing from.

As a rule, no. Most pressure washer pumps are designed to deal with cold water only. With the diesel fired hot water machines the heating is done after the pump and with electrically heated machines specialist high temperature pumps are used.