| Pressure washers direct a high-pressure | | | | costs compared to intensifiers, but at high |
| stream or jet of water against a surface to | | | | pressures (>20,00 psi) seals must be |
| clean, descale, degrease or prepare a | | | | periodically replaced. Crankshaft driven |
| surface. Pressure washers may use either | | | | plunger pumps also provide a virtually ripple |
| cold water or hot water and steam to perform | | | | free pressure source in comparison to |
| their function, and the water is often mixed | | | | intensifiers. An accumulator may be required |
| with various cleansers, detergents or | | | | to smooth out pressure fluctuations if an |
| solvents. They are used for cleaning, or for | | | | intensifier pump is used. |
| the demolition of products made of metal, | | | | |
| wood, concrete, stone, plastic, glass or | | | | Dust collection or filtration systems remove |
| other building materials. | | | | fine particle sizes of abrasive, swarf, |
| | | | grease or other blasting waste (removed scale |
| Pressure washers are available as complete | | | | or stock in the form of dust or fine swarf) |
| machines or systems, or they can be purchased | | | | that would otherwise contaminate the |
| in component form and built from the ground | | | | environment. |
| up, or to replace worn out parts. Specific | | | | |
| available parts include the gun or lance, the | | | | Pressure washing cabinets are glovebox-like |
| pumping unit, separators or reclaimers, | | | | vessels that hold the workpiece and the |
| filtration system, blast cabinets and blast | | | | blasting process. Wash cabinets usually |
| rooms, water blast wheel, and water storage | | | | consist of a chamber with glove ports, |
| tank. | | | | viewing window and internal lighting. The |
| | | | workpieces rest on an open grid that allows |
| The gun or lance directs the stream fluid | | | | used wash fluid to drop through for |
| (air or water) through a nozzle and at the | | | | recycling. The operator may hold the washing |
| appropriate region of the workpiece. Some | | | | nozzle on the end of a lance. The workpieces |
| pressure washers have wear resistant nozzles | | | | rest on open grid flooring that allows used |
| and optional abrasive injectors to provide | | | | water and/or cleanser to drop through for |
| wet sandblasting capability. | | | | recycling or treatment. |
| | | | |
| The pumping unit is the pressure generator | | | | The water blast wheel propels and directs a |
| used to force out the carrier fluid at high | | | | wide stream of abrasives and carrier (water |
| velocity. Plunger-type intensifier pumps are | | | | or air) at the appropriate region of the |
| commonly used to generate high-pressure water | | | | workpiece. |
| for water jet cutting and wet or water | | | | |
| abrasive blasting for non-abrasive pressure | | | | Water tanks or hoppers are used by pressure |
| washing or rinsing. Crankshaft driven plunger | | | | washers for the storage of dry abrasive |
| pumps are commonly used for pressure | | | | grains, blasting media or abrasive-water |
| generation. Crankshaft driven plunger pumps | | | | slurry mixtures. |
| may be more efficient in electrical energy | | | | |