What is the best pressure washer for decks?
In general, you’ll need a pressure cleaner that is around 2000 psi.
That will give you the perfect pressure for deck cleaning which is between 1200 to 1500 psi and less if you have a soft wood.
Here’s the thing, as long as you have a cleaner that is rated to around 2000 psi, you can either change the tip or adjust the pressure up or down based on the pressure you need.
It doesn’t matter if you have an electric pressure washer or a petrol one. As long as the one you buy goes up to around 2000 psi you’ve got the right one.
Pressure washer for deck cleaning
When choosing a unit for just cleaning, you can use a cheap washer like the Karcher kp2.
You’ll have more than enough pressure to remove dirt and mould from your deck, especially if you use it in combination with a cleaning product.
If you want to remove grey from your deck, you’ll need a tornado head.
When I first started my business, this is the cleaner I used. If I didn’t have the tornado head this cheaper unit would have been useless.
But just for cleaning a deck, it’s the perfect balance between price and usefulness.
These cheaper units are great but if you use them all the time, they burn out. And if the cleaning job is a little tougher or you need to strip your deck…
Then you need something that’s got some more grunt…
Pressure washer for deck stripping
If you intend on using a pressure cleaner for the purpose of stripping your decking, then you’ll be better to use a petrol unit or an upper model electric cleaner.
Some of the electric machines come with a digital dial that you can adjust the pressure or high and low pressure cleaning
The petrol cleaners will come with 5 different nozzles or tips that you can change to get a higher pressure or lower pressure.
These are:
- Red — 0 degree — For stripping metal and concrete — Not for decking
- Yellow — 15 degree — narrow, hard stripping fan — Not for decking
- Green — 25 degree — Medium fan for cleaning and stripping — For decks
- White — 40 degree — Perfect for cleaning — Start with this one for decks
- Black — low pressure for detergents
The nozzle or tip you choose to use is based on what you need done and the condition of your decking.
Let’s look at each…
Which pressure washer Tips or nozzles should you use on a deck?
It’s important to remember that if you’re stripping a deck, it’ll be the combination of a stripping product used in conjunction with your pressure washer.
Once the stripping product has done its job, you should start with a lower pressure tip and test it out.
Start with the white 40 degree nozzle and see how it goes. If it isn’t taking all the stain off, change it over to Green 25 degree nozzle and test it out.
For a deck, you won’t want to go higher than the 25 degree nozzle. Going above this will surely result in ugly etches and damage to your deck.
The red and yellow nozzles are strong, narrow streams that are designed for stripping concrete and metal. A stream like this will put craters into the surface of your boards.
So if you’re cleaning your deck, use the white, 40 degree tip. If you’re looking to strip your deck, start with the white, 40 degree tip and test it out.
If the 40 degree tip isn’t strong enough, switch it over to the green, 25 degree tip and that should do the job
How much psi to clean a deck?
Getting straight to the point, when it comes to cleaning your deck, you shouldn’t go over 1200 to 1500 psi but usually you’ll be able to get away with less.
The 1500 psi is for stripping a hardwood deck but if you’re only cleaning for a recoat or removing dirt you won’t need to go that high.
The cleaning product you use will do most of the work to loosen up the dirt and mould, then you can try a lower pressure.
If you have a softwood deck like a treated pine, then you don’t want to exceed 500 to 600 psi.
Going over 600 psi on a softwood deck could lead to etch marks or even blowing out chunks of timber.
So stick with 1200 to 1500 psi for a hardwood deck and 500 to 600 psi for a softwood deck and you should be good to go.
