Pressure washers are the ideal everyday solution for cleaning exterior surfaces such as decks, driveways, concrete floors, siding, fences, cars, boats, RVs and much more. Pressure washers deliver significantly more power than an ordinary garden hose giving you the power to clean dirt, grease, mold and grime from surfaces, transforming tough cleaning jobs into easy tasks. Not only do pressure washers save you time and effort, pressure washers use substantially less water than a garden hose making them cost effective and environmental friendly.
A pressure washer’s performance is rated by pounds per square inch or PSI, and gallons per minute or GPM. PSI measures pressure and GPM measures flow rate. The higher the combination of PSI and GPM, the more cleaning power available and the more things you will be able to clean. Pressure washer manufacturers state the PSI and GPM so consumers can understand performance in order to make the proper power selection for their needs.
Advertised ratings for pressure washers are not always what you get; inconsistent methods of rating PSI/GPM across manufacturers can provide misleading information and potentially deliver much lower levels of performance than expected. In order to address this concern, the major manufacturers of pressure washers formed the Pressure Washer Manufacturers Association (PWMA). PWMA developed PW-101, Standard for Testing and Rating Performance of Pressure Washers: Determination of Pressure and Water Flow. PW-101 is the industry standard that provides a uniform method for testing and rating the primary performance characteristics of pressure washers that produce high pressure water. The PWMA members test their products in accordance with the standard so that consumers can compare pressure washer performance and have confidence in the advertised ratings of the products. The PWMA certification program ensures that the program participants adhere to the association’s pressure (PSI) and flow rate (GPM) standard. In order to obtain the certification, manufacturers must have their gas and electric pressure washers tested and verified by an independent third party.
Independent Verification Process
Annually, the third party Program Administrator randomly selects and tests samples of the equipment to verify that they meet the program participants’ certified published performance ratings. If the test models pass the testing performed by the Program Administrator, the program participants can use the PWMA certification seal on their web site, products and product literature.
Participants
Participation in the certification program is voluntary and is open to any pressure washer manufacturer. Contact the PWMA office at 216-241-7333 if you are a pressure washer manufacturer and wish to learn more about participating in the certification program.
Make sure you look for the PWMA seal when purchasing a pressure washer so you take home the pressure you were promised. The PWMA seal demonstrates Performance You Can Trust!
