Forget the surface cleaner for now. Let’s just concentrate on one nozzle. When selecting a nozzle the only reason for doing so is to select a different psi. You’re not selecting a nozzle for a change in gpm because that never changes. Your machine puts out whatever gpm it puts out. So, when selecting a nozzle for psi change, it always has to put out the same gpm as your machine. In your case that’s 3.5 gpm.
You don’t have to worry about any other number on this chart. The numbers in the middle of the chart are all nozzle sizes. We’re using 3.5 gpm because that’s what your machine puts out. If you want 1000 psi you put your finger on 1000 psi, your other finger on 3.5 gpm, and where they meet is what nozzle you need. In this case that’s a #7 for 1000 psi. Say you wanted 2500 psi out of your wand. That would be a #4.5 nozzle.
Now let’s figure for a 2 nozzle surface cleaner. Since there are two orifices you have to divide the gpm of your machine by 2 because 1.75 gpm will be coming out of each orifice. PSI stays the same and isn’t divided by two because you’re the one selecting what psi you want. If you decide you want half the psi of say 3k psi then select a nozzle that puts out 1500 psi. You’re in charge of that. Since your machine puts out 3.5 gpm half of that would be 1.75. It’s not always possible to be exact so we’re just going to have to stick to 2 gpm for half. In a perfect world there would be a 1.75 gpm but there isn’t so that’s why we round up to the next closer gpm number. They’d have to make a million different size nozzles for every machine to get exact numbers. A few hundred psi difference that we don’t know is there won’t hurt anything anyways. Okay, now let’s say you want your surface cleaner to put out 2500 psi. You’re not going to look for 3.5 gpm on the nozzle chart because there are two openings on a 2 nozzle surface cleaner. We’re going to divide your machine’s gpm in half so we get 1.75. It’s not a number the charts really deal with so we’re going to round up to 2 gpm so consider that half of your machines gpm. If you put your finger on 2500 psi and your other on 2 gpm the meet at a #2.5 nozzle so that’s the size you’ll need to get 2500 psi out of your machine. If you decide you only want 2000 psi then you’ll need #3.0 nozzles.
@marinegrunt, @Jake_Lambert, @Racer.
Thank you to each of you for taking the time to share with me all of this. I think/ hope I’ve got it now. Since I’m a glutton for punishment let’s test my “knowledge”.
If on my surface cleaner I wanted to only put out 500 psi, I would change the nozzles to 25055’s.
If on my surface cleaner I wanted to only put out 1,000 psi I would use change the nozzles to 2504’s.
If on my surface cleaner I wanted to put out 3,500 psi I would change the nozzles to 2502’s.
And, IF I wanted a 15 degree spray pattern for some reason instead of a 25 degree spray pattern, I’d replace those with 15055’s, 1504’s, or 1502’s.
This all came about because the current nozzles on my surface cleaner do not have any markings on them and I wanted to ensure that I am using my current set up as efficiently as I can. I’ve been on a run of doing driveways lately and most of them are all word of mouth referrals or someone that saw me cleaning a driveway in their neighborhood. I must me doing something right in order to be picking up customers who the first thing they tell me is that they saw me doing the house on the corner, or went to their brother’s house over the weekend and noticed the cleaner driveway, or whatever and then ask for me to come and do theirs. I’m just wanting to ensure that if I can be better at what I do with what equipment I currently have that I am doing just that. Thank you again for all of yalls help.
Hello! This thread has been amazing. I am new and have a question. I have a 5.5 gallon machine running a WW with two outlets. If I want to run 2500 psi (recommended max for concrete) should I go with the 2.77 nozzle or should I go with the 2.37? 5.5 divided by 2 is 2.75 so not sure if it’s ok to miss it by .02 or if I should restrict it more to the 2.37? Thank you for your help.
If you have 2 nozzles on your surface cleaner and you run a 5.5 and would like 2500 psi, then it would require two 24035 nozzles 1/4 MEG nozzles. That will get you what you want.
How did I calculate that?
On the left, find your Machine’s GPM, divide that number by # of nozzles on surface cleaner then select that GPM. That’s your X axis. Yours is 2.75 which falls between 2.5 and 3.0. Then find the pressure you want your surface cleaner to produce, that’s your Y axis. Drag your eyes/fingers and find the number that it meets at. That number is the orifice number of each nozzle you need. Since your x axis falls between 2.5 and 3.0 (2.75), your orifice will be between 3.0 and 4.0 which is 3.5.
25035 is the nozzle number.
25 represents the fan spread out the nozzle, the 035 represents a 3.5 size orifice.
So again, for your 5.5 gpm washer, hooked to a 2 nozzle surface cleaner, if you want 2500 psi, 25035 are the nozzle sizes you need. According to this chart.
I’ve never heard of a 2.37 nozzle. I’m pretty sure you would need a 2504 nozzle (or 25035 as stated above ) to get around 2500 PSI from a 5.5 machine. My 4.5 GPM actually puts out a little over 5 GPM so I round up when buying nozzles.
Sorry, I am not sure how to write the sizes of nozzles in between the two primary numbers. If I have a machine that run’s 5.5gpm and I want 2500 psi, should I go with the 2503.5 or 2503? I assume that is the correct way to write the name of a nozzle size in the middle.
Thank you for the help! I don’t know the reason of your please read dude comment though? I appreciate you clarifying it for me. I wasn’t sure if it was ok to go larger. Have a good day
After I already told you the answer. That’s why. If you didn’t see it then, just scroll up and see the previous conversations before commenting. For future reference. That why I commented that.
To be fair @P0tentPOtables, nozzles on here have been done to death, nothing you seek is a specific problem to you. Try the search feature you’ll learn a great deal.
If I were you I would buy the 25035 and 2504 (and 2503 if you want) and a pressure gauge. Put in the 25035 and see what pressure you are getting, if it’s too much, you have the 2504 and if not, return them. Worst case, you’re out ten bucks.
It’s not. If you see a nozzle size with 5 digits, the farthest digit to the right happens after a decimal. So 2503.5 is always written 25035. And when you’re putting it into a calculator or using a chart, you’re using 3.5
So for the new guys like me ( who have never done concrete) what was the Reason the concrete got messed up? Was it too much pressure or was it due to the type of concrete (picture frame concrete). If it is caused solely by too much psi what Psi would you recommend staying around 2000-2500?
Also more importantly how would a new guy like me gain experience doing concrete with out running a risk like this? The first time I clean concrete I don’t want it to be for a customer however no one in my family has any concrete.
Concrete was too new (under 2 years), pressure was too high. 2500 is generally considered safe on concrete older than that, but won’t do a perfect job cleaning without pre and post-treatment.
So what’s the best way to gain experience using a surface cleaner and cleaning concrete? My first time use a surface cleaner I don’t want to be on a customers house, but no one in my family or close friends have any concrete just black top. So how can i gain experience?
) to get around 2500 PSI from a 5.5 machine. My 4.5 GPM actually puts out a little over 5 GPM so I round up when buying nozzles.
good tool
