Pressure washers are very popular on both industrial and commercial sectors because they are highly effective when it comes to efficient cleaning. These days, this popularity is extending to the residential sector as more and more homeowners are finding more use for this cleaning equipment. Pressure washers are without doubt very effective when it comes to cleaning hard to remove dirt and stains on solid surfaces. However, many who use pressure washers are not aware that the water pump is responsible for generating the cleaning power that these units have. This pump is situated at the core of the unit.

A Honda GX160 5.5 HP. pressure washer.

Image via Wikipedia

The pressure washer water pump in a pressure washer is powered by either an electric motor or a combustion engine. However, there are two ways that this power is delivered to the water pump – either through belt drive or direct drive.

Belt Drive – a belt drive operates through a pulley system. The water pump in a pulley system is not directly connected to the motor which means it is isolated from both the heat and vibration of the motor. In fact, the pulley and the belt even act as shock absorbers for the water pump thereby greatly reducing the vibration. However, the disadvantage in using a belt drive is that there is a lot of lost energy due to the inefficiency of the belt and pulley system.

Direct Drive – a direct drive means the shaft of the motor is directly connected to the shaft of the water pump. This means there is less energy lost as the pump spins at the same speed the motor does. The main advantage in using this type of configuration is that it allows for a more compact design. Another advantage to this type of configuration is that it is much cheaper as there are less moving parts. The main disadvantage in using this type of system is that since the pump and motor are directly connected, it is more prone to wear and tear.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Incoming search terms:

  • how to remove water pump from pressure washer
  • pressure washer water pump
  • honda power washer pump parts
  • honda pressure washer pump
  • use pressure washer as water pump
  • water pump pressure washer
  • gx160powerwasher
  • honda gx160 power washer
  • pressure washer as water pump