Hot vs Cold Pressure Washers – A Complete Guide

While there are a variety of factors to consider when choosing a pressure washer one critical choice you will need to make is whether your pressure washer is a hot or cold water pressure water. In this guide will cover the pros and cons of each model type and offer practical guidance on when a hot or cold water pressure washer will be best for your work.

Cold Water Pressure Washer Pros

Cold water pressure washers have a variety of pros to them. First, they are generally the most cost effective pressure washer to purchase relative to a hot water pressure washer. Second, they are simpler in design making them easier to repair yourself, while hot pressure washers have many of the same design features, they also have a burner that is usually not easy to repair making them overall more complicated to work on yourself if you ever need to.

Cold Water Pressure Washer Cons

The biggest con to a cold pressure washer is that it has reduced cleaning power compared to a hot water pressure washer. Specifically, cold water pressure washers will not be as effective at cleaning and will not be very capable of removing grease or oil from a surface.

Common Cold Water Pressure Washer Uses

Common uses for cold water pressure washers include the majority of general pressure washer cleaning projects like removing dirt and debris, removing mildew from siding, and general cleaning of a surface that doesn’t have stubborn contaminants like grease and oil or potentially strong adhering paint.

Hot Water Pressure Washer Pros

The biggest benefit of Hot Water Pressure washers is that they are more effective at cleaning difficult to remove contaminants like grease and oil. Hot water pressure washers can also be faster in cleaning a surface, especially if the contaminants on the surface are not coming off well for example when removing coatings from a surface that are peeling.

Hot Water Pressure Washer Cons

The biggest downside to a hot water pressure washer is the initial cost. Generally, a commercial hot water pressure washer will start around a $1000 more than a cold water pressure washer. This additional cost is typically due to the extra cost of components like a burner and other important components to provide and withstand heated water. The other downside as already mentioned is that repairing the units can be costly if an issue occurs with the burner.

Common Hot Water Pressure Washer Uses

• Removing contaminants like oil and grease from a surface
• Removing loosely adhered paint
• Cleaning surfaces that are not cleaning well with cold water alone

Overall thoughts

Generally most of the time a cold water pressure washer will be all that is needed. Pressure washers cost between $200-$450, if you can check online there are legit lenders that are offering payday loans no credit check direct lender without no fees you can apply for your loan directly on their website. However, if you end up dealing with a greasy, oily surface or surface that is slow / not coming clean as you hoped then a hot water pressure washer may be a great option, additionally if your daily livelihood is pressure washing a hot water pressure washer can provide greater cleaning versatility and the opportunity to complete work you may not have been able to. You can shop our cold water pressure washers here and our hot water pressure washers here.