Gas VS Electric Pressure Washers – Updated 2024

Undoubtedly, using a pressure washer gives you adequate satisfaction when the toughest cleaning tasks have to be dealt with.

Whenever your windows, decks, sliding, or driveway appear in dirt and disrepair, the pressure washer is the answer to this.

There has been enough debate and discussion so as to reach to a verdict for deciding about the better one. Some people vote for a gas-powered unit while the others for an electric one due to their own personal reasons.

The gas units are portable and tough while the electric ones are light and quiet. Let us find how different they are from each other. Since the tasks are different so are the pressure washers.

Find out which one is the best and worth investing?

At home centres or with the dealers you may find models from some of the esteemed brands such as Briggs & Stratton, Black & Decker, Homelite Husky, Excell, Troy Built and Karcher.

Let us take a quick glance at the pressure washer types

Ideal for: This pressure washer type enables quick cleaning of siding, decks, and other large areas and work best on tough stains, sap, and whisking away gum.

They have the capacity to pump out 2,000 – 2,800 PSI (pounds per square inch) of water pressure whereas for electric ones it is 1,000 – 1,800 PSI. Even if there are fastest electric ones the gas models will outshine as they have the ability to clean the grimy concrete patio 3-times faster.

Routine maintenance will make them last longer for years.

Drawbacks: Weight and noise could be an issue along with fuel-mixing, pull-starting, and tune-ups.

Inside of a home is not the right place to store the gas pumps, especially in colder areas winterization will be required. More control and caution is required while using a gas model.

Price range: Around $200 – $500.

Ideal for: From stain removal to cleaning your small patios, decks, furniture, and other light-duty jobs the electric pressure washers do all. They are light in weight, noiseless, need minimal upkeep, and do not create exhaust emissions.

Just with a trigger they start and are small-sized which makes storing them indoors quite convenient. Even in winters you do not need to winterize them.

More people prefer to buy them as they need low maintenance and minimal replacement of parts.

Drawbacks: Since the pressure is less so is the cleaning slow. Nozzles and wands are plastic which isn’t that sturdy like the metal ones.

You will always require to be near an outlet for its functioning.

Price range: Around $90 to $180.

1. The Cost Factor Initially, you could find electric pressure washers to be less expensive as they are light weight and aim for some occasional users.

More cleaning power with professional results is what you get when you invest in a gas pressure washer. More benefits such as superior-quality replaceable parts and notably a longer life-span.

2. The Durability Aspect If your electric unit goes for a higher demand then certainly you will witness hidden costs that will bother your pocket over time. Whereas a gas powered pressure washer is a much more versatile machine substantially.

The gasoline models hire components and metal pumps that are specially engineered, are easily replaceable, interchangeable, and makes routine maintenance much easy. Your gas-powered investment can last for years and years if kept with proper care.

3. Electricity and Water Don’t Mix With a gas unit the working becomes easy as there are no annoying cords that will get into your way.

You will stay away from the risk of confronting any electric shock if you use a gas unit. They are portable washers and you can work without the need of a nearest plug.

4. Attachments For dealing with a variety of tasks the gas machines comprise of an arsenal of accessories. Cleaning the large driveways and grimy surfaces becomes easier by using a pressure washers.

Longer hoses and wands have the ability to reach to any nook and corner with ease. If it is a gas unit you have a tool for every job.

5. Power The electric units cannot assemble the strength of a gas unit and one needs the right power to save time and frustration both.

As mentioned earlier in the write-up too the gas-powered washers operate at a much higher PSI than the electric ones. When you are “washing” and “rinsing” your surfaces the PSI can be the difference.

These offer the efficiency estimate along with the performance of the washer. You can calculate it: CU = PSI x GPM.

More the cleaning units, more will be the power and this will enable a faster clean along with broader speed.

The PSI is the measurement of the pressure produced by a compressor in per square inch of space.

Every minute water is pumped by your pressure washer and the GPM measures its volume. Before you buy a pressure washer this is the most important metrics you need to know.

If the GPM is low then the PSI won’t matter much for cleaning purposes. Without any issues an average household will be able to handle 2.5 GPM.

Ensure that the water supply you have is able to handle your pressure washer’s flow rate, else you will risk damaging the motor.

Pro Tip: Determine your GPM by how fast a 5-gallon bucket can be filled. 5 / Time (seconds) X 60 = GPM

Which is the best type?

After reading the above it is clear that whether an electric pressure washer or a gas-powered one both come with a set of benefits and drawbacks.

Mostly the gas-powered pressure washer is used by people randomly and may take it out once or twice a year for doing some heavy-duty cleaning jobs.

On the other hand, the electric pressure washers are being used every couple of weeks for accomplishing cleaning tasks. They are quite easy to tackle.

There is no real reason that why one pressure washer type should be chosen over another. You yourself need to decide what has to be cleaned and as mentioned above also huge jobs call for a gas electric washer and for simple tasks electric unit serves the purpose.