Pressure washer sandblasters are tough machines that harness the cleaning power of a pressure washer, and combine it with the blasting power of sandblasting. If you’re into DIYs or professional cleaning, this tutorial will open your eyes to these commercial and domestic cleaning monsters. You will learn all about pressure washer sandblasters; their working, how to use them, their costs and the best products on the market today.
Table of Contents:
– What is a pressure washer sandblaster?
– How do pressure washer sandblasters work?
– How to use a pressure washer sandblaster
– How much does a pressure washer sandblaster cost?
– Top pressure washer sandblasters
What is a pressure washer sandblaster?
A pressure washer sandblaster has two purposes, as it is equipped with a pressure washer to wash surfaces at a high pressure and sandblasting kit included inside. in general, it utilizes a high power water jet and an abrasive media in order to remove paint, rust, dirt, or other stubborn materials from metal, concrete or wooden surfaces.
There are three main components of a pressure washer sandblaster – a pressure washer, a sandblasting kit and the abrasive media. The pressure washer is a powerful stream of water. The sandblasting kit consists of a hose and nozzle that allows the introduction of the abrasive material into the water stream. Abrasive media can be silica sand, garnet or glass beads, and is crucial to the sandblasting process for the cutting force required to remove or strip tough materials.
These units are invaluable in many applications in the automotive, marine, construction and maintenance industries for surface preparation and cleaning and will make a great addition to your tool kit as a handy thing to have.
How do pressure washer sandblasters work?
The pressure washer sandblaster is a form of sandblasting that incorporates high-pressure water to clean and strip the surface. high-pressure water is pumped through the tubing to the wand and gunA pressure washer has a pump that delivers water to a wand with a gun attached, with high pressures 1000 to 4,000 PSI. (PSI is an abbreviation for pound per square inch, which refers to the force, or pressure, of water pushed through the wand to the surface you are cleaning.)
The sandblasting kit, which generally consists of a hose, nozzle and a reservoir for the abrasive media, attaches to the pressure washer and feeds the abrasive into the water stream. The abrasive is drawn into the stream of high-velocity water using a venturi effect, creating a vacuum which sucks the media into the nozzle. The resulting water/abrasive mixture then exits the nozzle at high-velocity and impacts the surface to be cleaned.
The surface is abraded by the abrasive particles in the blasting media and the dirt, paint, rust and other contaminants have no choice but to be removed. Loose particulate is assisted in its exit through high-pressure water and the blasted surface is clean and smooth. The dual-action cleaning and surface preparation makes pressure washer sandblaster units a tremendous acquisition over traditional cleaning methods.
How to use a pressure washer sandblaster
Setting up and using a pressure washer sandblaster is an important procedure to utilize this tool effectively and safely. Here is the procedure below if you want to use a pressure washer sandblaster:
1. Preparation: Assemble your pressure washer as per the instructional manual, ensuring that you have all necessary add-ons – including the sandblasting kit and abrasive media. Wear the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) including safety glasses, gloves and any other protective clothing, as debris and abrasive media will fly towards you.
2. Assembly: Fix sandblasting kit to the pressure washer. Connect pressure washer hose to nozzle and to sand reservoir. Fill reservoir with selected abrasive media. Make sure all connections are tight so that there are no leaks and it dispatches the media efficiently.
3. Control: Begin by using the pressure washer on an inconspicuous, small section of the surface in order to dial in your pressure settings and ensure that your water and abrasive media are mixing properly. Keep the nozzle 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) away from surfaces to avoid damaging them. Move the nozzle in one consistent, sweeping motion in order to cover an even surface area. Alter your distance and angle from the surface as you move across the space to attain the necessary cleaning outcome.
4. Cleanup: After sandblasting is complete, turn off the pressure washer, remove the sandblasting kit, and rinse the area with water, removing any remaining abrasive and debris before reconnecting the sandblasting kit and pressure washer and storing them as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Cleaning, cutting, grindling or preparing a surface with a pressure washer sand blaster can be a great way to increase efficiency. However, unless safety procedures are carefully followed and proper guidelines are used, it will not turn out great.
How much does a pressure washer sandblaster cost?
The price of a pressure washer sandblaster can vary a lot, and that’s why we’ll evaluate the primary factors:
- 1. The power and quality of the pressure washer and
- 2. The type and capacity of the sandblasting kit you install plus the type of abrasive media that will be used.
First things first you need to realize that a very simple pressure washer sandblaster that works at 1500 PSI and uses a 1 PSI sandblasting nozzle can cost as low as $200, however, at the same time you can buy a pressure washer sandblaster that is able to withstand 4000 PSI, clean up to 35 sq. ft. per minute, and basically blow the doors off your toughest cleaning jobs.
Pressure Washer: The price of a good quality pressure washer that is suitable for sandblasting varies widely ranging from $300 – $1,500 or more. The lower priced pressure washers in the $300 range are of a lower quality and have lower PSI ratings than the top of the line $1,500+ models that are packed with features and a higher pressure output.
Sandblasting Kit: Sandblasting kits range from $50 to $300 with better quality and feature-heavy sandblasters pushing the upper end of the price range. For more expensive kits, you can expect better construction, adjustable nozzles, and larger sand reservoirs to enhance your experience, as well as long-term blasting and durability.
Abrasive Media: Cost of abrasive media varies with material and quantity, with common generic types of media, such as silica sand, ranging from $10-$30 per bag and upgraded abrasives, such as garnet or glass beads, ranging from $50-$100 per bag (some of which have the added benefit of reduced health risks compared to silica sand).
In summary, it will cost you a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars to set up a pressure washer sandblaster. This can sometimes be worth it in order to buy higher-quality parts and media, which may give superior performance, work for a longer time, or even be safer, especially if you’re planning to use this setup often or professionally.
Top pressure washer sandblasters
There are a few things that you should pay attention to if you want to buy a pressure washer sandblaster. These are: performance, lifespan, how easy they are to use and finally ratings and reviews from real customers who have used them. In this article we have listed some of the top pressure washer sandblasters on the market.
1. Simpson Cleaning ALH3228-S Pressure Washer: This powerful machine with a Honda GX200 engine pumps out 3,200 PSI (pounds per square inch) of pressure, making short work of dirt and grime – and if you add a sandblasting kit, it gets more intense. 2. Dirty Harry Power Pump: For extra grime-busting ability, this water-cooled steamer screams at 25,000 PSI and is capable of pulling up scale and grime from any surface – no sandblasting required. 3. The Aluma-Jet System: Designed for high-speed cleaning and maintenance of all types of overhead bridges, this innovative system boasts state-of-the-art components that have simplified and sped up the process.
2. Generac 6565 Pressure Washer: This heavy-duty little beast produces a massive 4,200psi of pressure, making it an ideal sandblaster for all types of heavy-duty applications. Its hard-wearing frame, featuring sturdy wheels, improved recovery system and a Lifetime Frame Limited Warranty makes it a more than suitable machine to handle any task.
3. MTM Hydro Industrial Sand Blast Kit: This sandblasting kit is rated 4.8/5 for easy use and versatility. It is compatible with most pressure washers, and has a strong brass nozzle that can handle light and heavy-duty deburring.
4. Powerhorse Gas Cold Water Pressure Washer: A Powerhorse engine and 4,000 PSI output mean that this pressure washer is a solid choice for most demanding sandblasting projects. Built tough and with a great stream, the Powerhorse has become a contractor favourite.
5. Karcher K-Series Sandblasting Kit: Designed for use with Karcher pressure washers, this sandblasting kit is easy to set up, easy to use, fast and consistently efficient at removing paint, rust and other stubborn deposits.
After you decided on what you need exactly and what is your budget, feel free to look at different customer reviews and features to decide what works best according to your needs.
Conclusion
The pressure washer sandblaster is a popular piece of equipment that combines the cleaning action of a pressure washer with the power of sandblasting. Pressure washer sandblasters are used for difficult cleaning or surface preparation jobs and are growing in popularity. It is crucial to understand how these devices work, how to use them, and their costs and top models to make an informed decision before investing in this equipment. Pressure washer sandblasters can save you a lot of time when doing difficult cleaning tasks and can get your surface preparation jobs finished quickly and efficiently.
