Most people consider pressure washing an essential service. However, can a pressure washer do more harm than good? The short answer is that this helpful tool can prove too powerful in the wrong hands. In this post, the Activate Pressure Washing team explores the answer in greater detail.
What Damage Can Pressure Washing Cause?
If you watch advertising, it’s easy to power wash every area of your home. However, those advertisements skip one crucial aspect: It takes experience to wield these tools, and using them incorrectly for pressure washing can result in:
- Water accumulation in cracks and between boards and siding creates the perfect conditions for mildew and mold.
- Scoured wood
- Warped or shattered siding
- Cracked tiles
- Removal of the asphalt layer on roofing shingles
- Smashed windows
- Paint stripping
- Chipped concrete
- Water getting in under doors and into electrical outlets
Considering the potential issues, you can see why professional pressure washing services prefer to use soft wash techniques. Unfortunately, many DIY enthusiasts learn the lesson the hard way.
Common Mistakes Amateurs Make
Using Too Much Pressure
Many people think applying more pressure will make the job go faster. Technically, they’re right, but faster isn’t always better. The higher the pressure, the greater the risk of damage or losing control of the machine.
With excessive pressure, even hard surfaces like concrete will chip. More fragile surfaces like glass will shatter. Understanding how much pressure to use to get optimal results takes expertise and experience.
Standing Too Close
Concentrating the spray in one area increases the pressure on that area. So, even if you use a lower setting, you can still do damage. It’s also worth noting that the closer you stand, the higher the chance of blowback.
Many homeowners stand back to admire their work only to see that they’ve left a mark. Others jump back in pain as the spray bounces right back after hitting the surface. Understanding how different surfaces will react takes practice.
Using the Wrong Technique
Some people start on the lowest settings but turn up the pressure because they’re not getting the results they want. What they should do instead is use a suitable cleaning product to do the heavy lifting. Nine times out of ten, high pressure is completely unnecessary.
Also, without the proper experience, you might concentrate the spray on one area for too long or not realize you must seal up electrical outlets.
How to Avoid Damage
Considering the potential for significant damage, it makes sense to rely on a professional team. It doesn’t make sense to risk hundreds or thousands of dollars in repairs to save a little money on cleaning once or twice a year.
Contact Us for Professional Pressure Washing
Why waste your spare time wrestling with an unwieldy power washer and risking damage to your property or injury? Thanks to our affordable pressure washing, there is no need. Contact Activate Pressure Washing at (512) 387-7133 today!