How to choose the right pressure washer nozzle :

You have bought one pressure washer and got a pack of colorful nozzles. But you got confused which one to use. You are washing your car. Should you use the red one or the white one ?

Using the perfect nozzle is the most important part of a pressure washer cleaning. Using a wrong nozzle may end you damaging your lawn, patio, driveway or even removing the paint off your car.

Nozzle is used to adjust the pressure of a pressure washer. The amount of pressure requires to clean a deck,house or boat is different than the pressure to clean a car. If the nozzle size is small, the pump will push the water through a smaller hole and produce more pressure. The pressure will increase the velocity of the water and more velocity means more distance it will travel.

What type of pressure washer nozzle to use :

There are seven different types of nozzle. Five of them are colorful nozzles called 'quick connect' nozzle. These nozzles can produce different amount of pressure and used for different surface. Most of the pressure washer manufacturer provides these five nozzles with machine. The color code is universal and even if you are using a different manufacturer model, it will do the same job.

Following are the five colored nozzles :

  1. Red or 0 degree nozzle
  2. Yellow or 15 degree nozzle
  3. Green or 25 degree nozzle
  4. White or 40 degree nozzle
  5. Black or 65 degree nozzle

pressure-washer-nozzle

Where to use them :

Let's discuss about the use cases of the above nozzles :

1. Red or 0 degree nozzle :

This is the most powerful and also the most unsafe nozzle. It emits the water at zero degree angle and shoots the most powerful stream of water. It also covers a small cleaning area. You can use this nozzle to clean stubborn stains , caked mud, tar etc. that is hard to remove. Avoid using it on delicate surface or vehicle.

2. Yellow or 15 degree nozzle :

This nozzle is used mainly for surface preparation like removing paint from metal or woods,removing dart, rust from steel etc. It is mainly used on rough hard surfaces.You can use it for removing thick layer of mud or stubborn stain from a surface.

3. Green or 25 degree nozzle :

This is the average powered nozzle and mostly used for all general cleaning. I use it for cleaning roof, gutter, pools and any painted surfaces. The coverage area of this nozzle is good for almost any cleaning task.

4. White 40 degree nozzle :

Nozzle for light cleaning. You can use it for cleaning car,boats,roofs,driveways or even windows. The water hits the surface with less force and great for soft surfaces.

5. Black or 65 degree nozzle :

This nozzle is used for soap wash.The spray is wide and low pressure. It is perfect for using with soap and other cleaning detergents.

Rotary nozzle :

These nozzles rotates while clearning. Also known as turbo nozzle, these nozzles have higher cleaning power than a normal pressure washer colored nozzle.They spins a zero degree spray at very high rotation speed. The rotating speed is around 3000 rpm for most rotary nozzle.The spinning water hits the surface at different angle and removes the dart and grim. The rotation increases the intensity and cleaning area of the spray and improves the overall efficiency.

Sewer jetting nozzle :

Sewer jetting nozzles are used for high pressure cleaning tasks like drain cleaning, sewer or pipe cleaning,turbo cleaning etc. These are used with both cold and hot water pressure washer.

Final Words :

Choosing the right nozzle is one of the important thing that you should learn before start working with a pressure washer. Always start with a low power wider nozzle first and keep a safe distance while cleaning. For changing nozzle, check the guide and use the one that is recommended by the manufacturer. Even if your pressure washer is an old and low PSI washer,choosing the right nozzle can provide you the clean that you desire.