1.2–1.8 GPM · 1,600–2,000 PSI
Electric compact
Deck: Skip, or 12″ rated for low flow
Most 15–20″ decks will not spin. A wand + 25° tip is honest.
Spinning deck
Surface cleaner matrix
A surface cleaner is two (sometimes four) tips on a spinning bar under a skirt. It erases wand stripes — if the bar has enough water to stay alive.
2.3–2.8 GPM · 2,700–3,200 PSI
Homeowner gas
Deck: 15–16″
Sweet spot. Dual nozzles need the flow or they streak and stall.
3.5–4.0 GPM · 3,500–4,000 PSI
Prosumer gas
Deck: 18–20″
Faster coverage on driveways. Confirm the housing PSI rating.
5–8 GPM · 3,500–4,000 PSI
Commercial
Deck: 20–24″
3/8″ inlet, stainless deck, rebuildable swivels. Not a toy.
Flow spins the bar. Pressure does the cleaning.
People buy a 20-inch deck because it looks pro, then hang it on a 1.6 GPM electric. The bar crawls, one nozzle starves, and you get a wet comma on the concrete. Diameter is a coverage choice. GPM is a physics choice.
- Read the cleaner’s minimum GPM and maximum PSI. Both have to fit.
- Keep the skirt flush. Tilt it and you etch a crescent.
- Pair with a 25° or dedicated deck nozzles — not a 0° red tip inside the housing.
- On broom-finished driveways, a 16″ deck on 2.5 GPM is usually faster than a wand marathon.
Concrete vs wood: surface cleaners are for hardscape.
Decks and
fences want a fan tip, more standoff, and a lot less
ambition. An open patio uses the same deck when the skirt can sit flat —
how to pressure wash a patio.
A deck in this band
For homeowner gas around 2,600–3,200 PSI and at most 2.7 GPM, we point at a 15″ Kärcher deck — the same one in the driveway kit. Confirm the plate if your pump sits above 2.7 GPM.
Homeowner-gas deck
Kärcher Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner 15", Quick Connect, 2600–3200 PSISame 15″ deck as the driveway kit. Confirm the plate if your pump sits above 2.7 GPM.
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Building a driveway? The driveway & concrete kit already sizes the deck to a 2.3–2.8 GPM machine.