How to Choose the Best Pressure Washer Hose

Updated 3/8/2023

Your pressure washer is only as good as the type of hose you employ.  Pressure washer hoses can differ greatly, and just because a hose works perfectly for one type of pressure washer, doesn’t mean it’s right for your washer. 

Because pressure washers come in different types, with different PSI limitations, your pressure washer hose must match both criterias.

Otherwise, you risk damaging your pressure washer or causing leakage in the hose from using too much pressure. 

That should always be a concern before starting any job, especially if you’re planning on using a washer with a lot of PSI for big jobs.

So first, consider what job you’re going to be performing. If you’re washing your car, a smaller hose will suffice. 

You should only be using the 1,000-2,000 PSI range on any vehicle, so a smaller hose will work fine without any problems. 

For outdoor surfaces, you’ll want a longer power washer hose that can handle a lot of pressure. 

Usually, cleaning an outdoor surface can require 3,000 PSI, but can also be as much as 4,000 PSI. 

That means a heavy-duty pressure washer hose so that you don’t suffer any leakage or damage to your pressure washer nozzle or hose.

For home cleaning, there are a few factors you’ll have to consider: 

Hose Length & Pressure Washer Hose Reels

A longer hose will make maneuvering around the outside of your home, much easier. 

You should make sure to factor in how much PSI your pressure washer is using, keeping in mind that the typical home will require around 2,000 to really get the job done.

You also probably don’t need a very large pressure washer hose reel, as the car will be in close proximity to your home and garage.

The longer pressure washer hoses are best reserved for bigger jobs like home cleaning and outdoor surface cleaning.

Note that standard hose reels can reel almost 100 feet of 3/8 inches and rotate 360 degrees.

The heavy-duty commercial ones tend to last for years without leaking as they are protected against chemical corrosion.

But more important for the outside of your home is a pressure washer hose reel that will be accepting of a wide variety of accessories.

You’ll need many pressure washer accessories you’ll to get the big jobs done, as well as small ones like washing the car or washing the area rugs. 

Washing the outside of a home will require several different nozzles to change the water into very wide streams, or very narrow ones for more targeted work. 

So you’ll need a hose that’s flexible enough to support a lot of different nozzles so that you can get any job done. 

Take this into account, and purchase a versatile hose so that you don’t run into problems later on.

They have the widest selection of different pressure washer hoses, and also the customer information that you need in order to make the best choice. 

Depending upon the length of the hose, prices can range anywhere from $30 to $150.

How to Choose the Best Pressure Washer Hose

A pressure washer hose comes in a vast array of materials, lengths, and sizes. When choosing which type of hose for power pressure washers, there is a list of things you need to consider before deciding on the right one.

How Good is the Budget Low-End Pressure Washer Hose?

You need to be careful when you base your criteria on budget pricing as cheap hoses have many features lacking yet critical to the general functions of the machine, especially when you need to continuously use them over a long period on a daily basis.

The lower-end pressure washer hose (usually consumer-grade) is black and can easily leave black markings on the floor or walls if you drag the washer around.

These low-end types of hoses have cheap connectors often snapping when brute force is applied, as some could be made with plastic materials instead of metallic fibers.

This is a common sight for those of you who use the machine once or twice a year and find that the hose has cracked- or worse, the connectors have turned brittle in the cold!

Oil Resistant Synthetic Pressure Washer Hose

The oil-resistant synthetic pressure washer hose is designed for commercial power pressure washers which you can purchase for your machine.

They cost a fair bit more than the usual consumer-grade and are perfect for applications in garages, auto mechanic shops, meatpacking, poultry processing plants, and other locations that require heavy-duty grease cleanups.

Hot Water Pressure Washer Hose

Some pressure washer hose reels like the standard and Tubular Base Mount Reels are mounted on a flat surface or wall plate, with its steel body giving it added strength and stability.

It can also be mounted on special vehicles or serve as a portable power pressure washer.

If you intend to use a hot water pressure washer, it is important to take note of the temperature rating.

While many machines also output steam, you need a hose with the ability to withstand between 250 to 325 degrees of heat to be safe.

If your hose is the normal type at 180 degrees, the steam could cause serious failure to the machine and even backfire with severe physical harm.

So always make it a point to check with the manufacturer when using steam units.