The answer is no you can not use a garden hose for a pressure washer. The reason a garden hose wont work for a pressure washer is that the hose does not have the ability to hold the PSI required by a pressure washer. The standard PSI for a garden hose is 150 PSI. Some models of heavy duty hoses can with stand up to 400 PSI. Which still falls far short of the the pressure washers average of 2800 PSI. In the chart below is the top ten selling pressure washers and the PSI (pressure) they require.
| Pressure washer | PSI or Pressure required for model of pressure washer |
| Stanley 13-Amp Portable Electric Pressure Washer | 2150 PSI |
| Greenworks 13-Amp Corded Electric Pressure Washer | 1800 PSI |
| Generac 2.4 GPM Gas Pressure Washer | 3000 PSI |
| Generac 2.6 GPM Gas Pressure Washer | 3600 PSI |
| Masterforce PSI 1.7 GPM 13-Amp Corded Electric Pressure Washer | 2200 PSI |
| Briggs & Stratton PSI 1.3 GPM 13.75-Amp Corded Electric Pressure Washer | 1700 PSI |
| Dewalt 4.0 GPM 420cc pressure washer | 4400 PSI |
| WPX 2.3 GPM gas powered pressure washer | 2700 PSI |
| Ryobi 1.2 GPM K2300PS | 2300 PSI |
| Karcher 1.45 GPM K3 Power control washer | 1800 PSI |
There is a alternative to pressure washing with a garden hose. These are pressure washing nozzles, we cover more on nozzle pressure in our PSI nozzle article.
Here is a list of the top 5 pressure washer nozzles that can be attached to a standard garden hose.
- Ryobi One+ 18v EZclean 320 psi .08 GPM (paid link)
- Sunny Joe 24V 350 PSI .06 GPM
- Masterforce 400 PSI .08 GPM 20v
- Worx Hydro 320 PSI .5 GPM 20v (paid link)
- Brigs and Stratton adjustable spray nozzle
Keep in mind many of these wands will need adapters for a standard hose. Find out more about garden hose adapters here.
Do I need a special garden hose for a pressure washer?
Yes you need a special hose to use with pressure washer. The standard pressure washer pushes water at a PSI of 2800. Most hoses used for pressure washer have a rating of 4000 PSI. Garden hoses cant with stand that much water pressure. A standard hose has a rating of 150 PSI. Pressure washer hose is reinforced to hold up to a water pressure that garden hoses cant. As listed above a alternative is a high PSI garden nozzle or high spray output nozzle with a steel or commercial grade pressure hose. Do not use a expandable hose they lack the water pressure ability.
How do I convert a garden hose to a pressure washer?
If you want to use a garden hose for a pressure washer the answer as stated above is you cant. You need a power washing hose. However you can convert your garden hose into a power washer using power washing nozzles. See our list of 5 best selling ones above. Garden hoses can be used for pressure washers (nozzles) with a low GPM rate of less than 4 gallons per minute. Beyond that you need pressure washer hoses. You can also try using a pressure washer can if you want to use chemical solutions.
How long can garden hoses be for washer pressure?
This depends on how much water pressure you have coming from your house and the diameter of the garden hose. We have a great chart on water source pressure in our psi article linked above. But in general you want the hose to be as short as possible to accomplish the job. A 3/4 hose under 25 feet is your best option when using a standard hose. This is dependent on the fact that you have a standard pressure coming from your water source.
How much psi can a garden hose handle pressure washing?
Garden hoses can handle 150 Psi with some garden hoses able to handle 350 PSI. Washer pressure is to high for a water hose. You can use garden hoses for pressure nozzle attachments. You still want to select commercial grade garden hoses that can handle high water rates. Use a short length hose to help achieve water volume needed for pressure nozzle. Its important to clean and store nozzles at home to help reduce mineral build up that will effect performance.
Best garden hose for pressure washers
As we stated do not use a garden hose for a pressure washer. But if you want to use a pressure washer nozzle these our the best hoses we could find for the job.
Best garden hoses for pressure washers:
- Briggs and Stratton 8BS75 hose (paid link)
- Yardworks 3/4 contractor farm hose
- Swan Dura Choice 5/8 hose
- Hydroflex 5/8 hose
- AG-LITE BSAL34100 3/4 hose (paid link)
What size garden hose for water pressure washer
The most common hose used for pressure washer are 3/4″ or 5/8″ with a hose length of 25- 50 feet.
5/8 or 3/4 garden hose for pressure washer hose- power washer
Either is fine check the size of your washer connector to determine what to use. There are adapters if you need to change between a 3/4″ and 5/8″ hose.
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