-A-

Alkaline - Any substance with a pH below 7. Also calles a base or a basic solution.

Amp / Amps / Ampere - The quantity of electrical current flowing or volume of current flow.

-B-

Buna N - Buna-Nitrile. A type of rubber used for o-rings, pump seals and hose.

Bypass - The circuit of waster flowing from the outlet of the pump back to the inlet of the pump when the trigger gun is closed.

 

-C-

Cavitation - A noisy pump problem caused by lack of water or air in the water supply. May be caused by intake water being too hot.

Ceramic Plunger - A component of the pressure pump. The piston that forces the water.

Check Valve - A component of the pressure pump. Keeps the water flowing in one direction.

Chemical Injector- A soap / detergent valve used to meter and inject soap into the water stream.

Coupling - Hose connector. Used to quick connect hoses and accessories together. Also a connection between the pump and motor shafts.

 

-D-

Diaphragm Pump - A pump that uses a a diaphram instead of plungers to force water.

Direct Drive - If the pump is mounted directly or is coupled to the engine. Pump speed is equal to drive speed.

Dual Lance - Double tubed lance usually with a valve or a trigger to allow for chemical application.

Duplex Pump - Two-cylinder pump.

 

-E-

Easy-Start Valve - Relieves system startup pressure.

Extension Lance - Add length to you gun assembly.

 

-F-

Foamer (lance) - Accessory for applying detergent as a foam.

Flow-Actuated Unloader - Valve bypasses water responding to water flow changes rather than pressure.

Flow Switch - A switch activated when water passes through it.

 

-G-

GPM - Gallons Per Minute. Mesure of flow.

GPH - Gallons Per Hour. Measure of flow. GPM x 60 = GPH

Ground Fault Circuit Interupter - GFCI. Shuts of machine if ground is interupted.

Gutter Cleaner - Attach to you extended lance to clean inside your gutters from the ground.

 

-H-

Hose Reel - Use to wind up your hose.

HP - Horsepower.

 

-I-

ID - Inside Diameter.

 

-J-

-K-

-L-

Lance - Pipe or tubeing connecting the trigger gun to the nozzle.

-M-

Mole Nozzle - Drain cleaning nozzle.

-N-

Nozzle - The tip used to build water pressure and manipulate the spray pattern

NPT - National pipe thread.

 

-O-

OD - Outside diameter.

Oil Seal - Seals pump oil inside crankcase.

O-Rings - Used to seal valves and connectors

 

-P-

pH - A 0 to 14 scale used to determine the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. 7 is neutral and 0 is most alkaline.

Piston Pump - Packing are carried on the pistons.

Plunger Pump - Mostly ceramic plungers moving back and forth in a cylinder.

Postitive Displacement Pump - A pump that discharches the same amount of water that enters the pump.

Pressure-Actuated Unloader - Unloader Valve that goes into bypass when a preset pressure is reached.

Pressure Relief Valve - A safety valve that will vent water to the atmosphere when the system reaches a set limit.

Pressure Spike - The increase in pressure when the trigger gun is closed.

Pressure Switch - A switch activated by water pressure.

PSI - Pounds per square inch. Used to measure pressure.

Pulsation Dampener - Usually a gass-filled cylinder used to lessen the effect of pump pulsation in the system. Also call an accumulator.

 

-Q-

Quick Coupler - A connector that allows for easy connection of hose and accessories. Common types are screw-type quick connectors and plug and socket.

 

-R-

Rotating Nozzle - A zero degree nozzle spray that rotates in a cone shape increasing the coverage of the high impact narrow stream nozzles.

RPM - Revolutions per minute. The speed of the pump or engine.

 

-S-

SAE - Society of Automotive Engineers. Standards for components like hose and pipe.

Schedule 40 / 80 Pipe - SAE ratings for pipe. Schedule 80 is much thicker with a higher pressure rating / burst rating than schedule 40 pipe.

Sewer Cleaning (Jetting) - Clean out drains and pipe with your pressure washer.

Sludge Pump - Turns a pressure washer into a water pump.

Surface Cleaner - Cleans flat surfaces extremely fast and with less fatigue.

 

-T-

Telescoping Wand - Lance extends from 6 to 24 feet in length.

Trigger Gun - A high pressure rated gun with a shut off trigger.

Triplex Pump - Three cylander pump.

 

-U-

Unloader - The bypass valve the will circulate the water fromt eh outlet of the pump back to the inlet of the pump when the trigger is released.

Upstream - Before the pump. A high pressure soap injector is considered an upstream injector.

-V-

V Packing - The high pressure seals in a plunger style pump.

Venturi - Siphon. A venturi-injector siphons detergent into a stream of water.

Viton - Material used for high temperature seals and o-rings.

 

-W-

Water Broom - A spraybar with up to 4 nozzles for cleaning large areas

Weeping Gun - A gun that will allow water to flow when closed to prevent freezing.

Wet Sandblaster - Inject sand into you water stream.

 

-X-

-Y-

-Z-