As a plumber, next to your skills, your tools are everything. When it comes to cleaning, two powerhouses often come up: power washers and jetter machines. On the surface, they both blast water at high pressure, but their capabilities—and how they fit into your workday—are very different. So, do you really need both, or can you get by with one? Let’s break it down.
What Does a Power Washer Do?
A power washer is your go-to for cleaning surfaces like driveways, patios, and job sites. It’s built to take on grime, mold, and caked-on dirt, leaving surfaces looking brand new. With fan-style nozzles and pressures usually between 1,500 and 3,000 PSI, power washers are all about tackling big, flat areas efficiently.
But here’s the catch: power washers are surface cleaners, not problem solvers. They’re not designed to snake through pipes or handle the kind of blockages you deal with on plumbing jobs. If your main goal is clearing clogs, a power washer won’t cut it.
Where Does a Jetter Machine Shine?
Jetter machines are the precision tools of the plumbing world. They’re built to navigate pipes, blast through clogs, and handle the gunk that slows drains to a crawl. Running at higher pressures—often over 4,000 PSI—and paired with specialized nozzles, jetters can cut through everything from grease to tree roots.
Whether you’re flushing out a kitchen drain or clearing a sewer line, a jetter gets the job done without chemicals or invasive methods. It’s not flashy, but it’s a must-have for serious plumbers who deal with blockages day in and day out.
Should You Have Both?
Here’s the deal: if your work involves outdoor cleanup alongside drain clearing, owning both a power washer and a jetter machine can make sense. A power washer can keep job sites clean and equipment spotless, while the jetter handles the heavy lifting inside the pipes.
If plumbing is your main focus, the jetter is the tool you can’t do without. It’s the workhorse that’ll pay for itself in time saved and jobs done right. A power washer? Nice to have, but not essential unless surface cleaning is part of your service package.
The Bottom Line
A power washer and a jetter machine might look similar, but their jobs couldn’t be more different. As a plumber, the jetter is your bread and butter for tackling clogs and maintaining pipes. If surface cleaning comes up often in your work, adding a power washer might be worth it—but if not, focus on the tool that truly makes you money.
