woops..funny

https://www.daimer.com/carpet-cleaners/xtreme-power-xph-tm-10120.htm
The pic of tM in van.. Got it backwards, yes?

Lol, if you guys are wondering where the picture is, it's under "description" tab

Well, they do make the point many times that this is a "portable" cleaner and with a 2.1 gpm, that is exactly what it is. Maybe it rolls out in that direction?

Not to soapbox...okay, I will....that gpm rating is probably the most important rating for a TM. I don't care about the pressure nor the heat near as much as the flow. Low flow has never been a benefit to performance in any product.

2.1 gpm is pretty good no ? I think my general pump has 5 gpm at 1000 psi but I clean at 450 - 500 psi, so that's like 2.25 - 2.5 gpm.

Exactly, take that 2.1 and run it at 500 psi or even at 1,000 and what do you have? The best psi washers are the ones that move the most water and we are no different as the greater the water, the greater the flushing ability.

That is why a TM is the better choice over a portable when flushing is desired. Most portables are about 1.6 gpm (same as a water saving shower head) while most TM's are over at least 3.0 gpm. (remember showering in the full-psi days?)

I would never buy a TM with less than 3.0 gpm and would prefer higher if I can get it. If you made a list of all the TM's that were 3.2 and up, you will also notice that they are known to be better performers.

Judson TNT....4.5 gpm @ ??? psi
Everest....5.5 gpm @ ??? psi
Butler.....5.0 gpm @ 500 psi

Look at it this way. The psi is just agitation to release the grime from the fibers, but we use chemicals more than psi to strip it from the fibers these days, so psi isn't so vital. Flow (gpm) is what is actually flushing away what was stripped off the fibers. Greater the flow, the faster it cleans.

If you are like me, you need simple explanations. Which would have the greatest impact...a baseball thrown at 60 mph (psi) or a bowling ball at 60 mph? Same speed, but vastly different impact.

GPM is the size of the ball being thrown and I personally feel it is the most under discussed variable in cleaning today.

Ok I get it, I guess I always thought psi is psi, because it is pressure per square inch, it's still the same at 450 psi even with lower gpm, I guess I'm wrong, I'm learning something new today.

On a lower flow pump, you can't maintain that pressure with higher flow jets.

dp1 wrote:Ok I get it, I guess I always thought psi is psi, because it is pressure per square inch, it's still the same at 450 psi even with lower gpm, I guess I'm wrong, I'm learning something new today.

It is just like placing your finger partially over a garden hose to increase the spray psi, the volume is still the same. All you did is reduce the piping to increase pressure.

milspec6 wrote:

dp1 wrote:Ok I get it, I guess I always thought psi is psi, because it is pressure per square inch, it's still the same at 450 psi even with lower gpm, I guess I'm wrong, I'm learning something new today.

It is just like placing your finger partially over a garden hose to increase the spray psi, the volume is still the same.  All you did is reduce the piping to increase pressure.

No wonder I get better pressures with my hp 650 rather than the 408, the 408 is using cat pump and the hp 650 is using general pump.

Hard to find apples to apples in the TM industry for comparison. There are a lot of variables that are never discussed in the sales brochure.