Ultimate Guide To The AR Blue Clean AR383 Pressure Washer

There are few tasks more tedious than cleaning off a deck, sidewalk, or patio. The dirt and debris get ground into the very pores of the materials and no amount of scrubbing seems to ever get them clean. For this reason, people have to turn to something more powerful than just old-fashioned elbow grease.

The go-to device for getting these outdoor surfaces truly and deeply clean is the water pressure washer. Among the different options you have for quality pressure washers is the AR383 Power Washer.

This electric power washer is a great light-duty to medium-duty washer. It comes with all the accessories you will need for a variety of projects you will encounter around the house.

With our complete guide to the AR383 Blue Clean Pressure Washer, we will take an in-depth look at this portable pressure washer and review everything you need to know about this model. We’ve done an extensive investigation for you so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not this is the pressure washer for you.

What Are the Features of the Blue Clean 383 Pressure Washer?

This pressure washer is an excellent option for those looking for a quality pressure washer for residential use. It is more powerful than other electric washers around the same price range, and even powerful enough to compete with some gasoline pressure washers.

For the money, this is one of the top models you can get for cleaning even tough jobs around the home.

The 383 was AR Blue Clean’s original electric power washer and over the years, it has become one of their most popular and best-selling models.

Electrical Components

AR Blue Clean has equipped this pressure washer with a powerful electric motor to drive the pump. With 13 amps and 1.5 horsepower, the motor has enough strength to deliver great performance with high efficiency.

Unlike gasoline motors, electric motors do not need any special maintenance, nor do you have to worry about oiling them and keeping them lubricated. Electric motors are already universally lubricated and will last for many, many years.

With 13 amps, you also will not need any special electrical outlets or cords to operate the device either. AR Blue Clean supplies the 383 model with a 30 foot, double insulated power cord.

The double insulation means that the plug on the cord only needs two prongs instead of the more common three prongs for grounding. The insulation itself protects the electrical components from any circuit ground problems that might occur.

Plus, the end of the cord is equipped with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) so that if there are any surges in the electrical system, the interrupter will trip and protect the motor from overloads. This is like having a circuit breaker right onboard.

Should any surges come through the line that might harm the electric motor, the breaker will trip to cut off the power flow. When the problem has been corrected, you need only push the reset button on the GFCI to use the pressure washer again.

And with 30 feet of cord, you will have great reach to get to all the jobs around the house. The cord can be stored easily by winding it onto the accessory caddie attached to the back of the pressure washer.

This will make it easier both to store the pressure washer and to transport it wherever your jobs take you. The cord will not be a hassle that gets in the way whenever you need to take the pressure washer out.

A great energy saver of the AR383 is that once you release the handle and stop spraying the high-pressure water, the pump will automatically shut off. This keeps it from running while not in use.

When you re-engage the trigger, the pump with turn back on. This feature makes this model particularly energy-efficient—far more so than other models of comparable strength and price.

For a few bucks less, you could consider the Ryobi 1700 pressure washer, or the Sun Joe SPX3000

Water Power

This powerful motor is paired with an excellent, tri-axial water pump for which the AR (Annovi Reverberi) brand has become well-known in the industry. This pump will generate 1,900 PSI (pounds per square inch) of water pressure.

This is enough pressure to handle most difficult jobs you will find around the house like patios, decks, sidewalks, etc.

To give you some idea how powerful this is, it is about 30 times more powerful than your average garden hose. It will not be strong enough to strip paint off of a house, but it is strong enough to damage a paint job on a car, so you need to be careful how you use it.

Through this pressure, it will deliver 1.5 gallons of water per minute. This reduces your water consumption up to 80%. This means you clean quickly without wasting any water.

Both the PSI and GPM rating are much higher than you will find on the typical electric pressure washer. Most gasoline-powered models will be higher, but for an electric model, there are only a few that will deliver more pressure as efficiently as the AR383.

Both the electric motor and the water pump are relatively quiet when they operate. This will help keep the noise levels down so you will not have to wear any protective earplugs and you will be able to hold a normal conversation even when the motor is running.

Nozzle Features

AR Blue Clean supplies this model with two different nozzles. The two nozzles can be attached to the gun with a simple twisting and locking of the coupler.

No special tools are needed and they will snap into place without needing very much effort. They will also create a firm seal between the nozzle and the gun so that there should not be any leaking.

The first nozzle that comes with the AR383 is an adjustable spray nozzle. This can be adjusted from a “pencil-point,” high-pressure spray to a wide fan of spray which reduces the pressure.

The adjustment is made by simply turning the end of the nozzle to set the stream to the desired stream. This allows you to customize just how strong of a stream of water you want for your particular job. This adjustable nozzle will work well for lighter duty jobs like cleaning outdoor equipment, washing the siding of your house, or getting tough grime off of tires.

If the pinpoint spray is not enough for your job, AR Blue Clean has supplied the AR383 with a Turbo Nozzle for really tough jobs. This Turbo Nozzle will concentrate the spray for up to 50% more power than the Adjustable Nozzle and will also rotate / pulsate to vary the spray.

The Turbo Nozzle is strong enough to get out tough grime and dirt that is ground into materials like concrete. This spray is strong enough that you will need to be careful not to use it on sensitive applications where paint may chip or you may dent something.

Lastly, the AR383 comes with a Detergent Tank which attaches directly to the end of the spray gun. This tank can be used to add pressure washer soap directly to the stream of water that comes from the gun.

This spray is low pressure enough that it can be applied directly to your automobile, RV, or other equipment. If you have been looking for a way to make washing the car easier, this is it!

Hands-free washing and rinsing are made easy with this attachment.

High-Pressure Hose

To connect the spray gun to the water pump, this unit comes with a 20 foot, high-pressure hose. This hose is resistant to kinks and will fit securely on both ends to resist leaking.

The hose can be stored on a very convenient spool located on the top of the pressure washer. This makes it very convenient to roll up the hose and store it when you are done with your washing.

Other pressure washers require you to simply coil the hose on your own, so this is a great bonus feature offered by AR Blue Clean.

And 20 feet will give you plenty of reach to do job over a long distance without having to reposition the washer itself. And with the 30-foot power cord, you should have great flexibility to reach almost any job around the house.

Other Features

All of these features are housed in a single body unit which is approximately 2.4 feet high and weighs around 27 pounds. It has a handle at the top and 7-inch wheels on which to roll the unit into place or store it. This makes the unit highly portable and easy for anyone to more and use.

On the back of the unit is an accessory caddie where all the different components can be stored onboard. Each part has a place that can be put on the caddie and the cord can be wrapped around it.

This way you will never lose any of the parts that come the unit and you will never have to go looking for an accessory when you need them. Wherever you roll the unit, all the parts will go with you.

What Kind of Maintenance Is Required on the AR Blue Clean 383 Washer?

From time to time, you will need to flush out the nozzles to make sure there is no dirt built up which will hamper the performance of the pressure washer. You will also need to make sure that the unit is clean from dirt and debris which may make its way to the motor and cause it to gum up the inner workings.

But because this model uses an electric motor, there are no routine oil changes or fuel issues to worry about. Overall, electric pressure washers are maintenance-free and will not really require any special attention. Simply using it and storing it properly (i.e., not outside) will suffice for most people to keep it running well and for many years.

Does the AR383 Pressure Washer Require Any Assembly?

For the most part, the AR383 will come assembled. You will need a Phillips screwdriver to attach the accessory holder to the back of the unit. You will also have to attach the hose to the unit. But beyond this, there are no special tasks that are required to get the unit up and running.

This makes the unit highly accessible for anyone to use.

Are There Any Downsides to the AR Blue Clean 383 Pressure Washer?

Our research shows that there are a few issues associated with the AR383. First, the fittings that come with the unit are plastic. These can be a bit flimsy and lead to some leakage between the hose and the pressure washer or between the hose and the spray gun.

One solution to this problem is to use brass fittings instead of the supplied plastic ones. This will give you a much more secure connection and should help avoid any leaking. This will cost a little more, but brass fittings are not that expensive, so it would have been nice for AR Blue Clean to simply supply them with the unit in the first place.

Another possible downside is that there is no way to use the high pressure and the soap dispenser at the same time. When the soap dispenser is attached to the spray gun, you will only get normal pressure from the nozzle. It would have been nice if the unit had a way of mixing the soap along with the high-pressure nozzles.

What Kind of Warranty Is Offered by AR Blue Clean?

This model comes with a 1-year limited liability warranty on all parts of the unit. Should anything go wrong with the pressure washer due to manufacturer errors or parts defects, AR Blue Clean will repair or replace the unit at their discretion. This company has a great reputation for their customer service, so you can rest assured that if anything goes wrong with the unit, you will be well taken care of.

Verdict

AR Blue Clean, a division of AR North American, has been making quality water pumps and pressure washers for more than 50 years. With the AR383, you get one of the most powerful electric pressure washers on the market. It is a quality unit with a great company behind it.

If you are looking for a good, medium-duty pressure washer to use around the house and clean off sidewalks, patios, decks, and other equipment, the AR383 will get the job done well and at a genuinely affordable price.

Last update on 2024-03-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API