Surface cleaners come in three tiers: small polypropylene for homeowners, stainless for industrial work, and the polypropylene mid-range in between. The AR-ROTARY16 and AR-ROTARY20 surface cleaners sit in that mid-range, which is where most working contractors land, and for a reason worth explaining.

AR-ROTARY16 and AR-ROTARY20 surface cleaners compared

Match it to your pump first

AR does not publish pressure or flow ratings for either of these, so send us your machine’s GPM and PSI and we will confirm the fit. What matters in practice is that your pump delivers enough flow to spin the head at working speed.

• 3 GPM: the 16 in will work. The 20 in will turn slowly and you will go over everything twice.
• 4 GPM: the 16 in runs well. The 20 in is workable.
• 5 GPM or more: the 20 in comes into its own.

Buying a wider cleaner than your pump can drive makes you slower, not faster. Width only helps when the head is spinning at speed.

Why polypropylene

It does not rust, it costs less than stainless, and it is significantly lighter, which matters over a full day of pushing one around. It is also the right material for food-contact-adjacent and agricultural environments where rust is a contamination concern rather than a cosmetic one.

What stainless buys you is impact resistance and life on a rig that gets thrown in and out of a truck daily. If your cleaner lives a hard life, the AR-ROTARY20SS and AR-ROTARY24SS are worth the difference. If it does not, polypropylene is the better buy.

No wheels, and why that is deliberate

Wheels set a fixed height above the surface. Without them the skirt rides on the surface itself, which keeps the working distance constant across uneven concrete, textured finishes, thresholds and slopes.

On smooth new concrete wheels are more comfortable. On anything textured, cracked or sloped, a wheel-free unit cleans more evenly. It also lets you work right up to a wall.

Surface cleaners and hot water

Heat is the reason to buy this tier rather than the entry level. Grease on a restaurant sidewalk, a dumpster pad or a garage floor comes off with heat in a way it does not with pressure. If you run a hot water machine, this rating is what lets you use it.

Confirm the rest of the system is hot-water rated too, particularly the swivel and the quick connect at the lance.

Where the extra width pays

The difference between a 14 in and a 20 in cleaner is roughly a 40 percent increase in area per pass. Over a parking lot that is real money; over a residential patio it is not.

16 in suits sidewalks, pool decks, restaurant patios and residential flatwork, and is easier to manoeuvre in and out of confined spaces.

20 in suits warehouse floors, parking structures, loading zones, schoolyards and larger municipal sidewalk runs.

Keeping a surface cleaner working

• Check the nozzles weekly. Worn tips are the reason a surface cleaner gradually stops performing, and they wear unevenly so one side cleans better than the other.
• Flush after hot water use to prevent mineral deposits inside the spray bar.
• Check the swivel. If the head develops resistance, the swivel is going. That is the part that fails on these.
• Store indoors. Polypropylene does not rust but it does degrade under prolonged UV.

Which surface cleaner to choose

AR-ROTARY16 if you work residential and small commercial, want a lighter tool, and your pump is around 3 to 4 GPM.

AR-ROTARY20 if you clean large square footage regularly, maintain facilities or parking structures, and your pump delivers 4 GPM or more.

Not sure what your machine puts out? Send the pump model or the washer’s GPM rating and you will get the size that will actually spin.