Quick Connect Nozzles

Five colored tips ship with almost every machine, and the orifice size on them is matched to that machine alone. Put the wrong size on and you either lose pressure or beat up your unloader. Sun Brite Supply sells quick connect pressure washer nozzles individually and in 5-packs, sized by orifice number so your rig hits its rated pressure. Tell us your GPM and PSI at 301-519-9274 and we will give you the right number in one minute.

Quick Connect Nozzle Colors and What They Do

The colors are an industry standard and they only tell you the spray angle, never the size. Red is 0 degrees, a pencil jet that cuts. Yellow is 15 degrees for stripping and heavy concrete work. Green is 25 degrees, the everyday workhorse for flatwork and rinsing. White is 40 degrees for siding, vehicles, and anything soft. Black is the 65 degree soap tip, and it cheats: its oversized orifice drops the pressure so your downstream injector can pull chemical.

Orifice Size: The Number Everyone Ignores

Every tip is stamped with a four digit number like 2504. The first two digits are the angle, 25 degrees. The second two are the orifice number, 4.0. The orifice number is roughly the flow the tip passes at 4,000 PSI, so a 4 GPM machine rated at 4,000 PSI wants a number 4 tip. Go a size too big and your pressure drops hundreds of PSI. Go too small and the machine cannot pass its flow, the unloader bypasses early, and the pump runs hot. As a quick guide: 2.5 GPM at 2,700 PSI takes about a 3.0, a 3 GPM at 3,000 PSI takes a 3.5, a 4 GPM at 4,000 PSI takes a 4.0, and a 5.5 GPM at 3,500 PSI takes a 6.0. Between sizes, round up. A touch less pressure beats cooking the pump.

Pick Your Tips

Gladiator kits also come in 3.0, 4.5, 5.0, and 6.0 orifice sizes. Prices shift, so check the product page or call for current stock.

From the Field

Two cheap habits save contractors real money here. First, tips wear out. Water carrying grit slowly opens the orifice, and a tip that has grown half a size costs you 300 to 500 PSI. If your machine feels lazy and the pump checks out fine, put on a fresh $7 tip before you tear anything apart. We sell more 1/4 inch coupler O-rings at fifty cents than almost anything else in the store, because a torn O-ring at the coupler mists water everywhere and people blame the nozzle. Keep a handful in the truck and grab the O-ring pick tool so you stop digging them out with a screwdriver. Second, buy the full 5-pack in your machine's size instead of mixing leftover tips from three old rigs. Mixed sizes are why one tip feels strong and the next feels dead.

Related Collections

• All pressure washer nozzles
• 1/4 MEG threaded nozzles for surface cleaners
• 1/8 MEG nozzles
• Soap and foam tips
• Turbo and rotating nozzles
• Quick connect couplers and plugs
• Nozzle holders and nozzle accessories
• Variable nozzles
• Need help in person? Visit our Gaithersburg store

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the pressure washer nozzle colors mean?

Red is 0 degrees, yellow is 15, green is 25, white is 40, and black is the 65 degree low pressure soap tip. The color only tells you the spray angle. The stamped number tells you the orifice size, and both have to match your machine and the job.

What does the number 2504 on a nozzle mean?

First two digits are the spray angle, 25 degrees. Last two are the orifice size, 4.0. A 4004 is the same size tip with a 40 degree fan.

What orifice size does my machine need?

Match the orifice number to your flow at your rated pressure. A 4 GPM, 4,000 PSI machine takes a 4.0. A 3 GPM, 3,000 PSI machine takes about a 3.5. Not sure? Call us with the numbers off your pump decal.

Why did my pressure drop with a new nozzle?

Nine times out of ten the orifice is too big for the machine. Each half size over costs real pressure. It can also be a torn coupler O-ring leaking at the connection, which is a fifty cent fix.

How often should I replace quick connect tips?

When pressure sags for no other reason. Grit wears the orifice open over months of daily use. Pros on the wand five days a week swap tips two or three times a year. Homeowners can go years.

Why will my soap not draw through the black tip?

Downstream injectors only pull chemical at low pressure. The black tip's big orifice drops the pressure to let that happen. If soap still will not flow, the injector is clogged or your hose run is too long for the injector, not the tip.

Do quick connect nozzles fit every pressure washer?

Any wand with a standard 1/4 inch quick connect coupler accepts these tips, which covers most gas machines. Some electric machines use their own bayonet style and need an adapter. Send us a photo if you are not sure.