pressure washer comments

[Bob W]

I'm thinking about getting a pressure washer and would appreciate any comments regarding: gas vs. electric; if gas, what kind of engine ( my Honda snowblower and generator are very reliable); who makes a good washer. Any and all comments welcome. Thanks.

 

[Wayne M.]

I think any major brand is OK. Engine choice is a matter of preference. Honda is hard to beat. One major factor in cleaning parts and removing grease is HEAT. A real hot water pressure washer is a beautiful thing, but they cost quite a bit. In your hunt for a pressure washer you should get one with a soap injector (most have) and not only look at the pressure output, but the output volume (usually in GPH). Any machine can make pressure, but can it flow liquid? That would be your concern.

 

[illflem]

Unless you plan on using it away from the power grid go for an electric. Less maintenance and rope pulling, quieter too.

 

[Bigsaint]

Bob, I think it depends on what you expect from it. I have a 10 year old Coleman 1310 electric that does fine for washing the truck and powerwashing the house and deck, cost about $250-300. We purchased a Karcher electric for my father in law a few years back. He uses it for the same purposes and is very happy with the unit. While I doubt either of these units would last long under the conditions a contractor would place on same, they work quite well for a homeowner.



Scott W.

 

[Bob Wagner]

I love my Karcher 330M



6 years and zero problems.



In fact last past 2 days I blew away a lot f moss and mildew.



We just love the pacific northwest

 

[Champane Flight]

Depends

It depends on what you need. If you plan on heavy use on engines and grease, I would recomend a Hotsy 3000psi . It will deliver steam, cut paint, grease, scale, and almost any othe object in your way. If you plan on washing your car or house once or twice a year, then you will only need a little electric. Do some research on them and decide which suits your needs.

 

[Excessive Force]

NORTH STAR

I've got the North Star model #157754. It has a 5hp Honda engine,and has been trouble free for the last 3 years. It is pictured on the front cover of the spring/summer '02 Northern tool catalog. It is priced at $399. 99.

 

[smoky]

HONDA!!!

i HAVE A 3200 PSI HONDA PRESSURE WASHER AND I AM VERY VERY HAPPY WITH IT IT HAS A SUCTION VALVE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO RUN SUDS OR WHATEVER YOU WANT THROUGH IT, I USE IT FOR PREPPING METAL BEFORE I PAIN I RUN ACETONE THROUGH IT AND IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM BUT ALTHOGUH I AM HAPPY ITS ALL YOUR CHOICE AND PREFERENCE, THUMBS UP FOR HONDA ... SMOKY

 

[merryman]

I have a 3000psi washer with a Honda 11hp motor and while it is great for somethings---washing down the house and decks and walks around the house, I find it very inadequate for washing the car, the truck or the RV. I allways end up pretty much re-washing the whole thing by hand to get what the pressure washer did not do well enough.

Were I to do it again, I would get a smaller less expensive one and not expect too much more than general cleanup around the house, or go whole hog and get a hot water/steam cleaner that will really clean stuff.



Vaughn

 

[csevers]

just me

Some one told me that if you have acsess to water you will have electricity so get an electric one I don't like to mix electricty with water it could just be me? I have a cheap ($850) dollor one and it works good for pressure washing off equiptment

 

[Bob W]

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but is it all or nothing with a pressure washer? For example, I've seen them rated at 1500 up to 3000 psi; when you pull the trigger to wash, is the pressure variable, or is it only what the unit is rated at?

 

[Rob Thomas]

Thats not a dumb question,it's a logical one, but as far as I know it's at high pressure all the time, at least all the ones I've used are. It would be nice to have it variable though.



Whatever you get make sure it has a Honda GX engine on it, they are the best, trouble free fer years.



Later, Rob

 

[otis]

I have Honda 11 hp powerwashers, one has a Cat pump the other General pump. I never have any problems with the engines only minor costs to the Cat pump. The powerwashers are 3200 psi and you can adjust the pressure to what ever you want using a valve at the front of the pump. If you decide to go with the gas I would recommend going with a Honda and a General pump.

 

[illflem]

Bob, on some of the better washers you vary the pressure by changing the wand nozzle, bigger nozzle flows more water at lower pressure. Got to be careful with 3000 psi, it will take the paint right off things you want to stay painted.

 

[work2muchplay2little]

I've got a Generac with a Honda engine, 3000psi. Got it at Lowes. Came with 5 nozzles and a soap/solvent pick-up. Presssure is adustable. Works great for just about everything, especially getting heavy dirt and grease off. Made short work of cleaning up the belly mower on my tractor this weekend. However... ... as mentioned above, it will peel paint if held too close for too long and will not get that thin layer of road grime off your truck - still gotta get that stuff off by hand. It will clean the tires and raised letters and get the bugs off without any scrubbing.

 

[lschultz]

I 've had several electrics. One I got at Tractor Supply lasted 2yrs. The others I think I got a Wallyworld. For washing cars/trucks there allright. I guess you get what you pay for. I might try one from Home Depot/Lowes next time. I think they both have Karcher. Thought about one with gas engine maybe later one.

 

[Rotty]

I got the one one a tractor load sale in MN.

http://www.northerntool.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=532452&prmenbr=6970

It is so easy to use that my mother-in-law can use (87years old).

It always starts and runs always.

You have to be extremely careful with any high pressure equipment! It is not a good thing when you inject water at >1000psi into yourself. Or worse, if you have the pinpoint tip you could actually cutoff your toes is not paying attention. The pinpoint tip will etch wood at 4-6 feet away on my unit. It will blast away alge, slime and dirt very nicely from concrete, deck witha nice 30 degree tip.

Good luck and be careful!

 

[Bob W]

My deck has alot of mold/mildew. Does a pressure washer take it off, or does it need to be scrubbed by hand with a bleach and water mix first?

 

[dan_gilson]

Here is a couple of things that I learned from the local spraymart. They recomended that I go no higher than 1500PSI to keep from eating up the paint.



To get effective cleaning you need to keep the Gallons per minute up. It is cheap to get pumps that are good in PSI but bad in G/m. Again, spraymart recommended a minimum of 4 G/m.



What the guy uses to clean the cars on the dealer's lots locally is a 4000PSI model. What he does is run it at an idle AND uses 1-2 sizes up in tip. This allows him to flow more G/m and keep the pressure resonable. The other advantage this has is that his engine and pump last longer.



The other thing that I can see as an advantage for this setup is that you can alway put back in the "correct" tip for 4000PSI and use it to strip the paint (or just about anything else) from whatever you want.



The disadvantage of this setup is cost. A 4000PSI unit will run you around $2400 compared to the 1500PSI that I got for ~$500.



The 1500PSI 4G/m unit from Northern (which is what I got) works just fine on the cars but is a little slow on the patio and driveway. And it has been work since '96. The mightly RAM is a lot of vehicle to wash.

 

[otis]

Bob W, I clean decks all the time with my powerwasher, just keep an eye on your pressure so you don't damage your deck and it should do a nice job especially in the hard to get areas.