Pressure Washers

[supersurgilator]

I'm thinking about purchasing a pressure washer this spring, and wondered what you all had or if you had any recommendations. I don't need something huge, would prefer an electric model. The main things I want it for are cleaning the deck/driveway, siding, and patio furniture. I found a Greenworks model that was a recommended model in the handyman magazine. I've also looked at Karcher since I've always heard that they are good quality, but they lack an actual soap dispenser (it has a little tube you insert down into a container of cleaner, rather than attach the cleaning chamber onto the wand).

 

[kb0nes]

Be wary of what you clean with a pressure washer. The high pressure spray will force water into places it should never be. Motorcycle and bicycle wheel bearings, O-Ring roller chains are often destroyed by careless use of a pressure washer. The water gets in and the seals hold it there to do damage. Water can even go past brake caliper seals into the hydraulic system!

I know many people wash siding but this is another place to be cautious, its easy to blow a lot of water behind the siding and it can be slow to dry.

I have generally thought the only places I'd use a pressure washer would be a boat hull or concrete. But I am likely being overly cautious. The electric models are likely less offensive since their pressures tend to be lower. It pays to be aware of the potential for damage though.

 

[sudsmaster]

I have a Karcher electric pressure washer I got about 15 years ago at Costco. It works well enough, although the holder for the wand partially broke some time ago.

 

I use it on concrete and brick walkways/steps that get overgrown with moss. It works well enough on that, plus it helps conserve water.

 

I might use it to loosen old paint on a painted wooden driveway gate this summer. I might also use it to loosen old paint on a corrugated galvanized steel roof.

 

Some people prefer a gasoline engine powered pressure washer. These generally have significantly more power than the electric ones, but so far I haven't seen the need. I have a friend who got a gas powered model and says it worked great on a large wooden deck and area around the swimming pool at his place.

 

I've never had the need to add a cleaning solution to the pressure washer, although it might come in handy if I were to use it to clean an engine block (out of car, disassembled) and transmission. The problem then becomes how to collect the washings for safe disposal.

 

The power line for the electric washer does complicate things a bit, since there is already a feed garden hose, and the hose leading to the spray wand. But the wand hose is long enough that tangles generally are not an issue.

 

 

 

[whirlcool]

I wouldn't use a pressure washer to wash an engine in a car made since 1986 or so. You don't want any moisture to get into any of the many electrical connectors found on these cars, nor any of the air pollution devices such as O2 sensors, etc.

If you find you must wash an engine in any of these cars I would start by plastic wrapping each connector, electrical box, etc. under the hood. Then I'd use a "paint on" degreaser and a regular garden hose to clean the engine off.

We use a gasoline powered power washer to spring clean the sidewalks and patio around our house. These remove moss from concrete very easily. I've also used ours to clean the gutters out with. When doing THAT job, wear eye goggles. The leaves and debris really fly!

 

[sudsmaster]

I wouldn't use a pressure washer to wash an engine in a

Which is why I specified the engine would be disassembled, out of the car, before using a pressure washer on it. Sort of  a poor man's engine block boil out.

 

 

 

[goatfarmer]

I have a Karcher, gas model. It does a good job, although the lousy Tecumseh motor isn't running right now, has carb problems.

 

[wayupnorth]

I bought one of those low priced Greenworks electric models for around $60 at Lowes last spring to do my deck. It has 3 different nozzels for whatever spray you need. For what I would use it for, its perfect.

 

[brisnat81]

We've had a Gerni for almost 7 years now and it's been used to strip the paint off concrete render back to raw concrete for two houses. It generally runs for about 10 hours per month.

The soap bottle is handy for applying cleaner to large areas and then you go through and scrub to get it off.

The only servicing we've ever had to do, is the rubber orings in the wand and where the hose attaches to the wand, otherwise it's still original.

The only gotcha with the gerni is that it doesn't have the plethora of accessories that karcher does, this may not matter to you.

How well can a electric pressure washer work in the US when you're limited to 1500 watts, I thought that'd make them pretty impotent.

Cheers

Nathan

http://https//www.gerni.com.au/en/products/Pages/product.aspx?fid=16279&Name=ULTIMATE%20P130.2%20F

 

[fan-of-fans]

We had a gas one, I believe a Homelite. Got it used cheaply, and used it to pressure clean the house to get chalky stuff off before painting. It worked well, but sold it because we never used it. I didn't realize could get an electric model for that low price. If we need one again, will probably go for one of those. Takes up less space, and no gasoline and gummed up carburetors to deal with, esp since we won't use it often.