Which Pressure Washer

[djradz]

My devilbiss washer has the same warning, so I just either shut it down or lightly hit the trigger for a second or so to put some cool fresh water in the pump. Mine also has a relief, which is supposed to blow if the temperature and therefore pressure, build up from not spraying, but I've gone for a minute or so and no relief lifted.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

For the record, Devilbiss made the Craftsman washers for the past several years. Not sure about this year's model though.

Also, they start a lot easier if you squeeze the handle on the wand while pulling the rope. Takes the pressure off the pump.

But, don't lodge something into the handle and lay it down and pull the rope. Like having a missle on a tether.

And like stated earlier, if you use it on a wood deck, use it in a fan spray. Otherwise all the soft wood in a board will go away and you end up with ridges. I used it once on a pine picture frame to make it look stressed and old...

They are a nice tool to have....

 

[GaryK]

I got a 2500 PSI with Honda engine from Northern Hyrdaulics a few years ago to do the decks and vinyl siding, works great but I do have to reduce the pressure on the tractor, like mentoned, it will take off decals and paint, plus damage seals.

 

[Gomez]

Thanks for the link. It is a FAIP pump.

Spoke with DeVilbiss service this morning and they faxed me the pump parts breakdown.
Unfortunatley, the bearings and washers in question are shown, but no reference number pointing to them. I called the parts ordering number they gave me to get further info and they informed me that if those parts fail, you need a new pump. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

The cost of a new pump is $173.71.

The parts I need are a thrust bearing and a washer. Why would I need to replace the entire pump? Is it a parts wearing together issue? Or is it a way to make more $ by designing this part to fail and requiring a new pump?/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

I think I'm going to see if I can get the bearing and washer from McMaster or someplace. The worse that could happen is wrecking an already wrecked pump.

 

[Titanic]

<font color=blue> You should not let the unit run without pulling the trigger for more than 2 minutes. (doh) The pump will become overheated if there is no water flow. I wonder if some of the more expensive units have the same issue?
<font color=black> This is totally correct. Have you ever walked into Home Depot or Lowe's and noticed all the power washer for sale that are reconditioned? Most people are not aware that if the motor is running the trigger on the wond should be pull every two minutes. The water pump will overheat and melt the insides. I purchased a 3500 psi@ 4GPM for 799.00 at Sam's club with a honda engine and devilbiss pump. For the folks looking for a pressure washer with a cat pump you will pay much more $$$$$ . check out Lowe's 1250.00 for the same unit w/ a cat pump. I recently spoke with a devilbiss reprsentive . They put several pumps on there powerwashers including cat. They suggested i didn't need the pricey cat pump and the rebuild costs are out of this world. The key is not to let the pump overheat and most pumps will last you a life time. My 2 cents.

 

[RanchMan]

The cheapie $80 electric one I bought has an "auto off" switch that turns the pump off when it isn't spraying, hence the wording on the box "Auto shutoff to extend pump life."

Although I'm sure there would be some engineering to figure out, seems like some smart apple designing the gas models could develop some type of clutch for this. Are there any gas ones out there that have this "feature"?

 

[CSAW]

<font color=blue>I called the parts ordering number they gave me to get further info and they informed me that if those parts fail, you need a new pump.

The cost of a new pump is $173.71.

<font color=black>That's why I would buy the cheapy. I 'm really not that cheap, just about some things.

 

[frank_f15]

yep ! my craftsman has the same warning. i beleive this is standard for gas pw's .

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.usapressure.com/>http://www.usapressure.com/</A>

 

[Mike_Dumond]

My Craftsman doesn't say anything about hitting the trigger every once in a while. But, it does include this:

Automatic Cool Down System
(Thermal Relief)

If you run the engine on your pressure washer for 3-5 minutes without pressing the trigger on the spray gun, circulating water in the pump can reach temperatures between 140- 145*F. The automatic cool down system engages at this temperature and cools the pump by discharging the warm water onto the ground, preventing internal pump damage.