Pressure Washer shopping..where to start?

[Jaylegger]

In the world of electric pressure washers this one gets good reviews and is perceived as a tick or two above typical box store offerings.

https://www.amazon.com/Mi-T-M-CM-1400-0MEH-Electric-Portable-Pressure/dp/B00J9H9CA4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 

[goeduck]

It might be worthwhile renting one first and seeing how it performs.

You have to be extra super careful when using any pressure at all on a house. Homes are designed to keep most of the water out from most storms, but every house will allow a small amount of water to get through that it can deal with in a short amount of time. When you use a pressure washer, a massive amount of water gets much much farther into the structure of a house that remains there for months and months. This Old House TV show did some tests on this in one of their shows that was really shocking how much water got through different types of siding, and then how long it remained there. Every time I see a house being pressure washed, I think that it's just a matter of time until somebody gets the job to repair all the damage that is being done to that house. The only ones that really benefit from pressure washing a house are termites and mold. They love all that moisture!!!

My MIL had an aluminum sided house and my BIL was going to hire some kid to pressure wash it after the MIL passed away. I called it off and washed it with a bucket, rag and garden hose rinse from above. That aluminum skin was thin and a pressure washer could easily mess it up. My own house is stucco and on the corners I get a little buildup of mold. I do a slight pressure wash on it, but even on stucco I will just lightly hit it with a low pressure electric. Eddie is correct in that traditional siding is not a moisture barrier. It is designed to let moisture out which means it lets moisture in. I never have owned a house without eaves for that reason.

 

[the old grind]

What if a guy just started out with a <$150 electric to get a feel for the pressure level, flow, handlling, portability? (Remember the 'turbo nozzle' or regret it right away.) Wifey wants to use it too? If it lasted a few mos, he could save up for something worth chest-pounding about.

By the time I wore my first one out, I realized I'd never want any more size/power/cost/complexity to deal with. btw, I put 'storage oil' in both it and my power-painter and store them indoors during Winter weather when they won't be used. No fumes or freezing here yet.

So our water supply at the barn cranks out a constant 2 gpm to feed our 3 gpm pressure washer? Yeah, that'd assure full input and output pressure. My brother blew clear-coat off the front fascia of his '87 'Vette with a $100 electric and gave the machine away, but not to me! And I was the one who told him not to go too big.

 

[WranglerX]

Had a Porter Cable 3500 psi with B&S engine for a few years, still have the extension poles etc. but almost everytime I used it would spend too much time just getting it started and running. Eventually put a new carb on it and 6 months later go to use and can稚 start. Wife convinced me to just give up and replace. Got an electric Ryobi at HD. Works great on our concrete. Have 2 of them for about 4 years now. Wife uses 1, I the other. Vehicles, tractors, deck, other stuff not needing to be stripped. Work well and if they die I壇 replace in a heartbeat. Not for your high power stuff, but excellent for general stuff.

Any problem with B&S attributing to"cant start" is they use a synthetic material for needle seat in in carb, Ethanol fuel destroys it by making it swell up.... 50 cent part fixes that.... Run engine dry after use prevent ethanol staying in carb and causing you a problem... Maybe some day B&S will get smart --- Don't seem to have these problems with Honda motors...

Dale

 

[tjkubota93]

It might be worthwhile renting one first and seeing how it performs.

You have to be extra super careful when using any pressure at all on a house. Homes are designed to keep most of the water out from most storms, but every house will allow a small amount of water to get through that it can deal with in a short amount of time. When you use a pressure washer, a massive amount of water gets much much farther into the structure of a house that remains there for months and months. This Old House TV show did some tests on this in one of their shows that was really shocking how much water got through different types of siding, and then how long it remained there. Every time I see a house being pressure washed, I think that it's just a matter of time until somebody gets the job to repair all the damage that is being done to that house. The only ones that really benefit from pressure washing a house are termites and mold. They love all that moisture!!!

I agree 100%
I pressure washed my old house and found out the hard way when some sheetrock was wet inside.
Mentioned it to a friend and he told me that you should NEVER pressure wash a house. Just a water hose, if anything.

 

[big bubba]

Any problem with B&S attributing to"cant start" is they use a synthetic material for needle seat in in carb, Ethanol fuel destroys it by making it swell up.... 50 cent part fixes that.... Run engine dry after use prevent ethanol staying in carb and causing you a problem... Maybe some day B&S will get smart --- Don't seem to have these problems with Honda motors...

Dale

just use non ehtanol unless you are unable to get it
fuel treatment may help on that problem. running dry after every use to me is labor intensive.

 

[lostcreekranch]

just use non ehtanol unless you are unable to get it
fuel treatment may help on that problem. running dry after every use to me is labor intensive.

The best treatment for ethanol contaminated gasoline.



STA-BIL 36 Marine Fuel Treatment & Additive | Gold Eagle Co

 

[Industrial Toys]

I bought a 2HP 110 Volt unit with a CAT, (Italian Ceramic Triplex) pump many years ago. High volume, not pressures one could brag about. But I would put it up to any pressure washer out there. Only issue is, it's 110V and barely runs on that. Some of these had a 220 option, mine unfortunately didn't. Got it off Craigs list type of thing maybe 25 years ago.

Buy a good high quality pressure washer and you won't regret it. I don't think mine has a single piece of plastic on it! A motor and a pump on a dolley.

 

[chim]

Pressure washers are handy for some things. I do our concrete maybe once a year and it looks new for months. It's great for blasting mud & crud. Most of the time they will leave a film of dirt behind even if they have enough pressure to peel the paint. The truck gets cleaner when hand washed.

 

[goeduck]

Pressure washers are handy for some things. I do our concrete maybe once a year and it looks new for months. It's great for blasting mud & crud. Most of the time they will leave a film of dirt behind even if they have enough pressure to peel the paint. The truck gets cleaner when hand washed.

Ever used a whirl away on concrete? Very fast and very uniform cleaning. Note: they can be GPM hogs, you can not run them on little pressure washers.

If buying a pressure washer new I would be looking at a Simpson with a CAT pump and a Honda GX engine.