Pressure washer with suction?

Joel/ak · Apr 25, 2022

I got an 8 year old generac and this weekend I tried gravity feeding it. It actually worked quite well. PSI was down from hooking up to the house. I'd say it was running around 1500-1700 psi. Washed the wife's truck and went through about 12 gallons of water. Pump did start to heat up so it gives me an idea.

5030 · Apr 25, 2022

I use 2 350 gallon IBC totes collecting rainwater to washdown my equipment and a 110 volt 'Pony Pump' to provide the head pressure. Never seen any PW pump that will suck for beans. I had Cats, AR's and presently a Karcher cold water machine. None of them sucked.

Sberry · Apr 26, 2022

I built about 10 of these for trucks, all suction. Why do mine work when others do not? These are positive displacement pumps.

grsthegreat · Apr 26, 2022

When i unhook hose from frostfree, i drop hose and use pressure washer until it stops spraying. This way i empty hose. No one is going to tell me it wont suck. Its an older honda powered pump.

5030 · Apr 26, 2022

Well, they don't suck hard, how's that.

grsthegreat · Apr 26, 2022

the spray pattern never changed. Im going to try placing hose in 55 gal barrel and see what happens…..maybe this weekend if rain clears up. Always wondered.

Joel/ak · Apr 26, 2022

I don't think mine "sucked". I filled up one of those plastic 20 gallon jugs, put in the faucet and hooked up the hose to the washer. It was up on our retaining wall so roughly 4 ft above the pressure washer.