Pressure washer with suction?

[Joel/ak]

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]

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]

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

 

[grsthegreat]

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]

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

 

[grsthegreat]

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]

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.

 

[Joel/ak]

 

[5030]

Not to get too far out in left field but I wonder if the second in command sucks harder...lol

 

[grsthegreat]

.?.

 

[Jstpssng]

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.

How long was your hose from the water source and how much of a drop?

 

[Joel/ak]

Hose was 15 ft and the barrel was raised roughly 4 ft above the washer.

How long was your hose from the water source and how much of a drop?

 

[JohnDeereJoey]

I think it is correct to say that belt driven pump pressure washers are ok drawing from a zero pressure source. Belt driven pumps turn slower than direct drive pumps and are less likely to cavitate.

 

[nytryder]

tracks on an excavator? i consider my 2k electric to be the bare minimum. your going to be slow going at 500 psi.

Volume is key to pressure washing anything. 1000 psi is plenty with a 5 gallon per minute pump. I used one for years.

 

[JohnDeereJoey]

Volume is key...1000 psi is plenty with a 5 gallon per minute pump....

Agreed. Excavator tracks tend to carry a fair amount of dirt and small rocks. It takes volume to wash that away.

 

[Joel/ak]

New video by lauren Siebelink

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[Joel/ak]

Works pretty good. Not gonna remove paint but still knocks mud off

 

[5030]

Been my experience that the majority of PW pumps develop very little suction so I always have an inline mounted vane pump supplying the PW pump because I washdown all my equipment using a pair of 350 gallon IBC totes that collect the rainwater from my shop roof. If you use domestic cold water from a tap, you are supplying the artificial head pressure for the PW pump to work. I don't have that.