Pressure Washer

[thcri]

CTyler,

I own a business. And if it was for my business and I knew I was to keep it and use it for a few years, I would spend the bucks. But I am sure that there will be times I will only use it once a month.

Murph

 

[Boondox]

Spoken like a true city dweller! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Those of us living in the country are often on surface water or low output shallow well pumps that can barely put out 3gpm. Since many members live in rural areas, I thought the warning had merit.

Code? What's that? My home is 165 years old and grandfathered. And my home is relatively new for this area.
/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Pete

 

[JATO_RaT]

Boondox, good point, while I'm not exactly in the country, my roots are definitely more urban. While 3 GPM may get you by, I should think a 1500 or even better a 3000 gallon tank with a pump would certainly be a huge benefit. My sisters place a few miles from here has less then 2 GPM from the well but has over 20 GPM available until the 3000 gallon tank is depleated (hasn't happened yet). The cost for the whole setup was suprising inexpensive for all that was involved. When I built a home back in Maine I was surprised to find that there was no code, no inspectors. It was really nice. I got to thinking though, buying a home there has got to be kinda of a buyer beware to say the least.
Shallow well? surface water? sounds like you must treat the water prior to drinking. What is it, 90' of soil to filter out most contaminents. Anyway, you would be right, if your one of a handful that have just a few GPM, even running a 2.5 GPM pump may be risky, perhaps a bucket of water and a brush would be in your best interest, its a lot cheaper. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Rat...

 

[Boondox]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( perhaps a bucket of water and a brush would be in your best interest )</font>

Funny you should mention that! I have a very shallow, hard-bottomed section of one of my ponds that serves me well for car and tractor washing. I just drive right in and wash while standing in six inches of water, back out to soap it down, toss buckets of water onto the conveyance being washed, then back into the pond for a final rinse. I know it sounds a bit like the Red Green Show, but it works!

We have two homes on the property. The cottage we rent out has a 500' deep well that produces 2.5gpm. My washer just puts out a pathetic dribble up there. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif The big farmhouse is connected to a springhouse 400 yards uphill in the forest. The feed goes into a 400 gallon cistern in our basement, with a 5.5gpm shallow well pump pressurizing the system from there. When the pump kicks in my pressure washer works fine, but between pump boosts it's hopeless.

I don't have it as bad as my part-time neighbor. His vacation home has five deep wells all feeding a cistern at a trickle!

You're right about buying old homes in this area. Building new is safer, as current construction falls under code. But the old homes have character...which to the unaware can be frustrating at times.
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Pete

 

[JATO_RaT]

"But the old homes have character...which to the unaware can be frustrating at times."

Pete


Oh Pete you are so right. Down the road from me is the city of Sacramento. They have a neighborhood with "relatively" old homes. The craftsmanship, the use of labor intensive materials, design etc. is so unique. The quality of these homes, even when compared to the brand new multi-million dollar homes is superb (I've worked on a few). I really enjoy the old homes character and quality. As you said, the old homes have character but to the unaware it can be frustrating. I think a lot of folks understand this and are either wealthy and/or quite handy.

Why do you have such pressure fluctuation at the main house. Does the pressure tank not take care of this issue?

I'd like to see a picture(s) of this marvelous place you live. Rat...

 

[micromike]

I borrowed a pressure washer from a friend to pressure wash my deck. I think it was 2500 psi at 2.5 gpm. My well couldn't keep up with it so I took a small submersable pump I had that I knew was at least 3 or 4 gpm. Bought it for about $70.00 at Lowes to use lake water to water my garden. Suspended the pump off my dock in the lake I live next to and it worked beautifully! Washed the whole deck AND the siding without a hicup from the pressure washer.

Just a thought for people who have surface water near by and low well output.

Mick

 

[Boondox]

RaT -- You can "visit" our home via this link, especially the Farm at Morrison Corner link. It's nothing special in that it's a typical clapboard New England farmhouse designed for practicality over esthetics. But there are little hand-made touches like the 15 foot deep stone-lined well outside the kitchen or the hand-hewn oak beams in the attic with meticulously cut mortise and tenon joinery that just knocks my socks off now and then. There were once 5 small farms on our 155 acre hillside, and I love sitting on the stone foundations of the long-gone homes surrounded by apple trees gone wild from neglect. It's my little part of paradise.

The pressure tank is sort of like an air compressor in that the flow is pretty weak just before the pressure reaches the cut-in point and very good as the cut-out point is approached. In a power emergency we can also switch to 100% gravity feed, and when the rest of the village has no water at all while the power is out, even the feeble gravity flow feels quite luxurious!

I love the quirks of old homes. When we first married I told my bride I wanted to rearrange the bedroom furniture. She responded that it had always been the way it was and I should get used to it. Being a stubborn sort I ignored her and moved everything around till it suited me. But the home had settled so much over 165 years that we kept sliding down toward the foot of the bed...and on the opposite side of the room all the drawers slid open and fell to the floor! Tamara didn't say a word as I moved everything back the way it was! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Pete

 

[JATO_RaT]

Pete, I checked out the link you left. I have one word too say, BITCHIN. (Can you say that on TBN?) Rat...

 

[Jibber]

After buying a cheapie from Sears and paying the price later on when I had to replace the bogus pump.. I'd suggest you stick with Northern, or some other dealer where you know exactly what you're getting. I did some research before I bought my second pressure washer and decided I wanted a CAT pump. Very well built, although they tend to be more expensive. I ended up buying from Northern because they offered a variety of packages.. pumps.. engines.. PSI and GPM ratings. I also paid more for the Honda GX series engine, although I would probably have been happy with a Briggs.

 

[thcri]

Jibber,

The one I am going to purchase from Northern does have the Honda GX engine on it. I am not sure what pump manufacturer is but for the amount of times I use it I think it will work out for me. I just got to get there and pick it up.

Murph