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

 

[em14]

Make sure that you can drain all the water from the pump ... I'm no expert on this but I've got an older presure washer (13 hp Honda, 3500 psi) that I cannot get all the water out of the pump and if we are expecting a freeze I use an heat lamp to keep the pump warm ...

 

[thcri]

Em14,

According to your profile it says your from Florida. Now being from Minnesota that is something we worry about often.

Does it actually even get close to freezing down there. But the pressure washer would be something I would keep in my heated garage.

Murph

 

[yooperdave]

You might want to do a search on EBAY.

There is a firm out of lower Michigan that sells Karcher and his price includes shipping to your door. He appears to be one of the bigger dealers in the midwest.

Well worth the search.

Yooper Dave

 

[thcri]

Yooper Dave,

I will give that a shot.


Thanks
Murph

 

[TOMLESCOEQUIP]

A quick and cheap way to winterize a pressure washer........K-mart w/w antifreeze @ 99 cents..........Drill the plastic cap out just smaller than that old garden hose section we've all been going to throw away .........cut hose in two at about a 4' section from the female end and slide cut end into plastic top of washer fluid gallon, install other end onto pressure washer intake , invert washer fluid and start pump..........run untill blue comes out the wand........1 gallon will usually do my washer twice...........Good to - 20........and great for washing windshields on start-up in the spring.............TOM

 

[OkieG]

Hi Leo,
There's no warm place to put my pressure washer on cold days, either. I've used a magnetic based lamp, too, but sometimes forget to set it up and turn it on.

I have a Sears PW unit that's a few years old and have blown out pump gaskets half a dozen times when it freezes. I've been very lucky that only a gasket replacement has been necessary...but even that is not good and it's a pain. I keep two or three gaskets on hand in the garage.

A couple weeks ago, after a freeze, my steel reinforced high pressure hose blew out, too. That was the final straw!!

I devised a plan using my air compressor. I used a tapered rubber tip attachment with the compressor hand valve to blow out the high pressure hose. First, disconnect hose from pressure washer, squeeze PW trigger, then blow air through the hose 'til no more water comes out.

To drain the pump, I made a wood/rubber fitting to slip over the water inlet of the PW. With the PW high pressure hose still disconnected, blow air through the water inlet. On my PW, water comes out the pump outlet...enough to convince me that it's mostly gone.

Reconnect the PW high pressure hose and your in business...ready for the next freeze. It's easier than replacing a gasket or buying a new hose!

Pictured is the adapter I made to fit over the pump inlet. A short piece of old garden hose (female end) was my first choice, but none of our hoses are quite ready for dismemberment.

We've had single digits overnight lately. I'll let you know if this strategy doesn't work next time I fire the PW up.

OkieG

 

[cpicton1]

I use RV antifreeze in my pump. Good to -50F. I just pull the rope without starting until the water is out and the antifreeze is in. Only takes a cup or two. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

After reading this thread I realized that I might find some good uses for a pressure washer.

But since I don't have a real need I can't justify spending too much.

I noticed a Karcher unit at Costco selling for $299.99...I know 3.0 gpm is better, but they are out of my price range.

Here are the specs:

Karcher Brand [forgot to get the model number /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif]

2.5 GPM
2,400 PSI
5 HP Honda GC160 engine
Pump has Karcher name on it

Normal accessories in the box...

Should I buy this unit or just stick with my garden hose? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[thcri]

Bill,

That is their K2400HH. That is the one I am looking at also. Northern Tool has one with the same specs and the best I can find that one for is $369.00. My problem is I am not familiar with the Karcher Product at all. Never heard of it or how it performs. So if anyone out there can say a few words about karcher, let us know.

Murph

 

[Spencer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I use RV antifreeze in my pump.)</font>

cpicton1, I'm glad you pointed out that you use RV type antifreeze. I have had three different pressure washers and all of the owner manuals/videos have said to only use RV type antifreeze. I believe they said that regular automotive type antifreeze can be corrosive to the pump. It can sometimes be hard to find the pink RV type so when I do find it I buy 3 or 4 gallons. When I bought this house a year and a half ago I called a professional sprinking system company out to winterize the system for me (I had never had underground sprinkling before). They told me the same thing about using RV type instead of the automotive type antifreeze in the pump.