Pressure Washing Pad

[Quilceda]

I'm tired of kicking up the gravel/mud that is below whatever I'm cleaning with my hot-water pressure washer, and also a way to collect the material being knocked off. I'm thinking I should pour a concrete pad. Seems like I should put a slope on it, maybe 1/4" per foot. Then have it drain into a collection area at the bottom edge that I could clean out with a shovel occasionally. Anybody have other thoughts about this? I'd appreciate suggestions.

 

[dodge man]

Sounds like you have a good plan. The question is how big?

 

[deezler]

I just poured a 28x~15' pad last friday afternoon (north half of a basketball court in front of my pole-barn-garage). Unfortunately its a pretty long run from my hose spigots on the house for doing any car power-washing, but maybe I could make it work...

Normally I power-wash on the gravel drive leading up to my house, and it really doesn't ever spray any mud up. I have at least 5-6" of gravel with clean limestone on top. So you could try that as an interim solution and save a lot of cash and effort.

 

[5030]

I just poured a 28x~15' pad last friday afternoon (north half of a basketball court in front of my pole-barn-garage). Unfortunately its a pretty long run from my hose spigots on the house for doing any car power-washing, but maybe I could make it work...

Normally I power-wash on the gravel drive leading up to my house, and it really doesn't ever spray any mud up. I have at least 5-6" of gravel with clean limestone on top. So you could try that as an interim solution and save a lot of cash and effort.

Invest in a couple of IBC totes that were used for food grade bulk products (I have 2, 350 gallon totes myself that I collect rainwater in that runs off the shop roof. I removed the downspouts and installed flex plastic drain pipe with leaf and junk seperators and the termination of the gutters and I adapted garden hose ends to the IBC drains on the bottom. I do run a 110 volt pump on my HW pressure washer to up the pressure so the Triplex pump gets an adequate flow. Been doing that for years, rainwater is ideal for equipment washdown, cars as well. I wash everything on the concrete pad in front of the garage part of the shop. Little upkeep involved, like cleaning out the leaf - debris seperators, but that's really it. I use them to washdown my tractors and implements as I have no water supply at the shop and our well water has so much calcium in it, using it leaves everything with a white film. A 350 gallon tote last a long time, least for me it does.

Rainwater ifs free, all you have to do is collect it in sufficient quantity.

 

[Topzide]

On the drain/collection area, have a removable dam to act as a separate, like a grease trap. That way, you can dispose of the "gunk" versus it clogging a drain pipe.

 

[5030]

When the pad was poured in front of the garage / shop, I had the contractor slope the pad slightly towards the grass on the far side so everything flows off into the grass. No drain or trap needed.

When he poured it, being the cheapskate I am, I used cattle panels for rebar and after a decade in Michigan weather, narry a crack. Cattle panels are much less that rebar and even cheaper if you already have them. Used them in my shop as well and stood off the in floor PEX heat on them and the shop floor is 10" thick because of the machinery I have in there.

 

[Quilceda]

I appreciate the good ideas you guys have volunteered.

 

[EddieWalker]

I think that once you pour your pad, you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner!!!! And then you will want to make it bigger.

 

[Quilceda]

Thanks for the encouragement!