Using a pressure washer off a tank?

[tom4018]

Anyone every use a pressure washer feeding it from a water tank? Got a squeeze chute in a barn where there is no water and wondering if I could use a 275 gallon tote sitting in the truck and the washer at ground level. Don't want to harm the washer.

 

[J_J]

If you use a stiff hose, one that will not collapse, you should be alright. You could also feed the pressure washer with two stiff hoses. Don't start the pressure washer until the water is coming out the pump outlet.

 

[HCJ]

I asked the same thing last year. I have a 250 gal. cistern with a 1" outlet, no electricity, and a need to wash equipment. My pressure washer list a minimum gal/min. and I did not feel I had that. At first I ran a small Honda water pump to pump water to my pressure washer but that was a real pain. I got a 1" suction hose (you can make one from Home Depot stiff tubing and readily available fittings (Northern has them). I hook the 1" end to the tank and the 3/4 end to the pressure washer. This seems to work fine. If you have not bought a washer, some even say in the owners manual that they will "draw" from a tank, but mine doesn't and it seems to work fine. So far, no damage. Elevating your tank would help.

My little Honda pump from Northern works great also for watering, and hosing things off (more pressure than my home hose) but it's not a pressure washer. I use it a lot to water trees in the neighborhood during recent drought. My municipality also uses the Honda pump for the same purpose, so they hold up to commercial use. The are really light weight and small. I keep it in my truck bed box. But if you need to knock off mud from equipment, the pressure washer, of course, is much better.

I agree that I would not use a garden hose to supply the washer, but a hose that will not collapse made for this purpose. I think you would be safe to try it.

 

[8934]

Just purchased a new pressure washer. Manual clearly stated, twice, not to run from a tank.

Your machine may be different, if you have a manual check it.

 

[Scooby074]

I think the manuals state not to run from a tank, because the pump in a washer may have a hard time self priming. Running the pump dry is a great way to ruin it. As a habit you squeeze the trigger with the pump motor off, until water comes out the nozzel. This will prime and lubricate your pump, before turning on the motor. Dry starts are bad for the plungers.

A gravity feed, where the washer was the lowest point, would likely do no damage to the washer,

Most of the mobile washers use those plastic totes as their water source.

 

[HCJ]

My pressure washer says nothing about a tank, only a certain flow. I think since his tank will be higher in the bed of his truck (my cistern is 40" off the ground), it should work. Next time I buy a pressure washer, I will make sure it specifies that it will draw, but for now, I use mine regularly using this cistern (250 gal tank) and it works fine.

 

[Mike120]

Depending on how far it is from your water source, I used a couple of 400' rolls of 1" poly pipe from TSC before I put in my other well and underground lines. The thin wall stuff was cheap and it worked fine.

 

[atschirner]

What about putting a schrader, tire, valve on the poly tank and adding air to 30 or 40 PSI. That is considering that the tank is rated for pressure.

 

[smitty9266]

Take a 5 gallon bucket put it where you would connect the washer. start the water running out the hose , if it greater than the listed flow per minute on your washer you are good.

The shorter and larger the supply hose the better off you will be.

Jeff

 

[J_J]

I know my PW will draw water. It sucked my water hose flat. The hose should be large enough to flow about 3 to 4 GPM, and stiff as a hose can be. You could also run 1 1/4 PVC down to the PW, and a short stiff hose to the PW and be good. There are all kind of tricks. Just find the ones that work.