Pressure washer

After buying one. Go buy the extended wand. Much easier to clean high up on the house. And buy a good rain suit. Coat and pants. After power washing the house, deck and concrete. You will find wanting to power wash more stuff.

 

Hello,

I needed a simple power washer for several jobs. One to clean off tire marks on our concrete driveway left by the local mail person who uses our driveway to turn the van around as we live towards the end of the road. The other was to clean tall windows that I cannot reach with our ladder.
A simple local big box store purchase.

There was no need for the super high pressure spray washer as the home version was fine, according to our neighbor. People used to spray wash their driveways and their car wheels when home car washing was in vogue and not going against the state mandate of no water extra water usage on the property or streets for car washing.

Gone were the times of spraying the brake dust from wheels, dirt from under the door jams and some mud in the wheel wells after a heavy duty dirt road drive. Then just after getting home from a long road trip up the coast to the San Juan Islands and back was a perfect moment to break out the portable spray washer. So, just before the water limitations, we gave the unit away to another friend who would only use it in his backyard fenced in driveway.

Jnaki

The simple units from 1400 psi to the 1700 psi range will get the mold off of bricks. But, you have to be careful as the spray will take off the mold, but uncover newer surface under neath and now, you will have two different or more, shades of brick.

Our local restrictions prevent cleaning any parts on the driveway or walkway. All waters go into the drain and either sits there until the next heavy rain or storm. Then it moves along the system to the ocean outlets. That is part of the health hazards always after a rainfall or storms. Ever wonder why the local streams, rivers and water outfalls that lead to the ocean always looks an odd color in the deep blue sea?

In one of our old houses, the brick fireplace was not facing the sun. so, after a driving rain and sitting around drying by itself, the shaded areas tended to get some discoloration. Not black mold, but different color blotches. The 1400 spray washer took care of that. But, I had to do the whole under the eaves brick façade to make the look even in color. At first, it was instantly new color, after the initial spraying. So, from across the yard, it looked odd. So, the whole lower section of the bricks got the cleaning.

It was not a weekly thing, but only after a soaking from the rainy season and sitting in the shaded portion of our house.

These days, our current house does not have that problem. So, since the local water restrictions, I have kept up with a “spray and wash” times in the garage for our daily drivers. (And also, some mild spray to clean the wheels.) No water goes out to the streets and eventually into the ocean. YRMV

 

They last a lot longer if you use the lube/conditioner after each use. I use mine like twice a year and sitting with all the calcium and other minerals kills the if you dont.

 

I have 2, a Craftsman from like 2003 and an older Troy Built I bought at a garage sale about 10 years ago. I oil the pumps after every use. The Craftsman had one of the bolts break on the lid of the pump, that's it. No issues. Can't be into this stuff without a pressure washer. Get the highest pressure which matches your ability and confidence level. The pressure is measured at the gun anyways and the tips determine it. I like the Craftsman, I can vary from point to fan super easy. Pinpoint will remove rust flakes, the Troy has to have the tips swapped. Again, get the highest pressure equal to your ability. Just because it will mark asphalt doesn't mean you have to use that tip, right? Do you drive full throttle from stop to stop? Any light oil when stored will do, even good ol WD. I spray thru the inlet rolling it over a ½ dozen times. So far so good.

 

I have a Troy Bilt one from Lowes I bought as a scratch and dent somewhere about 2000. It was a 2600psi unit. Has a 5HP Honda horizontal shaft engine. About 2 years ago the pump had screws come loose and it stopped working. Took it apart and it was damaged internally. Could not get any parts for it so I bought a new Comet 3000psi pump and put on the original Honda. It sits 6 months at a time sometimes and always starts pretty easy. I have never had the carb apart. Just oil and air filter changes are all the maintenance it has had. So Honda power is a must and I like the 3000psi-but I would not go any higher than that. I removes paint much easier than before if you don't keep it moving.

 

I have a gas powered Honda unit that I bought used a dozen or so years ago.
The extended wand is a good idea and mine has a rotating head with all the nozzles. Easy to change sizes and you don’t have to worry about loosing them. There is a product my friend turned me on to for pump storage. I’m going to try it this year.

 

I've got a Karcher, 2300 psi, Honda powered. It's 20 years old. It still starts 1st pull. I have never done anything special in the way of maintenance, just oil changes yearly. Drain the fuel, and run it until the carburetor is dry (it doesn't have a shutoff valve in the fuel line). Never run it without water connected. It's a gerotor pump (think Ford oil pump), and self drains when the hoses, both in and out, are disconnected

In fact I don't think I've ever replaced the sparkplug in it! I wash the air filter when I change the oil.

 

20 + year old 110v Karcher. It's been used for everything from house and driveway cleaning to parts cleaning. Think I paid $89 for it. New ones are just over $100.