Pressure Washer - Help

Posted by Jim Redelfs on March 7, 2006, 2:00 am

> I would say go ahead and buy the 'better' unit.

Agreed. More PSI is better. You can always back-off the surface being
cleaned but, with an under-powered unit, you may find stubborn dirt on STURDY
surfaces (concrete comes to mind) that would benefit from a higher output.

> Sometimes it's the solution (cleaner) and
> manual brushing that needs to go along with the pressure washer.

I respectfully disagree - IF you have a high-powered washer. Having wasted my
money on a gallon of pressure washer concentrate from the neighborhood Ace
Hardware store, I learned that, at 2400psi, detergent is IRRELEVANT.

I purchased a 2400psi/3.5gpm unit powered by a 6.5hp Honda. It washed my deck
prior to staining. It washed my home prior to painting. It cleaned the
concrete driveway of the gallon of paint spilled on the concrete from atop the
extension ladder. Purchased at Sam's Club over ten years ago, this $750
machine has PAID for itself.

> running the pressure washer on max can take the paint off your car.

You got THAT right. I used mine to strip all the old paint off the cedar trim
on my home prior to painting. As an experiment, I used it to engrave my
initial on a deck post. The truly high-powered models can be dangerous.

> I was surprised to see mine take the bark off a tree!!

They are GREAT for cleaning a cedar fence of YEARS of weather-induced
"graying" prior to staining.

> don't use it until you've found out how to do it best.

Good advice.

A pressure washer can actually SAVE water. If you occasionally hose-down your
driveway, a pressure washer can do the job using a FRACTION of the water.

A good method of HEARING PROTECTION is recommended with a gas unit. Mine is
quite loud.
--
:)
JR

Posted by Pop on March 6, 2006, 8:36 pm

The first thing YOU need to do is research what the attachments
and tools for a pressure washer are. Then you could answer your
own questions.

> I've been looking at pressure washers and I need some advice.
> I need one primarly to pressure wash my unfinished basement
> floor. I
> used a friends 1600 psi pressure washer, and it got rid of a
> lot of the
> dirt - but there are still quiet a bit left. I also want it to
> clean
> the deck and the siding on the house, alont with the drive ways
> and
> sidewalks and wash the cars.
> My question is - whats a good PSI to get?
> I know cleaning the basement floor will take more than 1600
> psi - but
> if I get a 2500 psi - is that too much for my car? Are there
> attachments that make a stronger pressure washer more save for
> washing
> the car?
> Wal-Mart has a 2200 psi gas powered for $228 and Home deptot
> has a 2500
> psi for $299.99. I was thinking of the 2500 psi, but I"m not
> sure.
> Should I go with the walmart 2200 psi or go higher than the
> 2500?
> Thanks
>

Posted by Dan Espen on March 6, 2006, 9:04 pm

utseay@aol.com writes:

There must have been something seriously wrong with the 1600 psi
unit.

I have the Husky 1750 from HD and there's no question it would clean
a basement floor. It will clean it and remove the paint too
if that's what you want to do.

> I also want it to clean
> the deck and the siding on the house, alont with the drive ways and
> sidewalks and wash the cars.
> My question is - whats a good PSI to get?

1750 is enough.

> I know cleaning the basement floor will take more than 1600 psi - but
> if I get a 2500 psi - is that too much for my car? Are there
> attachments that make a stronger pressure washer more save for washing
> the car?
> Wal-Mart has a 2200 psi gas powered for $228 and Home deptot has a 2500
> psi for $299.99. I was thinking of the 2500 psi, but I"m not sure.
> Should I go with the walmart 2200 psi or go higher than the 2500?

An electric unit is way cheaper and a lot less trouble
for the uses you describe.

Posted by Joseph Meehan on March 6, 2006, 9:10 pm

utseay@aol.com wrote:

> I've been looking at pressure washers and I need some advice.
> I need one primarly to pressure wash my unfinished basement floor. I
> used a friends 1600 psi pressure washer, and it got rid of a lot of
> the dirt - but there are still quiet a bit left. I also want it to
> clean the deck and the siding on the house, alont with the drive ways
> and sidewalks and wash the cars.
> My question is - whats a good PSI to get?
> I know cleaning the basement floor will take more than 1600 psi - but
> if I get a 2500 psi - is that too much for my car? Are there
> attachments that make a stronger pressure washer more save for washing
> the car?
> Wal-Mart has a 2200 psi gas powered for $228 and Home deptot has a
> 2500 psi for $299.99. I was thinking of the 2500 psi, but I"m not
> sure. Should I go with the walmart 2200 psi or go higher than the
> 2500?
> Thanks

You are only looking at one half of the issue. Not only is the pressure
important, but the volume is also important. GPH & PSI. They work
together. Since most people only look at the PSI figure, most units have
optimized that number at the expense of GPH. Often the lower PSI unit with
a higher GPH will be the better unit.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Posted by Bigboy on March 6, 2006, 10:19 pm

On 6 Mar 2006 16:37:24 -0800, utseay@aol.com wrote:

I'm curious why it isn't enough to wash the car with the garden
hose.and maybe a long handled brush. No worry about taking off the
cars paint. If you want to increase the pressure from the garden
hose, there are those multi-head sprayers that have settings with
different size holes, or the solid brass thing with one little hole
that send out a high pressure stream. I can only imagine using that
on the the wheel crevices.

But my bigger question is, are the people who spend 250 for something
like this only useful some of the time, but never essential, rich?
If they are truly rich, I understand, but ....

Have they fully funded their kids' college funds, and perhaps grad
school?

Have they fully funded their own future including disability insurance
retirement, health care, travel, vacations, long term intensive care
insurance? Life insurance in case they die before their kids finish
school, and to support their widow?

What if a person like this retires at 65 or 67 and lives until he's 85
or 90? What if his widow lives 10 more years.

250 dollars invested now in a balanced portfolio will increase a lot
faster than inflation.

>My question is - whats a good PSI to get?
>I know cleaning the basement floor will take more than 1600 psi - but
>if I get a 2500 psi - is that too much for my car? Are there
>attachments that make a stronger pressure washer more save for washing
>the car?
>Wal-Mart has a 2200 psi gas powered for $228 and Home deptot has a 2500
>psi for $299.99. I was thinking of the 2500 psi, but I"m not sure.
>Should I go with the walmart 2200 psi or go higher than the 2500?
>Thanks

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

Page 2 of 3 < 1 2 3 > last >>

Similar Threads	Posted
Electric pressure washer looses pressure after 8 sec.	August 12, 2005, 10:30 am
Low Output Pressure on Generac Pressure Washer	June 6, 2006, 5:19 pm
Karcher pressure washer loses pressure...	January 26, 2009, 6:57 pm
Pressure washer - no high pressure	May 13, 2007, 9:07 pm
Looking for a pressure washer.....	May 19, 2007, 1:03 pm
Pressure washer	October 16, 2007, 5:38 pm
pressure washer	October 28, 2007, 7:18 am
Pressure Washer GPM	November 1, 2008, 12:42 pm
Pressure Washer	April 8, 2009, 10:38 am
Delta Pressure Washer GFI	December 4, 2005, 1:43 pm

Pressure Washer - Help - Page 2